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It´s finally here! The moment all of the previous fans of the band Ravens waited for. Kevin Days new band was finally releasing their first song together. After a year long pause, the public´s sweetheart is back. And it was released through a live show too.
The Monsters - as they called themselves - were a mix of metal, rock aaaand a little bit of pop too. They were not exactly new to the scene, but not exactly famous. Under the Palmetto Studios, they were a small project, not bringing in a lot of money, but making due. Their popularity grew a bit when Kevin left the Ravens and joined PS studios. Everybody expected him to maybe go solo, or just produce songs… And then the news came - Kevin Day to join The Monsters!
At first, it wasn't easy to join forces. The Monsters guitarist, Andrew, was one cautious man. Always watching, always calculating what you did next. And always next to Neil. The band's lead singer, Neil Josten, was a small fire inside a humans body. Ready to bite if you came too close.
And Kevin was not able to get close, until a few months in. His hand was finally healed, after being in cast for so long. His stage accident went viral, being pushed of the stage by his fellow (ex) band member and all. But that was in the past now, he tried to reason with himself too often.
It happened one late night, at the studio. Kevin was idle strumming a guitar, even though it was not his preferred instrument. He was mainly a pianist, but after the many years in the music industry, you learn some stuff. He was humming a bit too, sometimes writing notes into a notebook.
He was the only one there, couldn't sleep. But then he heard the door creaking and heavy steps. It could only be one midget, cause the other one did not wear that thick boots. And he was right, as Andrew fell on the sofa opposite to Kevin's.
Dark eyes watching, always watching. And then they talked. By themselves, no interruptions, no one else to hear. Andrew learned about Kevin growing up at Edgar Allen studios, a child star, with his adopted brother. About his fall, that it was not really an accident, but more of a punishment. Riko had felt that Kevin was gaining too big of a fanbase, and wanted to cut him down a little. He probably was not expecting his band to go to shit after Kevin left.
And Kevin learned of Andrew, why he had his arms tattoed, full of thorny roses. Why he had kept Kevin's contact with the band minimal so far, to protect them. Why Andrew never shook hands with anyone, always watching instead. Why Aaron was never left by himself around older women. He learned of Nicky adopting Aaron and Andrew, and that Neil had joined their family much later.
He learned that Neil used to not have so many scars, that Andrew felt responsible for some of them. Cause if he did not insist that Neil stayed, that he sing with them, maybe… maybe his father wouldn't catch up with him.But then they got him back, scarred face for life, but that only made him more interesting to the fans. He was a mystery so many wanted to solve. But he would only let Andrew ever solve him.
Now they were all standing in the darkness, waiting for the lights to go on and the song to start. The public felt so much suspension in the air, some of them screaming Kevin's name, some were screaming for all the Monsters to hear.
A single guitar note broke through the darkness. Andrew stood stage left, barely visible, fingers resting on the strings like he wasn’t sure he wanted to wake the instrument. The note stretched, distorted and low, vibrating through the floorboards.
Another sound followed — Kevin’s keyboard, soft and restrained, almost careful.Neil stepped into the dim blue light at center stage, adjusting the microphone without looking at the audience. He didn’t say anything. He never did.
Aaron’s drumstick clicked once. Twice.
Nicky’s bass slid in underneath everything, warm but uneasy, like it was trying to keep something from falling apart.
The melody was slow. Too slow for a debut single. Too exposed.
Kevin kept his eyes on the keys. He missed the way the audience collectively leaned forward, pulled in by the fragile beginning of the song.
Damocles didn’t start like a performance.
It started like a confession.
Well, I've been waking up under blades, blue blossom days
If only Damocles would hit me back
No alabaster carvings or faces on a farthing
Would prevent my head from fading to black
This song, it was a collective story, written together by all of the Monsters. Many of the parts felt too personal, too raw. But that never stopped them from moving forward, from make it through the worst parts of their lives.
And it feels like falling into the sea
From outer space in seconds to me
And I play discordant days on repeat
Until they look like harmony
It did not matter to them that the fans would never understand some of the parts. Sure, they could guess that the blades would symbolise Neil's scars, something to do with knives… But the wouldn't know of Drew's habits of wearing armbands, before being armed by the thorns of his roses.
Would never know of the rough start that the twins had, the drugs that would numb it all for Aaron, a cushion for him to fall onto when it was the only thing that loved him back.
When the river runs dry and the curtain is called
How will I know if I can't see the bottom?
Come up for air and choke on it all
No one else knows that I've got a problem
What if I can't get up and stand tall?
What if the diamond days are all gone, and
Who will I be when the empire falls?
Wake up alone, and I'll be forgotten
Of Kevin, a child star, always picture perfect for the cameras. Never to know of the abuse from his old record label, never to know of his alcoholic tendencies, when it all felt too much. He was getting better, for his father, friends and himself.
Of Andrew, having a pipe dream that was taken away, feeling like he made the only person keeping him safe up. But he got him back, and they did not disappear, they were real together.
Well, I know I should be touring, I know these chords are boring
But I can't always be killing the game
No golden grand pianos or voices from the shadows
Will do anything but feel the same
Feeling mediocre, never enough. The fear of the fans leaving, but taking the much needed break to heal. And the fans stayed for him, they stayed for Kevin.
And it feels like falling into the deep
From somewhere way up over the peaks
And I play discordant days on repeat
Until the tape runs out on me
Neil's childhood on the run, always looking over his shoulder. Always waiting for his time to run out. But it did not.
When the river runs dry and the curtain is called
How will I know if I can't see the bottom?
Come up for air and choke on it all
No one else knows that I've got a problem
What if I can't get up and stand tall?
What if the diamond days are all gone, and
Who will I be when the empire falls?
Wake up alone, and I'll be forgotten
Young Nicky, always putting on a front to keep others happy, even when he himself was down. No longer in the closet, he was true to himself, and so much more happier. Some memories he couldn't ever shake, the ,,youth” camp he was sent to, barely surviving it. But he was not alone now. He had his amazing husband and his beloved, sometimes reluctant to love back, cousins. He would never disappear into the darkness, as he so often worried in that hideous place.
And nobody told me I'd be begging for relief
When what is silent to you feels like it's screaming to me
Well, nobody told me I'd get tired of myself
When it all looks like heaven, but it feels like hell
Again, the fans would never know what happened to Andrew in the foster system, although many could only guess. But it couldn't be so bad, right? He himself adopted a girl a few months back, Robin. But they did not wish for her to get media exposure, so they tried to keep it under wraps.
When the river runs dry and the curtain is called
How will I know if I can't see the bottom?
Come up for air and choke on it all
No one else knows that I've got a problem
What if I can't get up and stand tall?
What if the diamond days are all gone, and
Who will I be when the empire falls?
Wake up alone, and I'll be forgotten
The last notes finished playing, and the public went wild.