Moira (album)

Moira
Studio album by Sound Horizon
Released Japan September 03, 2008
Genre Symphonic metal
Metal Opera
Label King Records
Sound Horizon chronology
Roman
(2006)		 Moira
(2008)		 Märchen
(2010)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]

Moira is the sixth story CD released by the fantasy band Sound Horizon. It was released on September 3, 2008 through King Records. This album is the first and only to feature vocalists Takashi Utsunomiya,[2] Yoshimi Iwasaki and Ayaka Naito. It is also the first album with vocalists Miki Masuda and Minami Kuribayashi and the last to feature long time vocalists YUUKI, KAORI, and Haruka Shimotsuki. The album debuted at No. 3 on the Oricon weekly album charts, selling over 45,000 copies in its initial week.[3]

Plot

A Russian millionaire named Alexei Romanovic Zvolinsky achieves his lifelong dream to unearth physical evidence to the Elefseya legend he heard as a child. Eventually, with the support of his wife Eirene and his men, Zvolinsky unearths a pillar.

According to the Elefseya, the world was created by the goddess of destiny Moira and the Muses. Soon after the world's creation, a pair of twins are born to Queen Isadora of Arcadia with the boy destined to become a vessel of the god of death Thanatos, the son of Moira who desires to remake the world in his image. Sent away to be raised in the countryside of Arcadia, Elefseus and his sister Artemisia grew without a care in the world until one day when their adoptive parents were killed by an Arcadian general named Scorpius and he sells them into slavery in the Kingdom of Ilion. As Artemisia was brought by courtesans named Cassandra and Melissa, Elefseus is placed to build Iilon's wall and begins to see shadows swarming over those destined to die soon while abused by the sadistic high priest Nestor. In time, while planning to escape, Elefseus begins to hate the gods and fate. Eventually, saving Artemisia from Nestor, Elefseus is reunited with his sister as they and another slave child named Orion escape captivity on a boat before the three are separated during shipwreck. While a blinded Artemisia washes up on the island of Lesbos and taken under the sybil Sophia, Elefseus becomes an apprentice to the blind poet Milos as they travel across Greece to find his sister until they came to the ruins of the youth's home town. Parting ways when Milos ends his services to him, Elefseus is advised to go to the island of Lesbos where an old friend of Milos resides who could ease his heart.

Years later, under Sophia's guidance, Artemisia has grown into a young woman who can read the stars to know the future. Though concerned by foreboding events relating to herself and her brother, Artemisia accepts her fate has in store when she offers herself as a sacrifice in place of Phyllis. By the time the youth Elefseus grew into arrives to Lesbos, he finds Artemisia dead as he is slowly consumed in utter hatred and embraces Thanatos's temptation to enact revenge on those who wronged him. Killing his former slave masters in Ilion, now going by the name of Amethystos, Elefseus gathers an army of slaves and begins a campaign before confronting Prince Leontius of Arcadia, killing him and Isadora. Horrified upon hearing that Isadora is his true mother with people dying around him, Amethystos fulfilled his predestined fate as the vessel of Thanatos as he opens the Gates of Hades before confronting Moira. However, the tale ends there unresolved. As Alexei muses on how the epic battle between Thanatos and Moira may have ended, Eirene arrives to reveal that she is pregnant with twins, the couple unaware that they are being followed by Thanatos's shadowy minions.

Track listing

All tracks composed and arranged and lyrics written by Revo.

  1. "Lord of Hades - Thanatos" (冥王 -Θανατος- Meiou - Tanatosu)
  2. "Life's like a Nesting Doll - Matryoshka" (人生は入れ子人形 -Матрёшка- Jinsei wa Ireko Ningyou - Matrioshika) - 7:19
  3. "Myth - Mythos" (神話 -Μυθος- Shinwa - Mithosu) - 4:44
  4. "The Fated Twins - Didymoi" (運命の双子 -Διδυμοι- Unmei no Futago - Didimoi) - 5:00
  5. "The Slave Market - Douloi" ("奴隷市場 -Δουλοι- Dorei Ichiba - Duroi) - 4:11
  6. "The Hero of The Thunderer's Realm - Leontius" (雷神域の英雄 -Λεωντιυς- Raijin-iki no Eiyū - Reontiusu) - 4:24
  7. "Wind　City of Death and Laments - Ilion" (死と嘆きの風の都 -Ιλιον- Shi to Nageki to Kaze no Miyako - Irion) - 7:33
  8. "The Island of Holy Poets - Lesbos" (聖なる詩人の島 -Λεσβος- Seinaru Shijin no Shima - Resubosu) - 5:19
  9. "Towards the Other Side of the Distant - Horizontas" (遥か地平線の彼方へ -Οριζοντας- Haruka Chiheisen no Kanata e - Horizontasu) - 5:05
  10. "The Chronicles of the Dying - Istoria" (死せる者達の物語 -Ιστορια- Shiseru Monotachi no Monogatari - Isutoria) - 5:42
  11. "Sybil of the Star Goddess - Artemisia" (星女神の巫女 -Αρτεμισια- Hoshi Megami no Miko - Arutimisia)- 4:30
  12. "The Dying Virgin with the Moon's reflection in Her Hand - Parthenos" (死せる乙女その手には水月 u-Παρθενος- Shiseru Otome Sono Te ni wa Suigetsu - Parutenosu) - 5:27
  13. "Hero of the Slaves - Elefeus" (奴隷達の英雄 -Ελευσευς- Doreitachi no Eiyū - Erefseusu) - 5:08
  14. "The Battle of the Dying Heroes - Heromachia" (死せる英雄達の戦い -Ηρωμαχια- Shiseru Eiyūtachi no Tatakai - Hiromakhia) - 5:16
  15. "The Myth Ends - Telos" (神話の終焉 -Τελος- Shinwa no Shūen - Terosu) - 2:05
  16. "Light　of Goddess - Moira" (神の光 -Μοιρα- Kami no Hikari - Moira) - 07:06 (Bonus track)

Personnel

Band Members

Guest Musicians

References

  1. ↑ Allmusic review
  2. ↑ "超豪華ヴォーカリスト参加で贈る、Sound Horizon待望のStory CD第6弾！". Nifty Music Network (in Japanese) (Livedoor). August 19, 2008. Retrieved October 3, 2010.
  3. ↑ "Oricon Weekly Album Charts for the third week of September 2008" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved June 19, 2010.
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