“Swords of Ice”
Grave of Revenants
Thirst Receptors
Original Release Date: 10/31/3139
When the news broke that Vlad Voivode was missing from his mobile recording studio on the nearly uninhabitable planet Brraam VI, the music world nearly fell to its knees. For those who knew him, Vlad had always been troubled by his upbringing, and there was no surprise to the conditions he imposed for his second album, Fang Breaker. But for the masses, for fans who had seen him live, this was not only a shock but an anomaly. The rather flamboyant onstage persona was suddenly replaced with that of the cliched, tortured genius. For all parties, this meant denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Radio silence (though his albums kept playing on intergalactic stations) persisted for nearly a decade until a transmission from the Carpathian Galaxy caught the attention of some amateur stargazers. Vlad, as some had predicted, had not succumbed to the harsh terrain of Brraam VI but had, instead, left the planet in search of something else. In this case, his ancestors were a race of creatures known collectively as Revenants. On this journey of self-discovery, Vlad toiled in the snow-swept mountains well-renowned in the Carpathian Galaxy. Legends persisted that the Revenants were a long-dead people, banished to the brutal cold for the lives they had stolen, blood and all. Here, summit after summit, Vlad traversed until, dear Audionauts, a shrine appeared. A winged statue, a hooded figure, and the mouth of a mausoleum. He marched into the darkness, his hydrogen peroxide lamp running low on his electron lantern. Within the tomb was a collection of sarcophagi dedicated to the progenitors of the Revenants: Lord Hereford; Bishop Draven; The Vielwalker; Gorefiend; and Zarkov the Ghoul Emperor. Each had been enshrined and preserved under glass for those who had made the journey to behold. These were powerful sorcerers, god-kings, and devilish brutes who enacted their will on the defenseless. This was not Vlad Voivode. He felt a fearful and cold emptiness wash over him as if he had stumbled across a great curse. However, the powers of the past had grown angry by his presence and, sensing his weakness, awoke, smashing through the glass and assembling into a league of menacing revenge. Vlad did not plead for his life, for he feared he would be swiftly eviscerated; instead, he slung his synthesizer off of his back and began to play. At first, this had little effect, but as the echo in the dead chamber swelled, it was clear that his ancestors had become enamored. Like a lullaby to a crying infant, Thirst Receptors was back, and he had the blessing of his people and the knowledge that his path, however different, could be dictated by one thing and one thing only. The spirits returned, naturally, to their slumbering state, hoping for the next intruder to be less entertaining and with a bit more meat on their bones. Grave of Revenants was not a do-over for Vlad but an evolution of what made his music sink its teeth in and never let go. With an absolutely haunting backbeat and a fear of isolationism and death, the album is not without its toe-tappin' interludes. Here, Vlad is at his absolute best, slinging homemade synth in delicate melodies that build upon one another and echo, just as they did that day in the depths of his people's tomb. Thirst Receptors and Vlad Voivode were now one, and his return to public life was not unlike his namesake, a revenant to some and a Revenant to all.
Side A
Legendary Creature
Mournshade
Grave of Revenants
Swords of Ice
Side B
Soul Eater
The Ghoul Emperor
Pale Reaper's Harvest
An Eternal Knight