Hard rock may be best known for its extravagance, but true anthems emerge when bands in the genre decide to delve into their own emotions. The Finnish band Gentle Savage brings a range of feelings to the album Midnight Waylay , but the band's darker side shines through in "Into The Abyss".
The song speaks of those dark moments in life when we have no alternative but to confront our own weaknesses and suffering, venturing into the abyss of our own soul.
With a more tempestuous and oppressive sound, "Into The Abyss" is a reflection on the human need for introspection from time to time, seeking answers within oneself to recover from the traumas of the journey. Who hasn't felt as if all doors were closed?
Night and day seem the same.
Problems seem to paint my soul gray…
When everything reaches its core, you walk here alone…
Out of this world, in your mind…
In your endless search for love…
I close my eyes, my ears, my heart
, and wish the pain would end…
The insanity won't go away.
My empty heart suffers in vain…
The abyss, therefore, lies within each of us: it encompasses all the unknown or ignored feelings, growing and disconnecting us from our identity, until we are swallowed by the monstrous immensity of anguish and there is no solution but to face the darkness.
I plunge into the abyss, it takes me down…
In this round, the deals are done: I pay or I die.
Awakening the inner demons, the sirens sing.
The lyrics were inspired by the experiences of vocalist Tornado Bearstone , as the musician recounted in an interview with Wikimetal . “This is the best song, in my opinion. It’s the most complete we’ve done because it’s the most personal to me, it’s a true story. It’s a story about when you really dig deep within yourself, it’s about suffering (…) and you reach that point where you either break or you overcome,” he explained.
The song represents this exorcist movement of sifting through one's own remains to rebuild oneself, and ends on a note of hope. After going through this transformative moment in his life, the Gentle Savage frontman managed to return, with the prize of the answers he needed to move forward, summarizing a two-year journey in just over five minutes and reminding everyone of the joy of overcoming one's own fears.
When it reaches your soul, you fight against the wind, you lose everything.
You want to be back where you belong.
You want to be free to your deepest core.
It's a beautiful day when your heart finds its way.
READ ALSO: The bells of hell and the incredible tribute in one of AC/DC's greatest classics
