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NJMike
Metal newbie

Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2012 1:12 am
Posts: 101
Location: United States
PostPosted: Fri Nov 09, 2012 8:14 pm 
 

I really love Portal, one of the weirdest and darkest bands that I've discovered. I have listened to them so many times, and eventually the oddity of their music got me curious to looking up their lyrics. So I did on the Metal Archives, and I almost started to laugh at how weird and nonsense the lyrics came off to me.

"Pendulant Arc
Doth Wax
Bow Astern
Steeping Cusp

AutArchy MAestro Presiding
MisConducts Vint-Age Rhythm
Lapsing Tidal Sinergy Pulpittates
Chartre The Otherwise
Ideosphere Doyen Composed
Drogue Maw Beguiled"


I have no idea what language they're using, unless it's some sort of fictional language from Lovecraftian things...? I've never read anything by that author or anything, so... But would anyone mind shedding some light on their lyrics? They're just so odd and I'd like to see the true meaning behind them.
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MARSDUDE
Shitposter

Joined: Fri Apr 29, 2005 8:17 pm
Posts: 2297
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Fri Nov 09, 2012 8:41 pm 
 

Looks like they enjoy using linguistic minimalism, weird words, old words, breaking a word into two smaller words to create new meaning, and portmanteaus.

That song seems like it could be about going on a voyage, perhaps within the mind, but perhaps not.

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Atrocious_Mutilation
7mL

Joined: Mon Feb 02, 2009 4:51 am
Posts: 1695
Location: Australia
PostPosted: Fri Nov 09, 2012 8:44 pm 
 

Half of the words in Portal's lyrics are made up. It doesn't take a genius to see which words aren't real. It seems like they use an combination of real and made up words to give a Lovecraftian feel of weirdness and confusion.
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maxxpower
Metal newbie

Joined: Thu Feb 15, 2007 7:04 pm
Posts: 399
Location: United States
PostPosted: Fri Nov 09, 2012 8:45 pm 
 

I wonder if Mitochondrion does the same thing, their vocals are pretty much undecipherable. I'm going to go check out their lyrics now.

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ShaolinLambKiller
King Asshole

Joined: Fri Dec 07, 2007 6:10 pm
Posts: 13320
Location: United States
PostPosted: Fri Nov 09, 2012 10:37 pm 
 

I find it an interesting way of writing. I also like using weird words and old words and using them what would seem random but overall when you read them actually have a central theme and a point on why each word was chosen. Any lyrics I read i prefer those that are interesting to even just look at as a visual work. Just a string of oddities thrown together for you to decipher your own meaning from.
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CF_Mono
Metalhead

Joined: Thu Jul 08, 2010 5:21 pm
Posts: 1793
PostPosted: Fri Nov 09, 2012 10:58 pm 
 

I wonder if he just started growling into a mic when they began writing, and he had a closed caption program trying to decipher what he was screaming... because that's really what it looks like.
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Terri23
Veteran

Joined: Thu Sep 30, 2010 3:53 am
Posts: 3177
PostPosted: Fri Nov 09, 2012 11:13 pm 
 

Atrocious_Mutilation wrote:
Half of the words in Portal's lyrics are made up.


No they are not. The band employs a large vocabulary in their song writing. A large number of their lyrics are words simply uncommonly used, or words that have fallen out of common use over the years.
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NJMike
Metal newbie

Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2012 1:12 am
Posts: 101
Location: United States
PostPosted: Sat Nov 10, 2012 12:43 am 
 

Atrocious_Mutilation wrote:
Half of the words in Portal's lyrics are made up. It doesn't take a genius to see which words aren't real. It seems like they use an combination of real and made up words to give a Lovecraftian feel of weirdness and confusion.


Yeah this was what I pretty much thought.

ShaolinLambKiller wrote:
I find it an interesting way of writing. I also like using weird words and old words and using them what would seem random but overall when you read them actually have a central theme and a point on why each word was chosen. Any lyrics I read i prefer those that are interesting to even just look at as a visual work. Just a string of oddities thrown together for you to decipher your own meaning from.


Agreed.

CF_Mono wrote:
I wonder if he just started growling into a mic when they began writing, and he had a closed caption program trying to decipher what he was screaming... because that's really what it looks like.


Hah! XD Yeah kinda I guess.
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PDS
The Folk One

Joined: Thu Jul 16, 2009 8:04 pm
Posts: 1783
PostPosted: Sat Nov 10, 2012 1:56 am 
 

NJMike wrote:
"Pendulant Arc
Doth Wax
Bow Astern
Steeping Cusp

AutArchy MAestro Presiding
MisConducts Vint-Age Rhythm
Lapsing Tidal Sinergy Pulpittates
Chartre The Otherwise
Ideosphere Doyen Composed
Drogue Maw Beguiled"




I don't you about you, but I understood just about all of that. It seems to be about a voyage on a ship, of otherworldly porportions. They use some Nautical or boat related terms words (Bow, Astern, Tidal, Droque), and what I'm guessing is metaphysical, and other philosophical like subjects like that (Ideosphere, Sinergy, Autarchy). So I agree with MARSDUDE
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NJMike
Metal newbie

Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2012 1:12 am
Posts: 101
Location: United States
PostPosted: Sat Nov 10, 2012 1:59 am 
 

Pagan_Death_Sceam wrote:
NJMike wrote:
"Pendulant Arc
Doth Wax
Bow Astern
Steeping Cusp

AutArchy MAestro Presiding
MisConducts Vint-Age Rhythm
Lapsing Tidal Sinergy Pulpittates
Chartre The Otherwise
Ideosphere Doyen Composed
Drogue Maw Beguiled"




I don't you about you, but I understood just about all of that. It seems to be about a voyage on a ship, of otherworldly porportions. They use some Nautical or boat related terms words (Bow, Astern, Tidal, Droque), and what I'm guessing is metaphysical, and other philosophical like subjects like that (Ideosphere, Sinergy, Autarchy). So I agree with MARSDUDE


Ah :P Well I know close to nothing about either of those two things, so I suppose that is why.
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dreadmeat
emere vendere cambire

Joined: Sat Oct 04, 2008 4:50 am
Posts: 7886
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
PostPosted: Sat Nov 10, 2012 3:11 am 
 

i really like their imagery and song titles, the lyrics are no surprise to me ha ha
weird and wonderful, damn those Drogue Maws :p
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