Umbra Ala
single
Umbra Ala
“Umbra Ala” arrives in 3/4 time at a pace that should feel relentless but instead breathes like a war ballad, and the concept of a mythic gatekeeper who earns her own freedom gives the lyrics real weight: “I turned from stone, and the gate turned too” is the kind of line that lands differently the second time through. The folk-rock verse builds carefully before the full band erupts just past the midpoint, distorted guitars and stacked vocals turning the chorus into something closer to early Heart than anything on modern rock radio. At 3:42 in E minor, it doesn’t overstay its welcome, and the final variation, “Many ways swings the gate,” closes the mythology with just enough ambiguity to send you back to the beginning. A genuine highlight.
Lyrics
Watching, when the world still dreamed itself there Speaking not what the Gods were wont to hear Cursed as the inbetween of change and choice The hero's halting step or plaintive fall The face of the gate-I remember all If the way reversed, return my dark voice
I am Umbra Ala Keeper of the gate Speaker of truth Temptress of fate
He came, not crowned, but cracked at the seam Carrying nothing but his unspoken dream His hands were shaking, but he met my stare "You guard the gate-do you guard your pain?" And something within me stirred at the name That none had asked, nor thought to dare
I am Umbra Ala Keeper of the gate Speaker of truth Temptress of fate
I turned from stone, and the gate turned too The silence broke like a sky split through My feathers flared where the light once died No longer bound by vow or fate I crossed the threshold I helped create And flew, not fallen-but justified
I am Umbra Ala Keeper of the gate Speaker of truth Temptress of fate
I am Umbra Ala Speaker of truth Temptress of fate Many ways… swings the gate
Credits
Songwriter: Michael Anthony Rose