A lot has happened between now and 2014 when Expect Nothing, Distort Everything was released. I’ve grown not only as an artist and composer, but as a person. In six years, I’ve moved from Florida to California, and began my career as a composer for film and TV. It has been a rewarding experience working on projects such as Slipping into Darkness (HBO), The Only Way, Binelowes’ Locker, and many others. In this third independent release, my sound has evolved from strictly solo piano, into something more, something darker, and something much more involved. I poured in my insecurities, my anxiety, my inner demons, my regrets, and most importantly, my love. This wasn’t some side project I decided to conjure up due to COVID-19. I had to do this. I needed the release. Some will enjoy it, some will be neutral, and some will outright hate it. Either way, thank you for listening/
Without further a do, I present, Death is Beautiful.
Track List
Serenade Last
Funeral
Sleepless
Lucid
Spiritland
Forest
-Intermission-
Memory
Fairy Tale
Reality
Her
Farewell
Epilogue
THE STORY
Since the day he met her, Liam has been in love with Laila, but could never bring himself to tell her how he feels. At the young age of 19, Laila is diagnosed with leukemia. As death creeps at her doorstep, Liam remains at Laila’s bedside when her own family abandons her.
He finally professes his love.
She asks him to play the piano for her (Serenade Last), only if it’s tragic, as she believes tragedy is the only thing raw in life.
As he finished, she quietly dies.
At the wake (Funeral), Liam grieves immensely, more so than Laila’s own family. He contemplates the pain he would be in if they were indeed lovers. That night, he is restless (Sleepless), lost in his own head.
He forces himself to sleep through with heavy breathing, eventually bringing himself into a dreamlike state (Lucid), and once he is in a trance, flies over his sleeping body and out into the world.
As he wanders, a demon emerges, and drags him down into the Spiritland (Spiritland), a place where the souls go after death. Everything told about life after death is a complete sham, as there is no heaven or hell, just another world. A dimension.
Liam finally breaks free from the demon’s grasps, and falls into an enchanted forest (Forest). He wanders aimlessly through the woods, with the only guide being a haunting voice, a voice similar to Laila’s. As he gets closer, the ground begins to shake, craters form, and the forest crumbles. He runs faster and faster, only to fall down to his death. Suddenly, he wakes up from the dream, ending up right back at his bedside.
The next day, Liam is out of touch with the real world, in his head, creating false memories (Memory) of Laila, fantasizing about what life would’ve been like if they were lovers in the past.
That same night, he has another lucid dream, but this time, the Spiritland is quite different (Fairy Tale), with mystical creatures roaming the area, then transforming into deranged versions of themselves, ravaging each other in intense hunger. To his horror, Liam desperately tries to wake up.
Unable to distinguish real from imaginary (Reality), Liam experiences a mental breakdown, having a sensory overload from the city noises, the cars, the airplanes, pretty much everything surrounding him. He rushes to a drug dealer, hastily injecting himself with as much heroin as possible, in an attempt to experience the bliss he felt when he was asleep. Instead, it is only a still, plaid depression, followed by a violent withdrawal.
In his sleep, he visits the Spiritland one last time. He finds Laila (Her) in a black dress, looking as beautiful as ever. Liam rushes to her, and they share a passionate embrace, making love in the forest.
As they lay naked together, she tells him that the can be together forever, only if he sacrifices his life.
As he wakes up, Liam realizes what he must do (Farewell). He wanders around town, trying every food, doing every activity he can, making the best out of his last day on earth. He visits Laila’s grave site again, but only to find an empty patch. Did it get moved? Was she alive? Is she even real?
Regardless, he is convinced she’s in another life, and does his final walk to the bridge.
He gets up on the ledge, taking one last look at the world, then drops to his death.
When his body hits the water, the demon grabs him, transporting him to the Spiritland. It is different. Equally as beautiful, but no sign of Laila. The demon reveals that Laila was never really there.
Laila was the Spiritland all along, and was calling to him since he fell in love. But in order to bring him here, Liam had to prove his love for Death.
Laila was Death Personified. Thus, Death is Beautiful.
ALBUM CREDITS
All artwork by Mia LoBiondo
Mastered by Andru Thomas
Photography by Rudi Silva
Written, produced, mixed and performed by Paul Zambrano
Public Relations by Alex Calise
Special Thanks to Rachel A.R. Shaw, Matty Singh, Maggie Takrony, Greg Curtis Rachel F. Williams, Narriman Ribeiro, Baylee Hough, Kyle Hartman, Joris Hoogsteder, Joey Frevola, Marylou Zambrano and Keith Zambrano