Singled Out: Maestrick's Dance Of Hadassah

Progressive metallers Maestrick just released their new album "Espresso Della Vita: Lunare" and to celebrate we asked vocalist Fabio Caldeirato tell us about the song "Dance Of Hadassah". Here is the story:

In October 2018, Maestrick went on their first European tour. Since we were playing two shows in Poland, we took the opportunity to visit the Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial and museum.

I was so impacted by that experience that I felt I needed to write something about it. As soon as I got into the van, I started writing a few words freely. That's when what became the song "Dance of Hadassah" began to emerge, the most emotional song we've ever written.

The initial idea was to write a song that represented all the feelings of that day and after much reflection, we decided to write a song of memory instead of narrating the events explicitly. I started researching the subject, consulted a great Jewish journalist friend and she recommended several books for me to read and learn more about. One of them was "Maus", by Art Spiegelman, an American columnist, illustrator and cartoonist, son of a Holocaust survivor. The book is very educational and addresses this delicate subject with incredible intelligence and sensitivity. Jews are treated like rats, Germans like cats, and Americans like dogs. This analogy was used in the lyrics of the song.

Regarding the title of the song, the idea was to oppose the title of the song by German composer Richard Wagner, "The Ride of the Valkyries", used by Hitler as an apology for his racist policies. Just as the Valkyries are flowers and also warrior women, Hadassah is also a flower and was the nickname of Queen Esther, who greatly helped the Jewish people. The dance, very common among Jews, contrasts with the idea of marching present in the title of Wagner's song. To crown this idea, we were honored with the participation of the Sharsheret Choir, composed of Jewish women who survived or were relatives of Holocaust survivors. They speak positive words in the interlude of the song and sing at the end of the song in Yiddish, a very symbolic song for European Jews, Oyfn Pripetchik.

In the song's narrative, a Jewish survivor tells how he ended up on a train with his family on the way to a concentration camp. He was a child and, at a certain point during the journey, he fell ill. His grandfather, desperate, leaves asking for help and is never seen again. Decades later, now old and in the comfort of his bed, he is reunited with his grandfather, who comes to get him so that he can finally rest in peace. We are very proud of the final result of this song and the new album. Each song represents a very emotional moment in the main character's life.

We hope you feel part of Espresso Della Vita! Enjoy the ride!

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen and watch for yourself below and learn more here

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