You can hear it here.

It all started in July 1995.

Back then, I had a piece of music I was working on as part of a larger composition for “Doomsday Clock”. I didn’t know it then, but this one section would take on a life of its own.

Originally, the piece was called “Empty Chapters.” It eventually became Section 2 of a eight-section song titled “Cradle to the Grave”, a product of intense Doomsday sessions that were in full swing at the time.

The First Chorus – “Empty Chapters”

The original lyrics were raw, simple, and full of that teenage existential flavor:

In my book of empty chapters
My life is so empty, yet surreal
In my book of empty chapters
There is no light
In my book of empty chapters
My life is so empty, yet surreal
In my book of empty chapters
The blind can see the world is free

Dark. Minimal. A little dramatic. But it was a starting point.

Fast Forward: June 2023 – Enter Illumination Magnified

On June 12th, 2023, I wrote a new song: “Illumination Magnified.” The chorus marked a big shift in tone and perspective:

I am illumination
I am magnified
In darkness I will be
The light which guides
I am illumination
I am magnified
In darkness I light the flame
The light which guides

This version felt more purposeful, more empowered. Less doom, more spark. But something still didn’t sit right.

The April 2025 Rewrite

By April 17th, 2025, I was still chewing on the chorus. So, I rewrote it, again. Here’s where it landed:

In my book of empty chapters
No day, no night, no ever after
A life surreal, yet undefined
Where truth is lost and fear is blind
In my book of empty chapters
The blind can see the words a lie
But I still breathe beneath the sky
Illumination magnified
I am: illumination / I am: magnified

This version blended the older existential tones with the newer sense of self-realization. It wasn’t just despair or hope, it was the mess of both.

Still, I wasn’t quite satisfied.

May 2025 – Final Chorus (Maybe?)

On May 5th, 2025, I finally landed on something that felt closer to the truth:

Driven by hope and fear
Give me the wheel to steer
Atlas, the only way
I can control the light of my day
Feel my sorrow and tears
Let go the wheel that steers
To offer me the light of my way
I am: illumination / I am: magnified

This final version (so far) is probably the most honest one yet. It’s about wrestling with control, fear, meaning and still claiming your light anyway.

The Bigger Picture

What started out as a moody little section of a 90s-era composition morphed into a multi-decade lyrical journey. From feeling empty and lost to embracing uncertainty and seeking meaning, “Empty Chapters” became “Illumination Magnified”.

And that, in itself, feels like the whole point.

Final Note:

Creative work is a never-ending tug-of-war between what you feel, what you want to say, and what you actually say. And honestly? That’s the good stuff. That’s where growth lives.

You don’t need to have all the answers. Just keep showing up and rewriting your own damn chorus.

Crank it. \::/