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The Depths Below

by Cortez

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    Digipak CD with artwork by David Paul Seymour.

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1.
You know I’ve gotta be the right one I know you love to dance on my stones Let’s take a step, let’s go together Let’s let the bygones be gone It’s all gone wrong The winds may seem like an accomplice To a man without a compass When they subside, without direction He’ll stare into the sky all night It’s all gone wrong It’s all gone wrong There always is an escalation In our war of “call it even” The way to just avoid the outcome Is let the bygones be gone It’s all gone wrong It’s all gone wrong
2.
Come face to face with wasted time We’re all born anew Hold tight, it’s best to fall in line No dream to pursue Is this our way now? Is this the dream we are all chasing down? I feel persuaded to call it a hoax Is this our way now? I see the walls crashing down and I know I feel persuaded to call it a hoax Just take a photo of your pride You’d better snap to Still tongue creates a happy life Avoid the taboo Is this our way now? Is this the dream we are all chasing down? I feel persuaded to call it a hoax Day by day, stone by stone Build a wall, then adorn Know your place, make it yours Nod and smile
3.
They see the flame, and walk on towards Such fervor, bound as one Drawn to the name, drawn by the words The smoke blots out the sun Come children, walk through fire Feast yourselves on blood Gaze out upon the world Consider what’s been done They’re born unclaimed, they’re born of toil Poor martyrs, wandering souls Past burned away, shaped in the forge A weapon keenly honed Reject all deniers, death to all the liars We will walk the fire And will bind our oath Reborn in flame, reborn from spoils Awakened, comes the horde Bow at the name, kneel for the words The blade meant for the son Come children, walk through fire Feast yourselves on blood Gaze out upon the world It could all be yours Reject all deniers, death to all the liars We will walk the fire And will bind our oath The time at hand, they walk on towards Such power, bound as one The past is gone, a future bare The sun, a sponge of blood Reject all deniers, death to all the liars We will walk the fire And will bind our oath
4.
Fires light ancient halls and towers Footsteps, rhythmic tones, echo on In the whispers, betrayal. There is a name, cold and waiting Amidst the silence, a game is played by the unwilling Shadowed sun, day breaks on the mountain Engulfed in flame, the adversary waits Fortress in the fiery mountain’s shadow Steep walls, the castle never broken At the peak, a prayer. The priest preparing forces In the citadel, plans are set in motion Shadowed sun, day breaks on the mountain Engulfed in flame, the adversary waits Riders carry tidings from the mountain Shadowed sun The guild struck in secret, seizing the lord’s son Shadowed sun The sacrifice is made before the idol Scion’s blood spilled fills the priest with power Shadowed sun With prophecy fulfilled, so fall the towers The priest robed all in blood and gold, the sky plays into fate Rides down from mountain hall, to lay waste to the gates Staff raised to the sky, invocations of shadowed flame Rain down upon the walls, while traitors lie in wait Knights form as the vanguard rolls into the gates betrayed Blood fills the air; the shadowed light obscures the day Helm crowned, the lord is mounted and unsheathes his blade A battle cry erupts. He charges to the fray.
5.
Eruption underworld Shadow and ash, herald the end Resolve and understanding Torn asunder as war descends Lightning streaks a darkened sky Expose the scene, a moment’s sight Columns meet chaos in conflict Walls become frame to the fight They will perish Die in anguish My forgotten sons/We will bathe in blood Eclipsed sun mutes the war Breaking ranks, defenders fall Terror dawns in all who remain As dark fire burns them all Former conquests take the walls A field of heirs and bastard sons As the battle churns around them Two raise arms and become one They will perish Die in anguish My forgotten sons/We will bathe in blood They will perish Die in anguish My forgotten sons/We will bathe in blood They will perish Die in anguish We will bathe in blood/We’re the chosen ones
6.
To The Skies 04:51
No illusions or impatience Invitation to our Valley Forge The transition months of winter Prove to test if we can be reborn It’s the want that brings us courage Hunger builds and it has made us strong For the ones that are the wanted Are the ones that we will leave back home Lift your eyes to the skies There’s confusion in the fading Simple minds would rather be disowned In the teeming pool of androids With their faces lit up by their palms I believe there is a saying From a relic of another time When the meek inherit the Earth It will be because they're left behind
7.
Share a cup of pain and woe Pass around to all your loves and hopes These bitter pills still have a taste Understand that time is short A fool will waste it on power and gold We want it all, but don’t want to pay today Choose the form of all your lust Just ignore the shame and self-disgust These greener fields lie out of reach Selfish thoughts surround us all So much to take with no remorse or cause We want it all, but don’t want to pay For all we know There is nothing when we go No lost soul to save, we just fade For all we know There’s a light and then we go On to be unmade Remember the days when you’re drifting Remember the nights when you cry Remember the heat in the dead of summer Remember the cold winters’ nights I’d pay any price just to eat food I’d pay any price to drink wine Don’t live in fear of the great unveiling Cuz, baby, we all gotta die sometime Release your hunger, and the rest will follow, and you all will know Let go of fear, and the rest will follow, and you all will know For all we know There is nothing when we go No lost soul to save, we just fade For all we know There’s a light and then we go On to be unmade
8.
Dead Channel 05:01
Pin the whole world down, and hold it Package up with a brand, then unfold it A sexy simulacrum, a twist sublime It’s fair game, it’s all ripe for the taking now They ride without a codex, without a code Way out there exists a place where all our circuits know Beyond the systems, beyond the nodes Free from the cage, it’s the place where all our minds go We’ve such a vast plain, a twisted ride It’s tough to say who are the players in these violent nights Amidst the shadows, wisdom hides There must remain a presence, if only to kill the lights Belief is fading; claw your way back home They say we’re crazy but no one really knows It’s all been framed, paraded, and made On display, it’s shaded: a “made for” fantasy Protracted illness, horizon line Build, destroy, create, and kill all at the same time Amidst the chaos, order hides It ain’t a present, but at least pretends to cast a light Come ride without a system, without a node Way out here exists a place where all the dreams are yours Beyond the highways, beyond the roads Free from the cage, it’s the place where all our minds go Belief is fading; claw your way back home They say we’re crazy but no one really knows It’s all been framed, paraded, and made On display, it’s shaded: a “made for” fantasy We all deny what we need They all will deny you what you need We await someone But we are the ones Listen to me, please don’t wait too long We are the ones Don’t buy the long con, call out the lie No victims, no chiefs, no rules, no designs Let’s break the vows of sanctum; let’s cross some lines Rock and roll. No control. All the fucking time.
9.
Orison 06:12
Set my bones aflame, burn away the stains Through my mind, the past unfolds Please don’t let me fall to thee Providence has waned, minds have gone insane Like the air, my thoughts unbound Please don’t let it end with me There’s something kept alive Hidden in the depths below It lies in wait, in cold Everybody knows So the engineer stares into the years In the skies, an afterglow Please don’t let me fall asleep Set my bones aflame, burn away the stain Through my eyes, the past beholds Now I give myself to thee There is something dark indeed Concealed by old and conscious forces There the gate is opened by the guardian and key The sight of that which lies behind melts minds with promises of coming dawn There is something dark indeed Concealed by ancient eldritch horrors There are some things none should see

about

The Depths Below also greatly expands the scope of what Cortez accomplish sound-wise. Comprised of vocalist Matt Harrington, guitarists Scott O’Dowd and Alasdair Swan, bassist Jay Furlo and drummer Alexei Rodriguez (though Jeremy Hemond plays here), Cortez touch on varied forms of classic metal throughout The Depths Below‘s nine-track/44-minute run and offer a few surprises along the way. Their reputation as songwriters is well established going back a decade to their 2007 Buzzville Records-issued Thunder in a Forgotten Town EP, and it’s that core of craftsmanship that allows them to go where they will sonically across this material. Despite several distinct sonic turns both early and late in the proceedings, Cortez remain in complete control of their direction, and so guide their listeners skillfully from front to back.

credits

released June 16, 2017

All songs written by Cortez.

Recorded December 2014 - June 2015 by Benny Grotto at Q Division, Mad Oak Studios, and Moontower Recording Studio.

Mixed by Benny Grotto.

Mastered by Jeff Lipton at Peerless Mastering.

Album artwork by David Paul Seymour.

Photos by Bruce Bettis.

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Cortez Boston, Massachusetts

Cortez has solidified their place in the world of underground heavy rock, the new material simultaneously swinging and crushing with hooks for days. These aren’t just songs, they are war cries and proclamations, letting the world know that Cortez means business and will not stop until their quest for the perfect riff or catchiest chorus is attained. ... more

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