[Intro] / ambient roaring cataract, massive interlocking wooden cogs, clanking transmission rods / rigid synthetic bassline slowly fading in / female French whisper, heavy tape delay L'engrenage et l'esprit... dompter le torrent... (The gear and the mind... tame the torrent...) [Verse 1] / harsh male baritone, dry 16th bassline The wild rapids of the river thunder down the steep A violent avalanche of water crashing from the deep No wooden vessel dares to brave the terrifying spray Where nature reigns supreme across the Scandinavian gray Enter Polhem with the compass and the iron mind The greatest engineer the northern empire could find He maps the mechanical alphabet in bone and pine Transforming raw kinetic fury to a straight design Blast the granite out of bedrock, carve the lock and gate A war against the riverbed, defiance against fate [Pre-Chorus] #heavy metal kick slam Piston rods and wooden gears churning in the spray! The roaring dragon of the falls is forced to give away! #metal stomp #crescendo Granite walls and heavy beams resisting every shock! The engineer of Sweden tames the fury of the rock! [Chorus] / aggressive male shout, full EBM sequence Tame the torrent! Cogwheels turning in the grind! A monumental victory of the mechanical mind! #metal stomp #crescendo Trollhättan falling to the master's iron will! The power of the water harnessed in the frozen mill! Christopher Polhem! Architect of steel and stone! The northern Archimedes standing on the locks alone! [Post-Chorus] / cold female vocal, distant reverb, minimal beat La machine commande... l'eau cède le pas... (The machine commands... the water yields...) #industrial strike Tame the flood. [Verse 2] / harsh male baritone, tight sequence A thousand men with chisels in the suffocating damp Hauling heavy timber through the freezing workers' camp The dam collapses in the gale, the flood sweeps out the floor Yet Polhem draws the cogwheel blueprint once again for war Mine hoists, clocks, and waterlocks across the Swedish land Transmitting heavy horsepower by an inventor's hand Centuries will pass along the quiet granite stone The genius of the gears outlives the emperor and throne [Outro] / beat slows down, heavy kick fades, heavy transmission rod clank slowing to a halt / female French whisper L'esprit mécanique... maître du fleuve... (The mechanical mind... master of the river...) #distant metal clang Gears engaged.
