TITLE:
Who Fired First

STYLE:
Nordic Viking metal fused with hip-hop, drop-D down-tuned heavy guitars, pounding war drums, tagelharpa and bone flute, deep throat-singing drones, cinematic strings, male baritone half-rap lead, female contralto lead, massive mixed choir, gang shouts, anthemic, epic, modern heavy production, clear intelligible English vocals, 96 BPM, hard hip-hop metal banger, swung syncopated drop-D groove, trap hi-hats under metal riffs, call and response

EXCLUDE STYLES:
autotune, EDM drop, lo-fi, comedy, spoken-word only, children's choir, country, reggae

LYRICS:
[Cold Open - four syncopated drop-D hits with gang shouts, then silence]
WHO!
FIRED!
FIRST!

[Main Riff - swung low-D pedal riff, kick doubles guitar, sliding power chords, instrumental]

[Verse 1 - male baritone rap, fast and percussive, confident flow]
Smoke on the fjord and a horn in the dark,
Two longhouses burning from a single spark.
Your side says theirs and their side says yours,
Both sides counting bodies on the frozen shores.
Show me the arrow, show me the bow,
Show me the archer, show me the snow,
Show me the tracks and the hand that drew,
Every proof they sold me was a copy of the truth.
Signal on the ridge in a voice I know,
Sounds like my captain but my captain's below.
Sounds like a brother but my brother's in chains,
Somebody is wearing all our voices like a mask again.

[Pre-Chorus - female contralto, four-bar ascent, drums thin out]
Stone by stone,
The story's moving.
Flame by flame,
The proof dissolves.

[Stop - all instruments stop, one whispered word]
Hold.

[Chorus - full impact, male and female trading lines, choir shouts, gang vocals]
Who fired first?
Nobody saw!
Who fired first?
Written in law!
Who fired first?
Ask who got paid!
Two halls burning for a lie that was made!

[Verse 2 - female contralto rapping, sharp and cold, then male joins]
They drew the map in a warm dry room,
Priced every harbor, priced every tomb,
Sold the shields to the north and the spears to the south,
Put the same forged word into every mouth.
I will not swing on a merchant's cue,
I will not bleed for a rumor that he grew,
I want the arrow and I want the name,
I want the hand behind the fire and the flame.

[Chorus - full band, bigger choir, drop-D hits on each question]
Who fired first?
Nobody saw!
Who fired first?
Written in law!
Who fired first?
Ask who got paid!
Two halls burning for a lie that was made!

[Breakdown - half-time, male call and choir response, huge drums]
Who lit the beacon?
Nobody here!
Who wrote the order?
Nobody clear!
Who sells the iron?
Now we know!
Put down the arrow and let the liar show!

[Outro - final riff, four hits and gang shout]
WHO!
FIRED!
FIRST!