Hello. Have I seen your face? This is all too familiar. I can’t erase the thought, But I can’t seem to recognize. Sweat dripping from your brow... Won’t you take some time? Will you please sit down? Tell me about your life. All you know is you can’t stop running away, Even though you will never find an escape From this waking nightmare. Very sad... how hopeless it must seem. I bet you wish that you never had to Wake from up your dream to greet the day. It all came too easily, Taking it, breaking it piece by piece, And breaking every vow. And it’s been fine in the 28 years Since the dawn of time, I know, But things aren’t getting better now. It’s been an hour since you stumbled, Disheveled, in tatters, through my door, And landed face down on the floor. Is this what you’ve learned? Can’t you See it all now? The tables have turned. You’re not the person that I knew before.

Looking down at the world from the outside, All I see is abomination. Looking down at the world from the outside, All I see is in desolation. Looking down at the world, So full of execration and restriction; Looking down at the world as I stand here, Masturbating to the sight of your extinction. As the countless fall and die, I couldn’t help you if I tried. I watch as you slowly fade away. Denial and iniquity; Your kind is nothing more to me. All I know and all I see Is dust and decay. Looking down on the world that forsook me, I recall the feeling of desertion. Looking down, I remember they took me, Rewarding rebellion with absolute purge. Unbroken, I remain an entity Separated, but still contained in this Shell: the one that now bears my spirit, And hath carried it away to this hell. I have been removed from The realm of the living; Forcibly eradicated, Extinguished, sedated. Extinguished and hated. I am dead to all this world, And this world is dead to me. It’s dust and decay.

“For the drunkard and the glutton Shall come to poverty And drowsiness shall clothe A man in rags.” Proverbs 23:21 I lie, a bloated beast in cold filth; Wasted life spent in consuming excess; Filthy pig, self-centered waste of life. Appetite, I failed to control. Take, take, more, more. Waste not; the rest be mine. Freezing rain soaks my blackened soul. Slush and mud; a fitting home for me. Cerberus feasting on us, who dwell In inferno, trapped within the third realm. “Whose end is destruction, Whose god is their belly, And whose glory is in their shame; Who mind earthly things.” - Philippians 3:19 I am a glutton. Food was my pleasure. For this, I am punished, Sentenced to the third ring.

Crashing down... Everything I do, everything I say; I’m looking for a fucking reaction. Don’t you stick your tongue at me! It’s plain to see you’ve only Empty words and broken promises. Is this what you call happiness? Ignorance never pays; succinct dismay. I’m looking for a fucking reaction. This is something I can live without. Shut your fucking mouth! Don’t give me Words to live by. Fuck your promises! Is this what you call happiness? Are you truly happy now? See what madness you have wrought As it all comes crashing down. Unleash all your wrath. Never take it back. I’m looking for a fucking reaction. You’ve been ignoring this wrong For far too long. I’ll give you words To live by, and I can promise this.

Ashes fall from the crimson sky: A time and a place for the elder gods to die. Rise up, my friends of forgotten name. This death has been promised, This life will be claimed. “Would you pity me, Ye who butchered be? Punished for my sin, Bleeding from within... Now, my soul is dying.” See the smoke of bodies burning, Open your eyes! See the ashes of the face That you so despised. We helped you to grow, we helped you to be; But you cast us aside for the flames of iniquity. Condemned of the flesh and of phantasmagoria, We promise revenge for the fallen inamorata. See the smoke of bodies burning, Open your eyes! Did you have no shred of pity As you watched her die? “I’m dying here. I can’t escape this fear. I will not survive, And so I breathe one final Word to those alive as I burn away.”

“Go forth into the ritual chamber! Commence the black magick ritual!” I desire vengeance On those who’ve done me wrong. Make them pay, make them suffer From dusk until the dawn. Curse those wretched heathen men. Come forth, Malacoda! I will give anything, Even my own soul. Demon of the underworld, I summon thee tonight. Feast on the blood of lesser mortals Until the rising light. Whet your gleaming fangs Upon their brittle bones. Let their screams be music With a bass of dying groans. “Your wish shall be granted, O vile mortal man. Bring to me the child’s blood. The ritual is nearly done. Evil one, we call to you! Come forth into the black! You’ve made your choice. What’s done is done. Now, there’s no turning back.” I have put all my trust In this dark ritual, And now that all is said and done, I think myself a fool. Is there a chance that I could set things The way they were before? The sight that’s met my eyes this night Is more than I bargained for. “It’s too late, foul peon! You’ve made your final choice. Until their blood does paint the earth, You shall wallow with remorse. Once the demon hath run its course, Their pain, you too, shall know. Your broken body shall be dragged To the hellish pits below!” “Foolish human!”

Escape into the darkness; 
I must break free from this cage.
 Soulless eyes, they burn inside
 With fear and anguished rage.
 This place is full of hatred
 And I must leave it behind.
 Toxic breath and stinking death 
Still linger in my mind. 

When all the world is fast asleep, 
I'll escape into the night.
 I will sleep beneath the stars,
 And when I wake, I'll see the light.
 Tonight, I bite the hand that feeds me 
Nightmares on a plate.
 I will greet the waiting world, 
Even if they come to hate me. 

I try to think, but all the memories
 Remaining are fire in my mind.
 Stay away! The poison dripping 
From your eyes is liquid Iodine.

 Now, I run for shelter,
 Seeking sweet respite.
 My thoughts laid bare, I will not fare. 
I have no strength to fight.
 What use is this vessel, 
This form of untapped might?
 What use at all if I take the fall
 And meet my end tonight?

 Fire floods the blackest night;
 Burn my eyes just with the sight.
 I see the forest falling down
 Right before my eyes.
 A phantom burning from my past;
 But I will not succumb so fast.
 No element will hold me back,
 And I will claim my prize. 
“What you're experiencing is anxiety.”

 I try to escape, but all the memories Remaining are fire in my mind.
 Stay away! The searing pain your Presence brings is something I despise. Now I can think. Despite the flames
 That live inside, I feel like I'll be fine.
 Stay away! My wounds are healing. 
I don't need you, so keep your Iodine.

Beneath the stagnating Waters of forest springs, A quiet disharmony rises On vaporous wings. I waited for the calm that Would signal the coming storm, And watched as the nebula Took a peculiar form. A vision is born in the night. Has obscurity tainted my sight? A curse taken form in the night; And my terror was claimed By the lady in white. Entranced by unheavenly beauty, I stopped and stared As shivers erupted within me. I’d been ensnared. This haunting apparition Reflects in my longing eye As I stand in the unhallowed Space where my body lies.

Footsteps up above me; Silence down below. What waits for me in darkness? Perhaps I will never know. I sought the quiet absolution Of a man who lives no sin, Just to find my greatest enemy Was clawing from within. I long to break the silence, I long to know the truth; I long to reach the other side, Where all this is removed, For if I cannot find my way Through the darkness of the night, Then all hope that was left for me Will ever leave my sight. This nothingness I worship, This emptiness I pray; This abscess of my soul’s erosion Lives inside of me, And the only thing I’ve left to feel Is absolute regret That you were forced to witness As the rope fell around my neck. I have with me your blessings, I have with me our truce, But see! My blood runs through Your hands... was it ever any use? So, as the cold envelops me, And the dark bleeds into day, I beg you, “please, remember me,” As I slowly fade away. The multitudes of people Cry out to God... Oh, but their prayers Only reach the throne of Hell.

Now, the flower’s lying dead Among the fallen trees; Murky waters running red. Upon the staling breeze, I can hear the broken song. I’m calling out your name. I’ve been moving far too long. I try to ease this pain. All I wanted was to see your face One last time before I die. Is that too much to ask, Before my dying breath runs dry? Rest my back against the tree, Hollowed from the sun Mercilessly burning down. The ground and sky as one, Blighted, dark against the light. The only that remains Lives inside my fragile chest, From whence the life still drains. I never wanted this for anyone, Anybody. Everybody else, Trying hopelessly to run away From something that might Save them from themselves... Now, the only hope is in the stillness. Silently, we reach the other side. All I wanted was to find you one last Time before I die alone tonight. All I wanted was to leave this place And find a world where we could live in peace. Now, I know that it is useless trying. All that once did live is now deceased. All I want now is to hold you closely, Listen to your breathing as I fall. All I wanted was to hold you, but The breaking dawn tells me I’ve lost it all.

Watching the bloodstain slip through the drain; Clutching these hands and a sting in my vein; Losing the conscience that’s kept me alive; Bleeding... there’s nothing but dust left inside. It never deserts me; it stands by my side, My own piece of darkness in which to confide. Giving its patience, taking its toll, A face with no mouth that can swallow you whole. Fire’s running through my head. Mind fucking numb, I’d rather end up dead. Another nightmare wakes me from my sleep. I’ll never get out; now I’m in too deep. “Why don’t you come a little closer, dear? Why don’t you tell me what I want to hear? Why don’t you let me come inside of you? You know you want me, and I want you too.” Fuck me, fuck you, fuck all of this. Fuck everything I loved and everything I miss. All the hearts you’ve broken and the blood you drew; Don’t need a patronizing piece of fucking shit like you. “Surrender, pretender, you’ve naught but your soul; And soon you’ll have lost that. You’ve lost all control. You’ll never escape me. You let me inside. You’re begging for more with your mouth open wide.” The time has come to take a stand, So look in my eyes and tell me your demand. Your mask is in pieces. You have no excuse. Tell me the truth, what have you got to lose? “I’ll never let you get the best of me. I’ll never let you win. Why can’t you see? You know as well as I that it’s too late. Your time is up, and you’ve already sealed your fate.” Fuck me, fuck you, fuck all of this. Fuck everything I am. I’m just so fucking pissed. Can I run from what’s inside of me, all I ever knew? I bled it out! What the fuck is there left for me to do? The darkness is endless; the light is pretentious. Trap lying baitless, I’ll never escape this. Their eyes won’t ignore me, the minds that abhor me. Shadow is all that’s still standing before me. My only conclusion, the only solution: Slowly succumbing, tired of running. This feels so wrong, but it won’t be long. Shadow’s all I have left, and he’s come for me. I had my only fucking chance, and I fucking blew. Don’t care about me; I don’t give a flying fuck about you. Fuck all this darkness, the day through the night. Fuck this world and fuck my life. Fuck my fucking life!

I am not the angel child That I so seem to be, For my growth hath hearkened Tell of a silent deformity. On the dusk of an age, my calling Beckons in the forest of the dead. As I descend from the above, the world Shall know a different kind of dread. Grief, pain, despair, kill, burn... And it all starts today with my death. Antichrist... Reflect upon the bleakness Of the fragile human mind, And the faint line between life and death That has made us all so blind. I am not a human And I am not alive, Yet mine is not the soul so black That you seek to hold inside. I am the Antichrist. Christ, God... “This suffering and all my memories Forsaken, when I gave my name For you to live in peace. So, speak your sordid words, And spit upon these broken hands That have lifted you up from your knees.” Carve it away and watch it bleed: Of broken pieces and blood conceived. For when you die, I’ll be whole again, The blood of your martyrs running in my veins. The beggars three have come tonight. The Antichrist is coming back to life. “I embrace this stinging. I accept this punishment. With dignity, I bleed for you, And these scars, I wear with pride.”