Gary Dranow and The Manic Emotions invoke a compelling time travel to 122 AD Britain with their track “Hadrian’s Wall”. This tune features a Roman soldier who profoundly depicts his personal survival against all odds during the construction of Hadrian’s Wall and its battles.
“Hadrian’s Wall” amalgamates rock and metal genres, taking cues from great bands of this craft like Metallica. A melodious yet intense sound comes out, and listeners feel themselves in the world of the Roman soldier.
Instrumentation of the song is masterfully executed, featuring guitar strings, drum notes and piano chords giving it an ethereal feel. The first notes take the listeners to the ancient world; there is such a sensation that they could almost feel the burthen of the soldier.
One of the highlights of “Hadrian’s Wall” is the camp tone which creates the infectious tempo that drives the song forward mercilessly. The guitars give a flow to the music while the drums make it an heavenly.
However, “Hadrian’s Wall” is more than a musical expedition—it’s a story of a soldier, featuring his triumphs and tragedies. The song’s lyrics depict a colourful scene of his hardships, starting from the fight against the elements to the battle against home-sickness to the separation from his dear ones.
As the song unfolds we follow the soldier to the very end, which is marked by a tragic death in loneliness. Like his father, his heart remains also on Hadrian’s Wall—a badge of sacrifice for duty.
In a nutshell, “Hadrian’s Wall” is a song that not only amuses but also informs, giving its audience a rare glimpse of life of a Roman soldier as he lived on the frontier.
