[Intro - immediate fast entry, no long ambience, 220-240 BPM, guttural growls] Bronze drums! Stone wakes! Lapis lions bare their teeth! Seal the law— break the dawn— March by the Ishtar Gate! [Verse 1 - fast thrash gallop, relentless double-kick, deep guttural growls] Cuneiform hammered into clay, king’s decree before first day. Bitumen walls, blue-glazed fire, lion reliefs of sovereign desire. Temple horns split desert air, standards rise in ordered glare. No chaos here—no drifting sand— the river bends to the royal hand. [Pre-Chorus - same BPM, no halftime, build intensity only] Canal to street, street to square, drums in the brick, smoke in the air. Ziggurat shadow over the spears— we do not march in hunger or fear. [Chorus - same BPM as verse, no tempo drop, no halftime, double-kick continues, fast gallop, guttural growls only, short percussive phrases, no long held notes] EDICT! — from the Ishtar Gate! EDICT! — align the state! Bronze wheel! Spear line! River bloodline! Royal sign! EDICT! — the stars confirm! EDICT! — the borders turn! Sand to road! Night to crown! Raise the walls—strike the ground! [interlude] [Verse 2 - maintain speed, no breakdown, guttural only] Chariot axles scream in heat, iron-shod thunder over the street. Scribes keep count, the granaries breathe, markets ring with gold beneath. Cedar beams and copper flame, every stone repeats the name. From kiln-red dusk to temple light, the city arms itself in rite. [Pre-Chorus 2 - same tempo, rising intensity, no slowdown] Watchfires bloom along the line, omens cut in the marching sky. Not for plunder, not for spoil— for law in brick, for crown in soil. [Chorus - same BPM, same energy, no clean singing] EDICT! — from the Ishtar Gate! EDICT! — align the state! Bronze wheel! Spear line! River bloodline! Royal sign! EDICT! — the stars confirm! EDICT! — the borders turn! Sand to road! Night to crown! Raise the walls—strike the ground! [Breakdown - ultra-heavy but still driving, do not reduce tempo] Who seals the clay? (THE SCRIBES!) Who reads the sky? (THE PRIESTS!) Who bears the name? (THE KING!) Who moves the age? (THE CITY!) Who moves the city? (THE EDICT!) Who moves the edict? (BABYLONATE!) [Bridge - dark ritual atmosphere but drums continue, no full stop, no halftime] Eclipse ash over the standards— still we advance. Wind claws at the torches— still they burn. If kings are mortal, the decree outlives bone. If voices fail, the brick remembers tone. [Guitar Solo - fast twin leads, keep rhythm section driving] [Final Chorus - maximum intensity, same BPM, no tempo drop, guttural only] EDICT! — from the Ishtar Gate! EDICT! — align the state! Lion gate! Lapis blaze! Empire heartbeat! Furnace praise! EDICT! — the stars confirm! EDICT! — the borders turn! Tower high! Law descend! March the road that does not end! [Outro - fast final strikes, abrupt ending] Clay set. Seal pressed. Torch high. Spears forward. By the gate— by the crown— we march.
