FAWM: "In The Halls of Holygoode"

In The Halls of Holygoode

Liner Notes

This is the second track off of a concept album: "CODE: UV". The album tells the story of The UltraViolets, a team of young superheroes turned fugitive vigilantes as they confront a corrupt society and their place within it.

This slow #alternativerock #concept song explores our heroes' first act of defiance against their unjust society and their motivations for doing it. Our protagonists- Rookie Superhero team "The UltraViolets"- have been called on a mission to help quell a supervillain called The Diluvian, who is breaking into a government facility called the Holygoode Institute for Acclimation and Rehabilitation.

Holygoode is presented to the public as a place for anomalously powered individuals to learn to control their powers and become useful members of society. In reality, though, the UltraViolets learn that Holygoode is an experimental prison facility operating in broad daylight, performing unethical procedures on scared civilian prisoners for power, profit, and government control of the city's population. Diluvian was a subject who escaped Holygoode, and his little sister Floodgate is still trapped in the facility; he has returned to rescue her and take his vengeance.

The UltraViolets confront the city's main superteam- The Line- about the horrors they now know, only to discover that The Line is fully aware of and supportive of the activities going on. Disillusioned with both their heroes and their society, The UltraViolets team up with Diluvian to rescue Floodgate and destroy Holygoode, officially becoming terrorists in the eyes of society.

Note that I've also peppered in some other specific #nerdy references to the TTRPG campaign that this story derives from (e.g. "Brikk Wall" is a superhero that died protecting The UltraViolets... things like that.).

Lyrics

In the halls of Holygoode a floodgate waits to take the pain away.
As the waters rise they sweep aside the Lines and Brikk Walls in their wake.
The UltraViolet light illuminates the darkness as it shakes
And trembles quietly just waiting for its sister to escape.

So what is right and what is wrong when all your heroes
let them suffer in their silence, complicit in the violence?
How can you even keep pretending that the ends can justify
the means and you can still abide this?

In the halls of Holygoode the monsters and the horrors aren't the same.
Hell itself is catching fire, and the flames reveal the shame.
Time, bemused, stands still to let the embers rise
Far above the clouds and far away to carry on their fight.

But what is right and what is wrong when all your heroes
close their eyes, rationalize this? They cover up and hide this!
How can you even keep pretending that society is just when even saviors must abide this? No, you cannot abide this.

Comments

@williamjames 1w

What a story aöready behind this song. I like your vocals a lot. The delivery suits this sort of more progressive music well. Interesting song for sure. Keeps you on your toes.

@gfandme 2w

oooh brings me back in time, digging this! Agreed with mikeb to bring the guitars a bit more up-front

@intoyourlight 2w

Really dig the melody and the atmosphere of the song. Millennial alternative rock is something I listened to a lot in my teens. The concept of your album sounds intriguing! Makes me wish I could stick to a concept when writing :)

@prota_gonist 2w

@mikeb Thanks! I agree, I think it's maybe one track too lean at the moment. One of my major goals for FAWM this year is to work on my mixing and composition to address things like this.

@mikeb 2w

Cool concept! I'd like to hear the guitars a little bit more up-front in this song (or even a new lead track).

@povosos 2w

Awesome melody in the chorus, but what really strikes me in the beginning is the verse's chord progression: especially the first chord of the loop sounds sweet when it comes after the last one. Also very interesting story you're building here. Watchlisted you for that alone.