Get all 20 Arbiter releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of A Very Arbiter Christmas [2019 Update], Rarest of Them All, Farewell [Halloween Special], Colossus Reborn (Deluxe Edition), Blackmail: The Worst of Arbiter ('07-'17), Deadlift, Bang Bang (Jessie J Cover), Status Symbols, and 12 more.
1. |
||||
|
We learn in life that all conflicts have two sides:
Two enemies, and two heroes.
Two forces to support, and two forces to wish the worst upon.
Between one and the other, a middle-ground...
The desire of both armies.
The heart of all battle is here.
The core of bloodshed and defeat...
Dominance and victory.
The one aspect of humanity that could keep us united is what could give one man power,
And the hope for such power is a gravity unmatched,
Rendering this one hope to be that which divides us...
It is the powerful, who attract the weak.
It is the weak, that become the army.
The army marches to battle.
And the battle is what kills the hopeful.
(What was over, has only begun.)
A different beginning is on the horizon;
With time undone, darkness fades to light.
One frame of mind becomes another,
And our vision turns from black to white.
Only moments for breath to be caught,
We plunge back into the fray...
To see from the eyes of another,
As the night succumbs to day.
...Remission: Unto War.
|
||||
2. |
Dreadnauts
02:38
|
|||
|
[The Dreadnauts Division of the Ironclad Army would soon reinforce the coastline of Eos Lux to aid in the defense against the Extropian invasion. Hundreds amassed in a forest clearing near Terra Sol. Atop a hill before them are their superiors, shouting with pride and
power: "Lift your head up, and prepare to defend your people! On this day, Eos Lux will not fall!"]
"We fear nothing!"
- Cocidius, Dreadnaut Warlord
"We're back, and we're not leaving this time!
We will take this straight to the front lines!
We spent years pushing harder and harder,
Always pressing forward!
...And did we fail? (No!)
...Did we die? (No!)
...Did we give up? (No!)
Then who are we? (Dreadnauts!)"
- Kruhl, Ironclad Battle Sergeant
"We stick together in our fight for life.
We stand together in these bleak times,
As people with strength, together we're fearless!
We will fight with you to reclaim our place!
We're not scared of what the world has become!
...We will overcome!"
- Satha, Ironclad Captainess
"...So will we run? (No!)
...Will we hide? (No!)
...Will we give in? (No!)
Then who are we? (Dreadnauts!)
...And will we fail? (No!)
...Will we die? (No!)
...Will we back down? (No!)
Then who are we?"
- Kruhl, Ironclad Battle Sergeant
"What is fear? (Nothing!)
What is pain? (Nothing!)
What is loss? (Nothing!)
...We will fight again!
What is fear? (Nothing!)
What is pain? (Nothing!)
What is loss?...
Scream your name! (Dreadnauts!)
(Now) Go!!!”
- Cocidius, Dreadnaut Warlord
What is Fear? What is Pain? What is Loss?
Scream your name!
|
||||
3. |
||||
|
[The Ironclad Warriors and the Dreadnauts rushed to meet the invading Extropian Army with a crushing blow. The warriors were already strong, but their warlords shouted to the top of their lungs, rallying them into a state of invincible frenzy! Together they were one
voice, heard for miles as they charged!]
"My warriors, the time is now!
Hold high your heads and shields!
They march with hearts of silence,
but we will be heard...
The voice of our people is righteous!
We are the Light in the Darkness!
So hold your ground, brace yourself, and
prepare to strike down with the words!"
- Nirtok, Ironclad Overseer
"Serve yourself. Serve your needs.
You'll go down as nothing!
(We will speak!)
And destroy with every word!
Apathetic; You're a leech.
Your pretense tries to silence me, but
(We will speak!)
And our voices will be heard!"
- Jahn, Ironclad Warrior
(...We will be heard!)
"Take my thoughts, clean my soul, take this all away...
False reality is all we have left...
Is all we have left."
- Treg, Enlightened Ironclad
"Our voice is a body; Able to be cut, bruised, hurt, abused...
And I know the pain,
but just let it embrace you, let it play through,
cus that's what keeps us true!
At some point we all fight for our lives,
every day living voiceless, I know what it's like!
But you can see now, there is a voice to guide you!
We are the voice that speaks words so true!"
- Kala, Ironclad Healer
"Now we will take...
All the pain and suffering!
And scream with worlds of strength!
(We will speak!)
And destroy with every word!
There will be nothing left,
And we won't look back!
(We will speak!)
And our voices will be heard!"
- Bahl, Ironclad Warrior
"Your true faces...
twisted by years of disregard,
[for who we are...]
You are dead to us.
You are just so dead to us..."
- Dahn, Dreadnaut
"You tried to remove our will.
It became our ability to fight!
Nothing so big could go unheard!”
- Bani, Ironclad Captain
|
||||
4. |
Hellbent (Updated 2016)
01:58
|
|||
|
[The Great Divide had begun. Prophecies long foretold of a split among all men and a war thereafter. The Ironclad and Extropian armies rested from their first day at battle-- friends and family lying dead under a wake of vultures. Both sides rose the next morning weary
from battle, unwilling to continue the slaughter. Their heads hung and morale plummeted... until the two most powerful voices in all of Eos approached their tired armies; Nirtok, Overseer of the Ironclad Army and Xa, Overseer of all Extropian peoples. Both stood tall
before their armies and delivered powerful yet all-too-similar words:]
“We are the voice of words so true!
We are the Ironclad... built for war!
The time is now for us to strike!
We guide this world so kept in the dark,
But our enemy is holding us back!
With the power of a dark sun, they assemble for war!
Their years of Machinations have come down to this day...
So let it be known: War is at hand!
For years we have been dividing! (for years we have grown apart...)
The time to divide has come!
...What will you defend?
We are faced with a war between us!
This is fight or flight! Fly or die!
There's no more questioning when you look at the sky!
So together we stand: With unity and pride!
...And with the Dreadnauts
...We will speak and be heard!
...We are hellbent for victory!
Ironclads: We are the Judgement!
We have the power to hush the roar of silence!
We have the power to tip the scales of existence,
And change all that is Time and God!”
- Nirtok, Ironclad Overseer
...We are all the Arbiter...
Now We Diverge:
|
||||
5. |
||||
|
[As the Ironclad and Extropian forces charged, a massive conflux of the two armies occurred. Blood spilled and lives were lost as each side struggled to be the one allowed to live on. The Great Divide was in full effect. Clashes of armor, weapons and icy explosions shook
the Azurean Shores, and echoed deep into the heart of Terragrove. Screams of victory and agony danced among each other to the song of battle. This is War.]
"Now We Divide!
Extropians, this is your end!
And we will rise again!
In the end we will stand triumphant!
Nature will overgrow!
...We will stand triumphant!
...We will stand triumphant!
Our violence will tear you apart!
...We will stand triumphant!
...We will triumph!
And now; Our time! Divide and prepare! We Will Conquer all!
...Conquer all!
...We will conquer!"
- Shouts from Ironclad Warriors
"We kill, we die... but time marches on!
We've grown apart... so we can grow strong."
- Lumo, Enlightened Ironclad
"Find your faith in Earth,
She will guide us home!
Do you really think... You will ascend from Earth?
How could you hide from the truth?
There can only be One God.
How could ours be untrue?
...What you believe, Is the source of all suffering!
...Why can't you see? Your way of life is nothing!"
- Nirtok, Ironclad Overseer
"We kill, we die... but time marches on!
We've grown apart... how can we grow strong?"
- Lumo, Enlightened Ironclad
"Only we... will see the face of Time.
Only we... will see the face of Time!
When we arrive... in Heaven...
...We will be at peace.
No longer burdened by your ways.
And then we can ascend!"
- Cocidius, Dreadnaut Warlord
"We kill, we die... but time marches on!
We've grown apart... now we can't grow strong..."
- Lumo, Enlightened Ironclad
...This isn't over yet!
|
||||
6. |
Ironclad
06:02
|
|||
|
[The Ironclad Army continued unleashing a warpath unto their Extropian opposition. What began as the Extropian's "Divine Extermination" had withered to a dwindling war effort. The Extropian soldiers began to see their defeat and retreated to the Azuren Shores, where much
water would serve as ammunition for their ice-shard weaponry. The Ironclad pursued them for the final stand. Who will be victorious?]
This is war!
"Anger turned our flesh to steel, And our hearts have coalesced to fire!
Burning for the infinite light; Extropian life expires!"
- Kale, Dreadnaut Captain
"(Kill them all!) Living lives of crime and hate!
(Kill them all!) Darkness in its purest form!
(Kill them all!) Death will come to disciples of the night!"
- Lux, Ironclad General
"Ironclads, Do not falter!
We were born to be humans! It is our birthright, given to us by God!
You dare to question the reign of God?
Who forged this Earth! Who gave it Order! Meaning! And even Faith,
to thousands of years of humanity!
And it is all now questioned, by You!
My people are now slaughtered, by You!
...An abomination!
We are The Blood! We are God's Right Hand!
And you will never dictate to us how we are to be!"
- Joh, Ironclad King
"Those around me feel pride in our victory, yet I cannot share in their joy.
I see hundreds dead on the ground, bleeding out with what I know is the same blood...
Yet we fight and kill as two forces divided...
Struggling to dominate for our own glory, and not for the greater!
And what is left? What can we call a prize?
We have killed our own kind, for they were too different to unify...
Their loss today will bring revenge, meaning no end to our state of bloodshed!
Our smiles will someday be wiped away with the blood of a fallen brother!"
- Lumo, Enlightened Ironclad
"This is War; Tearing us apart!
Will there be no end?"
- Kruhl, Ironclad General
"Ironclads, Stand strong! Our enemy makes a final stand...
Lives will be lost, but we must hold tight!
Now march forth, and let the blood fly!"
- Kale, Dreadnaut Captain
"Losing my sanity... Hating everything.
My eyes mutate, turning from blue to black; Iris of death!
I have become, the child of hate I try not to be!
I can't take it, this is not me, this is a loss not a victory!
We must turn back!
This is unjust!
Take me away!
We are children of light! How can we fight?
How can we kill our kind?!"
- Terros, Disgruntled Ironclad
"Fret not, your cause is just. This is not murder, this is retribution!
They will retreat, and then we will have our peace!"
- Kale, Dreadnaut Captain
"[You pussy, take a swing at me... Take a swing you pussy!]
For when your lines grow weak... We will... We will...
Send the tremors of all destruction...
To the end of Time and God.
...And God."
- Nirtok, Ironclad Overseer
|
||||
7. |
Triumph Over You
03:31
|
|||
|
[After days of bloodshed and defense against the Extropian onslaught, the Ironclad Army drove away their foes. Having retreated, the Extropians and their supposed "MechaGod" did not seem so powerful, after all. That evening, the Ironclad and their people celebrated their
victory. Nirtok, the Grand Overseer of the Ironclad, stood upon a high rock in the city square and shouted to his people:]
"My brothers! Today we know glory!
We defend our beliefs and our families!
The wind is on our backs...
And for the Ironclad, this day is one of victory!"
- Nirtok, Ironclad Overseer
"Illustrious transcendence,
Steel to toil and blood.
Hallowed be these grounds,
Laced with grandeur.
Echoing;
All the reasons that they fought,
Monument to what they loved.
Fraught with deceit and rooted in terror,
The spoils of immortality cannot be denied."
- Ma'tau, Ironclad Stargazer
"...But we have not, heard the end of the Extropians!
I know they will hope for our every death!
Yet when they reassemble for war...
Fear us, for they will lie dead!
Then we will truly see,
Who will be gone, and who will live forever...
...And who will live forever? Who will be gone?
(Then, we will truly see!)"
- Nirtok, Ironclad Overseer
"And now the Light Dawn is free to rise!
They programmed their limitations... ours end at the sky!"
- Cocidius, Dreadnaut Warlord
“Victory and defeat are each of the same price.”
- Thomas Jefferson
"We will pay, all the same, to show our enemy...
The power of the Light!"
- Elos, Ironclad Hero
Of the Light:
|
||||
8. |
||||
9. |
||||
|
The Storm is coming...
|
||||
10. |
||||
11. |
||||
12. |
||||
Arbiter Traverse City, Michigan
It's 2020 and for our 10+ year celebration we're releasing the rarest most fucked up Arbiter material of all time (mostly because the tracks we were working on might not ever get done so... here, come listen to The Rarest of Them All)
If you like Arbiter, you may also like:
Vol. III Halfway Happy
by VCTMS
supported by 5 fans who also own “Ironclad (RE-ISSUE)”
What a refreshing, heavy metalcore album this is. The 6/8 tracks are intense as all get out, lyrics are dark and personal and haunting, production is excellently fitting, and musicianship all around is great. The features, especially Frankie Palmeri's, listen so well and so heavily.
go to album
supported by 4 fans who also own “Ironclad (RE-ISSUE)”
Two impressive vocalists, variable and skilled guitarists and a tight and very powerful rhythm section. That plus the ability to write a song really leaves nothing left to desire here.
go to album
The Desecration of Existence
by Bind the Sacrifice
supported by 4 fans who also own “Ironclad (RE-ISSUE)”
So like, what's the word on a new album? I'm thirsty for more. chug a chug a chug makes me happy.
go to album
A brand new record from one of the best metalcore acts around.
go to album
featured on Bandcamp Radio Feb 2, 2024
go to album
Midwestern prog-metal stalwarts go for the throat on their new EP, featuring a roiling cover of the Smashing Pumpkins' “1979.”
go to album
Vol I: Cigarette Lullaby
by liveconformdie
supported by 4 fans who also own “Ironclad (RE-ISSUE)”
The beatdown is strong with this one, absolutely fucking heavy... but then throw that slight scent of shoegaze to the the pyre. These fellas have carved a nice unique corner for themselves We are a fucked species, start the fire & bring the whole motherfucker down. Fuck the corruption, hang the traitorous scum on every city block, to show what being literal filth amounts to💀💀💀 that mirror won't kick your head in, but I will
go to album
