1. Introitus (Return Of The Wolves)

instrumental – music by Orlok

2. A Battle In Darkness

The warriors are gathered the battle is nigh
Swords they do shine in the light of the moon
Banners are waving the fires are lit
A river of blood will soon flow through the wood

The clashing of metal on metal is heard
Steel cuts through flesh and bone mercilessly
Spears are flying and hatchets are swinging
Tonight steel decides who will live who will die

Thunder and lightning start lashing the night
The rain it doth mix with the blood and the sweat
Few are still standing yet battle goes on
Fight in the storm ītil the last foe is slain

Standing on corpses the warriors cheer
Hailing the Master who gave victory
Steel did prevail so did metal and might
The powers of darkness have conquered the light

music & lyrics by Orlok
The guitar leads on this track are by Orlok, whereas all the other leads on this album are by Zagan (except some on Black Duncan Rides Again).

3. Hymn To The Gods Of Yore

Gods of yore I hear your voice
Itīs singing in my blood
Wolves are howling your holy song
I see your faces in the stars

Gods of yore I worship you
Your images float my mind
Your temples will surely rise again
Your likeness recast in stone

Gods of yore I draw your signs
Sigils of power and might
Dormant forces awake again
Ancient steel is forged anew

Gods of yore I sing your praise
Your names ring through the air
Abandoning their modern ways
Your people turn back to you

Gods of yore I drink to you
The mead flows in your name
Ancient fires are lit again
Again we sacrifice to you

Gods of yore Iīll come to you
Your dwellings in the sky
I hail the true gods of my race
Forever I am yours

music & lyrics by Orlok
None of the songs on this album have ever been played live, but several were rehearsed when the Mark V line-up started playing again in early 2002. This is one of these songs.

4. Born Again In Sin

Standing before the altar
I raise the sacred dagger
Approaching the naked virgin
Tonight Iīll be reborn
I seek not Christīs salvation
Forsake all hope of redemption
I choose to serve the Master
Tonight Iīll be reborn

I killed the innocent virgin
Her warm blood on my hands
I give my soul to the Master
Tonight I have been reborn
I feel the wrath within me
Hellīs hate burns in my soul
I wield the powers of darkness
Tonight Iīve been reborn

chorus:
A sacrifice in darkness
A pledge to the King of Hell
Bathing in innocent blood
Iīm born again in sin

I live to please the Master
I commit sin after sin
I revel in my wicked ways
I was born again in sin
I indulge in lechery, usury
Gluttony, anger, sloth
Pride and avarice, deadly sins
I was born again in sin

chorus

music & lyrics by Orlok
inspired by the movie Twins Of Evil by John Hough (1971)

5. Triumph Of Metal

The sound of 'The Gospel' offended the meek
'The Return' followed suit to lash at the weak
The ignorant insulted again by 'Ad Maiorem'
'The Book' yet another fist in the trendies' face

True warriors 'Kneel Before The Masterīs Throne'
Howling along when 'The Wolf Cries Evil'
We His children are 'Sheltered Under The Claw'
We fly through the night 'On The Wings Of Azazel'

chorus:
The triumph of metal
The glory of steel
The triumph of metal
To no man we kneel

Tonight metal, power and might will prevail
Hear power and steel call the chosen
Wimps are wailing and crying out in pain
The warriors of metal are on the rise again

Metal the holy sound of the strong and the pure
The glorious music of the Masterīs race
Godīs chosen are covering their ears in vain
The power of metal and might cannot be denied

chorus

Heads are banging and beer is flowing free
The strong are indulging in sin forever more
Metal and steel continue to fill the air
Cries of power and glory ring through the night

True metal warriors glory in obscurity
Good reviews are like insults to us
Metal was made for the masses to hate
Only the chosen should revel in sin

chorus

music & lyrics by Orlok
dedicated to MANOWAR, the Kings Of Metal

6. Masturbo Ergo Sum - Act I

instrumental – music by Zagan

7. On Earth As It Is In Hell

We are all the Master's children
Hard as iron, strong as steel
We donīt worship the false prophet
To no mortal man we kneel
Working for the Masterīs glory
Praying for the Antichristīs birth
Questioning all that is not questioned
Our mission to create Hell on earth

Hell on earth

We are all the Masterīs chidren
For us there is no other way
But to obey His every command
So in darkness we do pray:
"Our Father, Who art in Hell
Hallowed be Thy Name
Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done
On earth as it is in Hell"

chorus:
On earth as it is in Hell

Hell on earth

We are all the Masterīs children
Standing proud with banners high
Where in obedience others bow
We donīt follow but ask "why?"
One day our time will come
When mediocrity is no longer law
When pride no longer is a sin
And people see what they never saw

chorus

music & lyrics by Orlok

8. Idolatry

You mark me an idolater
Heathen, pagan, fetishist
You donīt see a human being
But a barbaric Antichrist
Safe inside your ivory tower
Of holiness and intolerance
Trapped inside a maze of lies
Such pathetic arrogance

What makes your god the only god and mine revolting pagan idols?
What makes your altar a sacred place and mine a scene of horrible rites?
You eat your god you cannibal so why donīt you look at yourself
Your god a carpenter nailed to wood if thatīs not an idol then what is?

You donīt really believe your lies, deep down human you are still
You need your holy fantasy but strength not from within brings chains
You are created in the image of your god but do you think that he grows old?
You claim you talk to your god but do you think the almighty listens?

My gods are so different
They are in my blood
They do not enslave me
Like your tyrant god

My gods are companions
On the solitary path called life
They come when I call
Support me in my strife

I hail to them in my glory
Entrust them with my pain
Call them graven images
Your proselytism is in vain

music by Zagan - lyrics by Orlok
This song was completely constructed using old ASTAROTH riffs. It was also one of the songs rehearsed in early 2002.

9. Radbodīs Doop

Hoort het verhaal van Radbod
Belager der middeleeuwse kerk
De machtige koning der Friezen
Een groot krijger, trots en sterk
Steeds belaagd door predikers
Bleef hij een heidense zondaar
Doch eenmaal raakte hij verstrikt
In het web van een leugenaar

"Wanneer ongedoopt gaat gij naar de Hel
Een oord vol vlammen en eeuwige pijn
Doch gedoopt gaat gij naar de Hemel
Waar gij voor eeuwig gelukkig zult zijn"

En Radbod liet zich toen verleiden
De christenen zijn ziel te laten winnen
Doch reeds in het doopwater staand
Schoot hem nog een vraag te binnen

"In die Hemel zegt gij is eeuwig geluk
Maar de trotse koningen van Wodans lijn
Mij geliefde voorvadīren waar zijn zij?
Men zegt dat zij in Walhalla zijn"

En de prediker antwoordde hem direct
Dat Walhalla was een heidens waanidee
En zijn immers ongedoopte voorvad'ren
Brandden nu in 's duivels vlammenzee

Daarop stapte Radbod uit het heilige water
En weigerde alsnog zich te laten dopen
"Ik ben liever in de Hel bij mijn voorvad'ren
Dan met jullie in de Hemel rond te lopen"

Vanaf toen was de koning nog feller
In zijn haat tegen het christendom
Hij brandde nog vele kerken plat
Menig prediker kwam door zijn hand om
En toen hij uiteindelijk moest sterven
Deed hij dat met opgeheven hoofd
Hij had zijn voorvad'ren niet verraden
En immer aan de oude machten geloofd

music & lyrics by Orlok
These lyrics were based upon a true legend about the Frisian king Radbod (also spelt Radboud, Redbad, etcetera) who lived at the end of the seventh century C.E.

10. Filth Machine

Hey, you wanker, Iīm the Filth Machine
I like it rough, I donīt play it clean
But thatīs the way of Hellīs Rock & Roll
Exist only to sin, to heed the Masterīs call

bridge:
Boozed up every night, bitches everywhere
Sleeping through the day, I really donīt care

chorus:
Iīm the Goddamn Filth Machine, Iīm gonna get your bitch
Iīm the Goddamn Filth Machine, Iīm gonna eat the rich
Iīm the Goddamn Filth Machine, always fuckinī drunk
Iīm the Goddamn Filth Machine, smelling like a skunk

I have never worked a single day in my life
I rather stay home and beat my wife
Iīm the bastard mother warned her about
Not quite quiet, I scream and shout!

bridge

chorus

Iīm a total narcissist and fuckinī ugly too
My socks are so filthy they could kill you
I was born like this itīs the way Iīve always been
But I donīt care īcos Iīm the Filth Machine

bridge

chorus

music & lyrics by Orlok
Reports concerning the autobiographical nature of these lyrics are greatly exaggerated.

11. Black Duncan Rides Again (The Horned Oneīs Revenge)

Deep in the highlands the creature he stands
Wicked and evil in shadows he hides
Thunder and lightning are lashing the hills
This night the Duncan he will ride again
Returned to the world from the fires of Hell
His eyes are ablaze see the horns on his head
Mounting his steed that is black as the night
Tonight steel and power shall triumph again

Back from the depths after hundreds of years
Evil incarnate he shall roam the lands
Raping the women and killing the men
Slaughtering children and eating their flesh
Bathing in blood he doth howl with the wolves
Mankind shall suffer his brutal revenge
The hatred of ages unleashed upon man
Total destruction the triumph of wrath

Highland victory

The banners of evil are waving again
God and his bastard are crying in Heaven
The Duncan triumphant is masturbating
Spilling his seed over corpses and ruins
The Master is smiling his vengeance complete
The utter perversion of Yahwehīs creation
Darkness eternal now covers the lands
The chosen forever to bathe in His glory

Highland victory

music & lyrics by Orlok
In spirit this song is a sequel to Highland Victory but it is not a continuation lyrically (if influenced by anything, these lyrics were partly inspired by The Lord Of The Rings). The guitar leads throughout the song are by Orlok, but the acoustic lead at the end is by Zagan; the lead following that is by Othalaz and the final wah solo is by Zagan again.

12. Countess Bathory

music & lyrics by Lant, Dunn & Bray
Since the band played this for years, also at gigs, it was finally decided to record it as well for an album.

After we decided to quit at the end of '97, I had been active in bands for nearly a decade and I desperately needed a break. I don't think I even touched a guitar for at least six months.

After the summer of '98, though, I started to feel the urge to write and play music again. In September, I sat down to write and record some stuff and suddenly, a wave of inspiration hit me and before I knew it, I'd recorded a complete album. Recording in my own infamous Black Lust Studio, I used my Ibanez SB 900 LK bass (for the first time on a studio recording), plugged straight into the mixing desk through my Boss ODB-3 bass overdrive. For the guitar parts I used my Ibanez RX 350 BK, also plugged straight into the mixing desk through my Boss HM-3 distortion and my Zoom 1202 effects processor. The drum parts were handled by ‘Count Yamaha' and the keyboard used was a Casio CTK-500.

I called the album "The Revenge Of The Horned One" because I wanted to indicate the album would sound more like earlier COUNTESS than like Hell's Rock & Roll (not that I didn't like the mini CD anymore, quite the contrary, but I just had a fit of nostalgia). I took a trip to Regensburg to deliver the master tape to Opyros (for those who are interested, this was the track list of the original, single album: Introitus; A Battle In Darkness; Hymn To The Gods Of Yore; Born Again In Sin; Triumph Of Metal; Praise Of Immorality; Nightwind; Filth Machine; Black Duncan Rides Again).

When I got home again, I found that the inspiration was still there, so I recorded some more stuff. At some point during that period I was talking to Zagan on the phone and told him about what I was doing. It seemed obvious to ask him to participate and he agreed right away.

One night, he came over to the Black Lust Studio and we worked all through the night. He did the leads on most of the songs of the album (using my RX 350 BK, with my Boss HM-3 and Zoom 1202) to replace the ones I'd done (which obviously were my least favourite aspect of the album) as well as on the other new songs. I was really impressed with his work. That night he played tons of leads, on songs he'd never even heard before, and he did a hell of a job. Almost all the leads were improvised and that gave them a certain freshness I found and still find really infectious.

The following weeks we recorded a couple more songs: Tyrant Of The Motorway, a song Zagan had written for the gig we did in Regensburg to celebrate Opyros' 30th birthday; Idolatry, a song we put together using old ASTAROTH riffs; Countess Bathory; Metal Warriors. The latter two we had often played live and we thought it'd be cool to do studio versions as well. In addition, Zagan did two solo pieces that we called Masturbo Ergo Sum – Act I and Masturbo Ergo Sum – Act II (for those unfortunate enough not to have had a classical education: the title means ‘I wank therefore I am' – I don't think any pieces of music were ever more aptly named).

Thus, sometime in October ‘98, we found ourselves with enough material for two full-length albums (meaning some 68 minutes each). I mixed all the songs and shuffled them around between the two albums, to get more balanced records.

Looking back on the recording of these two albums, I remember we had a lot of fun. That aside, the result was different from my original intention, but also much better. While my initial idea had been to do something in the vein of earlier COUNTESS, these albums did both that and more: they're a perfect blend of everything COUNTESS ever did before. I still think the Revenge albums are the most versatile of all COUNTESS releases so far.