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after discovering ad astra's vip a few days ago, i figured i'd listen to crimson child's discography, and happened to find one of crimson child's only albums on their soundcloud, which was their lp titled "eleventh hour." while i was listening to this, i was going through the notes i took from my esv study bible. and being the (raging) atheist i am, the imagery i came up with to the songs was weirdly religious, hence the addition of the new tag to the list. bear with me, if you will.

"the dark" (a recent song not from the eleventh hour lp) reminds me of a a religious soundtrack for arcane. i imagined a chapel with shimmer as its wine and crumbs and dust as bread, where you'd worship under the neon lights and the smell of gasoline is intoxicating so we're all high while we worship the sign of the halo because why would god ever show his face down here (in the undercity), or even send his son into these depths, he can't save those who are already in hell.

below is when i start "eleventh hour."

"incarnare" kind of set the tone of the album for me, but i didn't comment on it when i initially listened to it. it alternates between high energy and delicate piano, which i think is a staple of crimson child (at this time, anyway, since the lp is three years old at this point). i wonder if the artist is the one singing. it feels as if you're tearing up the church in an underground facility, in which you tried to encage an angel by putting it in a familiar place, but it escapes as the lights flash.

"vermiculo," to me, felt as if it were a song about the beauty in brutal urbanism. it felt like a big working machine that's tearing apart the nature that's grown on it as it comes back to life, but nature doesn't hold a grudge because the machine has become a part of nature, and sometimes nature must be destroyed for it to be rebirth again. maybe some day the machine will stop grinding its gears and go to sleep, to be overtaken by nature again.

with "crow fisher," my jaw dropped during the last part of the song since the build-up was so quiet and gentle. my jaw stayed droppped, and i had to unhinge my jaw to close my mouth. i couldn't understand what they were saying but i guess that's the point of the song. it's indecipherable. the singing was haunting at first, but nothing too noteworthy. what does crow fisher mean ? upon re-listening to it, i think it talks about burning (lungs?) to keep someone warm. it feels as if it's documenting someone breaking free from an abusive cycle. i like how the voice gets "electrified" before the drop.

i think i had the most vivid image for "deus." it felt like listening to gods heartbeat in an underground chamber because we trapped him a long time ago. the machines are going crazy because we can't understand what he's saying; someone went in, handheld radiation monitor also goes crazy (the gamma signal clicking). but the person that went in doesn't know they're being possessed by god so they think they're looking at heaven when in reality they're being melted to the bone by the sheer power they feel; the heartbeats become shockwaves destroying the facility from the inside out, kinda like when godzlilla goes thermonuclear in kotm. the aftermath is the piano overlooking the facility, a cavern now.

by the time i listen to "consecration," it occured to me that i wouldn't go to a concert and expect to headbang to this kind of music. i'd more expect to be crushed under the weight of the sound while tripping balls at a house party. it would still be a sick concert though. i'd meet god listening to this album, then be embraced by his teeth expecting a warm welcome, but instead just bleed to death, cocooned in my own blood. this song in particular reminds me of a more intense hex cougar. it feels more like edm than church music. i love when the notes are just a bit off that it gives you goosebumps, but not so off that you're having whiplash because the off-pitch notes disturb you.

the best way i can describe "insomnium" is lofi edm music. it's a chill song you'd listen to as you explore the woods. you'd come across abandoned machines whose emergency lights are still on; you'd go inside and find a new ecosystem you can't breathe in, but you don't know you're suffocating until it's too late.

going over your bible notes while listening to "vangelis" and the album in general is a different experience. except the song is about pagan gods, huge statues erected and unafraid to depict the size and stature of the gods you're afraid to face. reminds me of the first episode of solo-leveling, where the mc has to deal with those fucked up statues. i was not expecting that rock-esque change-up halfway through, but i'm not disappointed.

"omnis" isn't my type of song to listen to casually, but it's something i'd find in the club and dance to with the dozens of other sweaty bodies.

listening to the original verison of "ad astra" made me realize how much was changed/has changed since 3 years ago. at first, i thought the song was way too soft compared to the vip. maybe i ruined my listening experience by listening to vip first. in the original, the singing is preserved. i think it's meant to be like a soft san holo song and not something tearing through your speakers like the first few songs. i think the lyrics are saying "i live in the dark," but i could be wrong. i love michelle perkins' voice. it reminds me of edm from ~2017, not many vocal chops. this is more hopeful, while vip twists the hope into hoplessness. i imagine this to have much more warm colors with hint of blue, like a solar flare and a flare across the lens as you watch it. reminds me of old school illenium with the snare. the song is nice for when i want to calm down after crying. no story, just vibes. an old memory, melody in a music box you don't remember until you open. maybe this is like a breather before the end/title song. i wonder what made the artist want to revisit this with a vip version.

"machina" sort of reminds me of apashe, with the orchestra and strings being the main element (weirdly enough, not the piano). i think this song gave me the oddest image. i imagined someone using big sticks to walk, like they're giants avoiding the state of the world below. like flying through a huge landscape and seeing how it's ruined but in the heavens it's bright with morning. i imagined the colors of mars.

the namesake song "eleventh hour" felt very hopeful and haunting. i hear some hints of flume, but it's not the same colors as his songs. this is possibly my favorite with the sound design other than the vip of "ad astra." it's a roller coaster of emotions. i can't just listen to this and imagine something sad or happy or insane. it feels very orange and yellow. like the northern lights if they could be many different colors. the piano adds a vintage/older effect to the song, as if we're in a vignette of a memory, only to have it be clarified/cleared up with the bass. the piano reminds me of a ghibli song turned dark edm. as if the heroine didn't make it at the end but she's happy she tried her best before she's consumed by the fantastical world she finds a home in.

after finishing the album, i started listening to random songs on their reposted section.

with "god rays," i loved love the intro; build up similar to old rl grime. i don't think i liked the song much after that though.

i've started to notice that the piano is characteristic of their music. then, you have the vocals echoing like you're in a church.

with "out of love," a collab with nato and stephen geisler (an artist i haven't listened to in a while but i liked), the song sounded blue. it felt as if you're slowly sinking to the bottom of the ocean, being scanned by the beasts that surround you then being rejected, spat out as soon as you're swallowed. i love stephen geisler. the song reminds me of two feet with the bass and how grindy it sounds. i love the sound design of this. very head-bang worthy. i love how quiet crimson child's songs get when they finish, as if they're apologizing for how loud they were, but when you put it on repeat you know they'll do it again.

i might revisit their discography again another time, but no guarantees.