In Sorte Diaboli is the story of a Christian Priest who moves from the side of Christ, to the side of Satan.
The first track "The Serpentine Offering" opens with a darkly triumphant symphonic section, full of strings, horns, and a men's choir, presumably the hordes of Satan being called to battle for this Priest's soul. It builds to a driving hard guitar riff and double bass, until Shagrath, putting on the guise of the dark lord himself proclaims:
"My decent is the story of everyman
I am hatred, darkness and despair
My decent is the story of everyman
I am hatred, darkness and despair"
Then the riff that begins after:
"Evoked and entertained through centuries
Wrathful and sullen--dormant still "
has me wishing my office was a mosh pit. Awesome.
On we go to a rising chorus:
"Reconcile not with the fear of the snake
But embrace it as your own
Inject it's venom into your veins
And replant the seed that gives growth
Still shrouded in mystery
Until you arise above perception
A veil of ignorance is in motion
Continuing throughout generation"
The song moves on and gets the blood pumping, ending in a chant of "Share my Sacrifice!"
Clearly, this priest is leaning from light to darkness.
On to "The Chosen Legacy," where the priest stops leaning and chooses sides. More driving riffs, a simple, primal scream escapes Shagrath's throat before he growls:
"Hence I will anoint
And whisper wholeheartedly
The creed of Hades and beyond
As I succumb to inevitable sin
For I can not enslave myself
With imaginary words of salvation
The hypocrisy that surrounds my temple
Is assisted by pretenders to the throne"
Again, the driving riffs are joined by symphonic strings, marching, brutal, double bass, and chants of:
IN SORTE DIABOLI meaning "in the lot of the Devil" Around 3:05 the bass drum doubletimes it rattling your chest with sound... that is, of course, if you have it at the proper ear-spliting volume.
Then there is "The Conspiracy Unfolds"
"Fallen I have, fallen I am
Cursed and destined to burn
My loyalty towards a liar ceased to exist
Once misled my and empty fraudulent face
I will never turn my back on you
And deceive the flesh of our race
I will always speak truly
So you can understand
No riddles that manipulate
The words and symbols of Man"
The promises that Satan gives is this: there is no cross, no Trinity, no virgin Birth, no Ressurection, there is the simplicity of the Darkness inside you.
"Do not believe false promises
Conspiring to cover up the truth
Find sollace in darkness within yourself
And have your legions unleashed "
Next is "The Sacrilegious Scorn" where Satan challenges God:
"Have I not
Been too long in your shadows of invention and creation?
As I rightfully behold the flesh
Fear of the conscious mind will have you facing away
My word and world holds ground and is real
Your world is like floods of poisoned water
A language spoken with spit from different tongues
It all seems like an eternity
This battle between us two
"Good and evil"
Me and you
Time has come to step up
And take back what you took from me"
He certainly has a way with words!
Still more to come with "The Fallen Arise" an instrumental, and like the title, Dark, and hopeful. Actually, a quite beautiful song with rising and falling strings, and percussion that seems to come from a subterranean lake. The sounds of marching soldiers and horses fade out.
I like the lyrics to "The Heretic Hammer" the best.
"Vengeance is mine
Neither sweet nor kind
Vengeance is mine
No longer will I be held responsible
For the error of your ways
My conscience
Stands defiantly proud and rigid
So take my advice
Meet your opposition
Profane and disciplined
Take back your pride
With a pounding hammer"
Then in "The Sinister Awakening" the Priest says:
I am warm by this fire
And it's flaming desire
For what I cannot fulfil
My destiny completes"
Comfortable in his choice as a new agent of Darkness, chanting "Antichristus Spiritualis"
You know what? Fuck that. The more I really pay attention to the lyrics, I don't see much of a "Story" presenting itself. I'll be honest. I was trying too hard to put the pieces together, because I read it was supposed to be a concept album. The only real story is the priest saying "FUCK YOU JESUS!" ... Not a good story.
Well, the music is great despite that. Get the album if you don't already have it. It's loud, and evil, and it's great to drive with it blasting. Especially the opening to track 9, "The Invaluable Darkness" I mostly wanna talk about beer anyway.
Well summer's over, so here is it's last gasp for breath:
Dogfish Head's Festina Pêche. It's a Berliner Weissbeir at a paltry 4.5% ABV.
Moderately cloudy, yellowish champagne color... a little darker than. What little head there was quickly dissipated. Moderate carbonation. Not to prettiest beer I've seen, but here we go.
There's a tangy and sweet; champagne-like smell. A little syrupy. Nice, but not a strong smell overall. Fruity, peach taste; again, tangy, but not too sour. It's really almost like I'm drinking champagne at this point. There's a very slight saltiness on the back and sides of the tongue as it goes down. Unexpected but pleasant. Nothing new comes out as it warms a bit.
This beer is dry and light, but far from watery. Tingly carbonation. Very refreshing. Not my favorite, overall, but a great summer beer. Could be enjoyed in the blistering noon heat, or in cooler summer nights. I hope to see this beer next year.
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