The third and final part of the trilogy that opens up our HEIRS OF ISILDUR vs TALES FROM NOCTURNIA album is our next 'Lyrical Look-In': THE PERILOUS PROSPECTS OF THE TIMEKEEPER. It covers the involvement of Professor Mykal Isildur (and the unintended consequences of that), many decades after the conflict that was discussed in part 1: 'THE PERILOUS PROSPECTS OF SHADOW'S HAVEN' and part 2: 'THE PERILOUS PROSPECTS OF THE PORTALS' in this series. (You'll DEFINITELY want to stick around after the Lyrical Look-In is complete for a very special PART 2 that discusses a somber place that this song will permanently have in our lore, specifically pertaining to the late COREY STEGER.) Before we dig too deep, here are facts and stats: SONG: THE PERILOUS PROSPECTS OF THE TIMEKEEPER
ALBUM: Heirs of Isildur vs Tales From Nocturnia
Position on the album: Track 3 of 10
Musicians Involved: Matt Knowles, alongside:
BRYAN ECKERMANN (Guitar Solo)
COREY STEGER (Guest Vocals)
RICK LAUB (Additional Vocals)
STEPH CANNON (Additional Vocals)
Where do these events take place in the overall lore / universe of HEIRS OF ISILDUR:
* THE CROSSROADS CONUNDRUM at its core is the story of PROFESSOR MYKAL ISILDUR, the artisan & curator at the FATHER TIME EMPORIUM. The entirety of the story arc sees him as the lead character, but Chapters 1, 2, 3, 10, 16, and 18, alongside 'Nightmare Scenario' focus on him primarily.
To start things off right, here is the MP3 'The Perilous Prospects of The Timekeeper' from our BANDCAMP page OR from YOUTUBE (below):
Now we'll share the LYRICS IN FULL: The Father Time Emporium's watchmaker is so respected
For Making sure time operates exactly as expected
An unwavering community pillar
But will curiosity and loneliness be his undoing
(Chorus)
He believed he controlled his own destiny
Only to uncover he was merely
An innocent and unsuspecting pawn
In a decades long conquest overseen
By the fading remnants
Of a once mighty and powerful guild
While Mykal was concerned with the grand and external
Should he have been looking for deceit within?
For that which brought his existence to ‘life’
Could be the very phenomena that causes his demise
(Chorus)
He believed he controlled his own destiny
Only to uncover he was merely
An innocent and unsuspecting pawn
In a decades long conquest overseen
By the fading remnants
Of a once mighty and powerful guild
Such a Perilous Existence
For our beloved timekeeper
Did his readjusting the gears of reality
Make time operate exactly as it should not?
Some may call it arrogance
To believe that the power to control fate
Could rest within your own grip
Others may call it naïve
For him to believe
That he ever
Had any control at all
What have you done?
Was your thirst for purpose
And adventure to blame?
Or was the power to corrupt
Your innocent nature too great?
These answers we may never know
As the timeline has completely unraveled. THE EXPLANATION (aka the 'Look-In'):
The focal character in the THE CROSSROADS CONUNDRUM story arc is the well respected artisan and curator of the FATHER TIME EMPORIUM, professor Mykal Isildur. He lived a solitary existence, focused mainly on perfecting his craft: making sure timepieces operated exactly as they should. He gained a reputation as someone who not only could make timepieces operate in tip-top shape, but in some cases he could even make them work BETTER than originally designed. Although he was focused on his career, he always wished for more and longed for adventure. That opportunity came to his doorstep, literally. While walking one day in the forest just behind his newly purchased estate, he found a buried laboratory (built into the side of a hill). He couldn't resist the urge to break in and explore, uncovering a laboratory that had been lost to time and decay. He saw machines that were yearning to be fixed, and because Mykal felt that no challenge could best him, he decided to tinker with and fix one up that had caught his eye. In doing so, the newly renovated machine powered up and surprisingly produced a swirling portal. A nearly frozen, snow covered individual fell through it. This was the first of a series of events and choices Mykal would make that would start to unravel the fabric of the existence he'd previously known. Over the course of the next few days Mykal continued to explore the hidden laboratory, its abilities, and later... its origins. It was revealed that his finding of the laboratory was not some chance encounter. It was an intricately crafted plot by the lone remaining member of a long dormant group - The Guild Of the Golden Gear. Unfortunately for all - the events that took place because of Mykal's involvement with the laboratory spiraled out of control in ways no one could imagine, culminating in the final chapter of THE CROSSROADS CONUNDRUM - Everything Unravels. The fallout and consequences carry forward into the one shot 'Nightmare Scenario' as well as the next full story arc 'The Perilous Prospects', due to see release starting in Q1 of 2022. Who will survive? Will the town of Shadow's Haven ever be the same?
********************
Normally at the end of these articles we'll give you a FAST FACT about the 'behind the scenes' of the song, but this time it's a much deeper focus on something that transcends the song itself. For those that aren't aware, COREY STEGER was the first person to work with me in the formative years of HEIRS OF ISILDUR. He is the only person to appear on both albums. He could have played a larger role in the overall production, but he chose early on the step back and simply perform as a guest musician on the recordings. In his own words 'Matt it's YOUR project. I want to help you with it, not have people be confused and think it's mine.' Our original discussions about the story concept for HEIRS was going to have a workshop that we both worked in, with me as the front of house guy, and Corey, the tinkerer, in the back. When he pulled back, the best parts of those two characters were combined into a single new character - Mykal Isildur. On March 6th of 2021, Corey recorded what would be the final tracks of his 20+ year recording career, succumbing to a tragic and senseless demise at the hands of a reckless driver just 11 days later. We have talked about the circumstances surrounding this event and it's impact on so many on numerous occasions, so this article will focus SPECIFICALLY on how his passing relates to this song.
Corey's vocal spot on this song were the last tracks of any kind he ever recorded. The lyrics are an ironic reminder to the fact that we originally had discussed HIM being the tinkerer and 'timekeeper' of sorts in the HEIRS story arc:
But Corey could not let this be the end of the story, oh no. Corey had brought his best friend, RICK LAUB, to the recording session, and as soon as he was done, he looked at Rick and said 'you wanna hop in on this part too?' Rick gave it a whirl and did a masterful job knocking out some backing tracks, and later #TeamINSYM's STEPH CANNON did as well. In the end, the very last LINE of the very last VERSE that Corey ever recorded has all four voices that were present (in person or via video chat) during that final session. A fitting tribute and show of unification for a man whose life was needlessly cut short. ******************** We'd love to know your thoughts on this song, the lyrics, the article, the lore, all of it!
If you like what you've heard or read, we encourage you to check out the full album, our comics and more. Here's the link to our store: www.tinyurl.com/InsymSHOP
We also would be remiss if we didn't mention that we have a brand new crowdfunding campaign going on now for our title MISFITZ CLUBHOUSE #1! At the release of this article there will only be TWO days left. The campaign closes on November 7th so get in now while you have a chance! Check it out here!
Until next time, this is #TeamInsym signing off.
Matt & Steph
Got a comment? Leave it below! Missed out on one of our titles and need to get your hands on it NOW? Head over to our store: www.tinyurl.com/INSYMSHOP