The third track was the meeting. The fourth is the first thing they do together, and it is not a pleasant one.
“Defying the Abyss” runs 4:24 and is the hardest moment in the first half of the record.
An Abyss, Not a Storm
There has been plenty of storms and currents on this record already. Here the word “abyss” appears for the first time. A storm passes; an abyss is permanent.
The first line: “In the abyss’ cold grip, our hearts refuse to bend.” Not “are not afraid”, not “win”. Refuse — which means there is something to refuse, and that refusing costs effort.
It is the only track on the record that does not promise anything will end. It promises only that nobody will give ground.
Plural From the First Line to the Last
In the third track, “we” arrived halfway through. Here there is not a single singular line — from “our hearts refuse” in the opening to “our souls will never die” in the outro.
Something else has gone too. In the first two tracks she was “her echo” and “her spark”, something distant. Here she is next to him doing the same thing he is: “United we defy.”
That is why this track comes after the meeting rather than before it. Defiance on your own would sound like the first record in this project. This one is about something else: that pushing back with someone is a different act from pushing back alone.
The Shortest Way to the Chorus
This is where the pre-chorus disappears, and it does not come back until track eight. Four tracks in the middle of the record, from here to “Pinnacle of Light”, run with no run-up: verse, chorus, verse, chorus.
I cut it deliberately. A pre-chorus prepares, builds tension, gives you time to take a breath. In tracks about standing your ground there is no room for that: you either stand or you step back. The first three tracks have a pre-chorus and the last two do as well — it is missing exactly where the fighting happens.
The drums play more simply here than anywhere else, the guitars stand close together, and the fiddle drops underneath instead of leading for the first time. It is the most band-like moment on the record and it was meant to sound that way.
What This Track Does Not Say
It does not say that two make it easier. It says that two make it different — and that is all I can honestly promise.
The abyss never goes anywhere in this track. At the end it is exactly where it was at the start. The only thing that changes is who is standing in front of it, and how many.
The fifth post lands on release day. It will be about “Luminous Oath” — the quietest track of the nine.
You can hear the track on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube Music.
The next post falls on release day for “Pulse of Boundless Light”. It will be about “Luminous Oath” — a vow sworn under the stars.
Thank you for being here.
Adam Smentoch Creator of the Dust Anthem project
