Nightmare Realm, by Headless Relatives

Nightmare Realm

by Headless Relatives

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28

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Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of The Owl (Live at the Rock Hill Bakehouse Café), Live Headless, Vol. 2, One Eye Open, Live Headless, Vol. 1, Solstice: Fragments, Nightmare Realm, Send You a Funeral, Visitor, and 20 more. , and , .

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1.	Nativity in Neon 02:12	lyrics	buy track
Show me the secret signs That I may know you to be The one I’ve been waiting for Lift the scales from my eyes That I may finally see The beautiful terror I will stare look into the void And bear the pain as warm delusions are destroyed Tear the clothes from my back And I will stand unbound Before the maelstrom Flay my skin with your truth And I will bleed pure joy At knowing what’s to come
2.	Tell it to the Nightmares 03:46	lyrics	buy track
I’ve started talking to myself For want of anybody else to listen Now I can’t stay awake Boring myself with the repetition They tell me the shadows Aren’t overflowing with demons They ask me to be quiet I’m sure they have their reasons I count the stains in the carpet But I can’t decode the meaning Through all this interference My mind could use a good cleaning They try to convince me That the dark things are just an illusion And the shapes I see in the window Are just products of my own confusion Tell it to the nightmares Tell it to the nightmares Tell it to the nightmares
3.	Send You a Funeral 02:26	lyrics	buy track
Tell me to keep my voice down And I’ll send you a funeral Tell me to stop acting the clown And I’ll send you a funeral Tell me my dreams are out of my reach And I’ll send you a funeral Try to instruct, try to teach And I’ll send you a funeral If you think I’ll toe the line You haven’t seen my talons Try to move me all you want You won’t throw me off balance Tell me that I’m out of line And I’ll send you a funeral Tell me I’m running out of time And I’ll send you a funeral Unleash your screed into my ears And I’ll send you a funeral Try to move me with your tears And I’ll send you a funeral If you think I’ll just accept what you have to say You’ve got another thing coming My patience isn’t infinite And the meter is running Just try to clip my wings And I’ll send you a funeral Try to retune my heartstrings And I’ll send you a funeral
4.	The Dark 04:39	lyrics	buy track
Shattered glass on the ground Deadly morning dew People crowding all around Every eye locked on you All they see is a spectacle A diversion from the inane horrors of their own lives They are much too respectable To grasp the glistening shards like knives And plunge into the dark I see a feral smile Spread like a stain across your face I choke back blood and bile Enraptured by your savage grace Every move cuts like a sickle As you stride barefoot toward the crowd Though the exodus starts as a trickle It’s soon a torrent as you bear down An agent of the dark Your feet are soon adorned By the shining detritus of your wrath Let the world be forewarned To stay clear of your path Or be swallowed by the dark
5.	Carrion to Your Crow 08:11	lyrics	buy track
The match is struck Sparks start to roam But I’m not the one Who brought the blaze home Chained to a rock Of my own devising As the sun looms Over the jagged horizon I can’t tell you no I’ll be the carrion To your crow Buried in the dry husks Of promises I’ve neglected When I look in the mirror I don’t like what I see reflected Festering fear Self doubt and self pity Parasites slowly Sapping the life out of me But I’ll let it all go And be the carrion To your crow Grasped by your talons Borne into the sky I pick out the spot Where I’m going to die Give myself over To your ministrations When my blood spills Please take it as a holy libation I may flinch at the blow But I’ll be the carrion To your crow Dropped from the heavens Dashed on the rocks Numb to sensation Broken body in shock Don’t let me be a straw man Useless and rotten Let me be consumed And then let me be forgotten Let the sun bleach my bones Assemble them for your throne I’ll no longer be alone When I’m the carrion To your crow
6.	Hollow Be Thy Name 04:20	lyrics	buy track
Wake up alone again I don’t know where I’ve been And I don’t want to My skull it feels too small Writing on the wall A message from you Hollow be thy name These sheets reek of rye Sweat and alkali And something else I can’t place I struggle from the bed Blood rushes to my head And I fall on my face Hollow be thy name My nose takes a blood Blood starts to flow From my face to the floor I roll onto my back I feel my joints all crack My brain starts to roar Hollow be thy name Splayed out on a ratty rug Tasting my own blood I hear the rain I close my eyes and pray That it will wash away This foul human stain Hollow be thy name Hollow be thy name Hollow be thy name
7.	Twice-Dead Cabal 04:08	lyrics	buy track
You will know us by our signs Though you’ll never see our features It’s just part of our grand design We are by necessity secretive creatures You’ll learn of our presence through our words As they come drifting out from the alley But their meanings will be obscured Until you are counted in our tally You’ll spy our workings in the dance Of discarded wrappers caught in our eddy But you won’t give it a second glance At least not until you’re ready You may sense the near intersection Where our almost lives almost meet But we know how to avoid detection Though we walk the same streets When the moment eventually comes And you shed your borrowed skin Follow the beating of our drums As your initiation finally begins
8.	Still Trapped 02:33	lyrics	buy track
Serpent rising Encircling the sun When the light is smothered Where can we run Fire from the sky Tremors from underground Me huddled in the corner Trying not to make a sound Stars long dead Last rites read Still trapped in my head Oceans frothing Creatures from the deep Break the surface Awakened from their sleep Mountains thrown down Valleys thrust up to the sky Me huddled in the corner Trying not to cry Furies sing Death takes wing Still trapped self-pitying
9.	Well Met by Streetlight 08:54	lyrics	buy track
When you think you’ve reached the end Bent as far as you can bend 4 A.M. and all’s not well Trapped in your own private hell You step outside into the night At the corner there’s a light You find your feet have their own plan Drawn to the shadow, the shadow of a man He stands tall, he stands still A monolith of focused will Though you’re sure something isn’t right You find that you don’t want to fight The first thing you see is his eyes Green like moss, deep and wise Though he doesn’t move at all You hear him beckon, hear him call His voice echoes in your ears Promising an end to your nightly tears Suddenly your hand’s in his He wraps you up in darkness You feel a fire in your mind Raging inferno leaving nothing behind Cleansed of all your pain and grief You’re overcome by this sudden relief The streetlight slowly fades away The world around is soft and grey With hallowed eyes you look around Nothing moves, nothing makes a sound You return to your cold bed Empty room, empty head The curtains drawn, you are alone You sink into dreamless sleep, still as a stone

about

Anyone who has kept up with my releases over the last few years will probably have picked up on my tendency to call out specific thematic through-lines in my releases. So what is the unifying thread of this album? I guess if forced (by myself) to sum it up I would say that Nightmare Realm is an album centered around darkness and fatalism (common preoccupations for me apparently). The narrators of these songs are blown about by forces greater than themselves.

On the other hand, the process of making this album has been one of the most fulfilling musical projects I've ever embarked on. I got to work with some lovely musicians who took my simple songs, injected their own ideas, and turned this into something truly special.

I hope you enjoy your descent into the Nightmare Realm, and I hope that when you re-emerge, you bring something valuable back with you.

credits

released November 4, 2022

All songs written by Seth Biskind.

Additional instrumentation and arrangement by Headless Relatives
(Limited Nightmare Realm Edition) which is:

Seth Biskind - vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, banjo, keys
Connor Benincasa - drums
Anthime Miller - cello (tracks 1, 3, 6, 8, 9)
Alicia Macier VanScoy - violin (tracks 1, 3, 4, 9)
Steve Gamache - bass (tracks 1, 5, 6)
Christopher Simple (Brown) - bass (tracks 3, 7, 8)
Kevin Cardinale - bass (tracks 2, 4, 9)
Howard Moon - sound effects (track 3)

Recorded by Seth Biskind.
Additional recording by Connor Benincasa, Alicia Macier VanScoy, Christopher Simple (Brown), and Kevin Cardinale.
Mixed and mastered by Steve Hammond.

Album photography and design by Seth Biskind.

license

some rights reserved

about

Headless Relatives Troy, New York

Headless Relatives play songs. These songs feature desperate individuals, bittersweet memories, and ancient Egyptian gods. Some of these songs can be found here.