[Intro — distant furnace rumble, mournful cello, faint metallic echoes] [Soft female alto, almost whispered] Beneath the gold, beneath the stone A thousand embers sleep alone And somewhere in the hollow dark A dying star remembers sparks [Verse 1 — slow industrial percussion, brooding guitar] They built their heavens out of gold And buried truths beneath the flame A thousand lives they bought and sold And left the ashes without names Within the silence, something stirred A heartbeat underneath the steel No prayer was offered, none was heard Only the fire left to feel [Pre-Chorus — rising strings, mechanical pulse accelerating] One spark beneath the endless night One breath to set the dark alight The furnace wakes, the heavens shake And golden monuments shall break [Chorus — massive orchestral swell, heavy guitars, soaring clean vocals] Ashes to ashes, dust to dust The golden thrones surrender to rust Let the heavens weep, let the embers rise A thousand burning stars descend from the skies Ashes to ashes, flame by flame No crown survives, no throne remains Through smoke and sorrow, through fire and pain The world shall know the heat again [Verse 2 — grinding industrial rhythm, distorted bass] The iron halls begin to glow As shadows dance upon the walls The air itself becomes a storm And burning comets answer calls No hatred guides the falling flame No hunger for a crown or throne A hand beyond the veil commands The fire walks, but not alone [Pre-Chorus — layered choir, rising tension] The heat ascends, the armor glows A crimson tide that overflows One final breath, the silence breaks And all the earth beneath her shakes [Chorus — full symphonic metal] Ashes to ashes, dust to dust The golden thrones surrender to rust Let the heavens weep, let the embers rise A thousand burning stars descend from the skies Ashes to ashes, flame by flame No crown survives, no throne remains Through smoke and sorrow, through fire and pain The world shall know the heat again [Bridge — instruments fade, lonely piano and cello] [Quiet, mournful female vocals] And when the last cathedral falls When silence fills the empty halls Who counts the lives beneath the stone? Who calls the lost and nameless home? [Whispered, over crackling embers] Not every flame was born to kill Not every fire bends to will [Orchestral build — low choir, pounding industrial drums] For every hand that fire has burned A thousand more may yet be warmed And in the ruins of the night One ember waits to bring the light [Final Chorus — explosive double-kick drums, full orchestra, soaring vocals] ASHES TO ASHES, DUST TO DUST! THE GOLDEN THRONES SURRENDER TO RUST! Let the heavens weep, let the embers rise A thousand burning stars descend from the skies! ASHES TO ASHES, FLAME BY FLAME! No crown survives, no throne remains! Through smoke and sorrow, through fire and pain The world shall know the light again! [Outro — guitars fade into crackling embers, solitary cello] [Soft female alto] The fire sleeps beneath the stone But no one walks the dark alone [Whispered] From the ashes... We rise.
