A New Chapter Begins
LYIA META
presents
sundered and reforged
between shadows and salvation
This isn’t a pivot. It’s not a reinvention. SUNDERED AND REFORGED -Between Shadows and Salvation is simply the next shape the fire took.
I’ve never been one to sit still in a genre. For me, music is the vessel — the genre is just the skin it wears. Whether it’s jazz, blues, pop, or now symphonic metal, the heart of it has always been the same: the ache, the unrest, the things that needed saying. This time, the sound called for something heavier — something that could hold the weight of what I had carried.
After releasing We Are Lords in 2020, I kept writing. The words came fast and unfiltered. There was so much more I needed to get out, and this genre— with its sharp edges and room for fury — felt like the right language. I worked on those songs through 2021, but when the world shut down, so did everything else. The songs didn’t disappear, though. They burned quietly beneath the surface.
While they lay dormant, I explored other paths — four albums in other genres, each revealing a different part of who I am. But SUNDERED AND REFORGED-Between Shadows and Salvation never left me. It waited. It smoldered. And now, it’s finally ready to speak.
These five tracks are raw, symphonic, and steeped in something much older than just my own story. There are threads of Revelation woven through — not to preach, but to unearth. Collapse, reckoning, the sacred and the broken all sitting in the same room. This isn’t faith as comfort. It’s faith as confrontation.
Unlike NEXT, where I gave voice to someone else’s words, every line here is mine. It’s personal. Messy. Alive.
This isn’t a new direction. It’s another facet. Another piece of me brought to light through sound.
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About the album
SUNDERED AND REFORGED – Between Shadows and Salvation isn’t just about survival — it’s about what comes after. It’s about being torn apart and finding the will to rise, again and again — scarred, maybe, but stronger and more whole each time.
Though I was raised Catholic, the themes in this album reach beyond any single faith. At its core, this is a story of light versus darkness, of losing your way and daring to seek clarity — something all of us experience, regardless of belief.
These songs were born from moments of unraveling and reckoning — not as cries of despair, but as attempts to understand, to survive, to grow. They speak of resilience and faith, but also of doubt, silence, and the strange corners of our shared human experience.
This album is both confession and challenge. It’s about piecing yourself together after being broken — forging meaning, strength, and beauty from the fire.
SUNDERED AND REFORGED
Between Shadows and Salvation
Lyia Meta
Track Listing
Mother — 5:57
Running All The Time — 3:32
Solace That I Seek — 4:22
Strange People (feat. Mark Lanoue) — 4:25
Verses — 4:30
Songwriting
Words & Music by: Lyia Meta
Arrangements
Pre-Arrangements & Initial Development:
Zack Meta, Lyia Meta, Anthony Yap, Ruiqi Khor, Natalie Fong
Refined Arrangements:
Bob McGilpin, Lyia Meta
Lead Guitar Parts, Backing Vocal Harmony Concepts:
Mark Lanoue
(Mark Lanoue contributed expressive lead guitar parts and thoughtfully crafted the backing vocal harmonies and overlapping vocal lines, adding significant artistic depth to the arrangements.)
Track-by-Track Reflections
A closer look at the meaning behind each song on SUNDERED AND REFORGED – Between Shadows and Salvation
Mother
A haunting invocation that opens the album, Mother explores the tension between faith and suffering. It’s a personal reflection on Our Lady Rose — a divine symbol of compassion — but also on the universal, sometimes unreachable idea of maternal comfort. Born from a place of longing, doubt, and spiritual wrestling, the song asks: how do we keep believing when even our sources of solace seem distant? It’s a raw meditation on grief, unanswered prayers, and the fragile thread between pain and faith.
Solace That I Seek
A restless search for peace that slips through grasp—this song is born from a soul unraveling. It speaks of the quiet battle within: grief unseen, pain unspoken, and the fierce refusal to apologize for being human. No promises of comfort here, just the raw ache of seeking light in the shadows.
Verses
Drawn from the Book of Revelation’s haunting tapestry, this song weaves angels’ watchful silence over a world veiled in shadow and storm. Their luminous presence holds back the tide of darkness, a fragile hope flickering through chaos.
The solemn refrain, “No More,” rises like a prayer — a fierce plea to end the cycle of pain, hate, and despair. Mountains stand as timeless witnesses, dividing earth and sea, while a promised light emerges — a herald of redemption and new beginnings.
Verses captures the fragile dance between ruin and renewal, a sacred struggle where faith becomes a torch that pierces the night.
Running All The Time
This song opens like a requiem — a lone soprano voice with Gregorian chants and a monastery bell calling to prayer or salvation. It descends into the mind’s shadows, where voices blur reason and faith.
Inspired by the story of Jeanne d’Arc (Joan of Arc), whose divine visions and voices led both her strength and downfall, the song questions whether these voices are angels, demons, or something beyond our understanding.
It also reflects a personal loss — my brother’s life was tragically taken by someone suffering from schizophrenia, driven by voices that commanded harm. This painful truth draws a parallel to Jeanne d’Arc’s voices and challenges us to ponder their nature.
“RUNNING ALL THE TIME” is a cry for freedom from inner torment and spiritual captivity. It’s a final reckoning — a struggle to claim one’s own truth amid the darkness.
STRANGE PEOPLE
This song wrestles with the shadows within — a battle with conscience and the weight of doubt. It speaks to moments when hope flickers amid the weariness of seeking salvation, captured in the haunting plea:
“Oh hear me, be my strength, give me time, for I know the end is near…”
Strange People reflects on the world’s array of souls — the remarkable and the mysterious, those who challenge and unsettle, and sometimes, the strange ones are ourselves.
It explores how we interpret the unknown: Are the voices we hear madness, prophecy, or something divine? Inspired by this tension, the song is a confession, a prayer, and a challenge to keep searching for meaning in the chaos of life.
Performers & Musicians
Lead Vocals & Backing Vocals / Ad Libs: Lyia Meta
Lead Guitar & Backing Vocals (Harmony & Vocal Line Ideas): Mark Lanoue
Bass & Rhythm Guitar: Bob McGilpin
Piano, Keys, Strings, Orchestration: Gene Rabbai
Drums: Matt Datta (Mother)
John Voo (Solace That I Seek, Strange People, Verses, Running All The Time)
Production & Engineering
Executive producer: Lyia Meta
Producer: Lyia Meta and Bob McGilpin
Engineer: Bob McGilpin
Vocal recording: Ruiqi Khor
Mixing & Mastering Engineer: Bob McGilpin
Studios
Vocals recorded at: (Big A Studios, Malaysia)
Mixed & Mastered at: (McMusic Studios. Nashville, TN)
Artwork & Design
Album Art & Design: (Lyia Meta)
Photography: (Khahin Meta)
Publishing
All songs published by Lyia Meta Music
Registered with MACP (Music Authors Copyright Protection in Malaysia
Special Thanks
Heartfelt thanks to Denise Dimin for her unwavering support and belief in this project.
Sincere gratitude to Zack Meta, Bob McGilpin, Mark Lanoue, Gene Rabbai, and all others who contributed their talents and passion.
A very special acknowledgment to Bob McGilpin and Mark Lanoue, whose dedication and countless extra hours went above and beyond to bring this project to life. Your commitment made all the difference.
Supported by
Supported by CENDANA – Cultural Economy Development Agency and Denise Dimin (Los Angeles songwriter)
Copyright & Legal
© 2025 Lyia Meta / (Insert Label Name). All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.
Contact & Social
Website: www.lyiameta.com
Instagram: @lyiameta
Email: (l.nunismeta@gmail.com)
Lyia Meta
Lyia Meta is an international multi award-winning singer, songwriter, song stylist, producer, author, and exhibited visual artist whose work spans genres, cultures, and disciplines. With a voice described as powerful, emotive, and unmistakably distinct, Lyia creates music rooted in rock and blues, yet fearlessly crosses stylistic boundaries to forge a sound uniquely her own. Her songs reflect a deep well of personal experience and emotional insight, resonating with audiences across generations and geographies.
Born in Malaysia and currently based in the nation’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, Lyia has earned a global reputation not only for her music but for her authenticity and artistic integrity. Her body of work includes a rich catalogue of recordings, international performances, and visual art exhibitions, all connected by a common thread: the unflinching pursuit of truth through art.
As a writer, Lyia has penned two deeply personal books — Unfold, Break, Rebuild, Find Yourself and All In, No Net: Life on Stage. Both works reflect her inner journey as an artist and a woman navigating the often turbulent world of creativity, vulnerability, and self-discovery. With honesty and introspection, she explores the challenges of life in the spotlight, the search for identity, and the power of reinvention.
Lyia also brings her voice to the written word as a regular contributor to Lazie Indie Magazine, where her column "Through Corridors" features candid artist interviews and thought-provoking essays on the independent music scene and the forces that shape it.
A multidisciplinary artist in every sense, Lyia Meta continues to evolve — refusing to be confined by category, expectation, or convention. Her creative work is as diverse as it is sincere, marked by a commitment to storytelling that is bold, unfiltered, and profoundly human.