Si monvmentvm reqvires, circvmspice is the third full-length album by black metal band Deathspell Omega. The album title is a grammatically mis-quoted[3] version of the Latin epitaph on the tomb of Christopher Wren in St Paul's Cathedral (built by him), meaning "If you seek his monument, look around you". This album is the first part in a trilogy of albums released by the band, followed by Fas – Ite, Maledicti, in Ignem Aeternum in 2007 and Paracletus in 2010. The trilogy has been described as "a theological dispute on the divine essence of the Devil, the roles and virtues of faith and the place of man therein", particularly from a Theistic Satanist perspective.[4][5] One interpretation of the purpose of the album is to examine and proclaim that "Satan is pervading every part of our material and metaphysical realms and how Man’s relationship with Him should be one of reverence and devotion."[6] The album draws on themes of putrefaction, decomposition, and antinatalism, as well as the work of the French philosopher Georges Bataille.[5][7]
| Si monvmentvm reqvires, circvmspice | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 2004 | |||
| Genre | Black metal, avant-garde metal | |||
| Length | 77:45 | |||
| Label | Norma Evangelium Diaboli | |||
| Deathspell Omega chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [1] |
| Sputnikmusic | [2] |
Background and artwork
editThe track "Malign Paradigm" is a tribute to the Swedish black metal band Malign, and their track "Ashes and Bloodstench".[citation needed] "Drink the Devil's Blood" is a re-recording of the song of the same name from the band's first album, Infernal Battles, featuring new lyrics with a Eucharistic theme.
The artwork is "both a statement on the Logos, providing metaphysical keys to a certain approach on reality, and a statement on our faith and its concrete anchors and applications in the world as every human being can actually experience it. But keep in mind: the light that illuminates us is the very same that blinds us too." The band notes that the artwork is also linked to a lyric from "Sola Fide I" ("The heart of a lost angel is in the earth"),[5] taken from Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poem "A Drama of Exile", which retells the exile of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden and Satan's role in it.[8]
Musical style and writing
editMusically, it represents a massive departure in sound from the band's previous work, both for the increase in recording and production quality as well as for the pursuit of far more avant-garde and experimental directions than the band's previous work.[9] The album incorporates Gregorian chants, chaotic moments and significant use of dissonant and atonal riffs and chord structures.[6] The album was also originally intentionally structured in the manner of 1970s double albums, with each LP side opening with a "prayer" (side four, which opens with "Carnal Malefactor", being an arguable exception).[5] The album was inspired by Christian sources (often Catholic), particularly in its metaphysical discussions.[5] The band frequently quote passages from the Christian Bible, for example 'Third Prayer' quotes Chapter 17 of the Book of Jeremiah: "Thus says the LORD, "Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind, and makes flesh his strength, and whose heart turns away from the LORD."[10]"Hétoïmasia" is Greek for "preparation", which references the empty throne awaiting Christ's return.
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "First Prayer" | 5:43 |
| 2. | "Sola fide I" | 5:14 |
| 3. | "Sola fide II" | 7:53 |
| 4. | "Second Prayer" | 4:41 |
| 5. | "Blessed Are the Dead Whiche Dye in the Lorde" | 5:47 |
| 6. | "Hétoïmasia" | 7:08 |
| 7. | "Third Prayer" | 3:57 |
| 8. | "Si monvmentvm reqvires, circvmspice" | 6:32 |
| 9. | "Odivm nostrvm" | 4:46 |
| 10. | "Jvbilate Deo (O Be Joyfvl in the Lord)" | 6:07 |
| 11. | "Carnal Malefactor" | 11:45 |
| 12. | "Drink the Devil's Blood" | 4:32 |
| 13. | "Malign Paradigm" | 3:40 |
| Total length: | 77:45 | |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Si Monumentum Requires, Circumspice". Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-11-30.
- ^ Ward, Kyle. "Si Monumentum Requires, Circumspice". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 2012-08-05.
- ^ The text on Wren's tomb is "Si monumentum requiris circumspice", where requiris is active indicative second person singular present of the Latin word requiro ('I seek'); the form requires is the future tense form of that word, thus "If you will seek his monument, look around you"
- ^ "An Inquiry into the History and Evolution of Metaphysical Satanism in Black Metal". Retrieved 2016-08-14.
- ^ a b c d e "Interview with Deathspell Omega". ezxhaton.kccricket.net. Retrieved 2016-08-14.
- ^ a b "Why Deathspell Omega's Trilogy Has Changed the Face of Black Metal". Retrieved 2016-08-14.
- ^ "Deathspell Omega - Si monumentum requires, circumspice". heavylatin.blogspot.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
- ^ "A Drama of Exile". ebooks.adelaide.edu.au. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
- ^ "Deathspell Omega | Biography & History | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-08-14.
- ^ "Bible Gateway passage: Jeremiah 17:5 - New International Version". Bible Gateway. Retrieved 2016-11-01.