Music / The Rise and Fall of Athens

"Picture the city of Athens..."

"The dreams that crumble and fade will always find a way..."

—Tagline

The Rise and Fall of Athens (2023) is the debut album of Xiphos featuring Matteo Brusa (Medhelan) as composer and Miklos Hoffer (H.E.R.R./Donderdag) and Troy Southgate (H.E.R.R./Seelenlicht) as vocalists. It was released on January 25th 2023.

It's a Concept Album based on Plutarch's Parallel Lives that illustrates the rise and fall of the titular city through the lives of nine of its most influential individuals, specifically:

• Theseus
• Solon
• Themistocles
• Aristides
• Cimon
• Pericles
• Nicias
• Alcibiades
• Lysander.  

Think of "Six: The Musical" or "XII Caesars", but set in Ancient Athens.

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Tracklist:

1. "Intro" (3:19)
2. "Theseus" (4:10)
3. "Solon" (5:22)
4. "Themistocles" (9:00)
5. "Aristides" (6:15)
6. "Cimon" (7:25)
7. "Pericles" (6:00)
8. "Nicias" (8:59)
9. "Alcibiades" (6:30)
10. "Lysander" (9:40)
11. "Outro" (1:30)

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The Rise and Fall of Athens provides examples of

• Adapted Out: Several moments of these persons' lives go unmentioned.
• Adaptational Heroism: Downplayed. The album highlights the heroic deeds of these figures, but chooses to either sweep their most problematic actions under the carpet or mention them briefly, to avoid making them unsympathetic to the listeners due to Values Dissonance (ex. Ariadne's abandonment by Theseus^note at least, depending on which myth you believe, since in some others Dionysus orders him to do so, Pericles' mishandling of the money of the Delian Treasury etc).
• The Alcoholic: Cimon is described as being hard-drinking.
• All Take and No Give:
  • Lysander towards the Athenians.
  Lyyyyysander
  The walls of Athens fall
  Make the city yours
  All in the Spartan cause
  
  • Inverted with Aristides.
  At the end of his life he was a poor man
  whilst guarding a fortune
  For he had given his services freely,
  never asking favours in return
  
• Badass Boast: "Solon".
  Called upon by wise men,
  declared wisest of them all
• Bittersweet Ending:
  • The album ends with the Athenian Empire fallen, never to rise again. Despite that, the work and the legacy of these people continue to live on in the hearts of many people till this day.
  • Aristides' end. He dies a poor man, after giving his wealth to those that needed it the most, but the Athenians continued to take care of him, after everything he had done for them.
  • We are not sure about Nicias, as he was rumored to either be killed or committing suicide. Regardless, thanks to Plutarch's writings, we still know his name and his deeds.
• Book Ends: Pericles' song starts and ends with the same lyrics.
  Behind the safety of the city walls
  Outside the fields are burning in this war
  Once upon a long time ago
  In Greece
• The Casanova: Cimon.
• Democracy Is Flawed: Pericles is praised for building an Empire "not ruled by the few, but by the many".
• Downer Ending: Despite Themistocles' high victory at Salamis, he ends up exiled from Athens.
• The Exile:
  • Themistocles and Aristides ended up being exiled, or to put it in Athenian terms, ostracized.
  • Solon and Alcibiades go into auto-exile for different reasons (Solon so he won't become a tyrant, and Alcibiades to avoid death penalties for crimes he did or didn't commit).
• The Hedonist:
  • Downplayed with Solon. He lives a life of luxury, but always makes sure to keep it in balance.
  • Played straight with Alcibiades.
• The Hero:
  • Theseus, the mythical founder of Athens who slaughtered the Minotaur and defeated various other bandits and criminals.
  • Aristides is also referred as this.
    So sing for Aristides
    The Just and Honorable one
    O victorious at Plattea
    A Hero at Marathon
  • For his military victories, Cimon is called "the martial hero".
• "I Am Great!" Song: With the exception of "Solon", all the others can count as "He's Great" songs.
• Known Only by Their Nickname: Pericles is never referred with his name in his song. Instead, Miklos calls him "The Olympian".
• Like Father, Like Son: Cimon grows up to become a mighty general, just like his father.
• Like Father, Unlike Son: Lysander, on the other hand, grew up to become a great man, unlike his father who is described as being pretty insignificant.
• Love Triangle: Themistocles and Aristides are entangled in one for the eyes of a handsome boy.
• Meaningful Echo: "The dreams that crumble and fade will always find a way". Used both in "Themistocles" and the "Outro".
• Mood Whiplash:
  • Themistocles' song is shoved between Solon' and Aristides', both of which follow an epic and uplifting instrumental and a Happy Ending and Bittersweet Ending respectively. Themistocles', on the other hand, is a 9-minute long ballad that ends with the titular hero exiled.
  • Nicias' song narrates his unsuccessful attempts to stop the imperialistic expansions of his city and secure a peace treaty with the enemy, and ends with him either assassinated or committing suicide. It came after Pericles' song, which had a triumphing refrain and described Athens at its finest.
• Never My Fault: Alcibiades' attitude throughout his song. While it's true that he betrayed his hometown TWO times, he narrates the events that led him to act like this: firstly, he was accused for the affaires of the Hermae and the Mysteries of Eleusis and he quickly realised he would not be given a fair trial. Secondly, he was enamored by the Spartan Queen and had a son with her, which didn't sit well with the Spartans. Thirdly, he ran off to Asia Minor, planning a way to return to Athens as a hero. And lastly, after he returned to his city, he was accused for a fool's fault that wasn't his and was forced to flee once and for all.
• Non-Appearing Title: "Intro", "Solon", "Pericles", "Alcibiades" and "Outro".
• Playing the Victim Card: If you take Nicias' song into consideration, where Alcibiades is described as a deceitful untrustworthy individual, too ambitious for his own (and the people's) good, then Alcibiades' song can appear like this.
• The Power of Love: Ariadne's love for Theseus is what makes her give him a ball of thread so he can get out of the labyrinth after he's done with the Minotaur.
• Rags to Riches: Both Themistocles and Lysander came from humble origins, but became great men who led their cities in victory.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: How Solon, Themistocles, Pericles and Nicias are portrayed.
• The Rival:
  • Aristides to Themistocles and vice versa.
  • Also, Alcibiades to Nicias.
• Self-Backing Vocalist: Miklos and Troy harmonize with themselves in their respective songs.
• The Smurfette Principle: The main cast is built by nine men and only two women have their names mentioned, albeit briefly^note And let's not forget the women who played an important role in the lives of some of these men, but are not included, like Aspasia or Elpinice. Given that the album is set in Ancient Greece, where it was believed that women should not be heard or be seen, it shouldn't come across as a surprise.
• The Spartan Way:
  • Cimon, who "bears a Spartan heart".
  • Played straight with Lysander, a literal Spartan.

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