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The Antithetic Affiliation

by TDW

supported by
Charles Trudel
Charles Trudel thumbnail
Charles Trudel Just the beginning of this album is an adventure in itself... Great job mister de Wit, i was convince of your talent right then and there.
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    The complete Antithetic Affiliation album spread on 2 CD's featuring an exclusive bonus DVD featuring the acoustic debut performance of Dreamwalkers Inc at Progpower 2016 filmed with mulitple camera's.

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    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of The Path of Yuki Onna (Single Version), Fountains, The Days The Clock Stopped, The Antithetic Affiliation, and Music To Stand Around And Feel Awkward To. , and , .

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1.
Part 1 - Surprise The chances are that once in life, the stars align and show you sights. An overwhelming sense of joy, which bitter pain will not destroy. But is the fear of losing all the spectre that remains as tall. Can you relinquish your deepest fear, to just enjoy what’s now and here? What wondrous chances one can see as it strikes the numbers you received. In darkest hours a dim light shines that casts away the shade of night. An offer you cannot resist. A pick-me-up that can’t be missed. And as you move you see the sun like saying you are not alone. Sometimes the puzzle that you try to solve is solved by letting go. Sometimes the answer that you’re looking for can be what holds you back to grow. Sometimes the greatest gifts are those you don’t receive. But the ones that happen to you as you walk through life. And though it can be frightening to let it all go, It’s the more that we remember that finally makes us whole. How can you prepare for such a surprise? Can you catch coincidence in a mid-air flight? Can you save it if it’s truly there? Or will it dissipate into thin air? Part 2 - Gratefulness I can’t see how this happened or what contest I have won. It all seems so right. Isn’t this supposed to be wrong? I have learned mistrust as my life ran away from me. So now that light is shining bright. Is this insecurity? I know this is weird, but it just seems in place. The world truly seems to work in marvelous ways. I’ll grasp every moment that I can find, for I know what it is like to lose. But now the odds are in my favor and I look behind, Is what’s happening coincidence or did I actually choose? So now it seems a revelation. Things happen as they go. It’s like the world is in my favor, and it has finally shown The colors of success that match my inner grace. And I now oversee it, the vast amount of riches that I’ve gained. Have I gotten used to be at the receiving end? That when things happen as they should I’m doubting all instead? I’ll grasp every moment that I can find, for I know what it is like to lose. But now the odds are in my favor and I look behind, Is what’s happening coincidence or did I actually choose? Have the odds perhaps turned in my favor? Or have they never turned against me in the end? Or do you get what you have worked for and you have deserved? Now I hold this fortune in my hands! Part 3 - Overconfidence Behold the wonder of being on top! Everything in my own hands. A sense of control ‘bout my life while I still don’t understand. But what use has understanding when you ride a wave of joy? As everything you touch turns gold! The past is what it is and the future isn’t there. The perfect sense of emptiness, I’m free not to care! I have earned this given right. No plans left to follow. Backups are for the weaker kind, for I control tomorrow. I now have what I deserve, I have justified this turn… Is there a limit to the things you pull your way? Are you sure that all these riches are just yours to enjoy? Don’t forget that humble starting point from whence you came! The taste of winning is so sweet. The dragon’s breath runs down your neck. And every second you remain on top brings forth an optional end. And as you savor your achievements an addiction’s born. Remember that each rise will have its fall. You won’t get your fix no more! Can’t you see your grasped illusions? You hopelessly try to escape The rude awakening that’s reality. Nothing can describe your weakness better than the path you’re on, Chasing hollow goals and fancies. Luck is just a fleeting moment, another phase that passes by. It can never be controlled! I won’t catch you when you’ve fallen, I will just sit back and smile. The past can never save you and for the future goes the same! The perfect sense of emptiness ‘cause nothing now remains!? I shall claim this taken right and claim it as my own. There’s no backup plan for me and in fear I shall move on. Passing in delirium, I fear it’s out to take me, But stupid pride has got its hold and it is out to break me. So is there now just one path for me? A subjective torn reality? If something good must come my way, is it just to serve As an example for my life, that I should feel a constant sense of hurt? Part 4 - An Educational Moment So, a fleeting chance was what I had. And it’s all happenstance, we can forget. My sole redemption was a moment trapped in time. Just a reminder that pure luck was never mine. Such brutality to take away one’s chance of pure happiness just to reveal coincidence. So would that mean that there’s no such thing as joy? Was my true happiness destroyed? In this veil of contemplation lie the answers that you seek. Take a step back from the storm, look beyond the dreaded beast. All we know is that nothing’s for certain and in that notion we stumble on. So what control can now be had within our words and in our thoughts? Can we learn to break our fall? Can we take a beating and outgrow the pain we suffered with each blow? And can we learn to not replace a one-off chance with constant states? Do we see the greater scope, or remainders of our fleeting hope? A chance to grow to pastures new, or is that just for the lucky few? Stop. Rethink that you are worthy of your mind and stay in questioning. For you don’t know, the future might just hide the solutions deep within. Power lies in finding out that we’re all just searching for a way, And realise that we all hope that we choose right every day. We all know that nothing is certain and in that notion we’re stumbling on. And as control is left beside us, we can only hope that something better will come. We can only hope that something better comes… Part 5 – Embrace I cannot remain the same in a state of stagnation, As my perspectives re-aligned and I’ve found a new salvation. What’s left of my illusions now became a comfortable release. I know that happiness is fleeting, but I refuse to let it bleed! All is relativity, but the search for luck and love I won’t cease! Sometimes the puzzle that you try to solve is solved by letting go. Sometimes the monster that held you back can be the most beautiful. Sometimes the greatest gifts are those you don’t receive, But the ones that happen to you as you walk through life. And though it can be frightening to let it all go, It’s the more we remember that finally makes us whole.
2.
Anthem 06:34
I choose to never follow you and stand beside your ways. As you acted out a normal fantasy. All the lines that you keep drawing do not seem to work for me. I chose to walk a path not followed to discover on my own, So I could finally see. And we all walk together! As we try to find our specific ways. And we all walk together! Our strongest foundation will be all our hopes & our dreams. They will try to break you, (Strike you down) as you will deviate too much. To march in headless lines. (Forward.) You won´t be liberated! And so you try to break me down and laugh about my ways As my spirit bleeds inside your dying grays. You can point and laugh all you want, but it won’t make a difference.My independence is my greatest good I will remember. And we all walk together! Even as this world seems to bleed us dry. And we all walk together! But our virtue’s resilience, you won’t break us even if you tried! Hear the voices of those who believed. They cry in agony, written with the blood of history. Hold on. Don’t let them get to you. Stay strong. They’ll never be like you. You are not alone! And we all walk together! We shall leave our mark on the world that we make. And we all walk together! And our strongest foundation will be all our hopes & our dreams.
3.
Lovesong 04:34
From the moment you wake it’s a spark that rapidly wanders Through the depths of your mind, and your heart rate increases tenfold. Like a sensation that brings whole new sense of intensity. And you know that you want it, but you are not sure what you’re aching for Is this love clouding my mind? Blinded by the light. And my fears that once stood tall now seem so far away. And all that has passed got brand new colors. And all that you’ve been through seems to have less weight. A pleasant haze of memories tainted by The warmth that lifts you up and gives you wings. But there’s something you should remember; hazes come and go. And each lovely sip of this drug will make you beg for more. The only addiction that man cannot get out of his sight. ‘Cause dependency might just seem wrong... ...but in this case it’s the only right! But if love will cloud your mind, is it choice, just to be blind And ignore what we outrun? Every day we’ll try to stay in control of our life. In stagnant overdrive we will run, Together we will stand tall. Please stay here by my side.
4.
In our pretense we’ll confide, Holding on to borrowed time. Juggling eight while dropping nine, Hiding in the burning light. In the words we speak today, A time-constricted lapse of reason that won’t stay. It doesn’t look like this no more. The old remembrance is now left for scorn. All will chase the blinding light. All is revealed as the fading subsides. Building castles with debts from the past. Each block a reminder that nothing is left. Our patterns collide. From decay we’ll rise. (And we will remain this way!) We choose to be blind. A circus of pride. (We wish that we could change!) Tick Tock, Tick Tock. We don’t see and lose our humility. Building structures out of bones, of the world that was our home. Tick Tock, Tick Tock. No return. This we are afraid to learn. For that what we used and ate cannot just regenerate. And brick by brick we build a fortress out of guilt. Aware of our flaws we go head-on. And yes it’s now in vain. But when perfection reigns Is there a place for our regressing sanity? And our fundament was made of discontent. We took the best we had and changed it. This is the only thing that keeps us from the brink. We truly have no clue, but pretend to know. We climbed the highest mountains and broke the code. A monolith of knowledge crumbling as our hunger grows. We are those responsible, Origins of all controlled. Calculating our demise, Embracing our new found goals.
5.
In our pretense we’ll confide, Holding on to borrowed time. Juggling eight while dropping nine, Hiding in the burning light. In the words we speak today, A time-constricted lapse of reason that won’t stay. It doesn’t look like this no more. The old remembrance is now left for scorn. All will chase the blinding light. All is revealed as the fading subsides. Building castles with debts from the past. Each block a reminder that nothing is left. Our patterns collide. From decay we’ll rise. (And we will remain this way!) We choose to be blind. A circus of pride. (We wish that we could change!) Tick Tock, Tick Tock. We don’t see and lose our humility. Building structures out of bones, of the world that was our home. Tick Tock, Tick Tock. No return. This we are afraid to learn. For that what we used and ate cannot just regenerate. And brick by brick we build a fortress out of guilt. Aware of our flaws we go head-on. And yes it’s now in vain. But when perfection reigns Is there a place for our regressing sanity? And our fundament was made of discontent. We took the best we had and changed it. This is the only thing that keeps us from the brink. We truly have no clue, but pretend to know. We climbed the highest mountains and broke the code. A monolith of knowledge crumbling as our hunger grows. We are those responsible, Origins of all controlled. Calculating our demise, Embracing our new found goals.
6.
Aphrodisia 08:17
You’ve lost your grip so many times with words delivered by the wise. With thirst and hunger left intact. You’re not allowed to feel this bad. A confirmation of your fears. The hurting sting is present here. Longing for a reason to belong to something. Something real is what I’m aching for. Something to soothe, An embrace that brings me warmth and control. They gave you pointers to adore so you won’t feel it anymore. Took out your nails so you can’t scratch the itch that just keeps coming back. They told you not to feel and not to care. Like it would disappear that way!? Like they will force you to grow cold. Their doctrine’s meant to make you numb. Can you expect to cure an itch when you are wired to the core to revolve ‘round it? And all advices that are given are made in vain, because they never understand this type of pain. And what is left’s a mirror image hidden deep inside, That’s festering and waiting to come with a big surprise, As a reflection of the matters you try to hide. You cannot take this carnal pleasure as an alibi! I lost my senses by the sting and gathered what was left within. To reach a new state of decay with pulsing hunger in my veins. Grab my hand and pull me close. Give me shelter for all that is coming. Break my mind and wake me up, because my urges are taking me over. I feel the need! to embrace my darkness inside, To liberate feelings that I tried to hide. If love can’t be given, but taken away, I choose my addiction and stick to those perverted ways. And nothing’s here! and I know that it is all wrong, but my eyes can’t let go of this sickened embrace. I can only numb the fear and the pain, it’s the one thing that keeps me from going completely insane. Don’t you believe me when I give you my clichés and platitudes. My arms around your shoulder will only tie the noose. Take your claims and throw them out. I stopped caring for your contradictions. Poisoned thoughts in a status quo. If liberty’s your concept then you should all learn to let go. Something real was what I thought that I would find. Something to soothe. A world that views me with an open mind. Judgement’s rule. The conclusion is so sad. Denying eyes. Disapproving what is hidden deep inside. Stop right there, don’t waste our time. We’ll pretend to listen. You have been beside the lines. We will take care you will fit in. Stop right there, you’ve wasted more than enough.?We can only pretend to care so much.?So you will see nature’s lies. For we suppress what is hidden… inside.
7.
Dirge 04:41
Today I’ll stop. It was nice, but all in vain. The overview left me one impression. A bitter lie, struggles that kept going on. A consequence. I lay defeated. Don’t leave this. It is never done. You can’t grow without hurting. I carried my own soul through darkest of times, And each step forward seemed to break me down. And now this weight is crushing all that makes me mine. Will there be dirges when I step away from time? And if I stop, what will I leave behind? Will there be tears? Will they miss me? Have I made something that stands the test of time? Or will I just fade away? You are worth it. Why don’t you see? All that you have been will matter. Hold me now. Whisper your sweet nothingness. I want to believe these old clichés. But after trying for so many times, I wonder just how much I can take. There’ll be no dirge when I will step away this time.
8.
Part 1 – Shock Wait, stay, hope, pray for salvation to come. Grasp, cling, hold on to the one that saves you. Pain, fear, loneliness. This is what you get. Weak, unruly thoughts and all you will regret. Where did this start to corrode my mind and heart?! Is this all that I have seen? The uselessness of me?! Snowstorms in my mind. Stomach churning. Helpless creature raging. Screaming! My fear, my companion. Too sharp, too much to handle. Show me how. Get me out! I know this place from a troubled past, but it's not a pleasant recognition; The vines that grab and take a hold of all that makes up me. And as the thorns breach in my skin I look into the eyes Of a creature that's licking his lips, breathing heavily. Was there a moment that this came to be?! Is this darkness truly me?! And for the love that we once had shared, is now a blackened hole filled with regret. And all the strength that I held inside, has turned to dust like the blood in my eyes. I can feel this beast, it's breathing. Fear pumping in my veins. My sadness dressed in a veil of black, filled with screams and pure distress. Why are you here to torture me? Have you been waiting all those years? Have you been lurking in the shade, waiting to project your hate? Has there been a moment that I didn't see? The vigor of this creature waiting for me?! For every mistake, and all that goes wrong, in all things you fail, I will draw a cross. As my collection grows with every day, I will whisper reminders while I eat your flesh away. Part 2 – Gasping For Air Words become meaningless and every gesture is just a pinch. A small sign of life, but no real solution. It won't change what you think. The testament is made, the love is buried. Now all that's left is small talk on the side. A meeting in black with people you never see. Hollow comments meant to make for hollow lies. Are you there in your hollow coffin, Made of dreams and thoughts that once were yours? Cradled to sleep by the laughter of the beast, While being sedated by the edge of his thorns.? What use is there now for pain and regret? What better solution can now be seen? Does this bring you wisdom? The lest we forget! What greater device is waiting? Is this the final moment of glory? Is this the tragic end of the story? Or is this a pulse that will keep us awake? A passing remembrance, for life's own sake? Part 3 – Anger What is left? What remains of the structure that once stood above,?That you could cling on to in rage? When nothing is forgiven, when all is dead and wrong, When all the lies and all façades were broken all along, Would you return the favor? Would you follow the path? Or would you deviate from apathy and break all things instead? No man seems to care now, no man seems to hear. And as I break all that I see, I become my fears. The eyes of my soul burning, my body now a shell In which I hold this monster, my own private hell! So much for security… So much for your sense of self! Your eyes now see my anguish, my self-loathing and hate. Your eyes are now the witness to: I cannot be saved. My lips now utter violence. My heart lies comatose. Morality has left this place, the beast now grins alone. Black blood runs through my eyes, clouding all I know. The only thing I have destroyed was myself all along. Pain is not an excuse to break the wall. that stands between yourself and the beast it’s call. Why do you give in to your weakness, so insane. When you destroyed all that you see, what did you gain? Part 4 - Sadness There… the dust has settled. Here… a broken wall. Now… a bleeding body. Soon… the inevitable fall. What made me turn to this monster? What took me by surprise? EXPECTANCE IS NOT A CHOICE! So am I doomed to wander? WITH SLUMBERING PAIN INSIDE! Once, there was a road for me with a clear view on all that could be. Then I was the same, but certainly I stayed in control, but that ceased to be. Where do I start to heal and rebuild my world? And who can guarantee me that what I made now won’t be destroyed? Once there was a road for me with a clear view on all that would be. Then I was the same, but certainly I stayed in control, but that time ceased to be. And all that is left in my world right now is a matter too dark to touch anyhow. Like the chaos has taken it’s dragon-like shape, to show that my pain won’t end. At least not in this way! Part 5 – Acceptance / Atonement If all my trials did not provide an answer to my pleas… Then how was it all worth my while... This horizon I cannot oversee… Permanent solutions are never a part of life, As waves come crashing in and out, shaking up the world each time. All a man can do is learn. etching answers in his mind. But does remembrance serve its cause or do we always end up blind? Will there be a moment that we can oversee, Our darkness that’s passing won’t last for eternity. The art of perseverance, our weapon in strife. Each struggle a reminder, that we are alive! You will not gain control of me. I refuse to let you break, I am better than that. I will look you in the eye, show my teeth, eat you alive. Broke the fear you held on me, I AM FREE! And as this remains a moment in time, An eerie reflection of what has been, A source of redemption, that you only find When the deepest darkness was what you’ve seen. What use is there now for pain and regret? A perfect reminder of what has been. And we shall embrace it, the lest we forget! All agony has its meaning. What use is there now for pain and regret? And all of our scars will guide our way. And we shall embrace it, the lest we forget! To light up a path out of our decay. What use is there now for pain and regret? Hold on to the strength that you have gained. And we shall embrace it, the lest we forget! You’ll end up much stronger then you have been!

about

The fourth full length album released by Symphonic, Progressive metal project TDW. A double CD album that showcases a musical adventure that holds a range of sounds from progressive metal intensity, to pop balladry and back again. For fans of adventurous music with a lot of melodies, twists and turns.

credits

released May 29, 2017

Tom de Wit – Vocals, Guitars, Synths
Lennert Kemper – Guitars, Vocals
Norbert Veenbrink – Guitars
Joey Klerkx – Guitars
Hanna van Gorcum – Violin
Vincent Reuling – Synths
Peter den Bakker – Bass
Kenneth Martens – Drums

And a list of guest musicians found in the booklet.

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TDW Amersfoort, Netherlands

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