Text by Marcelo Pugliese Cezario
On November 21st, we had a Sandstorm in Brazilian lands – no, this is not another fateful event – which took place in Belo Horizonte in the bold form of national metal, seeking with its tireless warriors greater visibility in the music scene, as well as captivating more audiences in the tropical hemisphere.
Introducing the concept and band Medjay, formed by Phil Lima (vocals and guitar), Samuka Vilaça (bass), Freddy Daniels (guitar), and Riccardo Linassi (drums). This debut album, Sandstorm , features eight songs, seven of which are original compositions and one an authorized tribute to the band Iced Earth . The musical and visual concept was developed in collaboration with mentor Rafael Bittencourt (Angra), who also composed the song "Rise For Glory".
All the stories that served as the basis for the lyrics were the result of meticulous research done by the band's historian and bassist, Samuka. The album's overall concept revolves around controlling aggression. Dealing with this is a major dilemma in the warrior Medjay's journey, and similarly, all of us human beings also need to control this aggression to live well in society, highlighting Thomas Hobbes' philosophical dilemma.
Here I discuss all the themes of the album, track by track, see below.
1) "Egyptian Beast"
"Man is a wolf to man," and that's the theme that inspires the album's opening track.
2) “Medjay”
It introduces the audience to the Medjay warrior, who, after several battles and deaths, awakens his "inner beast," begins to kill for pleasure, and with each battle fuels this urge to shed blood even more.
3) “Death in the House of Horus“
Continuing the saga, the song tells a story that takes place when Bakari (Medjay) is summoned to the House of Horus by Hathor, the goddess of love. Consumed by hatred and fury, he kills the Goddess and sets fire to the House of Horus.
4) “Revenge of Horus“
This is a continuation of the story begun in the third track, when Horus avenges the death of the Goddess Hathor by punishing the Medjay with a torture ritual in which the person is locked alive in a sarcophagus filled with scarabs. This song features the participation of the Rio de Janeiro-born lyric soprano Marília Zangrandi, Geoff Tate 's last tour
5) “Rise For Glory”
This is a collaborative composition with Rafael Bittencourt, and it speaks of the warrior people who, day after day, return from battles with scars on their bodies and souls.
6) “Sandstorm”
Sandstorm is the name given to a natural phenomenon known as lithometeors, which occurs when the relative humidity is lower than 80%. In the album, this phenomenon served as inspiration for portraying one of the greatest revolutions in history in 2011, known as the "Arab Spring".
The revolution in the political field of the Arab world was like a sandstorm that swept away the "tyranny," initiating a new perspective of freedom and social justice. This is why the song's name and album title are a tribute to the march of the Egyptian people to " Al-Midan, " or Tahrir Square in Cairo. The square became a symbol of struggle and resistance, as it was there that the victory march of the "Medjay" began.
7) “Lady of the Nile”
A ballad that couldn't be missing from a power metal album. In this song, we lead Bakari (his mind or spirit after the torture of Horus) to meet Nefertiti on the banks of the Nile River, where he falls in love with her unparalleled beauty. Has he found redemption? Nefertiti was portrayed by May “Undead” Puertas , vocalist of Torture Squad.
8) “"Violate"
Finally, our tribute to the band Iced Earth features the song "Violate," also with vocalist May "Undead." This song represents the moment of acute fury of the infernal warrior (Spaw), a parallel we draw with the suffering and fury of Medjay Bakari when Horus condemns him to the Scarab punishment.
Listen to the entire album below.
*This text was written by a Wikimate and does not necessarily represent the opinions of the site's authors.
