December 2004
Well, here it is, the entry I've been waiting for. We have finally finished the writing and the recording (of the demos) of all the songs, which will be on the upcoming "Shadows of the Past" record. FINALLY!!!!!
This last Sunday (12/19/04) at 2:47, we wrote and recorded the last bit of vocals for the final song. The song is called "The Confession". It is the story of a hit man...that's all I'm gonna say about that.
This song gave us a little bit of trouble (to say the least). It begins with a droning keyboard/vocal part that Steve K. and I both loved. Then...well, then we hit a wall. How do you end an album that has seen you (us) through so much life, change, heartache and near dissolution of Esucarys? How? You end it with a bang!
I'm quite proud of the way this tune came together. Steve K. and I had much discussion over the direction this song should take. In fact, we over-analyzed it to the point of almost ruining it. In the end, we did as we always do. We let the song go where it needed to go. I think it has one of the most, if not the most catchy verse progressions we've ever written. And, probably the most memorable chorus in any Esucarys song. This song represents much of the mood and emotion of this record, so, it is very important. In short (too late) it does exactly what we had hoped it would do: it puts an end to the story and has allowed us the opportunity to look at the final track listing for "Shadows" for the first time:
1. An Introduction
2. With these Hands
3. Thirty Years
4. Drawn to the Past
5. A Home to none
6. The Diary of Lost Souls
7. Never
8. The Gift
9. End of a Line
10. Confined within Destiny
11. The Confession (walking the path)
We currently have two drummers working at recording the drum parts for the final versions of these songs. They are guys who's names you might recognize: Steve (Zildjian) Richardson, and Chris (Icepick) Piccirillo. I can hardly wait to hear how they interpret the songs.
Steve (Richardson) just sent us his drum tracks for a song which will be on the (very) soon to be released fan club CD. He made us proud. For those of you who don't know: We're doing a version of Marillion's "Kayliegh" and "Lavender". We added a section from "Bitter Suite" called "Blue Angel" with an extended guitar solo...because it needed it.
This song, or piece, is something that has meant a lot to me since it came out in 1985. I still have a hard time singing it, or even hearing it, without getting choked up. So, I'm very exited to have our friends and fans hear it. It was a labor of love. It was, also, the musical connection that brought Steve K. and I together. I'd never met another Marillion fan. Instant camaraderie.
When we correspond again, I'll have news of drum tracks, bass tracks, guitar...well you get the point. We're getting very close now. The hard part is over. The rest is just spit and polish.
Happy Christma-Hanu-Kwanza-kah to all our friends!!!
Steve
Sorrell
