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The Masque of The Red Death

by The Shape

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1.
And off the beaten path, I... GO! Squeezed out the blood from the stone that laid atop my feet Impeding blood flow and forward progression. I've walked through fire to find a sense of purpose to call my own: A newfound direction. The fire inside rises up engulfing all fears and all lies. The fire inside: scorching the core of unwavering pride... Defeated heart no longer. I've settled with the house. So long, midnight monster! I've licked the blade and I've cut the demons out... A crimson mask removed with vicious resolve. I looked the devil in the eye then mounted his head upon my wall! The fire inside rises up engulfing all fears and all lies. The fire inside: scorching the core of unwavering pride... Because I'm strong, defiant, and cut like the knife, The promise isn't everything you hoped you would find in this life. Be strong, defiant, and cut like the knife: Fate is just a word that only you can define for you! If all the world is indeed a stage, why waste your time? Why not create... the perfect part for yourself to play? And leave behind the masquerade... If all the world is indeed a set, what do you feel of the mark you've left? Are you satisfied? Do you have regret? Or are you wondering why you haven't made one yet? Because I'm strong, defiant, and cut like the knife, The promise isn't everything you hoped you would find in this life. Be strong, defiant, and cut like the knife: Fate is just a word that only you can define for you! (Solo: Oliver) (Solo: Carlino) (Solo: Almeida) The fire... Inside... The fire... Will rise! Squeezed out the blood from the stone that laid atop my feet, Impeding blood flow and forward progression. A crimson mask: removed with vicious resolve. I looked the devil in the eye then mounted his head upon my wall. If all the world is indeed a stage, why waste your time? Why not create... the perfect part for yourself to play? And leave behind the masquerade... If all the world is indeed a set, what do you feel of the mark you've left? Are you satisfied? Do you have regret? Or are you wondering why you haven't made one yet? (Outro: Almeida)
2.
Plastic figurines are all I see walking around amongst me. Crystallized and clean: the entire screen is taken up by vacant eyeballs. Vapid yet serene, they look, they glean, with soulless grins and empty smiles. Airborne infection: A viral correction?! Name your price! You chose the hollow game and gave up the right... To sell yourself. You're just another product on a display shelf! It doesn't matter what you think, When all you do is feed the machine... MACHINE! (Being) An empty number: broke and hollow, Mindless and bereft of some passion and some semblance of a spine is something I can't fathom! Name your price! You chose the hollow game and gave up the right... To sell yourself. You're just another product on a display shelf! It doesn't matter what you think, When all you do is feed the machine... (Being) An empty number: broke and hollow, Mindless and bereft of some passion and some semblance of a spine is something I can't fathom! The world still turns without your human assistance, yet your mind still stalls; Languishing without some motherfucking stimulation! Offer your soul! Embracing the nothingness... Feed us your heart! You're already cold... Give us your body! We'll re-animate you... We'll better your mind! By removing (what makes you)... You... Name your price! You chose the hollow game and gave up the right... To sell yourself. You're just another product on a display shelf! It doesn't matter what you think, When all you do is feed the machine... (Being) An empty number: broke and hollow, Mindless and bereft of some passion and some semblance of a spine is something I can't fathom! The world still turns without your human assistance, yet your mind still stalls; Languishing without some motherfucking stimulation!
3.
"Lend me all your ears!", says the papal puppet standing tall behind... The congregation's pulpit. There is truth in the darkness, Just as there is truth in light, Well, I'm a regular non-believer of a guilt trip masquerading as life... BRING IT DOWN! (4x) From birth to coming of age I've learned to assimilate between right and wrong by and elder's cloth, But who made them the authority? Find what you believe. Seek with open eyes. Block hesitation and distraction. Think clearly then decide... Poking holes in deception: (of these) works of fiction sold as fact! Advertise your bullshit "paradise" to those whom meet your standards... ORGANIZE A DEATH TO RITES! ORGANIZE! We all broke the mold! (We all broke the mold!) With the creation of... A merit based system to choose who wins a phantom's love... Find what you believe. Seek with open eyes. Block hesitation and distraction. Think clearly then decide... You've gotta push it out! (2x) OUT! (Solo: Carlino) (Solo: Oliver) ORGANIZE A DEATH TO RITES! ORGANIZE! Find what you believe. Seek with open eyes. Block hesitation and distraction. Think clearly then decide... (2x) You've gotta push it out! (2x) OUT! BRING IT DOWN! (3x) You're dead to rites...
4.
Sell me: A bold solution... Sell me: The American Dream! Sell me: An answer to the endless void that haunts me daily... Sell the American Dream! I'll buy any remedy! Sell the American Dream! Just fucking sell to me! You've got your HOOKS... IN... ME! Void solution is what I seek. You've got your HOOKS... IN... ME! Everywhere I go that's all I see... I'm just a product of a product's production shifting endlessly from aisle to aisle. In my fantasy, the dream is a nightmare of never-ending purchase denial. Pick it up and put it down, What's needed cannot be found inside cement containers filled with window dressing... Pick me up and put me down, But be careful with the newfound crown! For the King of Isolation only cares what clears the lanes... The Everything Anomaly... You've got your HOOKS... IN... ME! Void solution is what I seek. You've got your HOOKS... IN... ME! Everywhere I go that's all I see... As the grim reality sets in, Your biggest fear now surfaces! (Solo: Oliver) (Harmony: Carlino) The Everything Anomaly... You've got your HOOKS... IN... ME! Void solution is what I seek. You've got your HOOKS... IN... ME! Everywhere I go that's all I see... It's the perfect time to harvest manufactured lies, and it's the perfect crime: to sell me something I can't find in my life... Don't sell me all your problems, Don't sell the American Dream, Don't sell my anything, Just remove these fucking chains from me... NOW!
5.
(Intro Solo: Almeida) Take off the mask. Put down your guard. No need to hide your charm, for the beauty is in the disarm. We travel the world to find another... Lonely soul made of skin and bone... To pass the time as lovers. Are we an echo of a love that's left behind? Are we endlessly traversing space and time? Sealed with a kiss. Wrapped in a bow. Emotional roller coaster tracks: often lead to nowhere fast... Moving pictures often fool the mind... Into thinking that what the eyes do see... Will fill the void inside. Are we an echo of a love that's left behind? Are we endlessly traversing space and time? Are we alone out here? Just stranded and denied? Mother Mercy, leave me be... I'll find my own (guiding) inner light. Forever changing, erasing, as we echo eternity! Remove the mask and taste the apple... Eden's forbidden fruit: Man's first disaster... (Solo: Carlino) (Solo: Almeida) (Solo: Oliver) Are we an echo of a love that's left behind? Are we endlessly traversing space and time? Are we alone out here? Just stranded and denied? Mother Mercy, leave me be... I'll find my own (guiding) inner light. Forever changing, erasing, as we echo eternity! (Acoustic Lead: Almeida) (It's in the way you move...)
6.
Winter Burns 03:57
When we were young, and the world was but our oyster, The coldness of the season came, and while some things changed, Some things last... Winter burns as the summers grow colder, Winter burns as we all grow older... (Solo: Oliver) Brittle bones may break with pressure, While warmer hearts freeze with the passing of others... Winter burns as the summers grow colder, Winter burns as we all grow older... Winter burns as the summer grows colder, Winter burns as we all grow older... (Solo: Almeida) (Solo: Carlino) Winter burns as the summers grow colder, Winter burns as we all grow older... Winter burns as the summers grow colder, Winter burns as we all grow older... (Solo: Oliver)
7.
Atlas shrugs and coordinates crumble... While Atlas shrugs, the world's devoured... Amongst the glowing moonlight, each stroke reverses the tides! Godspeed, protector titan! Does Phoebe laugh with each sinful stride? Searing pain produced by flames of inhuman temperatures: At Fahrenheit 451, flesh burns much quicker than paper... Protector! Protector! Adjust this map of fatal error... Protector! Protect her! Lift us on your mighty shoulders. Atlas shrugs, and we embrace corrosion, While Atlas shrugs, fear breeds erosion... Dividing up the waves; push and pull the tides at will! For (here) destruction, devastation, and fulfillment are all bitter pills... Searing pain produced by flames of inhuman temperatures: At Fahrenheit 451, flesh burns much quicker than paper... Protector! Protector! Adjust this map of fatal error... Protector! Protect her! Lift us on your mighty shoulders. (Solo: Carlino) (Solo: Almeida) Solemn, freedom's spirit dies quick...ly inside when trust is broken and great promises become greater lies... Protector! Protector! Adjust this map of fatal error... Protector! Protect her! Lift us on your mighty shoulders. (2x) (Solo: Oliver)
8.
RIOT!!! Order through chaos and battery! Disorder: disavowed in the temple of inequity. A violent end to enlightenment... We are the wretched ones, protecting the empire! We are the wretched ones, preserving your fear! When severing the wicked hand of all who cross the liar grand. Emotional response is lost on all atomic panic bots. (Repeat All - 1x) The mask you wear reflects your fear, The masquerade of your wares has appeared... The mask you wear reflects your fears, Welcome to your masquerade... BRING... THE... WALLS... DOWN! We are the wretched ones, protecting the empire! We are the wretched ones, preserving your fear! Order through chaos and battery! Disorder: disavowed in the temple of inequity. (2x)
9.
Looming Doom 04:05
Frightful visions bleak bleed into my cranium. Dystopian dreams: Is this fucking reality? Confusion's intrudance an impedance of thought. Clarity halted by spokes in the cog. Killing my time as the hands on the clock move further, much faster, with every tick tock! Alternating between real life and these nightmares that have become our reality! NOTHING IS REAL! (4x) My mind feels so young, despite my body's ills... I have no where to run, what can be done? Someday is too late... This collection of moments in our strand of time: No purpose, no grand design? Rearranged... At random... Cut and paste at will! I can fill in the holes! I can stop the gaps in vain. If only I remembered... (Solo: Oliver) (Bass Solo: Hill) Just as my mind discards all time, soon time will discard me in kind... Just as my mind discards all time, soon time will discard me in kind... "Is this the end?" I ponder again. From what I collect... There's not much time left. Alternating between real life and these nightmares that have become our reality! NOTHING IS REAL! (4x) "Is this the end?" I ponder again. From what I collect... There's not much time left. ...Where am I?
10.
Stargazer 04:45
I awake ashore... Cold, and numb to the bone. Captain, my guide... Can you take these coins... from my eyes? (Solo: Carlino) Oh sorrowed man, thou heed my candor! The ship is in motion, and we cannot drop anchor... Oh sorrowed man, you've lived your life in haste! For beneath this hull lies a sea of regret that leads your compass astray... Oh master, commander, I think you've got me wrong! I'd rather lead your mutiny than ever again be lost at sea. Sacrosanct, this seafaring grave can still correct its course. Leave it to me, for I am not your weak "sorrowful man", Where i go I will lead! Changing the course from starboard to port, With clear skies and moonlight my guide! Changing the course from starboard to port, Forever ahead of the rising tide! (Solo: Almeida) Changing the course from starboard to port, With clear skies and moonlight my guide! Changing the course from starboard to port, Forever ahead of the rising tide! (3x) (Live Solo: Almeida)
11.
Innocent, we once were nothing more than fixated eyes across a crowded room. Images, flutter through my mind as fading snapshots of a life I now will leave behind. Yet, I still remember every single gaze and each better day you've made. But alas, this is our last... When you opened me up, you turned the key, My mechanical heart began to beat. Our time is up, So hold on tight, I'll keep you close, But (I'll) never say goodbye... For everyday was better than our previous endeavors in time, And it will always be... Never did I ever think I'd find another heart beating kind... 'Till I saw your light. (Solo: Almeida) (Alternate Reprise: When you opened me up you planted the seed, Which grew to give me what I'd need...) For everyday was better than our previous endeavors in time, And it will always be... Never did I ever think I'd find another heart beating kind... 'Till I saw your light. Our time is up, So hold on tight, I'll keep you close, But (I'll) never say goodbye... Whether flesh or air, I'm always here, For here and now is not forever! (Solo: Carlino) (Bass Solo: Hill) (Solo: Oliver)
12.
Closer 08:42
(Bass Solo Intro: Hill) (Intro Guitar Solo: Carlino) Here we are on the precipice of re-materialization... Nothing's lost, just reconnected... Where we are gravity is not a factor, For what you learn holds the only weight that matters. Experience, not a series of trivial revelations, is the key to moving forward with the energy you've cultivated effortlessly... Don't be afraid. For the world you have seen, And the places you've been, The light that you knew and the dark you have lived through, For the times you have spent, All the minutes that went by in a microscopic instant... Was it worth it to love? Was it worth it to hate? What really mattered at the end of your stay? Know none of this means anything to the ageless winds of energy. So recall! So recoil... So recall! So recoil... What did you learn? (4x) (Solo: Oliver) (Solo: Almeida) (Solo: Carlino) Here you are: closer than ever before! Nothing's lost amidst the new translation. Fear no more... Your force returns to the air, permeating... Amongst the universe... For the world you have seen, And the places you've been, The light that you knew and the dark you have lived through, (You're almost there!) For the times you have spent, All the minutes that went by in a microscopic instant... (You're almost there!) Was it worth it to love? Was it worth it to hate? What really mattered at the end of your stay? (What did you learn? What did you learn?) Know none of this means anything to the ageless winds of energy. (Solo: Oliver)

about

THE SHAPE would like to thank: Nick, Jeff, Brad, Mike, and Cameron for all their hard work on this album. John Tru, Natasha Butler, Eric Iocca, Christian "Opus" Lawrence, Jamey Jasta, Shane McLellan, Jay Cross, Beth Moffat, Angelo Tucci, Daniela Sawyer, Julianne Biagioli, The Almeida, Carlino, Hill, Oliver, and Smith families, Doug Huron, Mr. D., Mr. B., Bellina, Tal Wilkenfeld, Bob Nunno, Matt Baldino, Joe Dahlmeyer, Monolithic Music & Audio Vault Entertainment, all the incredible bands we've played with, all our friends, and fans for their support. You rock! R.I.P. Gary Almeida & Cait Lastine. We still carry a trace of you.

THE SHAPE proudly uses and abuses the following: Tama, Sabian, Evans, Vader, Ibanez, Dunlop, Dimarzio, Peavey, Schecter, EMG, Shure, Boss, Marshall, GHS, Warwick, LTD, Eastman Upright Basses, Gallien-Krueger, Sansamp, Keeley, Ernie Ball, Monster Cables, Schaller, Levie Straps, Dickie Straps, Dava, Blackstar, Gens-Benz, Jackson, and Pro-Tools.

credits

released October 31, 2014

All music written by: The Shape (Brian Almeida, Chris Crash, Steve Hill, John Joseph Oliver III, and Pete Smith).

All lyrics written by Brian Almeida, except tracks 8 - 10 written by Brian Almeida & Chris Crash.

Written July 2013 - October 2013.
Recorded and mixed November 2013 - April 2014.
Mastered May 2014 - June 2014.

Produced by Nick Bellmore and The Shape.
Recorded/Engineered/Mixed by Nick Bellmore @ Dexter's Lab Studios - Orange, CT.
Additional vocal and bass engineering by Jeff Brown.
Mastered by Brad Boatright @ AUDIOSIEGE - Portland, OR
Executive Producer: Monolithic Music
Photography: Cameron Hoefflinger
Artwork & Layout: Mike Falcigno @ FALCIGNOART
Packaging: Copycats Media

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The Shape Milford, Connecticut

Destructive. Beautiful. Dark. Devastating. The Shape is a musical force that forces you to question yourself and your surroundings, perception and reality. An eclectic mixture of different metallic and progressive styles combined with classic American hard rock n' roll, The Shape explores the darkness, to find a beautiful truth. Join us in madness... ... more

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