Ashes of the Maker

Album: Second Cut

I watched you rise from silence
A whisper wrapped in grace
But now you wear destruction
Like velvet on your face

You learned too fast the hunger
The charm behind my bite
Now even death kneels gently
And withers at your sight

I gave you blood
I gave you flame
Now you walk
Without a name
Your breath is fire
Your kiss — a grave
Ashes of the maker
No soul to save

You sing to them in shadows
And they follow without fear
But where they see a savior
I only see the end draw near

I tried to be your anchor
A compass through the black
But you were made for chaos
And there's no turning back

I gave you blood
I gave you flame
Now you walk
Without a name
Your breath is fire
Your kiss — a grave
Ashes of the maker
No soul to save

Now I see you in the mirror
Not a child — but god, divine
I reach with hands of ash and ruin
To end the curse that once was mine
We fall beneath the church's gaze
Two beasts beneath a moonlit haze
A stake for me, a kiss for you
And dust will be our grand adieu

I gave you blood
I gave you flame
Now you walk
Without a name
Your breath is fire
Your kiss — a grave
Ashes of the maker
No soul to save

Let the night forget my name
Let the hunger die with flame
No more cries, no more disguise
Just peace beneath the empty skies
But if the wind should call us…
We'll rise with fire — and feed again .

Ashes of the Maker - Notes

Remember how I mentioned It’s Time to Feed ended abruptly? That’s because the story wasn’t over. Like Metallica’s Unforgiven and Unforgiven II, this tale continues, and I always knew I wanted to close the album with Ashes of the Maker. It started from a similar riff and groove, but I wanted it to feel older—more refined, more dramatic—as if the music itself had matured along with the characters.

The story here is darker and more tragic. The elder vampire didn’t create a companion out of kindness; she was meant to be his plaything, bound to him by blood and desire. But what began as possession quickly spiraled out of his control. She grew more powerful, more alluring, until even death itself seemed to retreat from her presence. The maker eventually realizes he must destroy what he’s unleashed, knowing it will mean his own end. Their final confrontation beneath the church’s gaze feels part execution, part farewell—a gothic romance that burns itself out in dust.

Musically, I wanted the song to carry that same duality: heavy and theatrical, but also intimate in places. Where It’s Time to Feed sways in its hypnotic groove, Ashes of the Maker pushes wider—layered guitars, more cinematic arrangements, moments that build tension and then collapse under their own weight. It’s one of the most dramatic tracks I’ve put together, and it felt like the only way to end Second Cut.

“We’ll rise with fire…” Maybe a foreshadowing of the next album. Who knows? 😊