Darkside of Aquarius

Music provides an interesting type of stimulus for me. On one hand, lyrics are key. On the other, if I don't like the music going with the lyrics, well, the lyrics are really going to have to pull at me in some fashion.

Fortunately for me, Bruce Dickinson, the lead singer of Iron Maiden, has quite a lot of solo work I enjoy and much of it mired in fantasy imagery. One such song, Darkside of Aquarius from Accident of Birth.

The first hellrider came


On wings a-plenty in the dark

Hauled out his poison

And he blew away his mark

The fascist from the east is coming

Mothers, hide your sons

The second hellrider came

From flaming seas and molten sands

Half his play in Hell's commands

Hauled out his poison

With his promises of promised lands

Glad, good times of lying leaders

Here come the riders

As the wheel of time's running out of time

Here come the riders

As the wheel of time's running out of time

The third hellrider came

Teaching brothers to kill brother man

And the fourth hellrider waits

On an acid trail for an acid world

Walls of old religions' fools and superstitious men

Throws some scary Tarot cards and...

Here come the riders

As the wheel of time's running out of time

Here come the riders

As the weird illusion's stepping out to light

The Darkside of Aquarius

Has robbed us of our souls and minds

Here come the riders

As the wheel of time's running out of time

From the star-lit sky on a silver sea

A lonely silver surfer comes to push the wheel for me

A lonely silver surfer comes to push the wheel for me

Gotta move, gotta move

Gotta move that wheel right 'round

Gotta move, gotta move

Gotta move that wheel right 'round

Gotta move, gotta move

Gotta move that wheel around

Gotta push the wheel of time around

Push the wheel of time around

Push the wheel of time around

Push the wheel right 'round, right now, yeah

I've gotta move the wheel of time, I've

Gotta move the wheel of time, I've

Gotta move the wheel of time, oh

Move that wheel right around



Lots of great visual inspiration there.
 
The hellriders for example. This oculd be an organization or a tightly knit group, like the Four Horsemen of  the Apocalypse or a Traid or a Trinity. Each one with its own powers and abilities.
 
Some of these could be more insideous than merely leading the battle. When one of the lines speaks of teaching brother man to kill brother man, that is a far more dangerous threat than some giant standing on a hill throwing boulders at you. You know how to wonder, has everyone gone mad? What is the underlying source of this animosity? Can it be stopped?
 
The more subtle foe there, reminds me of other things, like Nurgle. Oh sure, you killed the plaguebearers, but hey, is it just you or do you feel a little sick here? Is everyone else a little pale around the face? A little unsteady on their feet?
 
That's the nature of good inspiration. One thing bounches off another in the mind until something, hopefully something useful, creeps and oozes along.