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The Fields

by Napier's Bones

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thePiecan
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thePiecan Gripping album from The Napier's duo & 'Back in the Fields' we are in more ways than one, with this 'Ouroborus Curse' on humanity! Wonderful soaring synthwork, combined with powerful storytelling & vengeful 'dug in' guitar solos. The Terror marches on, the parasitic class should indeed quiver, as the fallen ancestors wrath is deep & just! Back to Fields the downcast go, this masquerade! Bread, circuses & battle forged Prog ! Favorite track: Aftermath.
Alrihkh
Alrihkh thumbnail
Alrihkh A very timely history lesson, musically brought back to life. Well done, Napier’s Bones! Very imaginative presentation and respectful treatment of a tragic event still sadly echoed in current civilization. Best listened to as a whole, for it is a grand tour de force of a story. Dramatic and engaging. Very relevant. Very creative. This is a wonderful play with 9 beautifully rendered scenes, complete with convincing sound effects. Somewhat reminiscent of Jethro Tull. Thx, NP!
8.5/10. Favorite track: Break Out.
Dirk Radloff
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Dirk Radloff The team Midgley/Tillett is back with a strong concept-album, which tells a dark story from the times of the napoleonic wars and the beginning of industrialization. The album offers a kaleidoscope of musical influences, from heavy Black Sabbath riffs to intimate Folk-Rock a la Jethro Tull, all hold together by the imaginative songwriting and strong singing. Though the album's theme is historical you can easily transfer many topics to our modern, digital world. Favorite track: Break Out.
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1.
From the fields, older now and sadly wise, The praise of fools begins The world around, it melts away, Colours fade, beating stops This Masquerade, This Masquerade The mourning trails through weary vales From the fields To stand beneath the sun, colder now, darker times Have we learned nothing at all ? Far behind the dirt, gone the fire, the smoke, the cries Still we carry the fear, Never let it happen again, never let it happen again Peering out into the gloom, holding fast all we can do Heavy fire, not giving ground, stand for right not backing down Forming up, thousands strong, falling down for miles around Scything through, an endless time, manyfold we hold the line What remains for me? One on whom fortune smiled ? Were cries of love for all I left behind, swept away and lost in that man-made hell ? Is there still hope ? Is there still home ? Across the sea, a place to dwell, to hold me near and soothe the pain Make it worthwhile and then in time I breathe again From the fields, older now and sadly wise Too many voices fallen quiet We held fast for too long for a hollow way We hope to never see again Never see again
2.
The same sun rises in the East to begin the day The same village folk in darkness live then ebb away Long gone hero's welcome, that war ended long ago Now with pain, despair, and hunger, nothing's changed The same sermons and their promised lands await the meek They break their backs to feed the young who go in turn to feed machines Lions once to looms now bound, a tyranny of smoke and steam A sea of downcast faces, nothing's changed
3.
Seeing little, hearing less, this underworld, a wilderness No-one talks and no-one smiles, resigned it seems to machine life People fall their places filled, belts must turn, never be still Wreaths of smoke, the mourning line In turn we bow, Marking Time Marking Time until the bell Move outside, daylight gone, in step we shuffle on Casualties of this campaign, another claimed, another ( machine man ) Feeling little, hoping less, boilers cry and frames process A beating heart beneath the smoke, marching feet, surrendered souls Chimneys rise in place of trees, O what Brave New World has these ? Such sights, hang heads in line, a tyrant's beat now marking time Marking Time, until the bell Move outside, daylight gone, in step they shuffle on Casualties of this campaign Another claimed, another claimed Somehow lost, from all we were, from all we could have hoped to be Somehow lost, from all we knew, until replaced, until consumed Cast adrift, how could we know ? Oh blind we go. One More Lost
4.
A Better Way 04:50
Can you believe in a better way, one with a voice for all ? One where a life can be a life, born high or low, born great or small. Not sacrificed to the altar mills, not discarded when consumed To create, to progress, produce, dare you believe ? Stay if you do Thousands raise their voices, thousands lift their heads Every village green assemble, everyone can make the pledge No weapons only conscience, armed with just a voice See corruption crumble, when you believe Did the call for the foreign wars come from you and I ? Did we plunder old England's gold, demand to lay down our lives ? Ask yourself, ask yourself, ask yourself Thousands raise their voices, thousands lift their heads Thousands see the daylight, thousands look instead No weapons only conscience, armed with just our voice See corruption cower, when we believe, and we believe Come with us, Be One with us, To the fields for a better way Join with us, raise your voice with us, To the fields for a better way Sing with us, rejoice with us, To the fields for a better way *Thousands raise their voices, thousands make the pledge For the many not the few, yes we believe in you*
5.
Alarming news brought to my attention from sources which I cannot reveal Anarchists once more, they move amongst us, with talk of insurrection, it must not prevail Restoring Order, is Paramount Restoring Order, Beginning Now As they did just two short years before, petition Regent and disregard the law Disperse them swiftly but not dragoons this time ( no) for that glory the yeomanry shall ride In battle dress, clean and freshly pressed Riding high, can't fail to impress Sabres drawn, like Iron Dukes moving forth hear our name exalted, all across the North, We Ride ! We who missed our chance against the French, businesses to build, factories, mills and shops to tend But with traitors here, and a serpent's stealth, break them down like Bonaparte himself We ride ! For decency and truth, for England and for God Missives I, have writ to Sidmouth, most noble lord who has the Prince's ear And I have pressed him, pressed him for action, a bloody revolution this time I fear Restoring Order is Paramount Fifty thousand all across St Peter's, the Godless mass, their red flags unfurled Like a plague from foreign quarters, we have to isolate, eliminate, infectious lies So we ride, we ride, for decency and truth, for England and for God
6.
Take a moment to feel again To be human, to hold your head up Take a moment to feel the sun Feel the rain Feel more than sorrow More than pain
7.
Break Out 05:40
Panic spreading all around me, warning cries, reaction has begun Now uniforms are massed only yards away, sabres drawn, the soldiers won't be long A cavalry officer : For shame, for shame, Gentlemen not here ! The people, see! They cannot get away Now's not the time or place for action, They have to leave the field, leave it while they can I don't know where I am now, I only know I've felt this fear before Try to find my friends and family, got to fall back, got to get away from here All the hopes of peaceful demonstration, dialogue swiftly hacked away Weapons raised, clear in their intention If we run or stay the outcome is the same Gotta run, gotta get away from here Gotta run, gotta break away from here Now the horses charge, I see the flashing blades My vision blurs as I fall to my knees I don't know where I am now, but I know I've felt this fear before See the blood of generations, spilled across the field Have we learned nothing at all ? Never again Never let it happen again
8.
Aftermath 05:56
The skies still blue, the fields still green, but the air is thick with sorrow Massed in death, massed in despair, they lost tomorrow Murder came this way, a massacre today, blood and tears and death goes forth For King and God and Law of course And he wore a kingly crown, and in his grasp a sceptre shone On his brow this mark I saw, I am God and King and Law Anarchy he rode, anarchy he roared Blood and tears and death goes forth For King and God and Law of course This Masquerade This Masquerade Anarchy, He Rides On
9.
Back to the fields, older now and sadly wise The praise of fools begins The winners write their history books Memories fade, beating stops This Masquerade Fateful August Afternoon, Too many innocents too soon Beaten, crushed and trampled on Sixty thousand voices gone......gone To stand beneath the sun, colder now, darker times Have we learned nothing at all ? Far behind the dirt, gone the fire, the smoke, the cries Still we carry the fear, Never let it happen again Never let it happen again Never let it happen again This we bring back from the fields Raise our voices once again The song goes on This we bring back from the fields

about

The twenty five years of Napoleonic Wars were followed by a time of sweeping political upheaval and accelerated industrialisation.
Crippling debt, rampant inflation, falling wages, and famine were inescapable facts of life.
Emergency legislation saw military barracks extended and standing armies increased, along with the suppression of political societies and 'seditious assembly' in all its forms. The government pursued its zero tolerance policies in the belief that any concessions to reform would open the floodgates of revolution and trigger a British equivalent of 'The Terror'.

Reformers organised a mass meeting for 16th August 1819 on St Peter's Fields outside Manchester, to campaign peacefully for freedom of the press, the right of assembly, and a limited extension of voting rights.
In excess of 60,000 men, women, and children assembled, hoping to hear rousing speeches from leading radicals, including the charismatic Henry Hunt.
They were confronted by a cavalry of Hussars and Yeomanry, organised in advance by Manchester magistrates.

The rest is history.
The rest happens on the fields.
Come with us.

credits

released April 23, 2021

Released : April 23rd 2021

Napier's Bones are :

Gordon Midgley : Music, lyrics, backing vocals
Nathan Jon Tillett : Lead vocals, artwork

Many thanks to all the people who have supported and encouraged us over the past seven years : social media, radio broadcasts, music bloggers and journos, friends and family.

Pre-scaled CD inlay pdf included with download

24 bit masters
A Scanulf Studios Production

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Napier's Bones UK

Napier's Bones are a UK band steeped in classic prog and using it as a foundation for their own take on long-form progressive rock music.

The focus is firmly on dramatic storytelling with subjects capable of resonating with today's listeners. Music that references the past but is very much of the here and now.
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