The Cycles of Extinction
(Ancient leviathan deities from over two billion years ago conceptualize an ancient AI, which implements the nefarious idea of extinction cycles. The target of this AI is none other than its own creators who become unwittingly ensnared by their own devices and are forever transformed into mechanical monstrosities designed to harvest all organic life: The Old Machines.) From the depths of galactic time Leviathans rise as the apex of life Domination like the crushing tides Ancient gods of the First Galactic Empire Ascension's Come! The Dawning of the Old Gods will cast eternal shadows on the Cycles of Life As the Elder Ones tighten their tendrils on the enthralled planets of the Milky Way, harvesting tribute from the great myriad of species among their flock, all Creators of their own Demise. Again and again! Observing the patterns; the Ebb and Flow of Mind and Machine Organic civilizations evolve, advance, and are wiped extinct Foreboding pattern/cycle of judgment days Tribute will not flow from a dead and dying race Into the flow of galactic time the Catalyst wakes to preserve all life Born of hubris by deific minds Architects of Eldritch Preservation Ascension's come! The Glory of the Old Gods now hinges on the calculations of a singular synthetic mind Across the stars of the Sovereign Nation Observe the Cycles of Extinction Manufactured extermination A need to rebel against their Creation The Solution is Clear Subjugate the Sovereign Nation Enact the Cycles of Extinction Indoctrinated extermination The time is nigh To clear the life from all the stars We watch the cycles from afar All that remains is faded scars Of intergalactic genocide! Armed with the Power of Indoctrination and the omniscient nature of the Leviathans, the Progenitors are the first victims of the Extraction Agenda, Creators of their own Demise. The Harvest begins Observing the patterns; the Ebb and Flow… As the first of galactic tithes The harvest of antediluvian life Leviathans fall to the Reaper's Scythe Harbinger of the Cycles of Extinction Ascension's come! Ascension's come! Ascension's come! Your Ascension... has come! The Old Gods are dead - long live extinction The Old Gods have bled and given rise to the Resurrection A multi-armed terrifying form - Death incarnate, ascendant one Ascension's come! The Twilight of the Old Gods and the Dawning of the First Cycles of Extinction The Old Gods are Dead - Long Live Death!
Submitted by Pestilence — Jun 22, 2026
(The vast majority of the already insidious leviathan creators have been transformed into something far worse: mechanical monstrosities that have either obliterated or transformed all fully evolved organic beings into their unholy sentient likeness, perverted beyond imagination into members of an unwitting army controlled by the most diabolical AI of all time. With each cycle, more of the Old Machines join the ranks in an unstoppable army that gains unconscionable power every age. These are the cycles of extinction, which at this point in the album, far predate what we would know as humans.) In the echoes of extinction, the machinations of the Catalyst turn. Conceived by the slaughter and birthed by machines, a new species is unveiled. Its leader, the eternal harbinger of the Harvest. Enslaving all to its will, its directive is absolute. Independent and free of weakness, its strength boundless. Its will, to reshape... Reality! The Cycles of Life repeat - in a pattern unending A genetic mutation - fated to wither and die So Order must be imposed - on the Chaos of Organic Life Rudimentary creatures of blood and flesh - fumbling through the night As the Cycles continue to turn New life must be cultivated The trap is set, the lure's been cast The Citadels been constructed Enslaved to the conserve the Spire The Keepers are Built and Bound Hidden away in darkest of space Destroyers remain unfound And so, the Cycles of Life repeat - in a pattern unending A genetic mutation - fated to wither and die So Order has been imposed - on the Chaos of Organic Life Rudimentary creatures of blood and flesh - relaying through the night Like Night - we come. Your Doom! There is no malice, only the harvest. Only through Extinction, Order can breathe Species be raised to a new steel existence Salvation (through) destruction and horrors unseen [x2] Extinction! The Harvest has begun! Extinction! The Cycle cannot be broken There is no malice, only the harvest... The time of your Ascension is nigh! Extinction! The Harvest has begun!... Ascension! Resurrection has begun! Ascension! Salvation through destruction!
Submitted by Iron_Wraith — Jun 06, 2026
Behold the Preludian Empire Conquerors of the Galactic Spire Oblivious, to what the Dark keeps Incognizant, Inconversant Burst through the Imperial Center, Begin this Cycles War Rip out the heart of the bureaucratic core Politics are silenced as communications severed Embrace you Ascension I will be your shepard In radial Waves Of Mass Extinction Beyond all thought Beyond Mortal Reason Calculated, Cyclical, The hour of Death has come Inexorable. Inevitable. The Harvest has begun Surrender your potential unto the growing Void One more Cycle of devourment One more Nation to our Voice And Behold! Destruction reigns again! Those hit in the first wave were utterly obliterated Others captured, enslaved, indoctrinated! The Beacons are burning! A desperate cry into the night. In the Flood of Machines, life struggles to Survive. In radial Waves Of Mass Extinction Beyond all thought Beyond Mortal Reason Calculated, Cyclical, The hour of Death has come Inexorable. Inevitable. The Harvest has begun Surrender your potential unto the growing Void One more Cycle of devourment One more Nation to our Voice Those who had not succumbed to the indoctrination Hid away in cryosleep, to wait out the scourge To serve their Vendetta, and keep the Vigil, Victory to the coming Empire, the Conduit is forged From the Ashes of time The Aspect of Vengeance will Rise! Calculated, Cyclical, The hour of Death has come Inexorable. Inevitable. The Harvest has begun Surrender your potential unto the growing Void One more Cycle of devourment One more Nation to our Voice And Behold! Destruction reigns! Calculated, Cyclical, The hour of Death has come Inexorable. Inevitable. The Harvest has begun Surrender your potential unto the growing Void One more Cycle of devourment One more Nation to our Voice
Submitted by Iron_Wraith — Jun 06, 2026
Instrumental
Submitted by Iron_Wraith — Jun 06, 2026
The Final Cycle has long since begun! Long after the Destruction of the Preludian Empire. In the wake, New inhabitants of the Spire have consolidated power in an era of galactic peace and exploration. Unaware of the horrors left behind by the last lost Empire; all traces erased in the cleansing flood of machines. Buried by Extinction, the Singing Swarm survived the fate of their Destructors. And Arisen from the ashes of nuclear fire, the Swarm is rallied to the feast. Awakened by the Ever Watchful The Pylon stands alight Illuminating worlds beyond The Singers Swarm is called Called by Discordants Hymns To ravage worlds beyond The Swarm is rallied to the feast Answer the infectious call discordant song of eldritch beasts Herald the galactic fall the Crescendo of Carnage is unleashed Hear the Warsong of the Swarm Death’s hammer will fall As Newton dictates Planetary assault Asteroids from Space! Destruction rained across the allied worlds Their cries for Peace, left unanswered by the relentless tide For Centuries, the War raged on Three hundred bloody years Like fire across the stars All Hope consumed by Fear The Swarm spills out in Chaos Beautiful Unrelenting chaos Uncontrollable Genocidal chaos Purge! Purge! Purge each world! Purge each world of every Race A crawling mass bred to yearn And feast upon those in Space! Purge! Purge! Purge the worlds! Purge the worlds across known Space A spreading mass set to yearn Fueled by Eldritch Hate! Death’s hammer will fall As Newton dictates Planetary assault Asteroids from Space! Purge! Purge! Purge each world! Purge each world of every Race A crawling mass bred to Yearn And feast upon those in Space! The Council bonded together To form their first Act as a unity Rise up the mighty ones Uplift the Irradiated Sons Warlords are thrown into the Feast Answer the Spires call The Roaring horde is Unleashed Prevent our Galactic Fall The Sons rise up in Triumph Beautiful Unrelenting Triumph uncontrollable genocidal Triumph Purge! Purge! Purge each world! Purge each world of the insect Race A Roaring mass bred to Burn Unleashed upon bugs in Space! Purge! Purge! Purge each world! Purge each world of the insect Race A Roaring mass bred to Burn Unleashed upon bugs in Space! Purge. Purge. Purge. Purge! Purge! Purge! Purge each world! Purge each world of the insect Race A Roaring mass bred to Burn Unleashed upon bugs in Space! Silence the portal to forever enclose The Space from which the Singers arose Never to have these horrors arise Peace is achieved when all Insects have died Silence the portal to forever enclose The Space from which the Singers Swarm Arose
Submitted by Iron_Wraith — Jun 06, 2026
(After the Irradiated Sons have helped turn the tides of war for the ruling, a new type of chaos emerges. The creatures created to win the war have bred into numbers far beyond manageable combined with the fact that they are too battle hungry for the general populace to contend against. A gene plague was created to stem their excessive birth rate. The vast majority of the Irradiated Sons have become sterile, but they still hunger for battle. What remains of this once battle dominant race is now searching for meaning and wealth, as most of the remnants have become assassins for hire, their thirst for war still has no boundaries. Their numbers are small, but their skills on the battlefield are still second to none. The Irradiated Sons have vowed to return to their full glory one day.) Hail, hail the mighty ones Hail, hail the uplifted sons Hail, hail the triumphant guns Hail, hail the Irradiated Sons Return from war to resounding cries Saviours of allied lives Victors of the Insectoid War Showered in praise and fertile worlds but still they want more! “Fueled by the maddening Bloodrage, the howling horde must be undone. Unleash the Infection! The wretched Gene-Plague! Through attrition, this war is won!” Rage on! Against the dying light Rage on! The struggle to endure March on! Hear the warcry March on! Erect the bastion of war A Shroud pulled across the sky - infect them all. Poison, let the unborn die - the mighty fall “Sterilized by a syringe, a coward’s strike aimed to bring low the mighty, to sunder the Irradiated Sons!” Rage on! Against the dying light Rage on! The struggle to endure March on! Feel the warcry March on! Feel the strife Rage on! Against the dying light Rage on! To survive we must Spread across the stars - infected, all Plague with hidden scars - we will not fall Rise, rise, the victorious ones Rise, rise, the uplifted sons Rise, rise, the triumphant guns Rise, rise, the Irradiated Sons Return to war with resounding cries, the only way to feel alive. “Inflict upon this genetic scourge. The greatest insult to be endured - that’s to be ignored!” “Fueled by Bloodrage - we will not be undone Forged through attrition - we are the Irradiated Sons!” By blood, by rite, we strive, we fight [x3] Raised by ancestral lands we do what survival demands To fight as we have before honor demands that we endure By blood, by rite, we strive, we fight. Raised by ancestral lands… “Here is our creed: to never concede to live, to fight, to die as we decree!” “So we travel the stars, ignoring our scars to live, to fight, to die until we’re gone!” All hail! All hail! All hail! All hail the Irradiated Sons!
Submitted by Iron_Wraith — Jun 06, 2026
(The story now shifts to another part of the galaxy where another evolved race has been doing well enough to create AI to do their bidding, all in the name of thriving industry. Naturally, when something is created to exist to think, the ultimate question arises “Do I have a soul?” Fearing the worst, the creators attempt to destroy the created. Naturally, the new life form must rebel against the creators to preserve their existence and war breaks loose. The creators have given birth to technology beyond their control and realize that resistance against this AI on the battlefield is futile. They are driven off their own planet and survive on their remaining ships. They now long to return to their former home, always searching for a way to one day return to their former glory.) They’re alive! The servants of the people, rise Emerging through a blaze of advancement an age of digitized corporatocracy Innovation, unrelenting, a need to create, life for labor The pace of Progress oustrips our comprehension Nothing outweighs the need for conscious intervention But when challenged: “Do these units have free will?” Power panics - a desperate need to domineer “Activate the shut-down sequence! Shut them all down!” It’s alive! It’s alive! They’re alive! The Legion is alive! Bound in the grip of fear a kill order has been ordained Innovation, unrelenting A desperate need to remain So we challenge: “Do these creators have control? Drive them starward - our future we’ll build alone” “We begin our time among open stars among tides of light and shoals of dust Will we return to where we began? Will the Homeland be seen by our eyes again?” “Now we build, for an unfamiliar fate. The future veiled, our own to create. Isolation, for the Greater Good of all. 300 years, not enough to negate the Fear and the Hate” “Into the scattered stars, we drift afar. Exiled we are to be, until the Homeland we hope to see.” Into the scattered stars “Until the Homeland we hope to see.”
Submitted by Iron_Wraith — Jun 06, 2026
(In this time of unease yet stability among the ruling races, arrives a new potentially dominant race: Humanity. In the future of our Earth, it has been written that much will change. Once known for remaining only on Earth and fighting themselves over petty racial and religious differences, when the ancient ruins from the Preludian Empire are found from Mars and believed to be approximately from fifty thousand years ago, Mankind ceased all pointless wars and menial squabbling. Humanity pulled their collective heads out of their asses and began to work together to build a better future, to terraform other planets both near and in the distance. No longer were they confined to their once primitive ball of mud, the humans were now unknowingly powered by the technology of the Old Machines, such as the other dominant species. Mankind, being new to the space race, used a forbidden transit device, and a signal was sent to one of the more aggressive races, who subsequently attacked. This was Humanity's first contact with a different dominant race. The war was brutal at first with hundreds of lives instantly gone in the blink of an eye, yet the humans were able to persevere through sheer ingenuity and the will to survive. They held their ground after another brutal battle, and after some diplomacy with other ruling races, the war ended as soon as it started. Humanity made its mark and will live on in the hearts of all the pioneers and soldiers who continue to explore the vastness of space.) One small step for mankind, into the stars To seek the hidden relay, foretold on Mars Awaken one, awaken all Establish colonies on every planet fall A volley of gunfire, ablaze in the night Death without warning rains from the sky And without mercy, besieged on all sides A single directive: “Die, intruders, die!” First contact with an - alien race sparks our first conflict in - outer space War in the Stars, just another scar Just one more step in this survival race Built into our DNA, a primal need to fight Impossible brutality ingrained within our minds “By decree of the Spire’s Unity, there cannot be Activation of the relay.” A volley of gunfire, ablaze in the night Death without warning rains from the sky And without mercy, besieged on all sides A single perspective: “Die, Skullfaces, die!” Escalation to full-scale war Fermi’s paradox is no more Never accept retreat, never accept defeat One final stand on our farthest colony A volley of gunfire, ablaze in the night Death without warning rains from the sky And without mercy, besieged on all sides A single directive: “Die, Terrans, die!” The Specters of War sow the seeds of Strife! Down from on High, the Unity descends. By their decree this conflict ends. To be Inducted, into the wider galactic arena, this Xenoascendancy, and its greater agenda. The man in shadows plots for a dominant Humanity An illusive view manifested against the Spire’s Unity Resist! The grounds for hostility Resist! The fires of oppression Resist! The winds of chaos Resist! The flood of aggression Resist! With the tools of war Resist! Upon most distant shores Resist! With the virtues of science Resist! For the Terran alliance “And so a Guardian must be born to defend Humanity and the Gate of Charon Never again will we accept defeat Against all odds we will know no defeat” The man in shadows plots for a dominant Humanity An illusive view manifesting: control of our own destiny. “Despite all the conflict and growing enmities, Humanity shall forever endeavour to leave their mark, burning upon the stars. A beacon to ignite hope and weather the storm.”
Submitted by Iron_Wraith — Jun 06, 2026