This is perhaps one of the most important songs in the transition from the amateur days to the serious composing period. I began composing “Ballad for a Goddess” in September of 2004, during the end of Scapegoat, as a dedication for Nicole Coughlin. This early version was only the clean guitar part and was most likely highly influenced by Eighteen Visions’ song “Love In Autumn”. These early versions of the song were composed in Drop B and was much closer to metalcore and then to death metal.

The song evolved and continued to be worked on through out the 2004-2005 winter to finally become a dedication to Brandi Hoke.  This second version of “Ballad for a Goddess” appeared on the first Throne of Mortality release, “Summer ’05 Demos”, which was completely lost by the end of 2005. Luckily, Phil Altobelli (Darklink) found the song and for this I am immensely grateful. When Brandi left me in the summer of 2005 I stopped playing the song completely.

The piece was brought back in the spring of 2006, by this time it had evolved into a black metal song and was dedicated to Dylan Seymour. “Ballad for a Goddess” then became known as “Vakker I Måneskinnet”, which is the same title in Norwegian. I was going through a phase of wanting to have Viking backgrounds in Throne of Mortality. It is during this spring of 2006 that I wrote the lyrics, in French, in regards to Dylan, with a little bit of a punch on Nicole as well. The overall influence of the lyrics was greatly inspired by Don Quixote, if not stolen almost completely. The song was finally renamed to “La Belle Sous la Lune” in 2007 when I wanted to shift the Viking aspect to a French one for all Throne of Mortality material. It was meant to be released on the Throne of Mortality EP “Monumental Dedication”, which never got recorded properly.

Dans les nuages je t’es vue
Tu étais belle et majestueuse
Les druides mon laissé te trouver
Et les champs ont éblouie

Ma reine de la beauté
Je vous et pris, et j’ai arrêter de chercher
Vous m’aviez adopté
Et la rivière a coulé

Le temps de vous regarder
Et le monde serait tombé
Vous auriez votre armée
De chevalier fidèle

J’ai redressé des maux
Insolence puni
J’ai battu des géants
Et écrasé des monstres énormes
Je suis en amour

Son nom est Dulcinée
Sa beauté est surhumaine
Ses cheveux d’or

Son front des champs d’élision
Ses yeux de soleil

Ses sourcils d’arc-en-ciel
Ses joues de roses

Ses lèvres de morceau de corral
Perl, sont ses dents

Ivoire, sont ses mains
Et sa blancheur, neige

Et j’ai été emporté par votre charme