Puppies (Re)Discovery EP Roulette V.4 (The Final Art!)

[TAC]

The Composition Of Life is Deadeye.

[Crow]

even at the eleventh hour,

wrong guess from TAC

E is delivered.

[ariich]

even at the eleventh hour,

Coincidental nugget for Act III of my concept album!

Now that it has been fully revealed, here it is:

In the Void of the Heavens, May We Find Sanctuary in the Stars

Fies:

• The folder containing the three mp3 files
• Google doc with story and full lyrics

Tracklist for easy reference:

ACT I: Lovecraft's Shadow
1a. 00:00 - 04:16  |  Pink Floyd - Signs of Life
1b. 04:16 - 10:06  |  Mors Principium Est - We Are the Sleep
1c. 10:06 - 15:00  |  Anthriel - Under Burning Skies
1d. 15:00 - 20:12  |  Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
1e. 20:12 - 25:33  |  Vektor - Pillars of Sand
ACT II: To Kill the Gods
2a. 00:00 - 05:21  |  Nevermore - Born (with intro from Linkin Park - Empty Spaces)
2b. 05:21 - 07:42  |  Interlude (with excerpts from Void I-IV)
2c. 07:42 - 12:30  |  Kingcrow - Night's Descending
2d. 12:30 - 18:02  |  Pink Floyd - On the Turning Away
2e. 18:02 - 24:44  |  Insomnium - The Promethean Song
ACT III: Eleventh Hour
3a. 00:00 - 06:29  |  Pink Floyd - The Dogs of War
3b. 06:29 - 15:21  |  Nevermore - This Godless Endeavour
3c. 15:21 - 28:58  |  Vektor - Recharging the Void

[Elite]

The Unstoppable F_a_e

I wonder if this could be 'The Unstoppable Flame' sent by Elite?

[Elite]

The Unstoppable F_a_e

I wonder if this could be 'The Unstoppable Flame' sent by Elite?

Why, yes it it is! Here you go, enjoy!

The Unstoppable Flame Part 1 - The Fire in Everything
1. Chick Corea & Return to Forever - You're Everything
2. MEER - Picking up the Pieces
3. Thrice - Firebreather
4. Cobra the Impaler - Colossal Gods
5. Ihsahn - Called by the Fire
6. Neverus - Banish and Burn
7. Firewind - Into the Fire
8. PreHistoric Animals - Burn the Ground
9. In Mourning - Fire and Ocean
10. IOTUNN - Access all Worlds

The Unstoppable Flame Part 2 - Everything in the Fire
11. After the Burial - Pi (The Mercury God of Infinity)
12. Burning Point - Heaven Is Hell
13. Gojira - Where Dragons Dwell
14. Devin Townsend Project - Heaven's End
15. IOTUNN - The Weaver System
16. Cobra the Impaler - Scorched Earth
17. Gojira - Magma
18. Neverus - One for Blood
19. MEER - Lay it Down
20. Spock's Beard - She Is Everything

---

Despite containing the best track, I think Part II is significantly worse due to dubious flow choices. The whole thing is still fun to listen to I guess, so I'm sharing the entire thing with you guys here before I'm out of the house for a few days. I posted the 'story' a few pages back, see the quote below for reference:

The story is nothing spectacular at all. Just some random stuff about a person who turns out to be a demon, gets transported to hell/heaven and back, all the while thinking that his love interest doesn't truly love him, when in fact she does. In fact she turns out to be the one to stop him from going on a rampage when he figures out he's not only got powers to control fire, but also to influence people's minds (which led him to believe he did the same thing to his love).

---

Also, will listen to main Rich's thing tomorrow!

[Crow]

wow how did you solve that 

[Lonk]

Tripartite(we made such mess together)?

The day the world has ended?

[Crow]

yeah, pretty much, updated
we're so close to being done now, y'all, c'mon 

[Lonk]

Bleck me? Seriously have no idea what that word is

[Crow]

oh yeah i guess i missed an A there
i will also point out that nobody has asked for R yet
or C
just some ideas

[Lonk]

It's break me then 

[Lonk]

The Day the World Had Ended (TAC)
Break Me, If You Can (Deadeye)
The Composition of Life (Cyril)
Tripartite (We Made Such a Mess Together) (Wolf)
Mechanical Sentient (Vmadera) (might as well solve it)
The Trials of Man (King)

[Crow]

your own and deadeye's correct, the rest, not so much

[TAC]

Tripartite is Cyril
The Composition Of Life is Kingshmegland
The Day The World Ended is Wolfking
The Trials Of man is TAC

[Crow]

THE FINAL HANGMAN, COMPLETE

ariich: In the Void of the Heavens, May We Find Sanctuary in the Stars
1. Pink Floyd - Signs Of Life
2. Mors Principium Est - We Are the Sleep
3. Anthriel - Under Burning Skies
4. Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
5. Vektor - Pillars Of Sand
6. Nevermore - Born
7. Kingcrow - Night's Descending
8. Pink Floyd - On the Turning Away
9. Insomnium - The Promethean Song
10. Pink Floyd - The Dogs Of War
11. Nevermore - This Godless Endeavor
12. Vektor - Recharging The Void

Cyril: Tripartite (We Made Such a Mess Together)
1. Etoile Filante - Magnum Opus Caelestis
2. Khonsu - VA Shia (Into The Spectral Sphere)
3. Rannoch - Darkness (I. Prelude II. The Dream III. Hope IV. The Devoured V. Dying Embers VI. Void VII. Postlude)
4. Iapetus - The Star of Collapse (incl. Angelus Novus)
5. Sufjan Stevens - Impossible Soul

Deadeye: Break Me, If You Can
1. Muse - MK Ultra
2. Karnivool - Simple Boy
3. Voyager - Broken
4. Stone Sour - Knievel Has Landed
5. Karnivool - The Caudal Lure
6. Karnivool - We Are
7. Tremonti - Traipse
8. Black Sabbath - Laguna Sunrise
9. Avril Lavigne - Anything but Ordinary
10. Audioslave - Show Me How to Live
11. The Mayfield Four - No One Nothing
12. Muse - Save Me
13. Ragdoll - Rewind Your Mind
14. Sparta - Taking Back Control
15. Disturbed - Divide
16. War*Hall - Break the System
17. Karnivool - Change

Elite: The Unstoppable Flame
1. Chick Corea & Return To Forever - You're Everything
2. MEER - Picking up the Pieces
3. Thrice - Firebreather
4. Cobra the Impaler - Colossal Gods
5. Ihsahn - Called by the Fire
6. Neverus - Banish and Burn
7. Firewind - Into the Fire
8. PreHistoric Animals - Burn the Ground
9. In Mourning - Fire and Ocean
10. IOTUNN - Access all Worlds
11. After The Burial - Pi (The Mercury God Of Infinity)
12. Burning Point - Heaven Is Hell
13. Gojira - Where Dragons Dwell
14. Devin Townsend Project - Heaven's End
15. IOTUNN - The Weaver System
16. Cobra the Impaler - Scorched Earth
17. Gojira - Magma
18. Neverus - One For Blood
19. MEER - Lay It Down
20. Spock's Beard - She is Everything

Jingle: F#ck Cancer Part 2
1. The Cars - Hello Again
2. Neal Morse Band - Do It All Again
3. Lords of Black - Dying to Live Again
4. Nemesea - It's Over
5. The Poodles - Before I Die
6. Nightbirde - It's Ok
7. Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You
8. Silent Call - Our Last Goodbye
9. Project Aegis - Angel In the Ashes
10. Pink Floyd - Goodbye Cruel World
11. Sarah McLachlan - Angel
12. Carrie Underwood - I'll Stand By You
13. Hardline - Leaving The End Open
14. Vision Divine - My Angel Died
15. Noveria - When Everything Falls
16. Kissin Dynamite - Still Around
17. Cloudscape - In Silence We Scream
18. Disturbed - The Sound of Silence
19. Kingcrow - If Only
20. Skid Row - In A Darkened Room
21. Myrath - I Want to Die
22. Noveria - Acceptance
23. Skid Row - I Remember You

Kingshmegland: The Composition of Life
1. Barock Project - Gold
2. A.C.T - A Truly Gifted Man
3. This Day & Age - More of a Climb, Less of a Walk
4. Yesternight - Who You Are
5. Big Big Train - Judas Unrepentant
6. Anasazi - And the Grudge (Still Here)
7. Abel Ganz - Sepia And White
8. Anubis - A Room With a View

TAC: The Trials of Man
1. Mors Principium Est - My Home, My Grave
2. Eternal Storm - Through the Wall of Light Pt. 1
3. Eternal Storm - Through the Wall of Light Pt. 2
4. Oracle - Caressed by the Hands of Fate
5. Stortregn - Through the Dark Gates
6. Orpheus Omega - Grin of Madness
7. Artas - Through Dark Gates
8. Daydream XI - About Life and it's Ending
9. Thoughts Factory - Voices from Heaven
10. Tomorrow's Eve - The Trials of Man
11. Dreyelands - Acceptance
12. Michael Kiske - Do I Remember a Life?

Vmadera: Mechanical Sentient
1. The Contortionist - Language I: Intuition
2. The Contortionist - Thrive
3. Volbeat - Say No More
4. Intervals - A Voice Within
5. Leprous - Fate
6. Leprous - Not Even a Name
7. Dream Widow - Lacrimus Dei Ebrius
8. Intervals - Automaton
9. Periphery - Erised

wolfking: The Day the World Had Ended
1. Celtic Frost - Triptych 1: Totengott
2. WASP - Why Am I Here?
3. Pendragon - Indigo
4. Lamb of God - Memento Mori
5. Amorphis - Wrong Direction
6. WASP - All My Life
7. WASP - Clockwork Mary
8. Stortregn - Ghosts of The Past
9. 1349 - Through Eyes of Stone
10. Celtic Frost - Triptych 2: Synagoga Satanae
11. Celtic Frost - A Dying God Coming Into Human Flesh
12. Advent Sorrow - Pestilence Shall Come
13. 1349 - I Am Abomination
14. Bruce Dickinson - Darkness Be My Friend
15. Tribulation - Nightbound
16. Nevermore - Believe in Nothing
17. WASP - Why Am I Nothing?
18. Pendragon - The Freak Show
19. WASP - Somebody to Love Me
20. WASP - I Can't
21. Dungeon - Life is A Lie
22. WASP - The Horror
23. Nevermore - This Godless Endeavour
24. Celtic Frost - Triptych 3: Requiem and Finale

[Crow]

Tripartite (We Made Such a Mess Together):
https://mega.nz/file/nJ1EkbBC#fQPH6-ISkOAdBMwDMaYIjuSy_s95A1wAUqQp8ix8CeI

1. Etoile Filante - Magnum Opus Caelestis [0:00-21:53]
2. Khonsu - VA Shia (Into the Spectral Sphere) [21:53-35:51]
3. Rannoch - Darkness (I. Prelude II. The Dream III. Hope IV. The Devoured V. Dying Embers VI. Void VII. Postlude) [35:51-1:14:34]
4. Iapetus - The Star of Collapse (incl. Angelus Novus) [1:14:34-1:36:03]
5. Sufjan Stevens - Impossible Soul [1:36:03-2:01:36]

concept tying together my first three EPs with an overarching narrative rooted in freudian psychology, set to a space epic of a soundtrack 
first song is just stage dressing, second represents my fantasy EP, third my history EP, fourth is like, a step back from the scene of the sci-fi EP, and fifth is, i guess, the real representative of the sci-fi EP/conclusion to the overarching story? sort of tried to match the sound of each epic to its representative as best as i can, anyways. nothing short of a big epic to represent an entire universe, amirite?

i may have overthought just a tad, but i'm happy with the result 

congrats, ariich!

[TAC]

first song is just stage dressing, second represents my fantasy EP, third my history EP, fourth is like, a step back from the scene of the sci-fi EP, and fifth is, i guess, the real representative of the sci-fi EP/conclusion to the overarching story? sort of tried to match the sound of each epic to its representative as best as i can, anyways.

Wow, that's an interesting approach.

[Elite]

Just read all of ariich's booklet. Holy shit, that's insane! Very good job

[jingle.boy]

Well, if we're all sharing ....

Fuck Cancer Part 2:Her
Hello Again
Do It All Again
Dying to Live Again
It's Over
Before I Die
It's Ok
I Will Always Love You
Our Last Goodbye
Angel in the Ashes / Goodbye Cruel World
Angel

Fuck Cancer Part 2:Him
I'll Stand By You
Leaving the End Open
My Angel Died
The Kübler-Ross Suite
Denial Despair - When Everything Falls
Denial Despair (reprised) - Still Around
Anger - In Silence We Scream
Bargaining - The Sound of Silence
Bargaining (reprised) - If Only
Depression - In A Darkened Room
Depression (reprised) - I Want to Die
Acceptance - Acceptance
Acceptance (reprised) - I Remember You

I know some of the transitions are a tad clunky (Dying to Live Again-It's Over; My Angel Died-When Everything Falls), but I did the best I could in those transitions.  Some of the songs might also seem a be a bit out of place stylistically - but since I'm not going to catch Rich or Cyril (I don't even know what that dude's real name is), I wasn't going to spend anymore time on the dieting (see what I did there!?!? )  Also, some aspects of some of the lyrics (eg, gender/noun usage) is off in a few songs, but it's not like I wrote/recorded these things 
---------------------------------

F#ck Cancer Pt2: Her
Cancer: Did you really think I was over you?  I always had my eye on you; like a creeper that's always lurking - maybe out of sight, but never out of mind.  And now I'm back.  Are you ready for round 2, cuz I'm gonna be a real bitch now.  This won't be fun for you, but this is my jam.  I'm whimsy, I'm fancy-free, I'm gonna ravage your body and soul.  I'm gonna have a blast wreaking havoc and laying waste every where I go.  Come on girl, it's go time.

I always knew this time was going to come, and that the last four years I was playing with house money.  At least this time, I know what I'm in for, and I know I can do this.  It's like riding a bike - a painful, torturous, excruciating, dreary, draining, soul-sucking, draining bike.  But, it's time to suit up, and start peddling.  I can endure this - because endurance is key - for this is a marathon... a marathon like no other - more than just survival... it is THE test of ultimate will.  The kids are older (and somewhat wiser now), but just like last time, I know they will light the fire in my eyes.  I've got so much more to do with this life.  The pain an suffering is temporary; for the love of my family and our future, I'll do this all again.  In such a contemptible distortion of irony... I'm dying to live again.

Cancer: oooh... what do I see down there?  I'm in the mood for some liver.  It's time I was moving on.

<7 months later>

Four.  Spread.  The two worst words I will ever hear in my - now shortened - life.  Preceded with "stage", and concluded with "liver".  Turns out I was wrong - I thought those were the two worst words I'd ever hear.  Doc proved me wrong about 8 seconds later with "three" and "six" .... As in months to live.  It's over now.  None of my prayers were answered, and no more will be answered.  There's no use in clinging to any hope I could get some kind of made-for-TV miracle ending.  It's over.  The treatments have ravaged my body as much as the disease, and still, the disease won.  It's time to live - I really am on borrowed time now.  There's so much to do before I die.  I just have to embrace what life I have left.  This is who I am now.

It's go time.

Cancer:  You go girl.  I'll be waiting for you at the finish line

<5 months later>
I've been in bed for 13 days now.  Or has it been 14?  More?  I don't know, and I'm not sure I care.  I've lived all the life that I can.  I've wrung every last drop out of me.  Now, I'm just existing ... barely.  But it's ok.  I have no regrets.  I only wish him and the kids didn't have to see me wither and wilt away to nothing, just waiting for something to fail that will finally take me away.  I know he's been thru hell, and isn't quite fully ready to cross the finish line with me.  It's ok.  He'll find himself again.

Cancer: if there's anything else to say, you'd better do it tonight.  The party's over.  My work here is done.

<3 days later>
It's time now.  Or, it will be soon.  Look at that, it's a little after 1pm. God I hate that time.  He finally joins me as I see the end of this road.  "It's ok" I tell him.  He finally says it back to me.  I can rest now.  With all of the strength I can muster, I whisper "I will always love you".  In this life, and the next.  My eyelids have never been so heavy.  I can see his sadness, but what I really see is his love, devotion, caring, strength, commitment, and his beautiful eyes.  The really are a window to the soul.  I can close mine now.  We exchange a kiss, and say "Goodbye".

A Higher Power:  Are you ready?

You know how when you're really tired, but trying to stay awake, you kind of drift in and out of consciousness?  In this ending, it's like drifting in and out of existence.  One moment I can hear them talking ... some are sobbing, some are telling stories of better times, some just trying to hold it together.  I can feel the love (and sadness) in the room from each of them.  In another moment, it's as if my mind and soul has begun to burn away like the ashes of a campfire - ashes that still have a momentary dim glowing ember, and then fade and float away.  But it's not a bad 'burn'.  I know the next place is somewhere special.  It's a celebration of sorts.  For the first time in ... I don't even know how long ... I'm longing and yearning for something - something good.  Something profound.  Something enlightening.  Something beautiful. And then once again, I'm snapped back like an elastic and in my bedroom with my family (which is ok!) I can feel him holding my hand, and each time I return, I squeeze it with what little strength I have for what might be the last time.

A Higher Power:  You are ready now.

It's not ashes actually, it's just the next 'me', and I fly away in the arms of an angel.


F#ck Cancer Pt2: Him
No.  No, no, no.... NO!  NOOOOOOO!  Not again - she had this beat!  This isn't fair.  I know that life isn't fair, but why?  Why this again? Our daughter isn't even one yet!  Fuck this life.  Fuck it hard.

Ok, pity party is over.  Time to get back to work.  I've got to be her rock again - ffs, I'm not the one fighting cancer.  We did this once before, we can do it again.  She's dying to live - and I'll stand by her every step - be her strength when she has none.

<7 months later>
She's ready to give up; she's convinced it's over ...  but it's not time to throw the towel in yet.  There is no fate but what we make.  I won't give up... she can't give up!  This is not how our story ends.  I can't go on without her.  The kids need her.  *I* need her.  Oh god, why?  Fuck you God, fuck you.  This is *not* ok.  I don't want her to leave us, but I know this is a fight she is losing, and it's only going to kick the shit out her more.  It's time to wave the flag.  Where's that bucket list?

<5 months later>
Tonight will be the night.  'Til death do us part.  Our last goodbye.  I can barely hear the conversation happening all around us - they're all here in our room, but she and I are in our own little bubble.  One last kiss ... and as she closes her eyes, two single tears slip out of her eyes.  She squeezes my hand at least a dozen times, maybe more... each one a little further apart.  Until finally, there is nothing.

And then my world truly crumbles.  People hold me, and I just melt. Every ounce of strength I'd drawn upon for the last year finally evaporates. I can hear and smell the tears and sobs all around me.  Everything I've had to hold in for the last year just flows out of me.  Numb doesn't even come close to what I'm feeling - or not feeling??  I thought I'd cried a lot (never in front of her though), but this hurt is a reservoir all to it's self.  I don't remember if time stopped, or accelerated.  The days and weeks that followed lasted forever in one sense, but were over in the blink of an eye in another. 

It didn't take long to realize that grief is not linear.  Five stages??  Pffft... more like 50 versions of those 5 stages that come and go, and then come back again, and again, and again.  Denial came and went years ago.  Our outcome had long been written, there was/is no sense in denying it. The word that most people ask at this moment in their life is "Why?"  What's the fucking point, though?  There is no reasonable or logical answer - it's only a path to more pain and despair. Despair. That's what my first stage is. Despair... a spiralling downward staircase with seemingly no bottom, and no way to turnaround, and no way to stop taking those steps. I know that life isn't fair, but what in the actual fuck?  How am I going to raise these children on my own?  How am I ever going to smile again? How do I stop taking the steps down this spiral? I've lived enough of my own depression that I certainly know how to fake it, but our world will never be the same again, and though I try to look to the future and move forward, there are so many reminders of her everywhere I turn - in the house, when I'm out driving, the music I listen to, the shows I watch.  It's like when you buy a new car, and then you see that make, model, and color of car everywhere.  She's everywhere.  Does this fucking staircase ever end!?!?!?

Oh God! I am so mad I don't know what to do! NOW I wanna know why! I wanna know *why* her life is over! I wanna know if this little girl will ever remember how wonderful her mother was! Will any of the kids *ever* know what she went through for them! Oh *God* I wanna know *why*? *Why*? I wish I could understand!  No! No! No! There is no understanding. 

It's not supposed to happen this way! I'm supposed to go first. I've always been ready to go first! These children need a mother more than a father.  I-I don't think I can take this! I-I don't think I can take any this! I-I just wanna *hit* somebody 'til they feel as bad as I do! I just wanna hit something! I wanna hit it hard!  I don't know how to release all of this rage inside of me.  I don't know how it is even possible.  There is no scream loud enough to get rid of this pain.  Better to surround myself with silence.

I spend far too much time in that silence... and darkness - both figuratively and literally.  I know it's not healthy, but I'm paralyzed.  Paralyzed in these shattered emotions and feelings.  I don't have the strength to get out of this place.  I'm drowning in the sea of life, and the darkness is the closest thing I have to a life preserver.  I know people mean well, but I hate the word condolences.  I hate it when people tell me "you're in my prayers". Really???  How am I doing in your fucking prayers, cuz I'm a fucking wreck out here in the real world.  If not for the lives and future of my children, I'd rather just join her in the afterlife.  I hate how in the beginning every one wants to send you flowers, or food, or gift baskets, or donate to a foundation for her ... and then they stop calling, or writing, or texting, or visiting, or doing nice things because they're over it - and they think (expect?) you to be over it. I hate running in to someone I haven't seen in a long time, and I know they know she died, but we have an entire conversation and they never bring her up, never acknowledge it in any way, or ask now I'm doing - they just pretend everything is fine or normal ... as though it's too painful for THEM to have that conversation.  They don't know pain.

Please do not ever tell anyone to "get over" their grief. Grief stays with us forever, it moves in, and it lives inside us for the rest of our lives. Instead... ask us how we are, ask us to talk about them, ask us how we are doing... days, weeks, months and years after they have died. We don't stop loving them - ever. EVER! We will always love them, and we will always miss them, and grieve... There is no "d" at the end of love, or grieve, or care, or anything when someone dies. Their existence on this world may have ended, but their existence in my world did not. 

I never did see the bottom of that staircase, but I did somehow manage to stop taking any more steps... even turned around and started walking up.  I'm nowhere near the surface though, but at least I'm headed in the right direction.  They say time heals all wounds?  Maybe ... but there is one helluva scar.  I'll never forget life before the scar; I will always remember everything about her, but the scar is a permanent part of me now.  It's time to move on with that scar.

[King Postwhore]

My brain hurts Chad.

[TAC]

Your brain hurts all of us.

[King Postwhore]

That's not true. My spelling does.

[TAC]

Oh that's right. You spell with your ass.

[King Postwhore]

I talk with my ass. Damn you suck at this.

[TAC]

[King Postwhore]

[Deadeye21]

Pretty glad to see I'm not the only one who prominently featured one artist for the final round.

Here's my story. Break Me, If You Can. Told you it was a cheesy ass title.
This is such a weird story, but think The Giver. The background is kinda exactly like that.

The story starts in a cult like setting, that I will refer to as The Community. The world wasn't always like this, but generation upon generation have passed. Minds slowly broke over time, now their truth is the truth. Almost all emotion has been re-coded to practically not exist. The history of Earth that was? Removed. What they don't know won't hurt them, right? (MK Ultra)

Children are still allowed to make their own choices though. They're just led to believe that nothing else is safe. This life, under someone else's control, is their only real safe haven. But they're not really given answers as to why the world beyond is unsafe, they're simply told "don't wander, stay here". But our protagonist is starting to wake to his emotions. He feels like staying here is going down with a sinking ship and is starting to realise the insanity of his situation. (Simple Boy)

Starting to see through the cracks in the façade, our protagonist starts to try and bring himself to escape. Life has been lived with a metaphorical hand in front of his eyes, but realising that, beyond there is still a lot of sunlight for us all. (Broken)

But when you've spent your life with everyone believing the same thing, it's easy to feel divided and ostracised. He believes that maybe whatever is out there isn't worth knowing, maybe it's best to not wander and stay in The Community where he's been raised for so long. (Knievel Has Landed)

So he asks the elders the simple question, what horrors are truly out there that they're being kept safe from within the community. The answers, if there were any to be found, were silent. But instead of the usual rhetoric he's been fed, he's persecuted for having deviant thoughts and ordered to go back to his quarters. (The Caudal Lure)

But no. He's not having it. This is enough and he's making a stand. Who they have been raised to be is no one he can stand to be. The decision is made. He's getting out, finding a real life  and being his own person. (We Are)

In the darkness of the night, he makes the ultimate decision. He decides the best way out of this is to leave unnoticed. He makes his way to the back of the forest to the lake area, takes a deep breath and makes his way beyond the bounds of the community to start again. (Traipse)

(Laguna Sunrise) is just a real nice guitar piece, but can be used to symbolise the successful escape of our protagonist and will also stand for the passage of time. Our protagonist was merely a young adult when he left, but he finds his own life and lives for a good few years (I'm thinking around 5 to 10 years, it doesn't really matter how long, just it's been a while.)

When someone is raised to not feel anything, it's fairly natural that if they unlocked that ability it could be misused. Having been just another simple boy, his life on the outside is fairly dangerous. He becomes an extremist chasing any thrill that he can, all in the name of simply "feeling alive". He can't just be an ordinary citizen of life beyond The Community. (Anything But Ordinary)

But it all gets out of hand. He can't sleep because his mind just can't seem to slow down enough to allow him to sleep. He ends up cursing the life he had grown up in, feeling they had failed to teach him how to live outside of their watchful eyes of rules and regulations (Show Me How to Live)

But nothing works. He realises he's very alone and all he wants to do is belong. He submits to himself that maybe, as crazy as it seems, he was better off in The Community. (No One Nothing)

So he goes back. He lays it all out on the line and says "fine, you didn't do a good enough job the first time, so it's going to be much harder now, but I submit. Save me from this dreadful loneliness, turn me into someone like you again". (Save Me)

But it's only in doing so and reentering The Community that he remembers everything that was wrong. Everything is false. Slaves to the leader's every notion. Emotionless and fake, they seem to love without affection.  (Rewind Your Mind)

Nope. He's not in for this. He thought he wanted to belong, but this is no way to be. This is robbing children of their future and all the work that's being done here may as well be slave labour. Enough is enough (Taking Back Control)

He snaps out of it, he knows his true calling in life now. He's going to destroy this place for good. (Divide)

And that's exactly what he does. Over time, he shows people how to be individuals instead of living as part of a collective under the strict eyes of The Community. Their lives aren't just a show, they will be who they are (Break the System)

And it's through all of this that he became the person he wanted to be. His existence meant something, even if it had kinda sucked. What he thought he had lost, he had found within. He had become the fire needed to change everything.  (Change)

I felt the ending of Change was the right note to leave off on. "Light your way, find your place in here". Some of the song may be a little disjointed, but there were a few themes that it tackles that I thought really suited this conclusion, so, I'll take the risk.

Pretty much putting it all on the line here, I don't think this is better than Searching For a Purpose. Puppies might, but I'm just happy to say I've given this one a go. This is better than nothing, and I feel like I've used some different stuff here as well as the artists that have turned out decent results for me in the past. Is it enough? God no, I'm not getting off the bottom rung, but I ain't ready to quit.

[Crow]

give me the D

[Puppies_On_Acid]

Well, I'm finally back from my vacation....and let me tell you, I didn't really want to come home......

Anyway, how about some first impressions...

- This was amazingly cinematic
- Talk about hitting all human emotions...
- This all feels very cohesive.....maybe too cohesive
- The middle of this kind of drags on longer than necessary
- This goes on and on and on, but I think I love every minute of it
- There's a lot to digest here and I'm not sure all of it is going to work for me in the end
- After seeing the song list I wasn't sure this was going to work, but I was shown differently
- This has a similar feel to your last EP, but more sensical and yet more nonsensical, if that makes sense
- this is a lot of a specific prog sound that I've been really digging lately, but one song may be a bit too long for its own good

[ariich]

- This was amazingly cinematic
- The middle of this kind of drags on longer than necessary
- After seeing the song list I wasn't sure this was going to work, but I was shown differently

One of these? (EDIT: obviously I hope not the middle one, but Act II is slower so you could conceivably find it less interesting)

[TAC]

Am I the song list?

[Puppies_On_Acid]

- This was amazingly cinematic
- The middle of this kind of drags on longer than necessary
- After seeing the song list I wasn't sure this was going to work, but I was shown differently

One of these?

Indeed, one of those!

Am I the song list?

No sir.

[ariich]

- This was amazingly cinematic
- The middle of this kind of drags on longer than necessary
- After seeing the song list I wasn't sure this was going to work, but I was shown differently

One of these?

Indeed, one of those!

Per my edit in the last post, I rather hope it's not the middle one, so let's go with "amazingly cinematic"...

[TAC]

Does my middle drag?

[Crow]

- This goes on and on and on, but I think I love every minute of it

yeah considering i sent five epics totaling over 2 hours, i'm just gonna hail mary for this one