The Bargain – Maelstrom Oratorio

I RAGE —[whisper sustain, intense] Vengeance [closer] they came… I RAGE — [building tension] I RAGE! — [whisper sustain, intense] …they spoke… [low strings slowly enter — tension rising] [Verse 1 — hushed but seething, tight delivery] Burned black beneath a dying sky My flesh split open — seared and scarred Half my world lost to the melta’s kiss I clawed the stone and roared into the abyss [Pre-Chorus — pressure building] I did not beg before a throne of gold I demanded what tears through Warp I called to something vast and cold And four chaos gods — they heard me roar [false ignition — swell, then cut] [IGNITION — controlled impact, stereo opens] [Chorus — restrained rage, tight phrasing, minimal choir] I made the bargain in the dark — [hard attack, short hold] [half-beat pause — breath] I bled the light to keep the spark [push “bled”, sustain “spark”] They gave me power — carved in faith I gave my soul — I took what’s mine [short pause] The price was all I’d ever been [slight delay] The gift — a will that bends… [pull back] [beat] then TURNS [sharp hit, echo tail] [short pause] Not die — not break — not fall apart [percussive delivery] It claws inside — I hear it call [rising tension] [breath] I made the bargain in the dark — [sustain, controlled] [Verse 2 — harder, percussive] A shape tore loose from in-between A slick-skinned shadow — cold, unseen It crouched in silence at my side And snarled the truths the damned can’t hide [Pre-Chorus — stronger, straining] My flesh recast in iron and spite By twisted hands in Chaos light A claw driven where once was bone And strength returned — but not my own They rebuilt what they tried to break And fed the rage they tried to take [false ignition — swell, then cut] [IGNITION — heavier, wider, deeper] [Chorus — increased intensity, partial choir] I made the bargain in the dark — [vocal double] [half-beat pause] I bled the light to keep the spark [stronger push, harmony] They gave me power — carved in faith I gave my soul — I took what’s mine The price was all I’d ever been [slight delay] The gift — a will that bends… [shorter pause] then TURNS [stronger hit, wider] Not die — not break — not fall apart It claws inside — I hear it call I made the bargain in the dark — [extended sustain, light choir] [Bridge — rage unleashed, expanding space] [drop — low choir, distant] They call me traitor — wear that word I am the wound you never heard You bled me dry across your wars Then nailed my name to chapel doors You handed me a hundred hells Then called me broken when I fell The abyss breathed — it dragged me in The dark took root beneath my skin I didn't fall — I was pushed to this You made me everything you feared I'd be EVERYTHING — [choir builds behind listener] I am Huron Blackheart — Tyrant of Badab — Lord of the Maelstrom — KING OF THE DAMNED — [silence — breath — void] I felt the void — [pause] and I let it in — [Final Chorus — full wall of sound, unleashed] I made the bargain in the dark — [full stack] [half-beat pause] I BLED the light — BECAME the spark — [elongate “became”, hit “spark”] They gave me power — CARVED in faith I gave my soul — I TOOK what’s mine [short pause] The price was ALL I’d ever been [dramatic pause] The gift — a will that bends… [drop — tension] THEN RULES [detonation, choir + octave lift] NOT DIE — NOT BREAK — NOT FALL APART — IT CLAWS INSIDE — I HEAR IT CALL — I made the bargain in the DARK — [maximum sustain] I ANSWERED — [breath] THE CALL — [silence — breath — void] I felt the void — [pause] and I let it in — [second fake-out — sub drop] [IGNITION — MAXIMUM IMPACT, full orchestral, full choir] [Final Chorus — full wall of sound, unleashed] I made the bargain in the dark — [Chorus — increased intensity, partial choir] I made the bargain in the dark — [vocal double] [half-beat pause] I bled the light to keep the spark [elongate “became”, hit “spark”] They gave me power — CARVED in faith I gave my soul — I TOOK what’s mine [short pause] The price was ALL I’d ever been [dramatic pause] The gift — a will that bends… [drop — tension] THEN RULES [detonation, choir + octave lift] NOT DIE — NOT BREAK — NOT FALL APART — IT CLAWS INSIDE — I HEAR IT CALL — I made the bargain in the DARK — [maximum sustain] I ANSWERED — [breath] THE CALL — [silence — breath — void] I felt the void — [pause] and I let it in — [second fake-out — sub drop] [IGNITION — MAXIMUM IMPACT, full orchestral, full choir] [Final Chorus — full wall of sound, unleashed] I made the bargain in the dark — [Chorus — increased intensity, partial choir] I made the bargain in the dark — [vocal double] [half-beat pause] I bled the light to keep the spark I BLED the light — BECAME the spark — [elongate “became”, hit “spark”] They gave me power — CARVED in faith I gave my soul — I TOOK what’s mine [short pause] The price was ALL I’d ever been [dramatic pause] The gift — a will that bends… I made the