Singles
2013-Present:
Wonderland (Cheshire) | 2013
Wolfboy | 2013
A Stoic Suicide | 2013
Young Nero | 2014
Parilia | 2014
Wintertide | 2014
Coasting | 2014
Illūne | 2015
Hollowhearts | 2015
Cry Wolf | 2016
LXV. To Tacitus | 2016
Queen of Bithynia | 2017
BAIT DOG | 2018
deadweight | 2018
ALASKA | 2018
AAAlternative | 2018
Sheet With No Ghost | 2020
Partial Lyrics:
“Hey rabbit, where’s Alice?
She’s eyeing this looking glass
like a funhouse mirror
The things she sees inside it
aren’t the same as they appearHey rabbit, where’s Alice?
Fading away, I fear
This label says ‘eat me’
so why is it still here?
Forget wonderland, let’s flee
Begging you to see
Those red roses wear blood veneers
Take my hand, break free
Please don’t stay empty
I want more than your memory
To keep with mePocket the watch before it’s too late
stop watching the numbers counting down your life
Cheshire Cat, both your body
And smile will fade
Wonderland’s killing you, please leave it behindHey rabbit, where’s Alice?
Fading away, I fear
This label says ‘eat me’
so why is it still here?Forget wonderland, let’s flee
Begging you to see
I need more than your memory
To keep with me.”
- “Wonderland (Cheshire)”, single (2011; 2013 official release)
→written by: Kato—
“(HAND-SHY, CHASING HIGHS)
(CAN YOU SEE MY FANGS AND STILL TAKE ME IN?)
(STRUNG OUT STRAY IN AN ALLEYWAY)
(SELL ME ON THIS HEROIN[E])There’s strength in you that’s changing me
Unmuzzled, I’ll both bark and bite
Take off the leash, give this wolf back his teeth
And I’ll prove that this dog’s worth the fight(THROW MY OWN BONES BACK TO ME)
(I CAN REBUILD MYSELF AGAIN)Cut my hair in the bathroom mirror
And let me know I’m not alone
Help me replace slamming dope with music and hope
And teach me what it means to be at home.”
- “Wolfboy” (2013)
→written by: Anarchy
—
“There’s a stormfront down the coast of Africa
A violent escort to Ruspina
Go and face him, Scipio, I will garrison UticaRUN BEFORE ME, HORSE-MEN
OR OPPOSE ME STILL AND DIE
THE NUMIDIANS CANNOT STOP OUR MARCH
WHEN WILL KING JUBA ARRIVE?Rally, Optimates, we cannot let Caesar best us
What chance have his twelve legions against our war elephants?
Blood’s the price of treason beside besieged ThaspusSOUND THE TRUMPETS, LEGION SEVEN—SEND THEM TO THEIR GODS
THEIR EXTRA 20,000 MEN WILL NOT EVEN THE ODDS!Even your own men won’t heed you;
won’t spare those you command them spare!
Yet you think to seize the empire?
When you can’t control your legionnaires?STAGE YOUR COWARDICE AT UTICA, CATO,
IS THIS NOT A HOPELESS WAR?
DO YOU STAND AGAINST ME OR SCIPIO?
ARE NOW BOTH MAN AND REPUBLIC TORN?I’d expect no grand understanding from an aspiring dictator—
but lives saved or spared is still a battle won against mankind’s thirst for gore!
(YOU STOIC FOOL, WHAT SPINE HAVE YOU, WHEN EVEN DEFECTORS MERIT YOUR DEFENSE?)
Roman citizens are still my men!
If you rule by fear and they flee or quail, to me they are yet innocents!So find me on my own sword, you bloodied tyrant:
Your pardon is an insult
I’ll sooner be a martyr than let you masquerade as merciful!Rally, Optimates, we cannot let Caesar best us
(I BEGRUDGE YOU YOUR DEATH)
Blood’s the price of treason beside besieged Thaspus(Rally, Optimates, we cannot let Caesar best us)
(I BEGRUDGE YOU YOUR DEATH)
(Blood’s the price of treason beside besieged Thaspus)”
- “A Stoic Suicide”, single (2013)
→ Written by Kato
—
“RAZE THE VILLAGE!
When I was young they called me unworthy;
Unsalvageable, dirty, human sacrilege
Those throwing stones forgetting they were the culture that birthed me
AND IT ONLY TAKES A CHILD TO RAZE A VILLAGEYOUNG NERO
UNSUNG HERO
only son; forked mother’s tongue
drink the poison and kill the snake
feed the flames while our fiddles play
this insanity threnody
an elegy for everyoneDAMNATIO AD BESTIAS
tear them limb from limb
UNWANTED HEIR OF CLAUDIUS
fill these mass graves to the brim!a madman’s legacy can never burn
as the ash-stained pages of the history books turn
the vox populi will go unheard
so make way for the reign of the insane and the spurned![gun cocking sound effect]
They always told me to count my blessings
(SACRILEGE)
Tried it once, I think I learned my lesson
(THROW YOUR STONES)
I’m shit with numbers and it’s depressing
I’m all sin-guilt and no confessionSo I say feed the Christians to the lions
and take me as your one-man pantheon
our gods and leaders are our culture’s mirrors
Tell me, is the reflection looking wrong?Tell me, are you blessed, then?
Or are you second-guessing?
Gods amongst men—YOUNG NERO
UNSUNG HERO
only son; forked mother’s tongue
drink the poison and kill the snake
feed the flames while our fiddles play
this insanity threnody
an elegy for everyone!young man, doomed boy, future emperor
you can change your name but you can never cure
THE FACT THAT YOUR FATHER ONLY WANTED HER
Will we live in exile or will we watch them burn?!YOUNG NERO
UNSUNG HERO
only son; forked mother’s tongue
drink the poison and kill the snake
feed the flames while our fiddles play
this insanity threnody
an elegy for everyone!YOUNG NERO
UNSUNG HERO
(RAZE THE CHILD)
RAZE THE VILLAGE!”
- “Young Nero” (2014)
→written by: Kato
—
“OH!
Let the brightest shard of the sky be Mars
take him a vestal bride bearing Troy’s battle scars
Their sons will raise a city that could conquer the stars
Semper Invicta—S.P.Q.R!War meet love meet wolf meet blood
AMULIUS CONDEMNS THEM TO THE FLOOD
Seizes Alba Longa and the crown
Casts Numitor’s heirs out to drown
HEAR THEIR CRIES, TIBERINUS!
Deliver them to the waiting WOLVES!Carve an empire out of fratricide
Sometimes bloodshed’s the price of a new paradigm
Count the vultures over Palatium
semper ad meliora
Senatus Populusque Romanus!Avē Lupa capitoline
between her teeth, capax infiniti
To the Lupercal from the Tiber’s banks
twin demigods nursing at her flanksAnd yet come the Parilia
there will remain only one
Bella detesta matribus
attamen filii belli suntQUICK FLOWS BLOOD IN BATTLE AND HEART
Both which rule these young justiciars
A SHEPHERD’S FALSE SONS; LUPINE MEN
running wild across the septem collesHow could their uncle Amulius
(USURPER! BLOOD TRAITOR! FALSE KING! DICTATOR!)
Think he could capture young Remus
Never to face the wrath of Romulus?As ever it must always be
blood to water the family treeOmnia mors aequat
Omnes una manet noxAmulius’s head; a settled score
The crown restored to Numitor
off to found their own kingdom set the twin sons of Waret tamen…
Which hill is one to die on?
Could sons of Mars ever call a truce?
Whose body will bear a city
bonis avibus?Carve an empire out of fratricide
Sometimes bloodshed’s the price of a new paradigm
Count the vultures over Palatium
semper ad meliora
Senatus Populusque Romanus!Today every word that’s said and road that’s tread
is owed to Remus laying dead
(numquam oblitus es!)
All our grandiosity still leads
to blood spilling blood on the Palatine
even now we bow to Romulus
May all reigns be both bloody and prosperous!Senatus Populusque Romanus!
numquam oblitus es!
All hail the sons of Mars and Venus!”
- “Parilia”, single (2014)
→ Written by Kato
—
“Oh, my wayward stray north star above,
my moon-stained raven; storm-dark dove,
let the waves not clip your wings
Gannet-plunge; claim both sea and sky
call my ship to your sunken harbor, I’ll
join you in showing them how the siren singsSo stake your claim
on wake and swell,
On my heart and bleak spired stone;
Be my beacon and we’ll feed fleets to the sea
and call the carnage homeDaughter of Melpomene—
You paint your wounds with salt and shame
But even birthed by the Muse of tragedy,
Surrender’s flag need not be your name.Rebuild yourself with pack ice
white-capped waves and frothing surf
Bleached bone hag-stones; corpse-pallid truth:
fallacy and prophecy and all of Eris’ mirthYou may bear Demeter’s curse;
I’m not one to till the fields but to salt the earth
So let me sing with you, lyre-bird
if they deem us monsters, then let’s freeze the seas to glass
Take this winter’s mirror to them and let their prayers amass
I swear I’ll be the tide to you; the power to your song
Together we can shape the world,
put right where we were wrongedSo stake your claim
on wake and swell,
On my heart and bleak spired stone;
Be my beacon and we’ll feed fleets to the sea
and call the carnage homePart the waves or raise them,
you know I’ll brave the brine
Salt my lungs but don’t leave our song unsung;
if you can’t write your verse, take mine.”
- “Wintertide”, single (2014)
→ Written by Kato
—
“(OH, I’LL TAKE THIS ONE— ON THE ROCKS!)
Raise a shot-glass to my moon-shine
Avert my eyes before I go blind
Yeah I’m drowning but it’s just fine
I’m drinkin’ vodka, she says I’m all whineBut she and I are of the same kind
Standing together on the frontline
Up on rooftops watchin’ the skyline
I’ll never tame her but she’s all mineThe wind’s tearing at my hair again
I think I love it
We were made to ride out the waves
So let’s keep coasting, coastinglet’s take this momentum and go
there’s more to our world than they all know
won’t fight her current or undertow
Come on baby, let’s just follow the flowYeah, another storm’s blowing in, but we’re not afraid:
when the rain cuts your cheeks
Don’t you see, don’t you feel so free?
Oh, you know what I mean—feels like we’re flying
feels like we’re flying, ay, babe?The wind’s tearing at my hair again
I think I love it
We were made to ride out the waves
So let’s keep coasting, coasting
[x2]Keep coasting;
KEEP COASTING!”
- “Coasting”, single (2014)
→ Written by Kato—
“Oh, spare me the fucking platitudes
You wish things were different? I bet you do.
Unwatered trees will bear no fruit
empty words to shooting stars; all the effort I’m worth to youSo find me on the steep shaded bank of the Lethe
I’ll be drowning you out with the waters’ nepenthe
I’m done begging for your attention and empathy
Trying to hold you just left my hands and heart emptyNow hollow is all I want to be
Starve the dog and mourn your pet
Am I gone enough for you yet?
You only want sound when you demand silence
Tell the ferryman I’ll pay my debts!(PUT THE SILVER ON MY EYELIDS)
(YOUR DEVOTION’S VIOLENCE)
Your love’s as shallow as your smile isSo find me on the steep shaded bank of the Lethe
I’ll be drowning you out with the waters’ nepenthe
I’m done begging for your attention and empathy
Trying to hold you just left my hands and heart emptyYour gilded, anodyne eyes
What if King Midas touched lies?
Corpse-flowers still smell sweet to the flies(Dig me a grave, angel)
(Disloyal mirage)
(Lead me astray)
(Sed haec hactenus)Factis ut credam facis
ex nihilo nihil fit
What you give, you’re getting itSo find me on the steep shaded bank of the Lethe
I’ll be drowning you out with the waters’ nepenthe
I’m done begging for your attention and empathy
Trying to hold you just left my hands and heart empty(Now hollow’s all I want to be)
(Now hollow’s all I want to be)
(Now hollow’s all I want to be)
You made a ruin out of me
illūne.”
- “Illūne”, single (2015)
→ Written by Kato—
“Don’t you know we’re hollow inside?
Two narcissists devoid of pride
And baby, where we collide
We’re murder and we’re suicideEmotional anorexics
Love-language dyslexics
Touch-starved and apathetic,
We feel then we regret it.”
- “Hollowhearts”, single (2015)
→written by: Kato—
“Do you hear that sound on the wind?
Yeah, the damn boy’s crying wolf again
The wool’s started to hurt my eyes
I’m not coming to save you this timeNothing you say comes out sincere
When I come running you’re never here
(I’m done)Maybe the sky’s falling for real this time
Maybe you made me lose my mind
I’ve heard enough excuses
Now I don’t care what the truth is
Absence makes the heart grow harder
Tell the pack the flock’s their larder(I’m done)
Had me running to the pasture
Had me falling to my knees
Had me panicked, had me fleeced
False shepherd, blind sheep
I hope the timber wolves sharpen their teeth
(I’m done)Maybe the sky’s falling for real this time
Maybe you made me lose my mind
I’ve heard enough excuses
Now I don’t care what the truth is
Absence makes the heart grow harder
Tell the pack the flock’s their larderWhat do you want from me now?
Flocci non facio
Illud est quod est
Cui bono?(I’m done)
(I’m done)
(facta non verba)
(If you wanted to lose, you’ve won)
(Now you’re free to play the victim)Maybe the sky’s falling for real this time
Maybe you made me lose my mind
I’ve heard enough excuses
Now I don’t care what the truth is
Absence makes the heart grow harder
Tell the pack the flock’s their larder(Now you’re free to play the victim)
I’m done.”
- “Cry Wolf”, single (2016)
→ written by: Kato—
“[spoken] ‘…a black and dreadful cloud, broken with rapid, zigzag flashes, revealed behind it variously shaped masses of flame…’
[Instrumental intro]
A NECROPOLIS CARVED FROM MAN’S OWN FORMS!
What have we wrought?
Was Thera forgot?
ONLY THE GODS—
(Only the gods could save us)
ONLY THE GODS—
Only the gods could engrave us
whole into STONE!The ground, it writhes beneath our feet
The mountain cracks—the mountain BLEEDS!
What fate awaits those who cannot flee?
The villages beg for an escape to the seaCan they yet outpace the singed, scorched-black sky?
A sulphuric shroud bears down on StabitæThis is the vicious marriage of Cealus and Tellus
Earth taken to the sky just to rain down upon us
Tephra ash falling like snow on the recoiling bay
Across which the rescue fleets cut their course to Pompeii[instrumental interlude]
'Fortes fortuna iuvat:
Pomponianum pete.'
What will greet us at Vesuvius?
cines in cinere…The ground, it writhes beneath our feet
The mountain cracks—the mountain BLEEDS!
What fate awaits those who cannot flee?
The villages beg for an escape to the seaCan they yet outpace the singed, scorched-black sky?
A sulphuric shroud bears down on StabitæThere they make for the coast through the cinder-fall
Here, stumbling crowds in the blackness call
Perhaps the gods were never with us at allBeneath a hail of pumice-stones, succumbs
the elder Pliny; the galleys of Misenum
will never reach Herculaneum[instrumental interlude]
(A necropolis carved from man’s own forms)
(A blazing mountain; an ash-choked shore)
Memento nascentes morimur[spoken] ‘…If this accident shall be celebrated by your pen, the glory of it, I am well assured, will be rendered forever illustrious...’”
- “LXV. To Tacitus”, single (2016)
→ Written by Kato—
“Am I just to serve the court?
Why must I be drawn to court he who I serve?
mens regnum bona possidet
and yet
I cannot bear to speak of itIn an unspoken dream
the laurels break and I am released
How deep are the waters of the Black Sea?
How much deeper yet must my denial be?
Etiam innocentes cogit mentiri…
dolorCan I not cast off my shame?
Alone with you I am proud to be your queen
But now I flee your arms to fight at Mytilene
Vale et memor sis
mei…[instrumental]
Oh, don’t let her know, don’t let her know
my heart is drowning off the Pontic coast
longing for the shore where walks the one that I yearn for most
oh
(te amo)
(te amo)In an unspoken dream
the laurels break and I am released
How deep are the waters of the Black Sea?
How much deeper yet must my denial be?
Etiam innocentes cogit mentiri…
dolorHow could we be spinning
a story that ends without love winning?
When despite my battle-driven heart
I found peace within the Bithynian ramparts
with you(te amo)
Perhaps a greater man than me
would the battle fields and not an embrace flee
Maybe a stronger man than I
could sing the truth and not deny
But before I go to greet the Ides
Amatus; Nicomedes
faciam ut mei meminerisThough the knife will pierce my breast
no blade will find a heart in my chest
it beat across two inland seas
and twelve hundred milia passuum from me
Amatus; Nicomedes
Vale et memor sis
mei”
- “Queen of Bithynia”, single (2017)
→ Written by Kato
—
“I snip the filters off my cigarettes
but I’ll leave all of ‘em on yours
so that you can ash them on my chest
‘cause baby I love it when it BURNS!I’m drinking til my vision mists
putting cigs out on my wrists
I grit my teeth and clench my fists
come out bloodstained from every trystself-destructive for my lovers’ schadenfreude
ripped apart and paranoid,
I’ll still count as wanted if you want me dead
and I’ll do whatever it takes to FILL THE VOIDI want to be your cynosure
my flesh is bared if you need somewhere to sink your teeth
(Ballad of the bait dog)
Paint me your perfect massacre
Some are bred to bite, some are bred to bleed
Chain me up and set me freeI’m not here for hesitation or redamancy
You know that’s never been enough for me
My throat is yours for the cutting
I’m your game for the guttingThe lamb who thinks sacrifice Elysian
offer me to God so I can bleed on Him
the only holiness I’ll find
is with the blade of your knife—
BETWEEN MY RIBS!
GIVE ME A BLOODBATH TO BE BAPTIZED IN!I want to be your cynosure
my flesh is bared if you need somewhere to sink your teeth
(Ballad of the bait dog)
Paint me your perfect massacre
Some are bred to bite, some are bred to bleed
Chain me up and set me free(Ballad of the bait dog)
Use me!
(Ballad of the bait dog)
Abuse me!
(Ballad of the bait dog)
Make me something worth a fight!BALLAD OF THE BAIT DOG!”
- “BAIT DOG” (2018)
→written by: Kato
—
“Sick of living my life like I’m always wrong
another crossed out line in another crumpled song
Second-guessing’s been getting the best of me
Every correction another misdirection
sending me back down these dead-end streetsThese days I’m afraid I’ll find myself drinking Neon
Doing whatever it takes to chase out the dark
End up injecting my veins with fluorophores
Desperate to have some source of light in my heartI don’t want my soul to be vantablack
To absorb all light and give nothing back
But I’m a drain on my friends and they can’t catch a break,
It feels I have nothing to give; I just fucking takeI think my dad was right all along, I can never belong
And all that I am is a fucking mistake”
- “deadweight” (2018)
→written by: Kato
—
“I remember laying on the couch in your living room
In the days where I was workin’ the poles too
Laying on my back, starting to get the shakes
But you pushed the hair out of my face
And you said—‘Tell me,
About the boy you were before,
About the day you walked out that door,
About the sunlight hitting your face,
About feeling like part of the human race,’And you said—
‘Tell me,
About days when you felt free,
About your roses and anarchy:
There was a time before needle broke skin,
So tell me who you were back then.’I swear I know the sun will shine again
I swear I know I’m still myself withinThis is the intricate dance we’re all moving down the road to
Reminders in the eyes of those who love us there’s still a tune
Don’t stand still, don’t lay down or take a seat
I promise the music’s still playing, and playingI told you:
‘I met a boy in a freight yard with bloodstains on his shirt
We skipped out of Fresno feeling like we owned the earth
Spent nights in New York City climbing up fire escapes
young and drunk on adrenaline chasing a better place.I swore that I’d make one, if a better place remained unfound,
Thought no matter how sick the world was, love could turn it around
I checked fear and shame at the door; never meant to take it back
untamed, renamed, riding light on the waves, finally free from the pastEven when everything else went dark and it started to go wrong
I never would’ve guessed anything could deafen me to the song
How many things must be taken from you before you lose hope?
I thought I was strong but sometimes it’s only one I suppose.’You saw my face crumple then and knew my hope was failing
You caught it before it hit the ground, too heavy for me to carry
You took my hands in yours and painted a smile on your lips
You pulled me into the dance again, now I’m never ending itAnd you told me:
Don’t talk of your dreams in a tone of defeat, don’t scorn your naïveté,
If you felt love was a cure and you had enough hope for the world
Hold tight to that realityThe light’s still in your eyes
and the fight’s in your blood
You’ve come too far and done too much
to take your bow and just give upThis is the intricate dance we’re all moving down the road to
Reminders in the eyes of those who love us there’s still a tune
Don’t stand still, don’t lay down or take a seat
I promise the music’s still playing, and playing
[x2]the sound and sunlight’s come back to me,
My roses all are blooming and I’ve found the peace of anarchy
Even when the lights go down you’ll still find me dancingAnd dancing: I promise the music’s still playing, and playing, and playing.”
- “ALASKA”, single (2018)
→written by: Chey—
“Hey, what’s up, just came to say hello
You look like someone I wanna get to know
Shall we take this chat to the club?
Dancing, talking, introduction, nothing’s fun when taken slowHow’s it going and what’s your name?
Wanna drink or do you abstain?
Which of your parents is to blame?
Where in your body do you carry shame?Let’s not bother with the chit-chat
I’m not really built for that
Sorry, what did you ask?
My ears are ringing from the D.J or the J D
Oh, myself? What do you wanna know about me?Well…
I'm a gender-bending deviant,
a rap-sheet having miscreant,
a dirty dancer, disobedient
I'm guilty and I'm pleading itI'm t-t-t-triple-A alternative
leadin' the life I wanna live
Got so much love in my heart to give
I'm here and queer, TRANSformativeFollow my hips and let’s go dancing
Chase these moments, screw second-chancing
Love this life and start romancing
Every second, every minute; aren't the lights entrancing?You be Mars and I’ll be Venus
We can make this sound the sun
Let it set you in motion and swing you around
In perfect orbit here with everyoneGet on the floor like they’re robbing the place
Put your hands in the air like they’re robbing the place
Why you off in the corner? Take up some space
Make some memories here even rum can’t eraseDon’t you wanna dance with me?
Just met you but we both see
We fit together like beat and melody
Make a better introduction body-to-bodyI'm a gender-bending deviant,
a rap-sheet having miscreant,
a dirty dancer, disobedient
I'm guilty and I'm pleading itI'm t-t-t-triple-A alternative
leadin' the life I wanna live
Got so much love in my heart to give
I'm here and queer, TRANSformativeWhy don’t we get outta here together?
Let’s steal the sky and make new sorts of weather
Grab our last drinks and keep the glasses
Talk until the whole night passes
Tell me you love your mom but you can’t change her
Is that why you’re out getting drunk with strangers?Hey, that’s okay,
you know, I understand
Let me grab my make-up bag
We’ll catch another bandHere’s my number just in case you need to give feeling low the slip
We’ll make our own energy, t-t-t-triple-A alternative!”
- “AAAlternative”, single (2018)
→written by: Chey—
“Take me back to boyhood, somewhere
How long before silver overtakes gold in my hair?
I wonder if I’ll even get there…I’m—
Still sitting on the bank of a mountain-state creek
Searching for who I am, lonely hide-and-seek
Cross-legged on my bed and only half-here
My desperate skipping stones keep breaking the mirror
I wonder, is that rippled reflection still me?What does everyone else see?
What's behind the screaming?
What's behind the silence?
What's behind these calloused hands?
What's behind the violence?Please don’t let it be nothing
Please don’t let me be nothing
underneath…Used to wrap myself in a Tigger blanket, around my shoulders, a cape
Exchanged it for the armour of a black, bloodstained duvet
I’ll stay with you for the night but if I’m uncloaked
You’ll pull back the covers and find just a sheet with no ghostWander through the flower-fields and wind up at the bar
Sit talking to an old flame too long, letting it get too far
Yeah, you still see right through me
Stroke my ego, you still love my music
it’s so clear it’s from the heartBut I’m begging her to tell me,
What’s a wolf without its teeth?
What’s a tiger sans its claws?
What’s a god without belief?
She stares, uncomprehending
and replies, “Just no threat to sheep.”She hears my laugh ring hollow and I see the outreach in her gaze
Spare me all your sympathy, you’ve got to know I’ll never change
(I can never change)Used to wrap myself in a Tigger blanket, around my shoulders, a cape
Exchanged it for the armour of a black, bloodstained duvet
I’ll stay with you for the night but if I’m uncloaked
You’ll pull back the covers and find just a sheet with no ghostMy friends are all around me but they still seem so far
I whisper, “What am I without my anger?”
They ask, “What are you without your scars?”
I think I might be nothing...
(I think I might be nothing)
I’m nothing
I’m nothing…Just a sheet with no ghost.”
- “Sheet With No Ghost” (2020)
→written by: Kato