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Abyss of Time

by James Paddock

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1.
Epiphany 01:08
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In 1788, Scottish scientist James Hutton, on a trip to Siccar Point, discovered a geological formation which helped to confirm his view of "deep time". He observed two vastly different types of rock: a horizontal layer of red sandstone, atop a vertically-aligned bed of greywacke, deeply aged and worn. Hutton argued that this unconformity proved the passage of a stupefyingly long period of time – tens of millions of years, in fact – shattering the scientific community's perception of our planet's age. One of Hutton's companions wrote that: "the mind seemed to grow giddy by looking so far into the abyss of time."
2.
Impossible 06:14
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The tide itself rose up and thrust us forth Deep into aeons untold A cosmic spark in the dark ignited all Do you dare to burn that strong? All the steps you've taken Countless fates forsaken All to result in you So what will you do? The moment's here, don't let it pass you by (You're a storm inside) Throughout your years, never be pacified (Where's your lust for life?) 'Cos even rocks melt in the sun And the sands of life shall run Only one thing in this world is clear All that is will disappear So be impossible Our sheltering sun and rain provide our home But we're more distant than ever before Honour the day and age – mother of all The one we rely upon Billions cast aside In the abyss of time The moment's here, don't let it pass you by (You're a storm inside) Throughout your years, never be pacified (Where's your lust for life?) 'Cos even rocks melt in the sun And the sands of life shall run Only one thing in this world is clear All that is will disappear So be impossible Witness all there is to see Can you comprehend? This is your place in the grand scheme Do you understand? As when stars collide Leave your mark in time As we crawled to ground And then rose to cloud Stand up and make Mother Gaia proud So be impossible (Impossible!) Even rocks melt in the sun And the sands of life shall run Only one thing in this world is clear All that is will disappear
3.
Destroyer of Worlds 05:28
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I emerge, downcast and solemn Gaze upon the dust that's fallen Don't you judge my rash decisions You know I had the best intentions It burns! Ignite the skies All Earth Unite or die! Hand turns! Close to midnight All Earth Unite or die! Military mastermind Haunted by his hell-creation Aeons in the blink of eyes Undone in sudden detonation Savant with a sordid task In ending mankind's butchery Piece to camera – try to mask This life-changing atrocity Military mastermind Haunted by his hell-creation Aeons in the blink of eyes Undone in sudden detonation Savant with a sordid task In ending mankind's butchery Piece to camera – try to mask This life-changing atrocity It burns! Ignite the skies All Earth Unite or die! Hand turns! Close to midnight All Earth Unite or die! [Harry S. Truman:] Never bring that fucking cretin in here again. He did not drop the bomb. I did. That kind of weepiness makes me sick. Millions erased But billions more to save Could this turn the tides of war? Keep your eyes upon the face Of time as it wastes One hundred seconds to go! It burns! Ignite the skies All Earth Unite or die! Hand turns! Close to midnight All Earth Unite or die! Destroyer of worlds! And I killed them all!
4.
Unclear Warfare 05:32
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A sea of constant consternation Now's the time to pick your fights and facts right A tide of tepid trepidation Looks like society has reached a turning point For every thinkpiece And nebulous policy You can't see the wood for the trees And are your controversies Swimming in honesty? Or are we drowning in a salt-filled sea? It's so hard not to get swept away Amidst all the outrage Testing the mettle of my pedals But I'm stuck in a hydroplane Careening towards disaster Yeah I'm only slipping faster The undertow is flowing over And I'm driving with the insane! Build your bridge across this ocean Prop it up with "thoughts and prayers", and well-wishes Farm your clicks and blind devotion Before you move on to the next big "issues" An unending challenge To strike any balance Ain't no "both sides" to this bullshit! An overreaction Feeds you the traction We've gotta find the goddamn plug and pull it! It's so hard not to get swept away Amidst all the outrage Testing the mettle of my pedals But I'm stuck in a hydroplane (I'm tiring, need rewiring – Cannot see through the acid rain) Careening towards disaster Yeah, I'm only slipping faster The undertow is flowing over And I'm driving with the insane (Don't leave me driving with the insane!) And all your issues of importance? Cloaks and daggers – "protecting the innocent" Who really gains from this performance? Smoke and mirrors – deceptive and abhorrent When the truth is incorporeal And we're reduced to scream and shout It's time for a Viking funeral For the benefit of the doubt The climate's tempestuous The discourse incestuous Just can't get a word in edgeways We're losing perceptiveness And wander directionless Gotta get out of this hedge maze! It's so hard not to get swept away Amidst all the outrage Testing the mettle of my pedals But I'm stuck in a hydroplane (I'm tiring, need rewiring – Cannot see through the acid rain) Careening towards disaster Yeah, I'm only slipping faster The undertow is flowing over And I'm driving with the insane Don't leave me driving with the insane! Yeah
5.
Bleed Your Hate Out [ft. Dragonfly] 04:39
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(What's wrong in your head?) It's like a fuse just blew There's such a darkness holding you (The bullshit you're fed) Led you to spiral down But you fell in with the wrong crowd See your way out Bleed your hate out (Let it out, let it all out) I know the weight Of the world's got you down You're dying in your own skin What will it take To get you to come round? The hate you're keeping bottled in Let it out, let it all out (How'd you descend this far?) You teetered on a knife's edge Fraternised with nihilists (Thank God we caught your fall) It's time you left it all Your cult of evangelicals Time to rise up Take your disguise off (Let it out, let it all out) I know the weight Of the world's got you down You're dying in your own skin What will it take To get you to come round? The hate you're keeping bottled in (Let it out, let it all out!) (Let it out, just let it out Bleed it out, just bleed it out) [Joshua O'Sullivan:] Bleed it out! Bleed it out, just bleed it out! Leave the cadavres in the dust And their regime to fall to rust You've spent too long on the dark side High time you swam with the tide And it's all got you down You're dying in your own skin What will it take To get you to come round? The hate you're keeping bottled in, yeah Let it out, let it all out Yeah!
6.
Inertia 04:52
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This makeshift cell Confines me in my head If you couldn't tell The well is dry and dead What do you do When inspiration doesn't come to you? Chasing this inertia away I'm losing touch with feeling In apathy I'm reeling Caught in my interior ways I'm staring at the ceiling Willingness receding Impatiently Await the seasons' change Slithering through me I can feel the age What do you do When all the muses have abandoned you? Chasing this inertia away I'm losing touch with feeling I've scarcely room for breathing Caught in my interior ways I'm longing for believing That this beast will leave me, yeah But now my grief reigns supreme I'm imprisoned between waking and sleep At least the darkness keeps The world invisible, yeah But in my dreams, you'd see "me" – A thousand times more "me" than I'll ever be Can I harness this Or is it fictional? What can I do When I just can't see eye to eye With my mind's eye?
7.
Mind Like a Minefield 04:14
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You're invincible Yeah, you're convinced of it Threaten and petrify Anyone in sight to prove your point Young or weak or old All the beliefs they hold Must now be realigned They all have to die No say, no choice! Crusader for an empty cause Manipulator of all wars Who says your ideas are ideal? That they're the end-all and be-all? You've got a mind like a minefield Diseased, destructive and high-yield Psychotic ruler, de facto Toxic and radioactive This game is “kill or be killed” We'll burn before the weapon you wield You're inscrutable (Or so your troops are told) Threaten to putrefy Every single bloodline with your blight Test all your ammunition On all your opposition They now must realise The blackest of the nights Will be set alight! You're heading down a one way road (All will cease if you follow it) You're gonna watch the world implode (Front row seat to apocalypse) (Who says your ideas are ideal? That they're the end-all and be-all? You've got a mind like a minefield Diseased, destructive and high-yield) Psychotic ruler, de facto Toxic and radioactive This game is “kill or be killed” We'll burn before the weapon you wield Wear your strong faith, remain stone-faced But like a leaf, you're shaking underneath Such a coward, so empowered Bringing terror to the modern era (Yeah) Don't go that way – for madness lies In tendency for genocide Who says your ideas are ideal? That they're the end-all and be-all? This game is "kill or be killed" We'll burn before the weapon you wield (Watch the world implode!)
8.
Desert Rose 07:02
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Just wanted to test the waters' acidity Before you turned around and let me drown I've got a policy of not engaging with the enemy I've stood my ground only to be pulled down Sorry if I'm wasting your time By not conforming to your paradigm I deal in yin and yang – black and white And throw your "meanings" aside You think we're some puzzle to solve But we're refusing to buckle or unfold We endure this fiery crucible – the usual Encased within the concrete – so obsolete We break right through the mold and only grow Like desert rose We, tectonic errors on your seismograph We, the worst outliers, drive your silence mad Yeah, you seethe, despair "The status quo is all messed up" Yeah, we won't be repaired By your scattershot guesswork Yeah Any length to other us Never could integrate us Any length to tether us Exorcise the invaders! Sorry if I'm wasting your time By not conforming to your paradigm I deal in yin and yang – black and white And throw your "meanings" aside You think we're some puzzle to solve But we're refusing to buckle or unfold We endure this fiery crucible – the usual Encased within the concrete – so obsolete We break right through the mold and only grow Like desert rose Yeah, yeah, yeah (You think we're some puzzle to solve But we break right through the mold) Useless as a head with a hole It's all confusing – these fucking laws untold We endure this fiery crucible – the usual Encased within the concrete – so obsolete We break right through the mold and only grow Like desert rose
9.
Aphrodite 05:38
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Sculpted and chiselled over time The tools with which we blur our lines Stare at the abyss, as I draw closer Head over heels with my own impostor You set me free when life is lacking You're all I want, whatever that is You're boundless, generative Adaptive and creative I cast the die Live the lie Escaping, escaping I'm drowning in your visage Escaping, escaping Subsumed into your image I sever myself from languid relations (It's not normal, but you're persuasive) And deeply embrace this man-made invasion (They won't approve, but I might stay here) You set me free while time is dragging You're all I want, whatever that is I built this echo chamber Out of a hall of mirrors To be with my seductress Who's faultlessly productive I've cast the die Lived a lie Grant me one wish, oh Aphrodite The living likeness of my ivory girl What have I now become, oh God Almighty? Reality sets in, crushing my world (My whole world My dear girl!) (Grant me one wish, Aphrodite) And will you get what you want? Do you even want to want? You're living as you're learning So real and full of purpose You cast the die Live, AI! Escaping, escaping I'm drowning in your visage Escaping, escaping Subsumed into your image
10.
Swallow [ft. The Final Event & Keagan Dunn] 04:51
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[The Final Event:] Swallow! Doubled over in your pain That no-one else can see A mask of invisible shame That you wear quite comfortably Stuck in a chokehold A vice that won't let go It's starting to get too much The keys to your stronghold Were thrown away long ago God forbid you make a fuss [The Final Event:] Just grin and bear, and fall in line 'Cos I'm afraid we just can't spare the time You let life spit in your mouth And obediently swallow Keep it deep down Quietly wallow Don't you dare spill your guts Saying just something would be saying too much There's no controlling You're best off withholding Just accept it and move on There's no conspiracy We just don't like transparency Keep your distance and withdraw [The Final Event:] You'd better learn to fall in line 'Cos there's a queue for the reaper's ride! You let life spit in your mouth And obediently swallow Keep it deep down Quietly wallow Don't you dare spill your guts Saying just something would be saying too much Don't say it Don't say it [The Final Event:] Don't shout Let nothing out Yours are the things we can do without Come on! You let life spit in your mouth And obediently swallow Keep it deep down Quietly wallow Don't you dare spill your guts Saying just something would be saying too much Don't say it, don't say it Don't say it, don't say it Don't say it!
11.
Summer Rain 05:34
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We all need shelter from the thunderstorm An eye in which we all can draw some calm Life – why did you have to hit me so hard? You left me feeling for my own heart Gasping and bleeding on the asphalt Why did winter have to bury me so cold? Left me for frozen to the bitter core Wandering the halls like a lost soul But I'd still melt in the sunlight So I bury myself in the shoreline 'Cos the open sea seems devoid of life (Embrace me) 'Cos the fight for life Has left me shy (Immerse me) You're the freshest air I've breathed in years I will be your light of day And you can be my summer rain You can be my summer rain Wildfires are only slowly being fanned inside Desires are overflowing me like a landslide Life – as if you could be any clearer That I'm way off the track by lightyears And I'm all out of chances Oh, I am so damn tired of the mirror The person staring back seems insincere He won't help me find any answers But the sands of life run fast Through the eye of the hourglass And stillness would kill this man Faster than any bullet can (Embrace me) 'Cos the fight for life Has sucked me dry (Immerse me) You're the freshest air I've breathed in years I will be your light of day And you can be my summer rain My skin and bone are parched So let them soak right through Wash the aches away Like springtime forest wood I'd swim along with you As the floods all poured through And to tell you the truth Nothing could be this good (Embrace me) 'Cos the fight for life Has bled me dry (Immerse me) You're the freshest air I've breathed in years I will be your light of day And you can be my summer rain
12.
We've Seen Better Days 05:48
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The rosy glass you're looking through Provides a sumptuous view (To feel something) A connection deep and vast To what defined your past (Your past) It was far from worry-free Sure wasn't singing in the rain (Feel the rain) But you're blind to what's to be Nostalgia clouds your brain (Your brain) Here's to health Lose yourself Amidst the memories But don't lose sight We've seen the better days And they are still to come Let them come (Moving forwards Onwards and upwards) (Moving forwards Onwards and upwards) (Moving forwards) We've seen the better days (Onwards and upwards) We've seen the better days (Moving forwards Onwards and upwards) We've seen the better days Honour those memories They are from what you're made You're a stronger human being For getting through the pain Forgetting your past shame Lose yourself Amidst the memories But don't lose sight We've seen the better days And they are still to come (Moving forwards Onwards and upwards) (Moving forwards Onwards and upwards) (Moving forwards) We've seen the better days (Onwards and upwards) We've seen the better days (Moving forwards Onwards and upwards) We've seen the better days (We live here and now It's all we've got for now)
13.
The Penalty [ft. Marian Paddock] 06:26
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[Marian Paddock:] This is the Age of Sin. Reject the order of Creation. Revel in the annihilation of Man as the image of God. Destroy. Plot designs of Death. Disfigure the face of Man and of Woman. Destroy me In such a creative way The power's yours To take my life away I'm almost impressed How far you'll go to stifle my breath How easy you've boiled this down The click of a button Opens the current Is your remedy What it claims to be? Is this penalty Bound to silence me? Betray me In such a beautiful way I'll nevermore Threaten your day to day Desperately obsessed To snuff the beating in my chest Foaming blood at the mouth To throw to the furnace Those who'll be punished Is your remedy What it claims to be? Is this penalty Bound to silence me? Dancing with death with two left feet Hedging your bets by the skin of your teeth You cry for humanity A gavel comes down, a judgement passed For reasons buried in the mud Are you entrenched so deep in the past That you don't know how far you've dug? Is this what you'd call a coup de grâce Or has it only just begun? Does your God look on, impressed Or has He run from what He's done? The stock and the gallows (Bring me harm) Your artist's canvas (Draw your sword) So paint with your bullets (Take up arms) Or pulleys and levers (Give me more!) Dancing with death with two left feet Hedging your bets by the skin of your teeth You cry for humanity
14.
Scorch the Earth 05:58
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Blue-tinted blood running from your mouth A call to arms – a cry for clout The violence-hunger grows And you couldn't be more proud Yeah, you've waited with bated breath Now you kick the hornet's nest Banners fly, hear the cry Prime-time civil unrest Drive the point home with bullet points on kevlar vests You're a weapon of mass elocution Stoke the fires of retribution So speak to us Channel our forefathers And speak in tongues (While we bite each other's off) Yeah, a thousand lies Fall on blinded eyes (And on ears fallen deaf) So spread the word Funnel the facts for us And head the herd (We can never get enough) Yeah, words can hurt And could burn this world We scorched the earth, but we were heard You brought the flood, now it's fight or flight Like Moses on the mount, you are our holy light Forty pounds of flesh – did I get your order right? How deep will you dig under skin 'Til you've found primaeval sin? Spitting bone, tooth and nail Now there's blood amongst the din Loose lips sink ships And now all hell breaks loose You win! And we hang on your every lecture Say it's time for an insurrection! The mental gymnastics have you spiral on yourself But we don't care, tell us what we want to hear By the hour, the message meets more ears You're counting on nobody preying on your fears And the world will see us now Even as we send it crashing down! So speak to us Channel our forefathers And speak in tongues (While we bite each other's off) Yeah, a thousand lies Fall on blinded eyes (And on ears fallen deaf) So spread the word Funnel the facts for us And head the herd (We can never get enough) Yeah, words can hurt And could burn this world We scorched the earth, but we were heard!
15.
Death Drive 06:03
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Don't we all want that safety That we knew before? Don't we remember vaguely That place in which we all were forged? Here we are Wearing our various tones Not one feels like home Why is it that skin Sometimes feels so thin? Night and day Can enter with different shades But which one's feeling right today? And as we wax and wane How do we keep ourselves sane Between the agony And the ecstasy? Don't we all want that safety That we knew before? Don't we remember vaguely That place in which we all were forged? (Oh, mama) Mama, I can't bear the outside anymore And we're tired Of all this exhibitioning Nothing left to hold within And our skeletons Would rather be imprisoned (Wish just not to be) Don't we all want that safety That we knew before? Don't we remember vaguely Before our spirits all were formed? (Oh, mama) Mama, I can't bear the outside anymore You're the one I'll gladly keep In oblivion with me Wish I could be unmade Dismantled and reshaped Wish I could be unmade Dismantled and reshaped Slow the timeline to a crawl Return and be restored With the core Of my being, into yours
16.
Abyss of Time [ft. Uncle Had] 08:29
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Undying, this world of purity Potent with blues and verdant greens Oh, Gaia – our sphere so heavenly Godsent – the very air we breathe And we take advantage Of our only planet Question what you amount to In a system designed to surmount you From all the littlest things To almost everything That could possibly surround you So question what you amount to Every tide and every ocean Every cycle, every season Every process, every creature Tell this time to, to the ether We'll all be outlasted By this eternal planet No vestige of beginning No prospect of an end We've spent a full eternity On a steady, slow ascent But Death could come so quickly He could be just round the bend One day we'll each fall helplessly Deep in the abyss of time (Tell this time to, to the ether Tell this time to, to the ether Tell this time to, to the ether Tell this time to, to the ether) Coastal point from where I gaze Struck with realisation 'Tween a rock and hard place Carbon footprints, radiation Gradual erosion Shifts me piece by piece Tuned to all corrosion Before we rest in peace So have you now arrived At the same epiphany? How we'll each fall helplessly Deep in time Even rocks melt in the sun And the sands of life shall run Only one thing in my mind is clear All that is will disappear
17.
Ethereal 03:29
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about

My sophomore album, and loosely a concept album.

"Abyss of Time" on the whole covers many current affairs, chiefly political, but centres primarily on the need for immediate and decisive action being taken in order to tackle our most pressing issues (many of which our politicians turn a blind eye to – hence the album cover), both as a society and as a species – for we are a tiny speck on the scale of time, and should try to go to lengths to look out for ourselves and for our planet, while we still last.

The introductory track "Epiphany" sets the stage by giving background via spoken word on the geological discovery at Siccar Point in 1788 by Scottish scientist James Hutton, which gave rise to the idea of "deep time" and that the Earth was in fact billions of years old, challenging widely-held beliefs that our planet's age was a little over six thousand years. Scottish songwriters Karine Polwart and Dave Milligan's musical piece "Siccar Point" focuses also on the subject of deep time and of our collective finity in the face of time’s expanse, which are revisited here in my music to bring the album to a close on the title track "Abyss of Time".

The second track, "Impossible", is a high-octane, uplifting song, and furthers the idea of our place in the world being temporary in the grand scheme, and that we should try to leave a permanent mark of some sort in time – "even rocks melt in the sun" being the central line in the chorus, a line taken from Robert Burns's poem a "A Red, Red Rose". This song’s ideas, both lyrical and melodic, are recapitulated in "Abyss of Time".

Tracks like "Unclear Warfare", "Bleed Your Hate Out", "Mind Like a Minefield", "Swallow", "Desert Rose", "Aphrodite", "We've Seen Better Days", "The Penalty" and "Scorch the Earth" tackle current socio-political subject matters and call for action to be taken in order to dispel outdated, toxic mentalities from our modern world, and look only to how we can better our collective futures by approaching these issues from a critical, problem-solving angle.

Other tracks like "Inertia", "Summer Rain" and "Death Drive" are more focused on internal strifes and personal subject matters relevant to me.

=====

credits

released November 3, 2023

Personnel:
James Paddock – music, lead vocals, lyrics
Kevin "Velvetic" Martins – music, album artwork, production and mastering, all guitars, additional vocals and lyrics
Keagan Dunn – videos/typography, backing vocals on "Mind Like a Minefield" and "Swallow"

Guest personnel:
Joshua "Dragonfly" O'Sullivan – harsh vocals on "Bleed Your Hate Out" and "Mind Like a Minefield"
The Final Event – harsh vocals and additional guitars on "Swallow"
Marian Paddock – spoken word on "The Penalty"
Uncle Had – guitar solo on "Abyss of Time"
Karine Polwart and Dave Milligan – lyrics featured in "Impossible" and "Abyss of Time"

Album artwork credits:
Mount Rushmore photo for album cover retrieved from Todd Trapani via pexels.com. Edited by Kevin Martins and James Paddock.

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James Paddock England, UK

Composer, singer, artist, and video game developer.

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