EXORDIUM
“The Circle of Dead Children” is an adventurous, horrific and thrilling story about the soul’s journey throughout the afterlife, specifically about Hell (the Inferno). Dante’s beginnings are founded in a house of pain, the same place where his mother, Morgana, also experienced childhood trauma at an early age. A Song of the Night: Part 1 from the original album, “Homerik”, illustrates this as the official prologue to this epic. She plays a key role in Dante’s story.
The proper way to experience this adventure is to use the accompanying audio book with a pair of high quality headphones or speakers, preferably with the capability to play in Dolby Atmos immersive surround sound to create a cinematic experience using the novel as a form of ‘script’ to the movie that plays within your mind, swept away by the captivating performance of your narrator, Jonathan Kruk. Even better is the ability to break away from the novel and listen to the album at key points in the story, expanding the experience of Dante into a musical opera while reading the lyrics off the beautiful pages from the art of David Millgate.
The genius of “The Circle of Dead Children” is the malleability of the adventure. Listening and reading the story is the best way for the listener to get the ultimate step-by-step experience. However, listeners who wish to relive parts of the story without arduously re-reading those passages may listen to the album on its own and join in as though they were on their own infernal pilgrimage. It is a way to return to the adventure without having to undergo the entire journey for hours on end. Listeners may have nostalgic feelings with this approach, like the official soundtrack for a movie or video game. In variation, listeners may find the instrumentals and orchestral versions to be useful as the soundtrack to other activities. As an avid fan of Dungeons & Dragons, I encourage it.
However, be aware that this story is not for the faint of heart. There is gore, horror, and controversial material. The inclusion of Nazi symbolism represents the painful reflections of Dante’s decisions in life. Similarly to the original medieval version, Dante is a pitiful individual who succumbs to many events in his descent. But, as a victim of circumstance, he never mustered the courage to disavow and break away from the cards that life handed him at an early age.
His wrongful decision to join the Nazi regime to escape his broken home led him on a path towards chaos and an untimely death into the Inferno, where he discovers a divine plan bigger than his personal history. A beckoning call from Paradise – along with his guide, Virgil – will require him to face his demons and renounce his former self.
The Homerik universe is an ongoing adventure of epic proportions, quite literally as the story unravels a bigger narrative over the course of subsequent novels. Should you be curious, you will find an appendix of information in the art book with secrets about the Homerik worlds. The art book serves as a behind-the-scenes experience for the artwork, printed with lyrics and high-quality pictorials, and establishes connections between the characters and the events of the story.
Music, art and literature come together to create the three pillars of Homerik. Without the trinity, none of this would be possible.