[From the album: Tragically Ever After]

Also released on:

Beyond Our Eyes

This song has made several gradual changes in structure since it's introduction in 1997 and was the last collaborative songwriting effort between Zadoc and Dark Cloud.

[Notes:]

• When this song was initially written, Dark Cloud was inspired by the rhythmic sounds of machinery and the initial demos included the sounds of tiny hammers striking. While there is no historical evidence of Countess Bathory ever murdering any of her victims with a mallet, the imagery tied in with the sounds of the hammer strikes was loved by the band.
• Early versions of this song had a drawn out piano intro, lasting over a minute long. This was truncated in 2001 when former drummer I.M. Illin' persuaded the band to simplify the arrangement.
• Also dropped from the original versions was the slow waltz feel of the choruses, it was later agreed that the song had a better momentum kept at the same pace as the verses.
• In 2003, the band created a new intro and added a similar bookended outro.
• Was the favorite song of keyboardist s3t and the song that made him interested in joining the band.
• Jane Evil contributed backing vocals to the version that appears on "Tragically Ever After" and was subsequently invited to perform the song live with the band whenever she wished. After several performances, she was invited to join the band permanently.
• In August of 2007, the band filmed its first (released) concept video for the song directed by noted horror movie director Ron Bonk and starring Sarah Randall as Elizabeth Bathory. It debuted at the Palace Theater in Eastwood (in syracuse, NY) at the 8th Annual B-Movie Festival at midnight on Saturday October 27th, 2007.
• The music video was also screened at The Redhouse after the band's performance of a live alternate soundtrack for the Evil Dead on January 26th, 2008.
• The video for this song is slated to be released as bonus content on the DVD release of director Ron Bonk's film "Clay".
• The song is slated to appear on the soundtrack for an upcoming independent Canadian film entitled "At All Costs".