[Intro] / ambient scraping of heavy iron swords, rhythmic synchronized march of iron-shod sandals on stone road, crowd roaring under arched vault / rigid synthetic 16th-note bassline cutting in, dead dry / female French whisper, heavy tape delay L'arène de pierre... le sang des esclaves sous le soleil... (The stone arena... the blood of slaves under the sun...) [Verse 1] / harsh male baritone, dry and deadpan delivery Limestone pillars rising to the sky Watching every captive gladiator die Marble quarried by the captured hand Hauling monoliths across the sand Bronze and iron marching in a line Carving out the border to the Rhine Legions counting off the metric pace Wiping every rebel from the place Slaves beneath the stadium floor Waiting for the opening of the door Sand is scattered to absorb the red Counting out the numbers of the dead Caesar sits upon the marble seat Cold machine that never knows defeat [Pre-Chorus] #heavy metal kick slam #hammer strike Swords are clashing on the bronze shield! Pounding out the orders on the field! #metal stomp #crescendo Triton nets and iron tridents drawn! Marching forward in the blood-red dawn! [Chorus] / aggressive male shout, full EBM sequence Colosseum sand! Blood and salt! Marching underneath the imperial vault! #metal stomp #hammer strike Iron legion! Bound in chains! Pumping through the empire's veins! Caesar calls the final blow! Watch the red arena flow! [Post-Chorus] / cold female vocal, distant reverb, minimal beat Pouvoir absolu... Rome dévore ses enfants... (Absolute power... Rome devours its children...) #industrial strike #gate slam Gates locked. [Verse 2] / harsh male baritone, tight sequence Five hundred years of total iron rule Treating every citizen a tool Roads of basalt laid across the hill Running by the brutal military will Aqueducts of stone that feed the town Until the northern borders crumble down Corrupt and hollow in the golden dress Rotting from imperial excess Iron rusts and marble starts to break Leaving only ashes in its wake [Bridge] / beat strips back to solitary 16th bassline and distant metal clang / harsh male baritone, low spoken tone The arena empties out. The crowd is dead. The statues fall. Blood on the sand. / female French whisper L'empire s'effondre... poussière et cendres... (The empire collapses... dust and ashes...) #massive metal slam DROP THE BLADE! [Chorus] / aggressive male shout, maximum drive and hammer strikes Colosseum sand! Blood and salt! Marching underneath the imperial vault! #metal stomp #hammer strike Iron legion! Bound in chains! Pumping through the empire's veins! Caesar calls the final blow! Watch the red arena flow! [Outro] / beat slows down, heavy kick fades, solitary iron sword dropping on cold marble slab echoing out / female French whisper Fin de l'empire... l'arène s'endort... (End of the empire... the arena falls asleep...) #distant metal clang Shift completed.
