Pan.a.ce.a - "Escort" (2003 demo)

Описание: "Escort" by Pan.a.ce.a, from their 2003 demo.

Story time!
Almost 20 years ago when I was in high school, I was searching for music none of my friends (nor adversaries) had ever heard before, in the dark dungeons of the primitive Internet. I found Pan.a.ce.a on Myspace or Revernation or something like that, and downloaded this track. I think it reminded me of Staind, combined with some Tool? I definitely listened to the rest of the demo, but "Escort" was the one that I downloaded and burned to a CD so I could listen to it at school.

Time passed. I graduated. I packed my old CDs away when MP3 players became the norm, and I never actually got into this band I had found randomly. But this song "Escort" would get stuck in my head sometimes. I had tried a few times over the years but I couldn't find it again.

A few weeks ago, I once again found myself with this song from my teen years stuck in my head. I could remember almost all the lyrics, but I looked them up and I couldn't find the song online. I eventually remembered the band was called Panacea but I forgot about the dots between the syllables so that still didn't help much. Then I remembered that the last time I moved, I put most of my old CDs together in one box in my room. I found the box and one of the first CDs I pulled out had "Pan.a.cea" (still missing a dot, but close!) written on it. This helped me find the band's old social media profiles, and eventually I found that they had two official websites -- "panacearocks dot com", and an older one "panaceacures dot com". I looked up the latter site on the Internet Archive and was surprised to find that I could go back and download their 2003 demo!

After spending so much time humming the song to myself, and wondering how to hear it again, and Internet-sleuthing, I decided this Tooly-Staindy old song is pretty catchy -- it would be a shame to not share it with the world! I made this video with a header graphic and a promo video from the band's old website.

I want to clarify I have no connection to the band, and I don't have their permission to resurrect this nearly-lost media. But also, I played the hell out of this song when I was like 15, so I hope they would appreciate that I genuinely like this demo song that they never went on to re-record or do anything with at all.

The description of the demo on their old website says this:

"Escort is about self discovery. Healing is…well just that. 4Reasons is an exercise in acceptance. Weigh Down is about a connection with the natural universe through mathematics and the observation of snails.Steinerrific is the product of intoxication.

Pan.a.ce.a’s five song demo was recorded at Green Valley Studios in Hughesville,PA."

(sic)

Pan.a.ce.a was: Mike, Tim, Kevin, Ed, and Bill.

"Escort" Lyrics:

This torture at best is equal to my former pain
You’ve nothing on me; nothing to speak of or leak about
Circle around with torches alight and blazing
Escorting my down, awaiting the hand of Hades

Proceed, if you must, I care not
Pursue your task with utmost diligence
If you’re not here after what I am here after
You’ll still be here after I’ve gone...

To madness
Starting to need the pain, to feel again
Frightened and fetal, feeding on what you gave me
Escorting my down, awaiting the hand of Hades

Proceed, if you must, I care not
Pursue your task with utmost diligence
If you’re not here after what I am here after
You’ll still be here...

As if I walked alone
Without your hand within my own
Descending downward into the spiral
Please diligently take me down

Proceed and pull me down to the threshold
Be diligent