Many times, in order to see the true value of light, it takes enough darkness.
It is very difficult, in fact, to be able to distinguish a light source in absolute brightness.
After all, the stars of the galaxy can only be seen at night.
Light needs darkness to “unfold“, just as a flower needs enough soil to bloom.
And so, one can easily conclude how important this coexistence is.
Two seemingly opposite concepts, which at the same time form a creative dipole.
Creation, in essence, begins where the opposite elements come together.
Like where life meets… death.
That’s how it happened with the Finns Velvet Ocean …
Their name comes from the verse “velvet ocean of time“, written by Jake (guitar and voice).
A lyric written for his previous progressive metal band and it means, metaphorically, death.
The song that closes the debut album “Purposes and Promises” of the Alternative Metal band is called “Salvation“.
It was released on February 2, 2020, and they first shared it with their audience on March 15, 2019.
The creation of the song belongs exclusively to the singer of the band Riitu Ronkainen.
The lyrics…
The music was written before the lyric part and as the singer of the band revealed to us, this is the way it was created.
“Let the lyrics” button “in the already prepared composition“.
The basic idea for the melody came when Riitu found interest in the sound of an old synthesizer.
In the oriental influences of the musical part of the song, one finds an original and quite interesting melodic approach.
The lyrical part is inspired by a personal adventure of the songwriter.
One place where life and death often meet is the hospital.
A constant battle between them, with soldiers of life the very staff of the institution.
Riitu also found herself in such a battle, when in a small operation on her hand, during the general anesthesia, her heart stopped.
But the battle was won by life, the life of the creator, which literally was resurrected.
She describes her adventure to us…
She felt like being on the border between life and death.
When she woke up, her bruised chest recounted the battle the medical staff fought to keep her alive.
At this point, she realized how close she got to pass on the other side.
While she was recovering, a nurse came and held her hand and told her exactly what had happened.
Riitu describes her as wonderful and compassionate, “just like an angel.”
The song narrates all those feelings of the almost fatal event.
The recordings…
As unpleasant as the events that inspired the song were, the recording was so enjoyable.
The band really had fun.
They wanted to make the sound of a street band, for the bridge of the song.
To do that, they needed some unusual instruments.
Among other things, they played Chinese Erthu, a two-stringed traditional instrument played with a bow, and even a pair of pliers (!) participated.
Like other unusual objects that also make strange sounds.
The acoustic guitars and cello were the most normal things in this song.
The message of the song …
Riitu explains the message the band wants to send with the song.
She used to consider life too miserable …
Somehow, she needed this song to remind her how important it is to be alive and well in your health.
And she would really like others to be touched by this feeling, those who have the power to understand it.
In fact, she did not deal emotionally with the whole thing, but the song was a way to communicate with herself.
It was a kind of therapy to create it.
After all, all songs can cure many problems, even just by listening to them.
Upon completion, she realized that everything can be overcome.
And of course, the power of a song grows with its constant repetition, as she admits.
It is not by chance that it’s the opening song of live performances of the band.
Many times, a composition can function as a loyal, even dependent pet.
To accept no other owner, but the one who raised him and belongs to him.
Maybe some songs should not and do not want to be sung by others, because they carry only personal memories.
Just like Velvet Ocean’s ‘Salvation’.
