Märchen (album)

Märchen
Studio album by Sound Horizon
Released Japan December 15, 2010
Genre Symphonic metal
Metal Opera
Folk Rock
Label King Records
Sound Horizon chronology

Moira
(2008)		 Märchen
(2010)		 -

Märchen is the seventh story CD, released by the fantasy symphonic rock band Sound Horizon on December 15, 2010 through King Records. The limited edition released few days before the normal edition. The normal edition debuted No.3 and peaked No.2 on the Oricon weekly album charts. While the Limited edition sold over 40.000 copies in the first two days, 24.816 copies on the first day, 15.833 copies on the next.[1]

Plot

Thrown into a well, a man named Märchen von Friedhof awakens to find a living doll named Elise beside him who compels him to aid seven "princesses" in taking revenge in seven tales to achieve their own revenge. Each tale revolves on a deadly sin.

The Witch at the Stake

The tale of gluttony begins with a mother and child live together in poverty, the husband a money loaner unable to provide for his family, the latter considered a witch and beaten by her mother. Even if abused, she is happy to live with her mother and the animals in the forest, her only friends. But when eventually abandoned by mother, the child was taken by a monastery where she became a nun before returning to her home after the monastery taken down to find the answer behind her mother's cruel actions. Finding the deranged old woman her mother became, the nun offers her a piece of bread that the old woman greedily devoured. But when the nun asks if she knew her, the old woman killed the nun out of madness for more of the bread crucified her daughter's body on an inverted cross. Finding his first "princess", Märchen decides to use two children to give irony to the nun's revenge on her mother.

Hansel and Gretel are the young children of a poor woodcutter who find themselves lost in the woods and find the old woman's house. Having inherited her money-loaner husband's fortune, the old woman welcomes the children and feeds them out of regret for not doing so with her own daughter. Seeing Hansel gaining weight, Gretel becomes deluded that their hostess is a wicked witch who waylays children to cook and eat them. This resulted with the children shoving the woman into her oven, leaving her to die in the flames. The two leave to brag of their good deed to their friend Tom as the three children take the old woman's house as their own. While Märchen comments to Elise on any old woman in a forest can be, the doll expresses her disdain for cruel and dishonest children.

The Dark Landlady's Inn

A tale of greed that begins with a somewhat dim girl named Buranko who among many woman sold off and ended up working for an enigmatic "landlady" until her employer, needing to make money fast, hangs the poor girl to take her liver for her famous liver dish. Regretfully noting that the victim was not at fault this time, Märchen reanimates Buranko to take her revenge by taking the greedy landlady's liver as compensation. Märchen and Elise discuss the failure of this get rich scheme and how poorly designed it is.

The Princess Sleeping in the Glass Coffin

A tale of envy begins with the birth of a baby girl as white as snow, as red as blood, and with hair as black as ebony named Snow White by her dying mother. Snow White's father, the king, eventually takes a new wife, a vain woman who possesses a magical mirror that tells her that she is the most beautiful in the land. But when Snow White reaches an age where her beauty overshadows her stepmother's, the Queen is driven by jealously to have a huntsman take Snow White deep into the forest. However, the huntsman could not bring himself to commit the deed and lets Snow White flee while he takes the innards of a young boar to put the Queen's mind at rest. However, the Queen learns that Snow White is alive and eventually came across a tiny cottage belonging to a group of seven Dwarfs who become her caretakers.

After numerous attempts on Snow White's life, the Queen succeeds with poisoned apple. However, Märchen bids the sleeping Snow White to wait for her fated partner and the chance to take revenge. Time passes, and Prince Charming travels through the land before seeing Snow White in her glass coffin. Falling in love at first sight, the prince takes the coffin with the dwarves handing the body over. But when the coffin is dropped due to careless handling, Snow White immediately wakes up as the piece of poisoned apple got dislodged from her throat. As she and Charming set up their wedding, Snow White invites her stepmother to have her be punished for the attempts on her life by being forced to wear a pair of glowing iron shoes and dance in them until she drops dead.

Track listing

All tracks composed and arranged and lyrics written by Revo.[2]

  1. The Song of Dusk (宵闇の唄 Yoiyami no Uta) (10:18)
  2. The Witch at the Stake (火刑の魔女 Kakei no Majo) (09:18)
  3. The Dark Landlady's Inn (黒き女将の宿 Kuroki Okami No Yado) (06:53)
  4. The Princess Sleeping in the Glass Coffin (硝子の棺で眠る姫君 Garasu No Hitsugi De Nemuru Himegimi) (08:31)
  5. The Old and Unused Well of the Boundary That Separates Life and Death (生と死を別つ境界の古井戸 Sei To Shi Wo Wakatsu Kyoukai No Furuido) (09:19)
  6. The Princess That Sleeps in the Tower of Roses (薔薇の塔で眠る姫君 Bara No Tou De Nemuru Himegimi) (09:00)
  7. The Blue Marquis' Castle (青き伯爵の城 Aoki Hakushaku no Shiro) (07:38)
  8. The Crucified Saint (磔刑の聖女 Takkei no Seijo) (08:09)
  9. The Song of Dawn (暁光の唄 Gyoukou no Uta) (04:31)
  10. Silence (無音) (03:23) [Bonus Track]

Total of 77:00

Personnel

Musician[3]

Vocal, Voice

Voice

Illustration

Trivia

The story of the album features fairytale stories, exploring the darker aspects of it. Well-known fairytales such as Hänsel and Gretel, Snow White, Mother Hulda, Sleeping Beauty and Bluebeard etc. can be found in the album.

"Märchen" is German for fairytales.

The number "7" has been presented several times in the album. 7 Tragic Stories, 7 deadly sins, 7 victims, 28 bonus tracks of 7 seconds each making the album total duration of 77 minutes as well as the album designed to fold out creating "七" (Kanji for 7).

The length of the titles of the list of songs are symmetrical, creating an identical form of a church. (This excludes bonus track)

The lyric booklet is made to feel like an old book or a bible.

All the songs with tragic stories contain the identical verse, but arranged in different style representing the similarities of the stories, for instance the common theme of revenge.

References

  1. ↑ 1 http://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/artist/349646/products/music/891960/1/
  2. ↑ 2 http://www.kingrecords.co.jp/soundhorizon/exceptional/
  3. ↑ 3 http://www.soundhorizon.com/information/index.html#101029

External links