Hartlight

'A Song of Blood and Steel' takes you on a journey to feudal Japan - a land of beauty, chaos, and honor. Follow Tomoe Gozen, the legendary foremother of the samurai, as she faces her final battle where history meets myth. A warrior, a woman, a soul torn between duty and survival - what dreams might have bloomed if war hadn’t devoured her?

Way Cup dear Alchemists!
We are happy to present you our last video for our album "The Triumph of Metal". As most of our videos, it was (almost) entirely homemade.

DISLCAIMER : None of us are Iaido or Kenjutsu practicioners and this video is not meant to be a historical or an accurate cultural representation of Japan in any way. We love Japan and its culture and this song and video were made as a tribute, using our own means to transmit our imaginary linked to those themes.

Mini Plot of the video :
A girl sarts to read the book "The Little Tokaido" (that is an entirely other topic) and surprisingly find between its pages a piece of paper with an image of Tomoe Gozen printed on it. Maybe it was forgotten there by the precedent owner of the book. The image strikes her imagination and she then wanders in her own mind, representing to herself allegories of the story of this legendary warrior.

Hartlight is a French symphonic metal band of IV companions, crafting music with spellbinding force. Each song is a ritual of reconnection, immersion, and transmutation - a path through our alchemical sanctuary, carved in the poetry of power.

MUSIC & MERCH: https://hartlight.bandcamp.com/releases
WEBSITE: https://hartlight.fr/
FOLLOW US: instagram: /hartlight_official
MORE LINKS: https://taplink.cc/hartlight

Credits:
Singing, Lyrics: Noémie Marie
Singing, Music, Guitar, Bass, Programming, Musical Production: Adrien Djouadou
Guitar: Adrien Guingal
Drums: Guillaume Remih
Directed by: Adrien Djouadou
Edit by: Noémie Marie

Roles :

Noémie Marie : The girl dreaming of Tomoe Gozen
Adrien Guingal : The representation of an enemy warrior
Adrien Djouadou : A romantic and fictionnal representation of Yoshinaka the girl sees in her dream

Katana provided by Cedrick Couteaux (https://www.cedrickcouteaux.fr/)

Lyrics :

A Song of Blood and Steel

The sun cuts through the snowy lace of the lake
The icy air bites her alabaster face
Her focused breath blows across the steaming plain
Metal plates surround the mantras on her waist

Her wooden talisman still burns on her chest
But Hachiman predicts a black butterfly
The red pine misted behind her swift footsteps
She will cut off the head of the strongest man

Nature is one with me
I am the glowing phoenix
Rider with honed Tachi,
Let the golden dawn bleed
As my soul will be set free

I gallop with the kamis
My bow pierces the ranks
The wind brings steel and dread
And my heart hangs by a thread
With metal I’ll triumph

She soars like a heron beneath the mountain
Her blade undulates with the flow of the water
The mirror of the sky darkens with red grief
The field of frost like the winter of her sword

この混沌とした世界では、戦火の中で咲く花のように、悩みのない心だけが花を咲かせることができる。
-
In this chaotic world, only a heart without worries can bloom like a flower blooming in the midst of war..

Dip your Naginata in the sacred river
You’re the onna-bugeisha who fights with honour
Prevent rust from tarnishing your pure dignity
Clean your mouth and your hands with quiet honesty

The salamander drinks the blood on the spilled reeds
Recite the prayers for the rest of the departed

Japanese part :

もし今ここを離れても、
この山の頂上まで
すぐに戻ってくる
待っていると言ってくれさえすれば。
-
If I leave here now.
To the top of this mountain
I'll be right back
As long as you tell me you'll be waiting for me…

The shore of Lake Biwa in flower
Under the willow of the spirit
The cries of a soul fade away
The cries of Tomoe Gozen

#symphonicmetal #powermetal #progressivemetal