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Hitchhiking to Byzantium

by Anubis

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crazy_goat
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crazy_goat Fantastic album. Love it👌
Dann 'the djentle giant'
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Dann 'the djentle giant' It's like if Pink Floyd was born again with a hint of post-rock and indie rock. This is what classical prog should sounds like in the 2010's. I bought it and listened to the complete album about 5 times in a row. It's not a concept album, but the unity between the songs gives that impression. The production is awesome and the composition close to perfection. I suggest to listen to Crimson Stained Romance to get in the mood first, then listen to it from the beginning. Favorite track: Crimson Stained Romance.
Audio Ecstasy
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Audio Ecstasy Anubis is an awesome band that has melded the classic sounds of Prog with their own uniqueness. Certainly one of my favorite modern Prog bands. It is wondeful to hear Genesis, Pink Floyd, Marillion, and the like to be carried forwad. Get all three albums, you will be delighted (as I am) to have these in your Prog collection.
emjem
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emjem haven't picked a favourite track yet because this album is just so good! Some really wonderful gems sprinkled among the tracks (like a great little Jethro Tull homage on one of them - I don't want to spoil it.)
Cal
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Cal Goodness me. I enjoyed A Tower Of Silence, Anubis' previous album, so I was quite excited to listen to this one. This has surpassed A Tower Of Silence. By the ninth track, I was sitting listening with tears in my eyes. Seriously, this album consists of some truly wonderful, moving music. It seems that everything Doug Skene is releasing at the minute is fantastic, having heard the taster single off the album "Nebulae" by Skene's other band, Hemina. Favorite track: A Room with a View.
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    The band's third studio album from 2014, in a gatefold wallet with booklet designed by Tim Neill and scribbled on by the current line-up of the band.

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1.
Fadeout 02:49
As we take to the skies In the storm of tales and lies We're a part that's played In our yesterdays And catch the rain Like droplets of fire and pain Life’s memories In the palm of our hands As we watch our lives With all the wrongs and rights Hoping that they'd fade So we could turn away And we'd question where We’d find a sky that’s clear Where we can let go Of all that we own
2.
It's all superiority; Your wildest dreams, A yearning notoriety; Knife in back, end justifies the means Live atop the highest peak, Plated in gold, The altitude will make you weak; As you fall you'll see your name dissolve. A fantasy that will not hide The casualty that lives inside Reality will always be A lingering memory It's all so very saleable; With a lie on your face, The taste you bring is unbearable - But taste can be so easily erased. Ambition lies in distant dreams; You're a king with no crown - As you're left to walk the same old streets, With the pain that haunts you in your cold hometown A fantasy that will not hide The casualty that lives inside Reality will always be A lingering memory (Keys Solo) A fantasy that will not hide The casualty that lives inside Reality will always be A lingering memory The time will come and you will know - The demons come to overthrow; When all of this will cease to be; A memory to you and me.
3.
Dead Trees 07:13
Is it too late to break away? This is the bed we made. We stand here in disarray, A screaming serenade. Night after night I could never see the answers in your eyes, that's when I sold my soul again. Time after time I could never see the answers in my lies, that's when I sold my soul again. You push me to jealousy You're hungry for my pain I break you down relentlessly Your passion has been drained Night after night I could never see the answers in your eyes, that's when I sold my soul again. Time after time I could never see the answers in my lies, that's when I sold my soul again. Night after night I could never see the answers in your eyes, that's when I sold my soul again. Time after time I could never see the answers in my lies, that's when I sold my soul again. I'm tired and weak and I cannot see The blackened forest among dead trees. It's scary. We broke the rules in the games we played, And wore out the fire to question each day together. Slowly but surely driving me to the bottle, I'm drowning in guilt, a failed role model to everyone. In time we will know whether we can grow apart. It would be hard for me to go and believe that by the end we'd be enemies forever. Giving up now, it's explained to me, That I don't love you and you don't love me. I'm sorry. I'm packing my bag and I'm hitting the road, I'm starting anew with my dreams to sew and prosper. In time we will know if we can grow apart.
4.
Standing, frozen, lonely, in the dead of night; But further down the road is something bright; A place that fuels my need for warmth and light. Can you pull yourself together, When there’s no pieces left? And can you crawl your way towards a home, Pretending it's your own? Waiting for the daybreak so we can turn and run, Awakening new chances when moonlight fades to sun. As life became too hard for me to explain, It seemed that I was strong enough to remain, But I was just too weak to make that change. On the other side, lie all my hopes; That cannot be denied. The promise that will help me re-define, And leave the doubt behind. Waiting for the daybreak so I can turn and run, Awakening new chances when the moonlight fades to sun. I’ll crawl from east to west, Forgetting all the promises I kept, And tell myself that on the other side, I’ll no longer need to hide. Waiting for the daybreak so I can turn and run, Awakening new chances when the moonlight fades to sun. Living life in circles like a devil's carousel, The last of my life’s chances to find heaven in this hell. I’ve had to understand that I cannot hide; I’ve had to torture myself and swallow my pride; I’ve only got myself to blame as I hitchhike.
5.
It's a grim realisation when sowing the seed The fortune of legacy is not guaranteed The drastic corrections that you execute Will cost you in progress of your favoured roots The selfish corruption in your history A deadly black poison that flows through the tree Counting the blessings you think you can see But you can't change your legacy You'll make amends Orchestrate to change your fate Try outlast, deny the past   At your expense Feel the consequence The footprints you walk upon belong to you Your ancestors comfortably wore the same shoes  The torch that is handed down causes you pain Backlash that burns as you blow out the flame Changing your life while the ripples remain The ends that you're seeking are hard to obtain Finally painting the picture you seek, But you can't change your legacy You'll make amends Orchestrate to change your fate Try outlast, deny the past   At your expense Feel the consequence In the end  Follow the road Try and find Where it began And that is where You realise... (Everyday is moving forward) All you do is stagger- (Clutching at your back) You'll never reach the silent dagger. (Digesting all the secrets) Your mind keeps swallowing (But the humble pie is open) and the birds begin to sing (The words I hear you saying) They're never making sense, (The meanings in your actions) They are so much more intense (Look upon the landscape) Your horizon's widening  (You lost your destination) Because of all your questioning. (A family bitterness) Just a puncture from within, (If you cant stop the blood flow) Then you'd better learn to swim, (History just repeats itself) You'd better intervene (But the tiny, damaged details) They are always overseen (The way in which you build yourself) It's scarcely ethical, (The damage that you cause each day) It's hardly minimal, (As you look inside yourself) You hope to break tradition, (But the hand that fed you all these fears) It had the same ambition (Believing in the ties that bind) You'll rush to their defence, (Pretend it never happened) Blood is thicker than common sense. (Forging your foundations) In what was never there, (Trying to avoid the trap) Of being so unfair, (To make up for your impotence) You try to educate (The truth is staring back at you) It's hard to motivate. (Bang your head against the wall) You fail in your creation (To live in someone else's dream) You sense your heart's deflation. In the end You'll hold yourself In the light On the edge of time To be judged Against yourself Can you change Who you are? Or who you may have wanted to become? You'll make amends Orchestrate to change your fate Try outlast, deny the past   And at your expense Feel the consequence
6.
Where are you as we live these separate lives Where are you as I try to recognise Our forgotten days that live silently Distant memories taunt me When did you begin To think that this over and lie in to my eyes? When will I begin to let this die? How can you break these old familiar ties? How can you be here and not realise All these homesick dreams that you cant see Future fantasies haunt me How could you begin To say that this over Tell me to my eyes How can I begin to let this die? Wiser men would say A future can't be made By tightening of the screws In people you can use Years have passed since then. In a different place. I feel nothing now when I see your face Too much time has passed to lay the blame Yet seems to me you're running just the same When will you begin To see again it's over I see in it your eyes When will you begin to let it die?
7.
Endless craving to be rich With their hearts as black as pitch Have the power to evolve As their human side dissolves Poor are there to undermine Cannibals prefer no spines All their words will condescend This means nothing in the end You preyed on their countless lives Watched them as they burned alive You increase in equity Show off your vulgarity Climb your way up to the top There's nowhere for you to stop You don't care who you offend This means nothing in the end And in your soul Misfortune grows Out of control A deep black hole Plastic hearts will grow so cold At least your class is shining gold Pinstripes pressed to bring acclaim Of boardroom reptiles once again Asking me to hush my mouth As your growth cant be announced You'll continue to ascend This means nothing in the end Dead upon the boardroom floor Combination sport and war Hidden shadows of a snake Reeling in who takes the bait Trap them with your quick white lies A coward masks his yellow eyes Forces paper to your pen This means nothing in the end And in your soul Misfortune grows Out of control A deep black hole ---- The ice is cracking underfoot The water calls your name It's waiting here to take you And drag you down again. You place your faith in remedies And hide from your nightmares The silent ghosts that haunt your dreams They drive you to despair The pain within begins to burn You're suffering inside If you had the will to wish away The thoughts of suicide And then you find you've lost it all It's driving you insane The well has dried up long ago Can't wash away the stains And in your soul Misfortune grows Out of control A deep black hole ---- With knowledge you can seize the world With fear you can control But 'lesser men' will always see Your world unfold You walk blank corridors Of hopes and dreams Your heart will always follow Where greedy minds lead Your coins can't take away They can't postpone The cold reality Of your own headstone.
8.
Eternal light that shone so bright, so rapidly can fade The darkness of a soul inside, a faithless renegade Before the will we're forced a side These colours showing through the lies Given means to a wish upon a star. To walk along celestial shores Create eternal troubled storms To fill the hole inside once more And help the heart and mind restore. Asking for forgiveness so this guilt can fall asleep Display the word so proudly there upon the mantelpiece Maybe you'll denounce the crown Until your life is at sundown With fingers firmly crossed behind your back. To walk along celestial shores Create eternal troubled storms To fill the hole inside once more And help the heart and mind restore. But when the words are spoken out realities can change, With stories of distant time to stone the heart that's chained Will my wings tear through my skin And aim toward some hallowed king? Soaring up into eternal sunlight? To walk along celestial shores They start eternal troubled storms To fill the hole inside once more And help the heart and mind restore. The absence of a soul, a God-shaped hole, You become the very thing you hate, In trying to decide if you were wrong or you were right, You gambled and you lost the fight To bet against the howling pack, You laid it all on black. And on reflection, one single voice Can't undo two-thousand ages past, Through all your days, you'll not find the way To break this crimson stained romance. To place your faith in fortune You'll find you're just a man.
9.
I When you are finally removed Still clinging to your youth Even in death, You'll still be scared of the truth Locked inside a room with a view III Laying down upon the mattress of this empty room The distant highway sings slow and solemn empty tune I need to find some sleep within this dusty hiding place i couldn't handle living in the rat race The cracks upon the walls look down on me as I descend The shame within me means the darkness has become a friend In my dreams I earned what I accomplished But it was impossible to win It's a blanket for my mind (Blanket for my mind) As I tiptoe back in time (Tiptoe back in time) I open up these wounds (Open up these wounds) And take a good look inside (Take a look inside) The mirror's shattered into pieces on the dirty floor A mute reminder of the shame that I had worn before I look upon my self as I no longer recognise I've lost the parts that help me socialise I stagger to my feet and look upon the dresser draw The phone keeps ringing even though I cannot take the call Even if i wanted, I could never answer My pride still lives within It's a blanket for my mind (Blanket for my mind) As I tiptoe back in time (Tiptoe back in time) I open up these wounds (Open up these wounds) Can it bring me back to life? (Take a look inside) IV The haze grows The feeling slows Without control His world unfolds He's breaking away From life's decay He leaves behind A poisoned mind The only way The numbness stays To medicate His loneliness again VI We'd heard it all before It's a world we never saw We live to justify But fail to recognise We live inside these dreams Trapped, or so it seems, Never honest to ourselves And no-one asks for help (We do not believe) In your memory (You will ever know) theres nothing left theres nowhere left to go (You just hide yourself) A product of your faded wealth (Until you disappear) Everything you ever feared. The more we learn The less we know The more you own The less there is of your soul VII Our battles left us with these scars Paths defining what we are Even in death, You're still scared of the dark As the fears define who we are We'll find we never had a clue As little we know is really true When we are finally removed From this room with a view.
10.

about

Awakening new chances, as the moonlight fades to sun...

"This record, if I'm to be honest", says keyboard player David Eaton of Anubis' long awaited third album, "is the record we'd have made back in 2006, if we'd been good enough". And let's face it, he should really know. It's been ten long years since the idea to write a concept album about a lost friend spurred him and vocalist Robert James Moulding into forming what would evolve into Anubis.

This third album, 'Hitchhiking to Byzantium' is the first Anubis album not to have a plot or narrative. It's more of a thematic work, based on modern life. "It's about growing older and trying to do better at things", says guitarist Dean Bennison, "and about the excuses we make for ourselves, all the crutches and braces that we find for ourselves along the way, and how good and bad they are for us". "It's perhaps a little more esoteric than the last two albums", say guitarist Douglas Skene, "although I think at core they all touch upon the same theme - which is what is and isn't important to people in their lives". "You do still get the sense that it's someone" says drummer Steven Eaton, "Someone who is on a journey. And the hope is that when they get there, they're happy with what they've found".

However, the journey to find Byzantium hasn't been easy. Nearly three years, and a new line-up later, the band find themselves under pressure to deliver a record that matches up to the expectations left by it's predecessors. "We've had a lot of motivation because there is so much to live up to" says Moulding, candidly. But that pressure has already yielded rewards. Most importantly, the addition of new bassist Anthony Stewart. "Anton's just fantastic" says Dave, "and although he didn't arrive in time to play on this record, he knew exactly what did need to be done and has done it brilliantly, really adding to our chemistry". "He's just a phenomenal player" says Robert Moulding, who did play the bass on Byzantium, "absolutely, definitely the standout when it came to looking to people to work with".

Whilst it doesn't have the narrative cinematic approach, Hitchhiking to Byzantium does have an emotional punch quite unlike anything before on an Anubis record. "Whilst we hid all our very real emotions behind conceits before - haunted workhouses and lost friends - this record is about the things that happen every day" says David. "I feel that there's more of us in there - the hurdles that life throws at us and the only way to feel true inner peace - by examining the love around you. It's certainly an introspective record - but it's real life. It's about you, it's about me, it's about all of us. Hitchhiking to Byzantium. That journey is life."

Hitchhiking to Byzantium is out on Bird's Robe Records, 30th May 2014.

The band play the 'Prog the Castle' festival in Germany and tour Europe for the first time in May 2015.

credits

released May 30, 2014

Robert James Moulding - Vocals, Bass Guitar, Guitar, Percussion, Additional keyboards
David Eaton - Keyboards, Guitars, Vocals
Douglas Skene - Guitars and Vocals
Dean Bennison - Guitars, Slide and Vocals
Steven Eaton - Drums and Vocals

Martyn Cook - Saxophone, Flute and Trumpets
Rebecca Bennison - Vocals
Katrina Shaw - Vocals
Sarah Schols - Vocals

Late Arrival
Anthony Stewart - Bass and Vocals

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Anubis Sydney, Australia

Anubis is a cinematic Progressive Rock band from Sydney, Australia. Formed in 2004.

The band has released to date 6 studio records to date, 2 live albums and toured Europe twice. The latest album, ‘Homeless’ reached number 4 in the Australian Indie chart in March 2020. ... more

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