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Resilience

by Wandering Oak

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1.
Storm of ages, churn The sea – sorrow-black Drown their hearts, drown their dreams Wrath of the sky, smash ships’ seams Hail, the blackened gale – smash their hearts Sails and souls torn apart Down, down, down to drown Down, down, never found Far, far they fell Lir’s fathomless well Into ancient-most fort To hold undinal court Hear now his cadence, rolling waves Mirror of the heavens – their graves Enter now the deep domain With father of swans, remain Lost, lost are my kin To deep king, now given Sad waves of destiny Swept you away – depart for another day A bitter procession on the shore Tearful bereaved by the score Such praises they sang The bell of sorrow rang Seasons have bloomed and died Since my kin were lost to tide And as I cross ocean wide I reminisce of homeland’s strive We danced and sang of the blessed home The solemn hills and wave-kissed stone On and on and on across eternal blue Azure hue and endless rue Drink of sadness as my cup fills anew Weep of my lost joy as the widows do Praise the life and memory Of beloved fallen Drunk on precious whiskey My countenance sullen In the distance, spires of steel New home awaits – strange tongue pervades Arrival – all shades of man Convergence of wayward souls The builders, crafters, and thinkers alike Cast away by naïve fools Father and son – enshrined in coral Guided me to the hope of dawn Bid me farewell with legends to tell Cast off, sorrowed ships, in shores of calm Survival – my life goes on Homeland’s song rings eternal Another rippling billow In time’s river ephemeral Storm of ages churned The sea – sorrow-black Drowned my heart, drowned my dreams Listen well, child – my pride now beams The gilded minds forsake Ire cast upon us all Yet the sweetest fruits Grow in sundry gardens
2.
Words have failed me from time to time Pondering the course of earthen rime Dreaming onward through wither-time Death – rebirth reverie sublime I have seen the fiery death Of countless days known to none I have heard zephyr heralds Carry the birds last song on the wind – on the (wind) Asleep ‘neath vernal skies Awaken to aching stones Amongst grey weeping sentinels Against a tide of our own design And yet so few will remember The ancient-most truths of this florid land Pain and joy innate – our primordial stake Ephemeral dance – caught in a glance Out of naught, the seed of life From fertile, brimming void Abundant is the old abyss Nary a grain amiss It is within our dark recesses The deepest cloisters of our mind It lies within our lowest depths In one purest moment – we know
3.
Resilience 06:17
A persistence – it burns midmost Behold the desert sun of ancient man Our resistance – ignites the host O’ the day’s downfall, belie victory’s call! Forswear the oasis – it remains unfound Unhonored vows forevermore cast to mound Doubts and declinations be the sandstorm Summer supremacy takes true form The drudgery – our laborious credence Discovery – a tale of aeons, condensed The decision made swiftly as we silently stood Endure craven bleating from sycophantic fools Magna carta of ideological violence, clad in blood Etched into our edicts by peerless tools Are we but to grin In the wake of times grim We shake the tides thin And slake with eyes dim (And quake with stride’s din) Like pliant copper, brittle iron – a failed coup de grace To be as steel – resilient Gammadion sentries – sundered, all Point me, if thou wilt, to one without doubt – perhaps mad or divine Spin your story-web, of unfaltered clout – it is dwarfed by mine Claim the sun’s blaze as your own – In seasons of triumph, we have shown Embrace the pace – the tumultuous chase
4.
Vespertine 08:08
O’ moon – but a glaive in the night Coursing slow, tainted glow Shine with the power of your light Bloodied, sullied, low In vespertine wood Dance! Done the garland of night Bequeath thirst to datura Soul as the primrose, the heart – brugmansia Slake on Ipomoea alba Is this tranquility or just vacuuous terror? Nay – I stand berift of tyrannical fetters! In crimson wood, weep your haunting hymn Dwelling on the threshold of rational thought Cross the twilight course – Aristilus glares By wolves of fear, I am now sought Avian fellowship – hurriedly fly away Through the wild woods – dream of childhoods Sate those cast astray – misunderstood On a bridge with both ends ablaze With morning’s rise, ne’er a memory stays Fiery leaves of autumn lie sorrow-drained In this absurdist reflection, redemption On a bridge with both ends ablaze With morning’s rise, ne’er a memory stays Revel in umbral embrace – lay with eventide muse Climax cries influence – bask in sweet afterglow Crazed notions given verisimilitude Vespertine word is my food Candlelight is the sun Focus object renewed Dithyrambic orations pierce the silent hour Star-drunk and moon-stoned prose Dervish of word, within and before – devours I engulf galaxies with my stare Down-ward, I turn my gaze Nearing end of mind’s maze Drift away – fervent haze Passing to halcyon days
5.
Snowbound 13:46
I - Tempest Cry of despair on frozen wind Head raised to the sky Grey of November dies, consumed River of tears frozen, run dry Tempest of winter’s coming in naked December Scattered birch, slaughtered earth Sing your sorrow-song of slumber I remember Snow-forsaken, I weep for Spring’s return Hidden light – imprisoned sight Misdeeds of the past, poisoning me For countless days, I do yearn Dreams are cloaked in early night Crystal veil of lament Winter air’s frigid kiss Forewarning breath Swat not, never yield Stand fast in its wake Sway not, rise again Lest this frozen heart break II – Snow-Forsaken Silence – imperceivable symphony, ornate cascade Home and heart lain entwined (Cursed shadow-life) Wisp of weighted sigh vanish into nil Sufferer’s serenade – aether trill Tempest returns – carried weight Blanket of night, powdered cemetery Countless are the days I have dwindled In the safe and warm of my inner hearth The land, the fire of the heart As it shifts, so we shift with it Few dare tread here, yet I dare Bid thee ware, I dare Light – what light! Glorious phosphenes Light – oh what light! Victorious sunbeams I drowned such sorrows on sweet nectar Clouded dismay in smoke Blackest cloud of alabaster Sun reflected on hallowed snow Purest beauty insulating the heart Invigoration – the cold issues a challenge Pale Fire, the zenith visage Atop the golden peak Opaque mirror aglow In the apex of solar death See the green horizon As sun is lain low III – Cold Streams A strange break in the clouds Not quite the sun Cold streams flow, bird-songs abound The spirit thaws with the land Betwixt wake and sleep Drudgery in remission Sun and moon on equal footing Cyclical vision remains

about

'Resilience', the second full statement by Wandering Oak, was written, produced, and recorded between November 2019 and December 2023 through the combined efforts of Nektarkin Records and Blackwell Sound in Rochester, NY and Niagara Falls, NY with Andy's parts recorded in his home studio in Raleigh, NC

Eternal Hails to Heavy Blog Is Heavy for their assistance in printing the first run of CDs.

credits

released February 2, 2024

All music and lyrics written by Robert, all songs arranged by Wandering Oak

Robert Bruce Pollard - Rhythm, Lead, and Acoustic Guitars, Lead and Backing Vocals, Whistles

Deidre House - Fretless Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals

CW Dunbar - Drums

Andrew 'Hellskald' McGirr - Additional Guitar Solos

Additional Gang Vocals on 'Resilience' by Daniel Barbour

Drums, Acoustic Guitars, Whistles, and Vocals engineered and recorded by Tom Gerwitz @ Blackwell Sound, Niagara Falls, NY

Electric Guitars, Bass, and Additional Vocals recorded by Robert @ Nektarkin Recordings, Rochester, NY

Mixed and Mastered by Tom Gerwitz @ Blackwell Sound, Niagara Falls, NY

Artwork and Logo by Moonroot

Layout by Velitas

Special thanks to Haeun Creative and Laura Beach for artwork inspiration, Chris Sirgey for the drum mic, Goblin for always gassing us up when we need it most, and anyone who continues to support us. You make this possible!

This album is dedicated to the memory of Robert Bruce Pollard, Sr.

Hail Metal | Kill Fascism

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Wandering Oak Rochester, New York

Wandering Oak plays a visceral, progressive permutation of mystical, epic, folk-tinged heavy metal and ruthless blackened thrash.

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