I made it in time! I was getting worried I’d have to push back the release, but I managed to get it done before Halloween. It drops on October 30th.

This project has been a bit of a challenge to put together. I wanted to tie it together in a way I haven’t really done before. Usually, I treat every song as its own thing, and that mindset is still there with this project, but I also wanted the songs to feel like they came from the same broken tape.

The songs are rooted in EDM, but they don’t stick to one specific subgenre. The themes explore different parts of the occult, witchcraft, and the demonic, with the songs getting darker as the project progresses and i wanted that to reflect in the instrumentals aswell as the lyrics, Naturally that to me means some are much heavier, weirder, somewhat eerie while others are calm and chill, It truly is a mixed bag in that way.

The challenge and the fun part was tying all of that together through the sound design and mastering. How do I make these songs feel like they belong together when some of them are so different?

I ended up aiming for something worn and torn. That description doesn’t really do it justice, because that’s pretty much what I always do, but I wanted this project to have a particular mixture: warm analog tape, the noise and crackle of a vinyl record, and modern digital distortion, It's alot more in your face in this project.

Some songs have very noticeable “blown-out” sections, where I tried to simulate what happens to speciffic sections to a tape that’s been played a lot. “Blown-out” probably isn’t the right term, but that’s what I’ve been calling it. Either way, I wanted to capture that worn feeling without making it annoying to listen to and not to have it be on just ‘’all of the noise'' So it might be noticable on only a sub bass, or a guitar part, or in some areas on everything.

I like how it all came together. I might have gone overboard, and I’m sure it won’t be to everyone’s liking, but I really enjoy trying new things with shit like this. To me, it captured that occult, magical vibe mixed with my vibe pretty well.

Something else I’ve really enjoyed about this project is the artwork, so I wanna ramble about that a bit too.

From very early on, I wanted each song to have its own tarot card. Not an actual tarot card, but a custom one made specifically for that song. I wasn’t entirely sure how to approach them, though. Should I paint them? Make them entirely digital? Use photos? Should they feature people, objects, or just abstract stuff?

Turns out, a bit of everything worked best.

I’m super happy with all of them. Each card is unique and has its own vibe, so they’re a bit of a mixed bag. They share the same frame, labeling, font, and a mostly consistent weathered texture, but the artwork itself varies. I think that fits the project: the songs vary in their sound, while something at the core holds them together, All cards have a sort of see thru sticker label on them to bring in some of that modern vibe, also it makes it feel like they aren't really a part of the art, Idk i like it :) 

What made it even more fun was having friends and family involved in creating the cards. That’s something I value a lot. Having other people be part of it makes the whole thing more fun and meaningful.

Witold lent me a lot of photos to work with. My sister also let me use a photo that fit one of the songs so well, and she appears on another card alongside me and Julia.

So, a big thank you to Witold, my sister, and Julia for being part of these “tarot cards.”


Listing all the cards/songs, and going over them a bit, may or may not be intressting:

Just a lil something i wanna add, Just because im writing the songs meaning/creative vision, that should not be taken as its actual meaning, might sound weird, But to me thats important, That is like the best thing about music, a song and its meaning is tied to what it is to the listener, it can have wastly diffrent meanings and interpitations That varies to each person, And i don't wanna take that away.


The darkening:

This is the album’s opening song and one of its “calmer” songs. From my perspective, it’s about the start of the end of the world. The fabric between hell and earth has been torn, and demons are spewing forth, seeking physical forms to inhabit.

You might think it should sound a lot heavier and more brutal to represent that, and yeah, that’s where I was taking it at first. But I changed my mind about it. This takes place just before everything truly spirals into the beginning of the end of days. It’s not physical yet, it’s all spiritual.

Three have opened the way. By three they come. Who are these three? Up to you :)  (Inspired by Diablo IV, btw.)

I’m not gonna go through all the lyrics and their meanings. I don’t want to explain too much and take away from the listening experience, or force my interpretation on anyone. The meaning is yours, whatever that may be.

The base image for this card was provided by Witold: a photo overlooking a city at night. I edited my face into the background, looming over it, with demon silhouettes scattered across the city and flying above it.

Some glitch/VHS-type shit covers the right side of my face, hiding the “demon” part, while a glowing red eye pierces through it. Went with a red glow because that shit slaps.

The ashen sky:

This is also one of the calmer songs. Its focus is spells, rituals, and magic. Someone is seeking power, knowledge, and rebirth, not just for themselves, but for the entire world as we know it.

Gold is for the blind. Power is for the bold.

I’m not gonna go into specific details. I hope it can bring its own meaning to everyone who listens. Or just be a vibe and have no meaning at all. That works just as well. ^^

The base image for this one is once again from Witold. It’s a photo of some kind of industrial exhaust pipes. A factory spewing smoke into the sky? I’m not entirely sure what the structure is, but something about it just clicked for me.

It might not be a direct representation of the song and its lyrics, but mixing some gritty, everyday things into these cards felt like a perfect fit. We’re changing the world through the way we live, The waste we release into the air, the things we construct. In a way, it feels like we’re breaking nature’s laws. It’s not magic, but I think the image fits in its own way.

I went with pink because it felt like such a contrast to something you’d expect to be dark and grey. I kept details like the moon and smoke darker so they’d grab your attention. The pipes and smoke make a statement on their own against that pink, they’re pretty hard to miss.

For the glitch shit on this one, I went with something resembling oil in water, pushing that environmental side of the card a little further. The lower part gets darker balancing out the much brighter tones at the top.
 

The lying witch:

What’s worse than a bitch? A lying one that calls herself a witch.

This song is most likely the odd one out, it's vastly diffrent from the rest, its vibe, the structure and just overall, But its for a reason.

This one should be pretty obvious. The lyrics are straightforward, telling the story of a “witch” and her falsehoods. Her trickery leads to gold as she takes advantage of people seeking guidance, leading them down a path that empties their pockets and fills hers.

But she too has a debt to pay. And it ain’t in gold.

Try to manipulate and steer the dark for your own personal greed, and the time will come when you have to pay for it.
 

The art for this one came out pretty solid, I think. A witch made of static sits at a table covered with a white cloth. It was white, okay? Just trust me on this. It’ll make sense.

The static represents who she is: nothing of substance. A traitor to the arts. A manipulator who thinks highly of herself, seeking to gain but never to give. A greed filled wannabe.

Like static on a TV, she spews out meaningless noise while drawing information from those who answer her calls. She filters it, let's fragments through, and pieces them together in whatever way benefits her. A true idiot in a hat too big for even her inflated head.

Okay, got a little stuck in a rant there. Moving on.

The table is a mess, with cards scattered everywhere. That disorder is intentional. She picks whichever card suits her at that moment. They’re all available to her, but there’s no order or true meaning behind her choices.

The spilled wine symbolizes her coming downfall, along with the stain it leaves on the white tablecloth.

Now, about the white. I know it’s pink. That’s down to the filters and the overall vibe, it looked very off to have it white, but it started out white for a reason.

The white represents two things. First, the people she fucks over. The wine stains something that was clean, white, and nice, leaving a harsh mark behind. Second, it represents her being a pretender rather than a true follower of the dark arts, So naturally she has a table cloth thats white and not black.

I’m not saying you can’t have a white tablecloth if you’re into the occult. It just worked as a visual symbol here. And even though it ended up pink after editing, that works too. Not exactly a colour that screams dark arts either. :)

The text on this card is not centred quite like it is on the others, (my bad) but looking at it now, I kinda like it that way. It adds another layer to the fakery. She doesn’t quite fit, just as she doesn’t truly embody what it means to be a witch.

It’s funny how a mistake can end up adding something to an idea.

5 of ashes:

This one has a more eerie vibe, I’d still place it among the “softer” songs. There’s a lot happening in the low end, with sounds piercing through it.

The vocals have noticeably layered sections. There are two voices, but they’re the same. That adds to the eerie undertones while also representing the merging that comes with letting someone else in. Speaking as one.

This song embodies the enlightenment that the “dark” can offer. The complete acceptance of the demonic and its influence, fused with soul and flesh. Inviting them in.

The first part of the “drop” shifts in a way that represents the internal struggle that can happen. Later, the sound changes into something more in line with the rest of the song. Something within you has aligned, flowing with it instead of lashing out.

The gate opens to the endless war between good and evil. What is truly evil, and what is truly good? That depends on who you ask. That’s why it’s an endless cycle, a never ending struggle. Evil to some may be good to others.

Trying to draw an absolute line between them is a fool’s errand. Those who follow what they see as good can be just as blind as those who don’t. You need to look both ways and understand both sides. Then you may finally see the path that runs through the middle.

The flame that once hurt brings silence and contentment.

Witold is once again to thank for the base image. At first, I was going to have five people or objects burning and turning to dust, but aahhh, it got bloated and i did not like it. But i kept coming back to this particular photo of his.

The car’s headlights act like a beacon, drawing attention to what’s happening to her. But because they’re just headlights, there’s something mundane and unknowing about it too.

To me, that’s a great way to represent what can happen within you when you take a spiritual leap of “faith” whatever path that may be. The old you disintegrates. Burns away. But it’s a personal journey. Something enormous is happening to you while the world around you carries on, unaware. I think the image captures that really well.

Oh, and you might be wondering why it’s called “5 of Ashes.”

Well, maybe you can come up with your own reason. Cause I’m not gonna tell. :)

7 of silver smoke:

This is the last song I’d place in the “soft” section, and it marks a meaningful shift into what follows.

Seeking guidance from the seven voices reaching out from the void. The silver smoke covering their seven faces has been lifted. You have been caressed, and their voices now lead you, setting you on a path into a storm. It twists your form into what you sought.

The art for this one, Can you guess it? HELL YEAH, WITOLD STRIKES AGAIN! Base provided is his photography :)

A street at night. Someone standing in a puddle of water. Darkness looms around them, emanating from within.

To me, this is someone who’s been broken for a long time. A bit lost in life, standing in what might be a fitting representation of it. Lost in a puddle. It should be easy to step out, but it’s become something like a home. 
Maybe it should be? Maybe this change, this darkness coming from within, will make it feel even more like one.

Fun fact tho, I was super close to having the art for this be 7 lit cigarettes, No lie, would it have made any sense at all or have any meaning? aah, No not really, but it was on my mind, But i opted to have all these be more serious in tone and not just cause HAHA it would be funny, And that was good of me to do X)

3 of hate:

This one is heavier, with a fast tempo. Three witches have been wronged and seek vengeance. Naturally, they turn to their knowledge of the dark arts to bring about the end of those who wronged them.

Their masters help them carry out the punishment, blocking out their wrongdoers false and misguided faith, suffocating them in darkness. A fitting end for members of a godless church.

The best witches always come in three. That’s just how it works.

The art for this one was super fun to make, Having a friend and my sister involved in the art.

My sister is the middle witch, the wisest and most experienced of the coven’s three. She represents willpower, experience, and confidence.

Julia is on the left, representing thirst, curiosity, and superiority.

Then there’s me on the right. I represent cigarettes, coffee, and not being afraid of wasps.

Nah, I’m joking. I represent death, devotion, and dedication. Just realised they all begin with D. That wasn’t intentional, but pretty cool.

Anyway, all three of us also embody hate. I made two versions of the artwork to represent the change in us after we were scorned. They’re merged together in the card, but in the visualizer promo thingy has it shifting between them.

The mother:

This is the most personal song on the album. It merges fiction with experiences from my own life, but I want to start by making something clear: my mom and I have a great relationship, and I love her lots.

I named it “The Mother” because of what the song represents and who first introduced Christianity into my life. It’s not entirely about my mother. It’s a fictionalisation of emotions, memories, and the way I see things.

For this one, I want to go into the meaning a little more than I have with the others, simply because of what’s involved.

The song follows my introduction to Christianity through my mother, my acceptance of it at an early age, and how quickly I began to see through its brittle facade. To me, its walls were paper thin, with blood flowing behind them. The more I learned and read, the more sickened I became by what I felt it stood for.

At the same time, something else began pulling at me. Ironically, its counterpart stood out to me as the true embodiment of justice, freedom, and love. Christianity increasingly represented a cage, forced, full of hate, and built on what I saw as evil and injustice.

There’s more to that than I can put into this post, so let’s get into the song itself.

Musically, it has three core parts. There are clear influences from church music such as organs, choirs, and an overall religious atmosphere. There are also metal influences and heavier dubstep, alongside that “epic” feeling you get in fantasy movies, for lack of a better description, but somewhat toned down.

To me, those elements represent the foundations of my journey. The blind child who swallowed what was fed but disliked its taste. The rebel who woke up. And the new home that was found.

Some parts are too personal to explain, and I want to keep those to myself.

As a kid, I felt almost forced when I followed mom to church. and the more I went, the more I saw the cracks. I heard people recite verses, watched their hands clasp together and their heads bow in prayer, heard the way they said “amen.” It all began to sicken me.

Part of that was what God had come to represent to me. “He” had become a symbol of something so disgusting that it filled me with a hatred I still struggle to describe. But it was also the people, the certainty with which they followed and spoke.

They said he was love. The only way.

What fucking way? A way to be blind and deaf? To look the other way when hate is being spread because it fits your idea of what’s right? His way?

Then there was the gap between what they preached and what they did.

“Oh, but I think God meant it this way.”

To me, that often sounded like an excuse. A way to remain a sinner in denial. The words were there on the page, yet they twisted them to suit themselves. They disagreed with their own god but seemed unwilling to question him or stand against him.

Not everyone. But enough that it shaped how I saw the whole thing.

That contradiction stayed with me: following without question while changing whatever didn’t suit them. A tangle of exceptions, excuses, and lies.

“You will burn in hell for your sins.”

Within that belief, no amount of twisting the words changes it. You will. I will too.

And I know that, when that day comes, the pain and suffering will be beyond anything I can imagine. I would regret my sins. But that would be forced regret, brought about through punishment. It wouldn’t be an honest change of heart.

I don’t regret the life I’ve lived so far, even with that prospect in mind. God’s way of deciding right from wrong is not mine, and I’m certainly not going to live by rules I see as corrupt and wicked.

Went on a bit of a rant there, but I think it’s needed to understand where this song comes from.

That’s about as much as I want to share. I reject Christianity’s prescription for how life should be lived, and I carry a deep, burning hatred for God. That’s the emotional ground this song grows from.

The art is once again Witolds photograph, This one is of a burning cross, very fitting, and i felt right away that this is it, i don't need to change or edit it too much, its perfect. 

The dark messiah:

If I had to pick a song that feels like the album’s title track, it would be this one. It doesn’t share the album’s name, but y’all know what I mean.

I’m gonna explain this from a first person perspective, cause that’s easier.

This song is loosely inspired by the story of the game Dark Messiah of Might and Magic. It follows directly after “The Mother” and shares some of its foundations in some ways, but this one moves further into acceptance of the darkness. Of the “love” crawling inside me, guiding me. A union with the dark.

In the game, depending on your choices, you can embrace the darkness and “wed” Xana, the demon guide who lives inside you. Or go with some boring mage girl. I dunno, never picked that option. Fuck that.

Anyway, the mage girl gives you plenty of opportunities to reject the dark path. I took a somewhat similar idea for this song but interpreted it differently.

People have been praying over me since birth, trying to force that darkness out. But it’s only been held back. As time goes on, I accept it. I reach out for it, call it back home, and marry it. In doing so, I become the Dark Messiah.

If we’re drawing parallels between the song and the game:

I’m the protagonist.

Xana represents the general demon/evil shit. She’s no longer a specific person here, but a force.

The mage girl and the other random ass NPCs represent the people trying to “help.”

The story follows the progression towards becoming one with “evil.”

It’s a loose connection, but without the game, I wouldn’t have come up with this song, and that’s pretty dope.

Also, the game itself is fucking awesome. Kinda old now, but super fun. U can kick people into spiked walls in a very satisfying way, 10/10.

Aight the art for this one is a shared version with the album cover art, but in a demonic kali inspired form, I think it represents what a ‘’dark messiah'' version of myself might look like, either way im really happy with it, i reused some magic rune/symbols i used in the mare cover aswell, it fit really well, I will include the ‘’normal'' version of the album art at the end of this whole thing aswell, Anyway it was alot of fun making it, i had this one done way before the others, As i was making the cover art way earlier than the card thingys, 

The blood mage:

This song takes the project’s magic into a more sinister, physical form. It’s partly inspired by Skarlet from Mortal Kombat. The idea of a mage wielding blood for different kinds of magic drew me in, so I went ahead and made something with it. This song is the result.

I think it fills a gap in the project that needed filling: physical gore, born from hocus pocus. :)

It’s on the heavier side, too.

The artwork features my sister as the Blood Mage, depicted as a vampire. Because, I mean, of course a blood mage should be a vampire.

I think the art captures the vibe well. Seductive, but with that underlying awareness of just how brutal blood magic could be. I went with a lot of red because of the blood aspect, duh, alongside black and white to make the details stand out.
 

The gifts of death:

The last track, and I’d say the heaviest of them all. This one leans into eerie vibes, with a lot of inspiration from older horror movies. It was also a bit of a play session. I combined things I usually wouldn’t, and MISHBY really got to shine on this one. (It’s a plugin)

The track isn’t really about one specific topic, tbh. It’s about the gifts I bring, and those gifts are of death. From one perspective, that’s what this whole project has been about.

But with death also comes birth. A corpse on the ground gives sustenance to other things, and yada yada, circle of life. :)

To me, that makes it a pretty neat closing song. Bringing death to the project, but giving birth to something new.

The art for this one is, uhmm… two hands offering a rotten apple.

I chose it for two reasons. One ties into religion: the idea of the apple granting so much, but bringing the knowledge of death along with it.
The other is that I’m very allergic to apples, so to me, it’s an actual gift of death. Thought that was pretty funny to include, so… yeah.

And that's it, the whole thing, Idk, if anyone found this intressting to read, But if it was i could start to do these types of things on a regular, Anyway here is also the album art, 3 diffrent versions, but not a square, this is a long versions of them.

Demonic/kali inspired design:

The ‘’normal'' version:

The normal version but with abdomen/ribcage showing.