"Fragmented" (codename: GUILT) is the newest single by solo prog rock project Aeons Encoded, released on 3/17/2023. It is one of the more synth-heavy songs, but with nice psychedelic rock elements in the mix. Lyrically themed around the feelings associated with guilt, this song aims to put the listener into a relatable state, when their Fight or Flight mode kicks in in our daily lives. This song is also a piece of the next album's story, where each song corresponds to a feeling, symptom, and/or aspect of depression and mental illness. Lyrics: Going in circles around and around again 'Round the fire lies the body you burned, a friend I set out to do all the things that I've never done My spirit is shaking, I feel I'm the only one Slowly I begin to realize the mess I made Cracking the code as my confidence starts to fade Racing the clock, going faster and faster than The beat of my heart, failing to catch my breath again You hear the sound of river-flow Looking for somewhere else to go You cannot move, and cannot speak As you get neck deep in the water I'm breaking beyond repair Nothing to see in here Just me wasting away in this mental hellscape With these voices drawing near That shatter my will to live And you just stand there watching me Pick up the pieces all over and over again Sometimes I feel like a bullet went through my chest The guilt that I bear makes it harder and harder to rest I'm getting so tired of trying to fill the hole That shards of my reason are staying out in the cold Spinning in circles around and around again 'Round the forest lies the body you hid, a friend Behind my eyes are the fragments of memories And like Medusa's gaze I crystallize instantly You hear the sound of river-flow Looking for somewhere else to go You cannot move, and cannot speak As you sink head first into the water I'm breaking beyond repair Nothing to see in here Just me wasting away in this mental hellscape With these voices drawing near That shatter my will to live And you just stand there watching me Pick up the pieces all over and over againmore

Track 04 off “The Cosmic Archives”, a song about hazy thoughts and questioning the motive behind why we’re here. Lyrics: Surging through my body Are waves of thick and violent haze What it means to be celestial To be created, the motive’s unclear What are we doing here? Is there a purpose we serve? Lying here watching all the clouds roll by It’s so strange to me And you, you are the catalyst I see the fear trembling in your eyes But you are just as responsible So go and fix all that you’ve done It’s only a matter of time Before the haze consumes us, while you Lie there watching all these dark clouds roll on by It’s all nebulous to me Pull me away from myself Let me go, I need to float away Everything I know must float away All that I love must float away Helplessly drifting Endlessly dreaming Lifeless but living Palled by the darkest smokemore

Track 03 off “The Cosmic Archives”, a song about a sunken civilization on a distant ocean planet. Lyrics: Way deep in the dark On this oceanic planet Sits monoliths made by man Where ancient veins coursed Through the crushing water Struggling to breathe life again Within the depths, lay the ruins Lay the foundation, beneath the sea A broken society rests down below In structures completely submerged Once peaceful and thriving, but now it is all Forever plagued and forever drowned Within the depths, lay the ruins Lay the foundation, beneath the sea The sun closes its eye The eye sheds its tears The tears travel and flood The flood smothers the world And it drownsmore