Track By Tracks: Sarpa - Mauta Tala (2022)

1. Arcane Rites:

Tohu wa Bohu - I wanted to write a super intense and fast song to start things off after the brief intro. A sandstorm starts it off and blows in the chaos. The main riff throughout the verses is the first thing I wrote for the album and just took it from there. Lyrically, it's about walking through the desert and witnessing the physical realm melt away, followed by falling through the sand into the underworld. Both literally and metaphorically relating to diving deep into your inner self to seek the light through the darkness. I originally had the 2nd half of the song with faster tempos as well but decided some of those riffs sounded better slowed down. Afterwards adding acoustic guitars to make those slower passages more atmospheric. I had quite a few guitar solos on my last album. This album though, I just didn't find them really adding anything to these songs. I managed to squeeze a brief one in on this track though.

2. Necropoleis of the Nebulous Deserts:

This interlude was written after the other 2 tracks. They are so different, I wanted a middle piece to 'glue' them together smoothly. The rider continues through the desert and stumbles upon a witch performing rites in the necropolis. Bringing on the night, it bleeds into the final song of the album. I love recording percussion instruments and had fun doing so for this interlude. I've always liked albums where the songs bleed into each other with no silence in between. So The 3 tracks purposely flow into each other seamlessly.

3. It Looms:

Musically, I just wanted to write something to make you envision the endless expanse at night, with the stars and galaxy in full display, like what I saw in my time in the desert. The opening riff is the first one I wrote for this song and from there, I just added layer upon layer to thicken up the atmosphere. The end of the song ends the album with another sandstorm, swallowing the music back into the void. The lyrics I wrote for this one are a little too personal for me to share my meaning for them. Let's just say I was in a really dark place when I wrote them. Find your own meaning in them (that goes for all lyrics!)