Information/Write-up
Othyrworld was the continuation of Canadian sci-fi heavy metal band Sacred Blade. Don’t believe me? Their first – and unfortunately only – album ‘Beyond Into The Night Of Day’ contains nine tracks that could also be found on Sacred Blade’s 1986 debut album ‘Of The Sun + Moon’. While that may render the release pointless to some, that album was actually quite ambitious for its time and I’m not sure if the available technology was able to fulfill main man Jeff Ulmer’s vision at the time. Ulmer definitely took control of ‘Beyond Into The Night Of Day’, as he is only helped by drummer Ted Zawadski.
Musically, Sacred Blade and Othyrworld were pretty much on the more progressive end of the US power metal scale, despite not actually being American. Comparisons to Crimson Glory are often made due to the song structures and sci-fi themes, but those comparisons may also be a tad misleading. Jeff Ulmer’s voice is significantly lower than Midnight’s, for instance, and some of his compositions have a notable psychedelic quality that cannot really be heard anywhere else in the power/prog field. Especially not in the mid-eighties, when the majority of the song material on ‘Beyond Into The Night Of Day’ was first constructed.
What is remarkable about Othyrworld’s music is that it somehow retained its futuristic sound through all these years. The futuristic elements of a lot of sci-fi inspired art from the eighties – be it music, movies or even novels – have become horribly outdated through the years, but ‘Beyond Into The Night Of Day’ sounds like it could have been recorded yesterday. Zawadski’s huge, reverberating snare drum hits could be seen as a period piece, but his kit has a very natural sound, making it sound timeless instead. The same goes for Ulmer’s very bright acoustic and surprisingly dry-sounding electric guitars.
‘Beyond Into The Night Of Day’ is best listened to in one sitting. The fact that many tracks segue into each other suggests that it was intended to be experienced as such. It’s quite hard not to be carried away by the spacey atmosphere if you actually feel it. Ulmer isn’t the most powerful singer in the world, but his laid-back tone and multi-tracked harmonies create a rather unique ambience. And even if you’re having trouble adapting to the vocals, the album is full of lengthy instrumental passages. In fact, the last ten minutes of the album – the spectacular ‘Moon’ – are only accompanied by a few spoken stanzas.
Anyone who loved the melodic power/prog metal of the likes of Crimson Glory, Queensrÿche or maybe early Ray Alder-era Fates Warning and doesn’t mind the vocals being a bit lower in pitch should definitely give Sacred Blade and Othyrworld a chance. ‘Of The Sun + Moon’, ‘Fieldz The Sunshrine’ and the relatively straightforward ‘In The Light Of The Moon’ should have been eighties metal classics, while newer material such as ‘Ethereal Skyline’ and ‘The Alginment’ show a truly one-of-a-kind, laid-back blend of eighties prog metal and psychedelic rock that could have opened a lot of new doors for Othyrworld. Unfortunately, both musicians died – Zawadski earlier this year, Ulmer back in 2013 – but they certainly made their presence on Earth count with this release.
Recommended tracks: ‘Moon’, ‘Of The Sun + Moon’, ‘Fieldz The Sunshrine’
Lyrics by Jeff Ulmer
Produced + Engineered by Jeff Ulmer for Sunshrine Productionz Incorporated
Recorded, mixed + mastered at Studio of Dreamz, Britiah Columbia, July 1994 - January 2005
Cover concept, design, artwork, + photography by Jeff Ulmer / Othyr World Design
Additional photography by Jennifer Hewitt
Artwork © 2005 Sunshrine Productionz Incorporated
Dedicated to the memory of Jeane Frances Ulmer + Marianna Helen Zawadzki
Special thankz to our familiez, friendz + supporterz the world over.
Tracklist & Credits
Ayluthus I (Ulmer) (Instrumental)
Jeff Ulmer: electric guitar, 12-string acoustic guitar, Hammond organ, voice
Of The Sun + Moon (Ulmer)
The echoez of my past livez
Now float in the recezzez of my mind
A life beneath the virgin starz
Forever free we ran in forestz high
When from the skiez
There came travellerz from beyond our realmz
Of the Sun + Moon
Of the Sun + Moon
From a shore that existz no more
There sailed a ship
That vanished in the skiez
An ancient eye of the world above
Certain he'll return there when he diez
As thoughtz of man
Reach out in wavez to unknown darkness blind
Morning seez a figure press cold
To the warmth felt from the sun
In light of the moon a different man
Listenz to the night as he had once done
From flesh to steel he buildz his world
Still governed by the wayz
Of the Sun + Moon
Of the Sun + Moon
Of the Sun + Moon
Jeff Ulmer: vocalz, electric + acoustic guitarz, Ebow, bass
Ted Zawadzki: drumz
Fieldz The Sunshrine (Ulmer / Rascan)
Sunshrine
Symptomatic matter
Recollective interchange
Sometimes lifeline passive membranez
Intellect so strange
A borderless society
Informal relativity
Conjunctional relief
In some new distorted land
Sunshrine
A parametric solstice sea
Beneath a subchromatic lie
An altered empire crumblz
Vanishing from sky
Decided interaction
As a concept in contraction
Between the linez we modulate
Of the boundariez unaware
Sunshrine
I live in Fieldz the Sunshrine
The underlying presence yieldz
A power + awareness
Of my existence in Fieldz
Sunshrine
Symptomatic matter
Recollective interchange
A blind line procreative
Macroisolate in range
Loop fact integrity
Deleted timeless estuary
Release the moldz
That bind the thoughtz
free the hostile reign
Sunshrine
Jeff Ulmer: vocalz, electric + acoustic guitarz, 4 + 8-string bass
Ted Zawadzki: drumz, octobanz
Tracklist & Lyrics
Odyssey of Light (Ulmer) (Instrumental)
Jeff Ulmer: electric guitar, 12-string acoustic guitar, Ebow, bass, synthesizer
Ted Zawadzki: drums, wind chimez
Ethereal Skyline (Ulmer)
Colours lying in the sun
In streamz across the tidal timez
Beyond into the night of day
Are cloudz of recall seething
Ethereal Skyline
Linez recede into the dark
Shimmered on the silence shifting
Beneath the rayz of atmosphere
The universe conceiving
Ethereal Skyline
Slipping home to outline oceanz
Guided by wind’ eternal blow
Above the cloudz the air is thinning
Here we find
Ethereal Skyline
Ethereal Skyline
Ethereal Skyline
Jeff Ulmer: vocalz, electric + acoustic guitarz, organ, bass, percussion
Ted Zawadzki: drumz, percussion
The Reign of Night Rainz (Ulmer) (Instrumental)
Jeff Ulmer: electric + acoustic guitarz, fretless + fretted bass, glockenspiel, soundscape
Legacy (Ulmer / Channing)
As a weary down day turned grey
The skyward glow took me away
Letting go...
Endowing truth I had never known
To be at peace within the memorieZ
That are my legacy
Oriented from immortalz past
Thoughtz instilled
Anatomy of dreamz
Troubled timez
Ride calm for me
To be at peace within the memorieZ
That are my legacy
Sunlight was descending on the valley
Rivers of light sliced through the treez
Tranquil in my subconscious sanctuary
A place where the woundz of time can heal
The sunlight wastez an idle day
Beneath blue summer skiez I lay
A mist of memory cloudz contain
The imagez that will remain forever
Moonlight crept into the shadow hallwayz
Starshine left the afternoon to play
Silence holdz the darkness to itz intimacy
Be at peace within the memorieZ
That are my legacy
Jeff Ulmer: vocalz, electric + acoustic guitarz, bass
Ted Zawadzki: drumz
Right Ascension (Ulmer / Channing / Roberson)
I am a prisoner of time
Trapped within a lost dimension
Waiting for the transit tide
The Right Ascension
Instrument of destiny
I await your apogee
When I regain control
I seek the keeper of all time
Master of the book of age
Inside are ledgerz of the mind
Examined as I turn the pagez
The vital link in destiny
Unlocking all the imagery
Guardian unforetold
Secretz that you hold
You used to walk with me
Through the pristine gardenz
Where the emerald waterz flow
Through our mindz
You used to talk to me
But now you stare in silence
What other secretz did you find?
Behold the testament of space
Control of all that pass within it
Through the corridor of light
The gateway I seek within
Behold the fortress of eternity
The reigning light of destiny
Passage through the starz
You used to want to see
All the changing rhythmz
Displayed for the morning’ waking eye
But now you’re stiff + cold
Sightless + growing old
You let the world around you die
Jeff Ulmer: vocalz, electric + acoustic guitarz, 5-string bass
Ted Zawadzki: drumz, vibraslap
To Lunar Windz... (Ulmer) (Instrumental)
Jeff Ulmer: electric, acoustic + steel guitarz, 8-string bass, piano
The Alignment (Ulmer / Channing / Zawadzki)
Including "Beyond Into The Night of Day" (Ulmer)
You are the reason
We are here tonight
Twilight in shadowz
Trying to find the light
I realize
Blindly careening
A dreamlike intensity
Living between
Where you are
where you want to be
With all the integrity
Of your newfound reality
When you decide
To realign
You are the reason
We are here tonight
Untimely seasoned
Shadowz fleet in the light
To find on the other side
Dreamz can materialize
When you decide
We align
Jeff Ulmer: vocalz, electric guitarz, bass, drumz, percussion
Ted Zawadzki: drumz
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