Nightmare

Venom's song 'Nightmare' delves into the dark and haunting realms of eternal torment and suffering. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of a nightmarish landscape where the boundaries between reality and horror blur. The opening lines, 'By the shores of the ageing sea / Fools scream out destiny,' set the stage for a world where destiny is intertwined with vengeance and divine retribution. The imagery of fire and flame, along with the awakening of a beast, suggests a cataclysmic event that brings about widespread destruction and chaos. This apocalyptic vision is further emphasized by the mention of 'forgotten tales' and 'falling waves,' hinting at a cyclical nature of suffering and despair.

The chorus, with its repeated invocation of 'Nightmare,' serves as a grim reminder of the inescapable nature of this torment. The phrase 'this is your prize eternal' suggests that the nightmare is a perpetual state, a punishment that cannot be evaded. The use of words like 'infernal' and 'lost' reinforces the idea of being trapped in a hellish existence, with no hope of redemption or escape. The song's structure, with its relentless repetition of the word 'Nightmare,' mirrors the unending cycle of horror that the protagonist is doomed to endure.

The second verse introduces more visceral and disturbing imagery, such as 'the butcher strikes' and 'your flesh becomes his meat.' These lines evoke a sense of physical and psychological violation, where the protagonist is not only tormented but also dehumanized and consumed. The juxtaposition of 'temples of ice' and 'white desert breeze' with 'dying of thirst' and 'drowning in pain' creates a surreal and contradictory landscape, further emphasizing the disorienting and nightmarish quality of the experience. The final line, 'You wake in sleep, it starts again,' encapsulates the essence of the song—a never-ending cycle of horror and despair that offers no respite or relief.