Off-Topic

[Aletheus]

Well... The suggestion isn't that bad, actually...Ripping it from youtube is the closest you'll get to a great sounding mp3 without ripping the CD yourself.
Do this and it will still be in decent quality (better than average in all cases)

You Tube

copy this url here:

http://www.video2mp3.net/

and click on high quality of course.



But that way it's not a direct rip and if you're slightly OCD like I am you'll have a problem with that

[Martyr's Crown]

Thanks, I just ended up doing that. The quality is really not bad. And I'm lucky -- iTunes puts it as the first song on the album when I add it, so not only does it not ruin the album's ending with MoS, but it also makes a better opening track than A Tower Of Ashes, in my opinion.

[FleshAndBloodTheocracy]

See, I wouldn't be able to stand that :P
(the quality)

Anyway, I just rearranged the tracklist manually, so it's -

1. A Tower of Ashes
2. On Eagles' Wings
3. Laying the Demon to Rest
4. Bethlehem
5. Wages of Sin
6. Absolution Day
7. The Writing in the Sand
8. Martyr
9. Mirror of Souls

[Rawshik]

I actually like Wages of Sin at the end of my list. It feels like a good finale for the whole album in my opinion.

[Ryan M.]

Originally Posted by Rawshik

I actually like Wages of Sin at the end of my list. It feels like a good finale for the whole album in my opinion.

It is quite a good finale song,

[Martyr's Crown]

I think it works better as an opener, personally. Gets the blood pumping for the rest of the album.

[Martyr's Crown]

I wrote the lyrics to this song in about an hour last night because I couldn't get to sleep. I'm still piecing out the music in my head (I really wish I could play an instrument beyond drums and vocals...), and I think it loses something without the melodies and rhythms, since there's a ton of proggy stuff in there. I'll let you draw your own conclusions from the lyrics, but I will say that I had several very specific people in mind when I was writing it. I won't tell who, since it's very possible that they have fans here, and I don't want to start a flame war. Anyway:


"Catalyst (How Many?)"


How many times have you struggled away
To twist people's sights to your own?
How many lives have you taken away
In your quest for domination?

How many lies have you told us today
Knowing full well you decieve us?
How many minds have you broken away
With your plan to curse us all?


Using fear to force us to follow
Using greed as your motivation
Using pain to stir up their anger
Using hate, corrupting His word


Do you really think
This is what He meant
What He wants?

You can't really think
That His peace and love
Stood for hate

How can you believe
In the lies you tell
In His name

One day you will see
That the path you took
Led you astray


Death, corruption and sorrow
Pain, hatred and fear
These tools that you always call on
Will be death's catalyst


How many prices have you forced us to pay
In exchange for your selfish pride?
How many demons have you freed on this day
To dance in the doomed hearts of Man?

How many souls have you tempted away
From His grace with your serpent's tongue?
How many curses have you layed down today
Due to your myopic sight?


Pride, hypocrisy, torment
Wrath, destruction and sin
The lies that you have to offer
Become Satan's catalyst

But a ray of hope shines through
To pierce the clouds of your hate
It gives you one final chance, to
Become Jesus' catalyst

[Child Of God]

I read some reviews today cause I had nothing to do, and I came across this one :
http://www.metalstorm.net/pub/review.php?review_id=6176
When I read this I was going to become crazy

if you're looking for originality and something new, damn it won't be for you!

WHAT ?????????
It's the best Power Metal sound I've never heard, an album filled with only excellent songs (each one is excellent, unique !!)... how could he say it ??
Just give me one band that has the same sound...
IMO he may just have a problem with Christians or happy music
I saw Ryan posted here, that's good !

Do you agree with what the reviewer said or is he the only one who thinks that about this album ?

[M@RS]

Of course Ryan had to comment on the Review. xD

[Scarred621]

LOL at that metal storm review.

Yeah, I remember reading that one a while back. Hey, I can understand that MoS isn't everyone's cup of tea at all, but after reading this guy's take on it, I found myself wondering if he'd given the album a serious listen. "Kings, dragons, and flowerpower?" Seriously? Did he listen to the same album I did? Is there some other album called Mirror of Souls out there? Ah well, good for a laugh.

Originally Posted by M@RS

Of course Ryan had to comment on the Review. xD

It would be surprising if he hadn't

[Martyr's Crown]

Not unique? Not taking risks? Did they even listen to the title track?!

[Ryan M.]

Originally Posted by Scarred621

LOL at that metal storm review.

Yeah, I remember reading that one a while back. Hey, I can understand that MoS isn't everyone's cup of tea at all, but after reading this guy's take on it, I found myself wondering if he'd given the album a serious listen. "Kings, dragons, and flowerpower?" Seriously? Did he listen to the same album I did? Is there some other album called Mirror of Souls out there? Ah well, good for a laugh.

Yeah... it's like he picked up "Inhuman Rampage" and thought it was MoS. Tsk tsk tsk.

Well... yes I did comment there. I was outraged! Haha!

[SeaStorm]

Re metal storm review: I'd chalk this up to a website that has tons of albums to review, gives them each 2-3 listens, then sits down to write something. If he didn't spend the time to get into the music, then I'd say that's a fairly positive review. Heck we all think Mirror of Souls (the song) is arguably the band's masterpiece, and that 22 minute monster takes way more than 2-3 listens to get into!

It took me at least 20 listens before my brain really even started to unlock that song! I still feel bad that I talked to Matt at Progpower after it came out and he asked me what I thought of that song. I was only on about 10 listens at that point and could only say something like "Hmmm, not sure yet, it's still growing on me". Now that I've fully absorbed it, I can see it's the best song the band has done - a true masterpiece!

I shudder to think how my review would sound if I had to write something after 2-3 listens

[Martyr's Crown]

Personally, MOS the song blew me away on the first listen, but did the opposite of grow on me. Don't get me wrong; it's still the band's 3rd best song for me, but I like both TSK and TOF better; they just feel... I dunno, more put together? Not sure how to describe it.

[Child Of God]

The review was on the full-album.
OK, you may take some time to like MoS (the song), but the others songs are excellent too, and he said there was nothing new in the whole album... I can't agree x)

Personnaly, I didn't listened to the whole song when I got the album (It was one of my first metal records, and I wanted something punchy/speedy all along, so I stoped it after 2 minutes). But when I did, I realized it was a masterpiece cause the music is always fresh, dynamic, with a lot of changes and surprises.
And it's a great performance 'cause a lot of progressive metal bands I listened to aren't dynamic and fresh (listen to 7 days and you'll see what I mean ^^).

[Scarred621]

See, Mirror of Souls grabbed be right from the get-go. It went to the top of my charts very quickly. It's easily the best thing I've heard from Theocracy, and quite possibly my all-time favorite song.

Something about the song just pulls me in, and holds my attention despite the length. I especially love the lyrics. Speaking of which, I find it interesting that a song this long is mostly narrative - no extended instrumentals here. That's kind of unusual and pretty cool.

[prem]

Dude...the very first time I heard Mirror of Souls (the title track), I was reduced to a heap of tears...really sucked because I was at work at the time. Imagine seeing a big, fat. 40-year-old computer programmer almost sobbing at the keyboard in his cubicle. Not a pretty sight.

And as far as the rest of the album...on the very first listen, I was really digging Eagle's Wings...then LTDTR came on...then Bethlehem...by then, I knew I was listening to one of the best albums of all time...this was before even cracking open MoS as the piece de resistance.

---Prem

[Scarred621]

Heh. I'll be honest - I've teared up a bit at the finale of MoS a few times myself. That part really gets me.

[Ryan M.]

Originally Posted by prem

Dude...the very first time I heard Mirror of Souls (the title track), I was reduced to a heap of tears...really sucked because I was at work at the time. Imagine seeing a big, fat. 40-year-old computer programmer almost sobbing at the keyboard in his cubicle. Not a pretty sight.

And as far as the rest of the album...on the very first listen, I was really digging Eagle's Wings...then LTDTR came on...then Bethlehem...by then, I knew I was listening to one of the best albums of all time...this was before even cracking open MoS as the piece de resistance.

---Prem

Now I'm picturing this... Haha!

[M@RS]

Ahhh, I get teary eyed just about everytime I hear MoS. Great song. The other song that gets me is 'The Writing in the Sand'.

[Martyr's Crown]

Note to self: Don't get CDs from the library anymore. You'll just get your hopes up of finally hearing Yes's Close To The Edge and Styx's Edge Of The Century, only to find that both the disks are too scratched to be uploaded.

[Ryan M.]

Originally Posted by Martyr's Crown

Note to self: Don't get CDs from the library anymore. You'll just get your hopes up of finally hearing Yes's Close To The Edge and Styx's Edge Of The Century, only to find that both the disks are too scratched to be uploaded.

I got a Pink Floyd album (Greatest Hits actually, "Echos") and it had the 2nd disc missing... fail!

[FleshAndBloodTheocracy]

Metalstorm is for losers. They gave Nightwish's Once a 6.5 and Mirror of Souls a 7.0. That's all I need to know to count them as non-legit.

[Scarred621]

Originally Posted by FleshAndBloodTheocracy

They gave Nightwish's Once a 6.5.

That kind of irks me too. And that reviewer didn't even mention Ghost Love Score, which I found odd. I mean, I know it's not to everyone's taste, but it's the big epic piece on the album and it just gets ignored?

To be fair, another other reviewer on that site did give the album a 9.5.

[FleshAndBloodTheocracy]

Originally Posted by Scarred621

That kind of irks me too. And that reviewer didn't even mention Ghost Love Score, which I found odd. I mean, I know it's not to everyone's taste, but it's the big epic piece on the album and it just gets ignored?

I noticed that too!

My three favorite albums, ever are-

Nightwish - Once
Theocracy - Mirror of Souls
Epica - Design Your Universe

and the site trashed the first two, and I didn't have the heart to look the third up :P