Elves Beneath the Ice

[Verse 1]
Red on the snowdrifts
Not berries
Not wine
Tiny boots dragging
A broken toy spine
Teeth like needles
Grins carved too wide
They creep through the rafters
With coal in their eyes
Candy-cane cage bars
Stockings that strain
They stitch little nightmares
In peppermint chains
You tuck yourself in
By the tree’s dying glow
They’re sharpening scissors
And humming too low
[Pre-Chorus]
You heard the stories
Of sugar and song
You fed them your trust
You learned it all wrong
[Chorus]
These are the elves beneath the ice
Clawing
Laughing
Rolling dice
For every soul on every list
Twist the wish with iron wrists
They shape your dreams with rust and glass
Paint your joy then crack the mask
Hear them chant while children sleep
Evil elves
And they run deep
[Verse 2]
Green hoods dripping
With sap that’s gone black
They measure your breathing
Then never step back
Their hammers hit softly
On bone and on gear
They carve little secrets
In the skin of your fear
They feed the old reindeer
On cinders and lies
Polish the sleigh
With the tears from your eyes
Their laughter is tar
In a sweet sugared shell
The workshop’s a chapel
To their quiet hell
[Pre-Chorus]
They wrote the carols
You mumble along
Every bright chorus
Was once a cruel song
[Chorus]
These are the elves beneath the ice
Clawing
Laughing
Rolling dice
For every soul on every list
Twist the wish with iron wrists
They shape your dreams with rust and glass
Paint your joy then crack the mask
Hear them chant while children sleep
Evil elves
And they run deep
[Bridge]
Jingle of chains
Not sleigh bells tonight
They dance in your doorway
Just out of sight

metal, Blackened melodic death metal with tremolo-picked guitars, blast beats, and a choral bell motif twisted into minor keys. Verses gallop with double-kick and snarled male vocals; chorus opens into massive gang shouts and haunted choirs. Bridge drops to half-time with dissonant leads and tolling bells before a final, relentless onslaught.