Narnia
Narnia is a christian Melodic Metal/Power Metal band from Sweden that gets their inspiration from C.S. Lewis and his 7 novel success 'The Chronicles of Narnia'. The series borrows charracters from Greek and Roman mythology to convey christian themes. Narnia has borrowed some of the imagery from these 7 books to create some cool and interesting album covers along with some songs having inspiration from the series as well.
1998
'Awakening' is Narnia's Debut release and had a humble beginning with the band being comprised of only two Swedish band members found in Christian Liljegren(Modest Attraction,Flagship,Wisdom Call, Audiovision, Divinefire,) and Carl Johan Grimmark(Saviour Machine, Rob Rock, Audiovision,Divinefire,Grimmark ).Carl handles all instruments except drums which were done on a drum machine and offers up some great shredding on this debut. Grimmark's shredding style has often been compared to Yngwie Malmsteen who also happens to be from Sweden.
Every band struggles and does what it takes to get through the early years as we also find with the band 'Theocracy' who now is a power house but also started out small. Matt Smith handled Vocals and all instruments except drums which were done on a drum machine much like Narnia on this debut 'Awakening' album.
Every band struggles and does what it takes to get through the early years as we also find with the band 'Theocracy' who now is a power house but also started out small. Matt Smith handled Vocals and all instruments except drums which were done on a drum machine much like Narnia on this debut 'Awakening' album.
1999
'Long Live The King' is considered one of Narnia's best albums and also comes with some cool album artwork. On this sophomore album, we find that the band is now a full band with Christian Liljegren on vocals, Carl Grimmark on Guitars,Jakob Persson on Bass, Martin Claesson on Keyboards, and Andreas Johansson on Drums as the band's "new drum machine" ha ha. We also find that the lyrics are bolder being full on for Christ which is now the staple for most Liljegren albums. Here are some lyrics:
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"Star Over Bethlehem"
Star over Bethlehem The King is born Oh, it is a mystery, mystery I see the world with different eyes The Son of God has changed my life He brings salvation He is the light, he is the way He is the bridge for our lost mankind To every nation |
"Living Water"
I've Been Running All My Life To Find Some Peace Of Mind Searching For The Treasure Everywhere I Met Jesus Christ He's The Son Of God He's The One Who Heald My Broken Heart I Breathe Your Spirit I Breathe Your Love Living Water From The Father Fills My Body Now I'm Moving On |
2001
The line up for 'Desert Land' is Christian Liljegren on Vocals, Carl Johan Grimmark on Guitars, Jacob Persson on Bass, Martin Claesson on Keyboards, and Andreas Johansson on Drums. 'Desert Land' has more of a 80's meets 90's sound to it with plenty of cool shredding from our axe man Johan Grimmark.
The lyrics get very vague on this album which is strange due to the lyric offerings on 'Long Live The King' which were bold. On 'Desert Land' we find a song called "Revolution Of Mother Earth" that is so vague in what it is trying to convey. I will say this "that 'mother earth' is worshiped by "New Age" idolaters where they worship the earth as their provider and their everything. As Christians, If we are going to write a song about this new age goddess that has her roots in Mystery Babylon, then we need to be clear and bold about our christian stance and that those who worship and invoke "mother earth" need to repent and believe in Jesus alone.
If you read the lyrics to all the songs on 'Desert land', the feeling you get is that the lyricist was tired maybe from too much touring and fast paced life styles.
The lyrics get very vague on this album which is strange due to the lyric offerings on 'Long Live The King' which were bold. On 'Desert Land' we find a song called "Revolution Of Mother Earth" that is so vague in what it is trying to convey. I will say this "that 'mother earth' is worshiped by "New Age" idolaters where they worship the earth as their provider and their everything. As Christians, If we are going to write a song about this new age goddess that has her roots in Mystery Babylon, then we need to be clear and bold about our christian stance and that those who worship and invoke "mother earth" need to repent and believe in Jesus alone.
If you read the lyrics to all the songs on 'Desert land', the feeling you get is that the lyricist was tired maybe from too much touring and fast paced life styles.
2003
'The Great Fall' finds Narnia with a mixed bag of European "lighter" Power Metal and Western "Heavier" Power Metal. Johan Grimmark really shows his diversity on this one which even includes some Bluesy Metal riffs found in the tune "Ground Zero".
Sadly, we also find the band returning with more vague lyrics that are a bit on the darker side. However, the tune "No Time To Lose" speeks of salvation by Jesus and his work on the cross.
As an added bonus, the last track "The Great Fall Of Man", we find a guest appearance by Eric Clayton(Saviour Machine).
The Musicians on this disc are Christian Liljegren on Vocals, Carl Johan Grimmark on Guitars, Andreas Olsson on Bass, Martin Claesson on Keyboards, and Andreas Johansson on Drums.
Sadly, we also find the band returning with more vague lyrics that are a bit on the darker side. However, the tune "No Time To Lose" speeks of salvation by Jesus and his work on the cross.
As an added bonus, the last track "The Great Fall Of Man", we find a guest appearance by Eric Clayton(Saviour Machine).
The Musicians on this disc are Christian Liljegren on Vocals, Carl Johan Grimmark on Guitars, Andreas Olsson on Bass, Martin Claesson on Keyboards, and Andreas Johansson on Drums.
2006
'Enter The Gate' with its heavier sound, takes us back to the lyrical direction of their sophomore release 'Long Live The King' and is one of Narnia's best releases to date. We find Christian Liljegren on Vocals, Carl Johan Grimmark on Guitars and Keyboards, Andreas Olsson on Bass, and Andreas Johansson on Drums.
Lyrics are Christ centred as you can see here:
Lyrics are Christ centred as you can see here:
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"Enter The Gate"
Enter the gate into the final mystery Forever my soul will rest in peace Leaving the shadows far behind I'm entering the gate of life Break the chains and see the light Yeah, I hope to see you there Don't you see I care for you All to win for you and me Eternal love and peace for free The eternity to win Jesus is the open gate Enter in and you will see The sins are gone, you will free |
"The Man From Nazareth"
His heart divine, his mind so bright With healing powers at his hand He was reaching out a helping hand To those in need, the blind to see Lazarus, arise Messiah, oh Messiah See the son of god among Saints and sinners, old and young Speaking words of wisdom Turn the other cheek, believe And the truth shall set you free Spoke the man from Nazareth Jesus, King of Kings |
2006
Performed live in Owens, Germany back in 2003 this live compilation includes the songs "The Introduction","Inner Sanctum","The Mission","The Countdown Has Begun","Back From Hell","No Time To Lose","Long Live The King","Living Water","Shelter Through The Pain","Dangerous Game","Awakening","Break The Chains"and "The Witch And The Lion".
The musicians are Christian Liljegren on Vocals, Carl Grimmark on Guitars, Andreas Olsson on Bass, Andreas Johansson on Drums, and Linus Kase on Keyboards.The production is very good for a live album and is a must have for serious fans of Narnia.
The musicians are Christian Liljegren on Vocals, Carl Grimmark on Guitars, Andreas Olsson on Bass, Andreas Johansson on Drums, and Linus Kase on Keyboards.The production is very good for a live album and is a must have for serious fans of Narnia.
2007
'Decade of Confession' is a compilation album of some of Narnia's best songs over the previous decade and is a good introduction to this Swedish band.
2009
'Course Of A Generation' Finds Christian Liljegren moving aside and vocalist German Pascual stepping up to the microphone for this last release by Narnia. Musicians are German Pascual on Vocals, Carl Johan Grimmark on Guitars/Keyboards, Andreas Passmark on Bass, and Andreas Johansson on Drums.
Pascual does a great job on vocals and is one of the better vocalist in the Metal market. However, the lyrics fall flat once again being some what vague with not enough references to Jesus Christ. The tunes often use He or You to describe God, failing to put spiritual meat on the table. However, there is a sufficient evangelical message here to make this a worth while purchase.
Pascual does a great job on vocals and is one of the better vocalist in the Metal market. However, the lyrics fall flat once again being some what vague with not enough references to Jesus Christ. The tunes often use He or You to describe God, failing to put spiritual meat on the table. However, there is a sufficient evangelical message here to make this a worth while purchase.
It should be mentioned that Christian Liljegren is owner of the successful 'Liljegren Record' label. His label features some top notch bands such as Divinefire, Grimmark, Harmony, Veni Domine, and Majestic Vanguard just to mention a few. So If you are looking for a great record label, then look no further.www.doolittle.se
Overall, Narnia has been a blessing to the Christian Metal community with their Metal offerings and Christian Liljegren has helped inspire and give other bands opportunities to make it in today's market.
The following is my rating for the lyrics on 'Long Live The King' , and 'Enter The Gate':
Overall, Narnia has been a blessing to the Christian Metal community with their Metal offerings and Christian Liljegren has helped inspire and give other bands opportunities to make it in today's market.
The following is my rating for the lyrics on 'Long Live The King' , and 'Enter The Gate':
(See Site Info for Sword Scale Meaning)This rating is for both 'Long Live The King',& 'Enter The Gate'.
