Track By Tracks: Guillotine A.D. - Born To Fall (2022)

1. Vultures Of Paradise:

"Vultures of Paradise” is a slow-burning song. The intro gives way to a straightforward death metal riff, then from there, it goes into an uneasy tension as momentum builds up to the end. Lyrically the song is about lust, temptation, and guilt. It can broadly be more about any addiction or unhealthy obsession, but specifically, the song speaks to sexual obsession. The song is narrated from the perspective of a man with strong moral convictions, but he is sexually tempted by a beautiful woman with whom he becomes obsessed. He is seduced by her and eventually succumbs to his desires, and then must live with the internal agonizing torment of violating his own conscience in addition to the physical torment of disease, both of which are incurable.

2. Exile:

“Exile” is about a deposed ruler who was torn from power by his people, but is ultimately the only person who can protect and guide them despite his many flaws. I wrote this song deliberately vaguely so that it can be interpreted by the listener how they want. It could be about whatever real or fictional leader you want, whether a political or religious figure, a disgraced artist, etc. Or it could be more personal, about struggles in your own relationships. Lyrically it deals with some of the inherent contradictions of a lot of relationships, of needing something that isn’t always good for you in every way. Musically “Exile” is a good presentation of the many influences that shaped this album, with shades of black metal and doom metal giving form to our own brand of death metal.

3. War First:

“War First” sonically is a blunt force instrument of aggression. The first two minutes of the song feature relentless pummeling of double bass, then it all goes away as the groove kicks in and sucks the oxygen out of the room. Zack Hembree (Hembree and the Satan Sisters, Music Hates You) brings his characteristic ferocity to his guest vocal spot. The song is based on a book by an Imperial German general named Friedrich von Bernhardi, who wrote that warfare is man’s highest calling. The events of WWI demonstrated that his ideas were disastrous for humanity, but they provided good fodder for metal lyrics.

4. Spiritual Insect:

“Spiritual Insect” is my screed against consumerism and modernity. It’s a condemnation of life too dependent on technology and disconnected from nature and reality. It is not a straight-on banger like “War First” and even hints at a bit of psychedelia and atmosphere. It adds variety to the flow of the album thus far and opens doors for where our sound could go in the future.

5. I Want To Believe:

“I Want To Believe” is the most collaborative song on the record. Evan (drums) wrote the main riffs and provided the basic structure, and I embellished it with a couple riffs and flourishes. Corey Flowers (Beast Mode, Jet Engine Dragons) provides guest vocals and a killer guitar solo. The lyrical concept and most of the lyrics come from Lance (guitar). Lance is a Squachter and is obsessed with finding Bigfoot. The song is based on the movie “Willow Creek”, about finding Bigfoot then wishing you hadn’t. We actually got some real howls and wood knocks recorded by The Olympic Project in Washington, so shout out to them for getting Sasquatch on our record.

6. Born To Fall:

The title track, “Born To Fall”, is based on John Milton’s “Paradise Lost”, about Man’s Fall in the Garden of Eden. The song is told from different perspectives, including that of a man questioning why this fallen state was allowed to be bestowed upon him. The rest of the album is made clear through the lens of this track. The main riff of the song was inspired by Hate Eternal and the rest of it just fell into place.

7. Hammer:

“Hammer” tells the tale of a deranged Inquisitor doing what he thinks is the Lord’s work. It is based on the “Malleus Maleficarum” that inspired the persecution of witchcraft in the Middle Ages. We intentionally played this song with what I call a “wooden” style of death metal. I think the music and lyrics work together very well.

8. Madness Of The Gods:

“Madness of the Gods” is Guillotine A.D. at its weirdest. Like “Spiritual Insect”, this song provides us with unlimited opportunities for future directions to take with our sound. We combined lots of different parts in different styles here, but we pulled it all together as a cohesive song that takes you on a journey. It’s about a man who summons aliens, who come and promise him the secrets of the universe. Once on board their ship, the aliens forcefully harvest his seed. It turns out they are not aliens at all, but fallen angels. He impregnated seven demons who give birth to the Antichrist and start the events in the book of Revelation. In his despair, he turns to God as the Earth drowns in blood and fire.