Oceanic Heritage, by Mistwalker

Oceanic Heritage

by Mistwalker

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Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
The official CD release of OCEANIC HERITAGE by Mistwalker.
Will be in a jewel case with an art book.

Available from Syrup Moose Records.

Limited edition of 50.

Includes unlimited streaming of Oceanic Heritage via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

ships out within 69 days

edition of 50

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$20 CAD or more

1.	Home 01:41	lyrics	buy track
(Instrumental)
2.	Oceanic Heritage 10:35	lyrics	buy track
Ough! From the sea we were born Unto land from salt waves worn Living off the depths' resource But now we dwell in dread remorse Because of foreign lack of care Our people sleep in dark despair Raped our ocean, killed our creed In modern day our coffers bleed What could we do in retrospect? In times of greed and no respect When the impact is unknown From stripping Earth down to the bone Now we languish on the shore For the fishery is no more Though capelin roll still on the beach From the brine the crown would leech Now that we've gone through one way of life We've got to find another Drill deep down into the ground Violate our earthen mother Machinery for economy To extract her obsidian blood But are oil spills for cheaper thrills Worth killing the land we love? Bloodletting can only go so far Before the life source starts to fade How much longer can our people Keep playing this grim charade? What shall become of this island Another century down the road? Abandoned hopes and towns of ghosts Left scattered amidst the bones Ocean, lifeblood, dried up, now we weep Ocean, bare hooks, dead looks, from the deep Ocean, nihilist, violence, in red waves Ocean, blood spilled, purse filled, with red wage Beached whales and shattered dreams Are tidewrack on a plastic beach Ocean, lifeblood, dried up, now we weep Ocean, bare hooks, dead looks, from the deep Ocean, nihilist, violence, in red waves Ocean, blood spilled, purse filled, with red wage Capsized from our misdeeds Like bleached bones amongst seaweed Dark days shall lie ahead Now that the bays are bled Ocean, lifeblood, dried up, now we weep Ocean, bare hooks, dead looks, from the deep Ocean, nihilist, violence, in red waves Ocean, blood spilled, purse filled, with red wage Beached whales and shattered dreams Are tidewrack on a plastic beach Ocean, lifeblood, dried up, now we weep Ocean, bare hooks, dead looks, from the deep Ocean, nihilist, violence, in red waves Ocean, blood spilled, purse filled, with red wage [Solo: Andrew Marsh] Ocean, lifeblood, dried up, now we weep Ocean, bare hooks, dead looks, from the deep Ocean, nihilist, violence, in red waves Ocean, blood spilled, purse filled, with red wage Ocean, blood spilled, purse filled, with red wage
3.	Beaumont-Hamel 05:20	lyrics	buy track
July 1st, 1916 Third wave, Battle of the Somme 9:15 in the morning Under fire from guns and bombs The Newfoundland Regiment Advanced towards enemy lines Hail of bullets likened to a blizzard How many taken human lives? Sliding down to the Danger Tree These brothers, husbands and sons Answered a blind patriotic call To be cut down one by one The German onslaught unrelenting Here in this Hell called No Man's Land Expended by the British crown Exploiting the people of Newfoundland The reaper demands a heavy toll Harvesting an entire nation whole All in the name of rich men's desires They'd throw a million souls into the violent mire Told to die for king and country Sold a lie of honor and love No glory is found in the trenches Only agony dealt from up above They said you'd get to see the world There's more to the globe than a muddy pit Promised gold in exchange for service But all you got was a crater of shit Oh, your head was filled with notions By those who sought to use you And so you volunteered to be a pawn With no knowledge of what you'd lose When the smoke rose the following morning Only 68 of 800 remained The rest eviscerated in the quagmire Blown apart or severely maimed The reaper demands a heavy toll Harvesting an entire nation whole All in the name of rich men's desires They'd throw a million souls into the violent mire Ough! [Solo: Adam Giles] The reaper demands a heavy toll Harvesting an entire nation whole All in the name of rich men's desires They'd throw a million souls into the violent mire Ugh Ough!
4.	Mystery Veteran 08:24	lyrics	buy track
One hundred years ago You fought in a Great War A man I will never know Only told of in my family's lore With a gun And a knife You fought o'er hill and trench For the king And country Shooting 'til every round spent Deceiver's Believer Just another life to lose Your duty To serve them You didn't have to choose But in times of war the propaganda runs deep Proclaimed that if you didn't go then you were weak The lies fed to your mind enforced your final choice Bolstered the ranks and made the generals rejoice Off you go To the front With a rifle in your hand Under fire And smokescreens In the dead of No Man's Land Enemies All 'round you But not a sclera you can see Yet somehow You survived Against the odds overseas But in times of war the propaganda runs deep Proclaimed that if you didn't go then you were weak The lies fed to your mind enforced your final choice Bolstered the ranks and made the generals rejoice Ugh Ah! This mystery veteran that I'll never know At least his story has been told A tale like that of countless others Deceased husbands, sons, and brothers Ough! This legacy defiled In the wake of revelation No great honour found in combat No patriotism for a nation Killing for those callous bastards Who squabble over borders Is no great feat to brag for Only a victim follows orders [Solo: Greg Ravengrave] This mystery veteran that I'll never know At least his story has been told A tale like that of countless others Deceased husbands, sons, and brothers
5.	Cabot Strait 05:25	lyrics	buy track
It’s a hot summer night and the sun’s a dying light Newfoundland jack is blowing outside As the ocean waits for passage The cars all aligned before the dim foggy brine As we wait to leave home and I stand before the glass edge Your heart calls out And my heart falls out I think to myself that I’ll be seeing you again And you hear the depths sound I’m anxious again because I don’t want you to end Being torn in half as I cross this continental shift and I hear in my head that I’m a braver man So I’ll leave these wet shores and step forth onto new land Change awaits in the old Cabot Strait You’re a path to sail upon, a death defying new breadth Change awaits in the grey sea so stormy and great It’s the end of an era and you’re all that I have left And your heart calls out And my heart falls out I think to myself that this really isn’t the end And I hear the depths sound Ough! [Solo: John N. Roach] Change awaits in the old Cabot Strait From the south port I’m taking a leap A death defying last stand Change awaits where it’s never too late It’s all in your head, they said So give me a new heartland Change awaits in the old Cabot Strait From the south port I’m taking a leap A death defying last stand Change awaits where it’s never too late It’s all in your head, they said So give me a new heartland
6.	Sandy Island 01:46	lyrics	buy track
(Instrumental)
7.	Igor's Wrath 07:15	lyrics	buy track
Ah! The year was 2010 Hurricane Igor descended on the island Tossed rainfall like never before We could not predict what was in store Shield yourself From the wrath Of nature's Spiteful path Destruction Havoc wrought In the winds We were caught Shield yourself From the wrath Of nature's Spiteful path Destruction Havoc wrought In the winds We were caught We made the foolish choice To take a drive in spite of parental advice Trapped in a raging river We should've known that this storm would giv'er Fighting through This Gaian blaze The horizon dips Beyond our gaze Trapped in a vessel We cannot move I see the reaper A life to lose Come to my senses Jump to the shore Narrow escape Through a drowning door [Solo: Geoff Waye] At times I remember fondly The recklessness of youth But I thank my lucky stars It was an attitude so selcouth Ah!
8.	Old God of the Tall Rocks 07:46	lyrics	buy track
On the west coast Rises colossal mountains Cliff face of the ancients Bears striking resemblance To the face of an old man This elder visage Attributed by humans Old god of the tall rocks Of such mystery and renown As to the animism within Perhaps worshiped in another time This spirit of nature Ugh Old god of the tall rocks Old god of the tall rocks Weathering the seasons Whether snowfall or rain Enduring the ages Eroded yet roots remain Part of the landscape And of the flesh of the Earth The divinity of the wilderness Has been here since its birth Of such mystery and renown As to the animism within Perhaps worshiped in another time This spirit of nature Old god of the tall rocks Old god of the tall rocks Old god of the tall rocks Old god of the tall rocks [Solo: Rick Massie]
9.	L'Anse Aux Meadows 07:00	lyrics	buy track
We arrive on western shores A land foretold in ancient lore We dock our longships and disembark These men from Iceland and Denmark Under leadership of Leif the Lucky We established an outpost In this realm that we name Vinland On the eastern North American coast We made contact with a people Native to this misty rock Conflict erupted between us Vikings fighting the Beothuk Combat and raids unceasing Settlement plagued by a curse Are we to abandon our homestead? How can this voyage get any worse? Worse! Worse! Across the stormy seas we sailed To lands we intended to avail But the winter was so harsh And the soil nothing but marsh To and fro we fought the climate But our excursion was not to last Abandoned, we returned to Greenland Left behind, a relic of the past Ough! [Solo: Cory Fagan] Death comes for us all L'Anse Aux Meadows doomed to fall Struggling all for naught Destined for famine and rot Ah! Ough!
10.	Signal Hill 08:48	lyrics	buy track
Final battle of the Seven Years' War St. John's seized by the French English forces mount a counterattack To retake the hill from their clench September 15th 1762 The British land at Torbay Cut a route straight through Surprise attack mounted on the hill Muskets open fire on both sides Blood spilled in the name of empires Corpses roll down the mountainside Amidst the deadly cannonfire The French lines fall further back Their positions are captured Under the weight of British attack Warfare is the way of history Mankind is doomed to repeat mistakes How many men fed into the grinder? For lines on a map, how many hearts ache? Ugh! Ah! Ugh! Kill, kill, for your god and country Because a rich man in a crown told you to Die, die, for pittance and sundry Because they said it's what you're meant to do Rape, raid, rid this land of innocence Because there will be no consequence Live, live, live your life in violence Because history only repeats itself Ugh! [Solo: Tyler Addey-Jibb] War never changes It only gets more brutal The time for muskets gone The fight for peace is futile

about

Oceanic Heritage is the ninth full length album from Newfoundland-based one-man black metal band Mistwalker. It is the final entry in the 'Newfoundland Trilogy', a series of concept albums based around Newfoundland history and culture which was started with the 2017 album 'Alexander Bay' and continued with the 2018 record 'Terra Nova'.

The album art is a photo of St. John's Harbour and part of Signal Hill taken in the summer of 2017, right before I moved to Montreal.

I'd like to thank everyone who has supported Mistwalker up until this point, whether it be through coming to our live shows in Montreal and elsewhere, buying our merch and my music online, listening to my music via streaming, or simply by giving words of encouragement. You all mean the world to me.

I'd also like to thank my live bandmates Erin Faithless and Bobby Warlock for their continued dedication to this project and for their feedback while I was working on this record.

As well, my sincerest thanks to all the guest musicians who performed on this album alongside me including Aaron Powell of Fog Lake, Andrew Marsh of Winterhearth and Dead Inner Youth, Adam Giles of Goreforge, John N. Roach of Sons of an Eastern Moon, Geoff Waye of Category VI and Triskelyon (a Moribund Records recording artist), Rick Massie (Rick Massie Music), Erin Faeth of Ratpiss, Cory Fagan of Sons of an Eastern Moon, and Metaphora, Bobby Warlock of Wretched Fiend, and Tyler Addey-Jibb of Ratpiss and Womb.

Also, a huge thank you to Julien Levesque who mixed this thing last minute and made it sound better than anything I've ever recorded on my own.

credits

released June 24, 2023

Greg Ravengrave - All instruments unless otherwise noted, lyrics, album art, and recording.

Aaron Powell - Piano on "Home"
Andrew Marsh - Guest guitar solo on "Oceanic Heritage"
Adam Giles - Guest guitar solo on "Beaumont-Hamel"
John N. Roach - Guest guitar solo on "Cabot Strait"
Geoff Waye (a Moribund Records recording artist) - Guest guitar solo on "Igor's Wrath"
Rick Massie - Guest guitar solo and synth on "Old God of the Tall Rocks"
Erin Faithless - Guest bass on "Old God of the Tall Rocks", gang vocals on "Signal Hill"
Cory Fagan - Guest guitar solo on "L'Anse Aux Meadows"
Bobby Warlock - Gang vocals on "Signal Hill"
Tyler Addey-Jibb - Guest vocals and guitar solo on "Signal Hill"

Mixed and mastered by Julien Levesque at JL.LV Audio

license

about

Mistwalker Glovertown, Newfoundland and Labrador

Blackened heavy metal originally from Glovertown, Newfoundland. Our live band is based in Montreal. Black thrash 'til death! MPDS for life!

All music is written and recorded by Greg Ravengrave unless otherwise specified.

Live band:

Greg Ravengrave - Vocals, Drums

Erin Faithless - Bass, Backing Vocals

Bobby Warlock - Guitars, Backing Vocals ... more