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1.
Sirens of Stone 07:16
lyrics
Sins of the devil Chains of the witch Grace of the Mother Grant me a wish The heart of a brother Stone of a son Let these chains Come undone The cold white light Faded from sight In the blood-red sky In the month of July The world stood still Our tree burned And my love for you Slowly turned I was voiceless But I earned the right To tell the truth and stain Your false shade of white ‘Cause the things I’ve seen Won’t let me forget The pain you have Spread without regret Am I reflected in you? Are you reflected in me? I’m not like you Can’t you see? You may take me Hurt and break me But you’ll never Change me Across the oceans The sirens of stone Await to please you And rip you to the bone Tangled on the webs You’ve woven Through the years Made up of deception and tears You’re a devil Torn and sick Take a look in the mirror
2.
Winter 04:14
lyrics
Covered by mists And ghostlights No dawn in sight The season closes Itself around me The truth will not Set me free Winter has come The clouds hang low They push me down Into the unknown The cold has made its way Into my head, into my bed Mother, hold me in your arms Keep me safe from harm Winter has come The clouds hang low They push me down Into the unknown You are not sick You’re just weak You’re a freak A worthless piece of meat You’re a sheep That mere words can hurt You’re down in the deep You’re down in the dirt Winter, let me be Winter, set me free Winter has come The clouds hang low They push me down Into the unknown No light, no day Just endless grey Mother, free me From this cold decay
3.
Cold Hideaways 05:02
lyrics
Echoes of the past remain And free me from the present’s pain Specks of memories made out of light Become the chains I drag Through the night And I cannot control my thoughts The scent of jasmine is stuck in my head I’m about to go down Memory lane again I escape from reality To dwell in my precious memories This dark nostalgia Wearies me every day In my cold hideaways Visions of warm sunlight The songs we wrote on old days Laughter spreading far and wide Children dreaming awake And I cannot control my thoughts The scent of jasmine is stuck in my head Oh, here I go down Memory lane again I escape from reality To dwell in my precious memories This dark nostalgia Wearies me every day In my cold hideaways When the meadows wither All the other flowers turn to grey Still, your sweet scent remains Forever guiding me on my way I escape from reality To dwell in my precious memories This dark nostalgia Wearies me every day In my cold hideaways
4.
As the Wheel Turns 04:31
lyrics
The years go by Time drifts away But still the tides Rule my day I can almost trick myself To unburden my head When I come home To an empty bed Aquarius, save me From a life of loneliness Your waves have come to break me Your sea has come to take me The same old swan song Keeps ringing in my ears But nothing changes here No, nothing changes here Every poem I wrote Is cluttered in deceit Written by a heartfelt hand Drenched in disbelief I ignite the pages I watch them burn The soil bleeds to ash As the wheel turns Slowly, painfully Taking its toll on me Aquarius, save me From a life of loneliness Your waves have come to break me Your sea has come to take me The same old swan song Keeps ringing in my ears But nothing changes here No, nothing changes here Maiden, Mother, Crone Aquarius, save me From a life of loneliness Your waves have come to break me Your sea has come to take me The same old swan song Keeps ringing in my ears But nothing changes here With the turning of the years
5.
Silence 04:30
lyrics
I close my eyes To quiet down the thoughts Echoing in my head Filling me with dread I take a deep breath To slow down my pulse But as I stare at the empty screen My heart starts cracking Can’t you see how The distance breaks me? My fragile mind gives way To endless tides of grey This silence is driving me insane I’m caught up in this pain Am I the one to blame? I try and wait Impatiently For something I know won’t come But I can’t set Myself free Ages drift And tighten my chest And so another one I used to love Has ghosted me to death Can’t you see how The distance breaks me? My fragile mind gives way To endless tides of grey This silence is driving me insane I’m caught up in this pain Am I the one to blame? I sink my roots Into the ground But they won’t stay How much longer must I wait? It seems I always end where I begin Never moving Just a dream within a dream
6.
Mãe (Interlude) 02:07
lyrics
Mater, custodia nobis Mater, defende nobis Mater, pasce nobis Mater, salva nobis Mãe, estou doente e carente. Cansado de tudo, cansado da gente que não entende e que mente. Que diz com desdém, “sinceramente.” Que não compreende que, independentemente daquilo que se diz e daquilo que se sente, a verdade deveria ser sempre evidente, não uma coisa que morre de repente. Mãe, ó Mãe, são eles que me seguem. Eles que me pedem para deixar de ser quem sou e nunca cedem a pedidos de entendimento, respeito ou consentimento. Que crucificam no momento sem remorso ou arrependimento e nunca saberão o que é um abraço ternurento dos teus braços, ó Mãe, nem o calor do teu sustento. Γαία, μάτηρ παντός, χαίρε (Gea, mater pandos, chaire). (Eng: Earth, mother to all, I greet you.)
7.
The Crowsong 05:07
lyrics
I spend another day Wishing the red away But it clings to my skin As it turns it to grey I can hear them I can feel their blight Descending in Their cursed flight I can hear them I can hear them Are they screeching Or are they singing? I’ve long waited For these self-destructive Scars to fade But they’re etched to me As much a part of me As the one who made them I can hear them I can feel their blight Descending in Their cursed flight I can hear them I can hear them Screeching or singing I can’t decide They are coming Like an omen of death Pouring soil onto my chest And thus, I know They’ve come To lay me to rest They’ve come to take me back home I can hear them I can feel their blight Descending in Their cursed flight I can hear them I can hear them Their endless singing Wrecks my mind They are coming Like an omen of death Pouring soil onto my chest And thus, I know They’ve come To lay me to rest And as I lay to sleep The scars in my skin Expose the truth And the turmoil within
8.
Sanctuary of Ghosts 04:04
lyrics
All I could hear them say Was how you had been weak But they glanced away When you laid all your sorrows At their feet Be reborn in my sanctuary of ghosts Where there are no imperfect hosts And they all say You're suffering deep blow I pray you've found a place Free from woe A haven to shed All your burdens at last So that hardship turns To a thing of the past Be reborn in my sanctuary of ghosts Where there are no imperfect hosts May the silver light Chase away your dismay Into the night Be reborn in my sanctuary of ghosts Where there are no imperfect hosts And though your body is under the soil You are free, free from all turmoil
9.
Posthumous 03:07
lyrics
Your empty eyes speak the truth Something took away a part of you I fight against the brimming tears My head replaying all the years I just wish our last farewell Hadn’t pushed me through hell I cannot see Can’t wrap my head around it all Your name is etched to this tombstone But you’re so far from home The rain keeps falling from the sky As I find the strength to say goodbye In memoriam The soft shroud of grief Makes me question my belief That time can bring any relief Just knowing you’re not there Brings an ache I cannot bear You’ve come to haunt me again To remind me of your end I cannot see Can’t wrap my head around it all Your name is etched to this tombstone But you’re so far from home I cannot bear this loss How will I find A way to carry this cross? In the shadow of your grave I forget my own name In memoriam
10.
Worlds Apart (feat. Rita Teixeira) 05:25
lyrics
I softly yearn For your touch Hoping my words won’t Reveal too much I waste my days away Glancing beyond the haze It won’t change what we are It won’t take me afar I raise my voice I scream out loud But you can’t hear me still I know I haven’t reached yet But someday I will With your indifference You’ve managed to break All of the worlds I once could create Your stone-cold gaze Shakes me off my feet I’d give my breath away but I’m still too weak All I wish is that you Would feel the same I feel for you Every breath you draw sparks This feeling anew Sometimes, I wish you knew But you know, don’t you? I raise my voice I scream out loud But you can’t hear me still If I haven’t reached you yet Maybe I never will I’m calling out your name This love drives me insane Are we distant at the heart? Are we worlds apart? I raise my voice I scream out loud But you can’t hear me still I haven’t reached you yet And I know I never will My curse stays the same This love will be my bane We’re distant at the heart We’re worlds apart I feel the earth beneath my fingers I have failed, but this craving still lingers I’m willing to cross this distance again Why do I insist? Will this ever end?
11.
Morphine (Sing me to Sleep) 04:24
lyrics
Oh, sing me to sleep ‘Cause my hurts run too deep But with you by my side My dark thoughts seem to subside So, maybe Your voice can ease my soul Beneath the weeping willow I can hear your call It brings me closer To hope and relief Your tender kisses Grant me peace Oh, sing me to sleep So I won’t weep Over this mess of a life It doesn’t matter What I’ve gone through I’d still trade eternity in heaven For a single moment with you So, maybe You’re the one I need Turning grief into Some relief Freeing my heart From sorrow and pain Tenderly calling me by My name Oh, sing me to sleep I’ve allowed you to creep So deeply into my core I don’t think I’m able To move on anymore If you’re not beside me If you’re not inside me So, maybe I need you to survive If you’re not in my veins I’ll wither and die And this barren reality Becomes all that will ever be Oh, help me break free Please, help me break free
12.
The Dreamer and the Fall 06:34
lyrics
Oh, sweet innocence of youth A thing I long forgot A tightened chest with wings cut loose Is all your words have wrought How can I regain The colors in my head? Will the grey stain my thoughts With words left unsaid? I used to be a dreamer But that light no longer shimmers It faded to black With every new crack And when my world crumbled Its fall became my guide And awoke the devil inside It woke the devil inside I have tasted pain before But not quite like this You eat away my hopes And then you mask it all as a kiss How can I keep you from tearing me apart? What will be left of me when you are done? Just a husk in the dark? I used to be a dreamer But that light no longer shimmers It faded to black With every new crack And when my world crumbled Its fall became my guide And woke the devil inside It woke the devil inside Carve your name on my grave Go on, don’t be shy You’re the one who buried me Don’t dare ask why I used to be a dreamer But that light no longer shimmers It faded to black With every new crack And when my world crumbled Its fall became my guide

about

RITUALS combines my love for darker metal music and theatrical influences with extremely personal lyrics, detailing my emotional journey through the past decades.

credits

released October 31, 2021

Personnel:
Rafael Fernandes - Lead and Back Vocals, Synths
Ricardo Martins - Drums
Vítor Teixeira - Guitars and Bass.

First Violin - Angélica Fonseca / Carolina Pardal
Second Violin - Joana Folgado
Viola - Diogo Lopes
Cello - Mariana Neves

António Santos - Back Vocals in Track 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12.
Patrícia Marques - Back Vocals in Track 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, and 12.
Paulo Neves - Back Vocals in Track 3, 6, and 12.

Drums Recorded @ Poison Apple Studios Oliveira de Frades by Tiago Canadas.
Guitars and Bass Recorded by Vítor Teixeira.
Vocals Recorded @ Poison Apple Studios Lisbon by Vítor Teixeira.
Strings Recorded @ A Toca by António Santos.
Choirs Recorded by the Performers in their own Homes (Global Pandemic).
Mixing and Mastering by Vítor Teixeira.

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about

Raphael and the Thorns image

Raphael and the Thorns Pinhal Novo, Portugal

RAPHAEL AND THE THORNS is a solo project originating from the need to create dark but cathartic music with a wide range of influences, both in sound and identity. The darker undertones of the guitars, the slower tempo of the tracks, and the theatrical flair of the strings, synths and vocals make this project ideal for any who enjoy roomy, gloomy and doomy music. ... more

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