Balance Slays The Demon, the reverse part.... what does it say?
This is what I hear but I don't know if it's correct:
"It will happen again, in another town. A town called Ordinary."
Does someone hear it the same? Or somehow different?

The Happy Song. I'm not sure where to begin.
I hope you can all imagine the surprise I got when I expected a song in the same style as Sleep, Dawn, etc. - and then heard The Happy Song the first time.
My first impression was something like: x_@ (no, the shock-emoticon is not sufficient here )
I actually gave up and stopped the song somewhere around the middle. My mind was literally blown.

Now I gave it a try again, knowing what it was I was going to hear.
The song itself is not really bad. Its atmosphere is interesting, has a strange sort of feeling in it, and I can somehow feel the state of mind Marko is singing about. The song is also catchy and a lot of special features (voices, laughter and the like), so if you look at it seperately it is a pretty cool song. Not within my usual taste in music, but it's not bad (as loads of the stuff you here elsewhere can be).
However, looking at it in a Poets of the Fall context, it surprisingly falls way out of the borders the previous albums have set up. It is definitely not a song I would like to listen to if I'm in the mood I usually am in when I listen to POTF. This naturally makes me dread an album I don't really know when I'm in the mood to listen to.

The surprise is even bigger when thinking Marko said it would be the end of the SoL / CoR / ToT trilogy, and this is the very song to end it.
I know there's no beginning if there's not an end, I guess I was just hoping for the end to be more related to the beginning. I also know that this is just one song off the album and you cannot judge the entire album just on this single song. Maybe the album itself will be very close to SoL / CoR.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I hope the guys are somewhat closer to sanity on the rest of the album (luckily CiL vouches for that).

I am quite happy that other people here seem to like the song though.

Remember that THS is the only song on the album that was made for a soundtrack, so it _has_ to have a specific sound, message and mood. The most important thing about the song is if it works in the context (=the game), and in my honest opninion, it does...

I see. I wasn't aware that it was specifically made for AW2. Although I haven't played the game(s), I imagined that the mood fitted the game in some twisted way
Is there any reason why the band choose to release it as POTF and not as OGOA?
(Of course I realise that POTF reach wide in their style(s), but this is pretty far from anything we've heard yet from the guys)

So why they put it on the album (and last song)? I don't unerstand this thing. This song really works in the context and no more. First song from Poets, that I really don't like and don't want to listen again (listen it just 2 times). Maybe album version will be better.

Because generally speaking people want to hear the songs the band makes, and want them to be on their albums. Of course there's _always_ someone who doesn't like something, and that's how the world works, but if you start making art with the principle that "we shouldn't do this because someone might not like it", well, then you are heading in the wrong direction if you ask me.

You don't understand what I really mean. This song absolutely craizy, much more than Psychosis. I don't see the point to change perfect tradition when all 5 albums has beautiful ending song. Especially, if ToT third album after masterpiece SoL and CoR (and 2 my favorite, of course) in trilogy, this song will be THE LAST SONG in trilogy. Do you reaaly think, that it's the best candidate?

Mhm and like any choices in life really, to not try something because of society's outlines definitely isn't a bold lifestyle that's for sure.

It's not necessarily a rebellious act either, just be true to yourself is the main thing and POTF have always been proving this.

You probably just overthink the whole thing. THS is sort of a "bonus track" (although I hate that expression), and you can very well consider the previous song on the album as the actual last song (and I tell you, that song is something else). Think of THS as a sort of crazy encore after the actual program has ended and part of the audience is already heading for the exit.

Well, fact is that it's the last song of the album, like it or not. If you want to exclude the last song inside your head and you think that's the right thing to do, go ahead. It might not be as the past 4 albums but I like some Change ^^

If you don't like THS, then you just can stop listening to the album at "The Ballad of Jeremiah Peacekeeper" and it will be the last track on the album for you.

Oh, don't be hostile to eachother, the word 'trilogy' made some have different expectations about the album, because they believe it must sound like the other ones as the last part of the trilogy and more importantly, to give us some sort of gist or a conclusion, a final message about the albums. They might be true, it's natural. No one expects, let's say, The Matrix's third part to have a Neo with mustache. It is acceptable if they argue that the change (not only about THS, but about the whole album) should come with the next album... BUT, they'd better wait and see how the album is gonna be...

Might be hard for a real cd listener... because you have to be quick for the remote control

I'm not


Well, I just wanted to show, that if you don't like the song, it's good that it is the last track and it's not somewhere in the middle...
For the first time I read that there's not going to be any calm track as the beginning, I was upset too, because I really wanted it, it was for me just like some kind of tradition, or how to name it. But now I'm ok with it, I like the last song, and maybe it's not going to be like I hoped and imagined, I respect Poets' decision and I trust in their idea.

I think I am the real CD listener, whatever you mean by this, but for me, if you happen to hear the first bits of the song it won't harm you in any way or something. It happens very often that a band has a song you don't like and I do not complain about skipping it. Also, almost every CD player, even the old ones I know/used have the option where you can programme the tracklist, so you can always skip THS if you want and have the possibility like this

The music under the name of Old Gods of Asgard is very VERY thematic to the game. THS is relative in context to the game, Mr. Scratch in particular, but the songs by OGoA have a direct lyrical message because they are written by "Tor and Odin," even though technically, we know that they're written by PotF. In comparison to the music by Old Gods, THS could not have been written by them because it doesn't fall in line with who the characters are and what their style is as well, if you compare the musical style of The Poet and The Muse, Children of the Elder God, and Balance Slays the Demon to The Happy Song. It has a sound to it that, to me, reflects and reads as Poets of the Fall, and like Marko states in the radio interview from the release of Cradled in Love, their sound has "evolved."

If musicians did the same thing throughout their entire careers, and didn't explore the ventures of musical terrain, where would music be?

Hey guys, I'm not hearing where the lyrics are backwards. Can you tell me what time it starts in the song please?

@Tobyanca right after the solo, 3:45.

Ah!! There it is!! Thank you Serinde!

Anyone heard this preview, sounds great, just before & the chorus is mindblowing
http://soundcloud.com/remotemusic-1/sets/poets-of-the-fall-kamikaze

There's a (already long) discussion about Kamikaze Love going on in here:
http://www.poetsofthefall.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3781&start=360
Please do join in!

After a few listens I must confess, Balance Slays The Demon is just a fantastic song!


Also, even more of a confession: The Happy Song is really growing on me. I reckon it's because of how well I relate to the lyrics, especially these weeks

People look weird at me when I sing THS xD

@Benjamin, And you're surprised? I tried singing it, but started laughing every time. And I really can't keep up with Marko's vocals on this one. Way too many voice tricks that I just don't know how to do myself. It's difficult!

but words are easy to learn at least XD
The other day I had it playing while driving, and all my friends got immediately hooked on it and started singing along

It IS hard but so fun to try! I'm trying to sing every possible voice I hear in there

I can see why they decided to put THS on the album, they are gonna have an absolute ball performing it live! Marko's got full leave to go completely nuts with this!

Can't stop grinning everytime I listen to it, loving it more & more... Marko's voice in Balance Slays the Demon gives me goosebumps, like its almost slightly too high for him, it just reverberates... perfection...

I TOLD YOU... he's The Voice...
And what about Olli and his reefs&solos?! And Captain and his synth-tricks?!
Aaah, there's only a thing/expression/mood coming to me, after listening to these two songs... but I just can't express it publicly...
And btw, The Happy Song is so delightful! "Silly" lyrics but with a so "psychotic" interpretation by both voice and instruments! No melody, I'd say, but a pure voice acting/playing... And all this playing around makes the song a happy one, indeed! It reminds me of Party Girl by U2, again a "silly song", again made just for fun, but just great in its own all. I'm really delighted by Poets versatility!

That is exactly what I hear as well.





I found the following video on youtube where you can clearly hear the message: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRcLYeuK8ZU


Hopefully my reply will go through as I am on a mini holiday where the internet is not so good

Thanks Vegas.
It's kinda scary, right? I love it.

Well, IMHO the happy song is not very good... maybe I am not happy enough for it?

Balance Slays the Demon on the other hand is absolutely fantastic!!!! Magnificent song!

So in the end I think with both songs the Poets showcased again that they are immensely talented, that they have great skill, and that they can make almost any music they want.