The band incorporates black metal influences and symphonic elements into an overall grandiose canvas, with the elaborate lyrics of Byron Roberts painting a picture of battles in an antediluvian age where Atlantis had not yet been destroyed and the continents were still joined in a Pangaean mass. A predominant feature is the use of epic keyboards played by Jonny Maudling who composes and arranges the music. The guitar, drums and keyboards work together as an integral entity rather like a symphonic work. The vocals of Byron Roberts are a mixture of spoken word and black metal screams making the songs more like stories set to music than anything else. The stories are told like a play, with many characters (or groups of characters, speaking in unison) exchanging dialogue. Byron uses different vocalizations and effects to set them apart. The songs frequently have very long titles. Byron intends to release some short stories and novellas based on his lyrics and also some graphic novels created in collaboration with the artist Martin Hanford.
They currently have six albums out. The music for the latest one, "The Chthonic Chronicles" was recorded and produced at Jonny Maudling's studio "Waylands Forge", while the vocals were recorded at Academy Music Studio, the same studio where the band's previous five albums were recorded.
Shackled to the Trilithon of Kutulu
Bal-Sagoth Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To know His divine will via the dreamscape,
To have power over His minions,
To unlock the secrets of the deep?
Enscribe ye the great seals 'neath the horned moon,
When the black stars of the chaosphere spin in trine,
Prepare ye a supplicant, and offer up olibanum,
Storax, dictamnus, opium and the incense of Zkauba,
That overlooks the endless sea
"O' Thou that lieth dead but ever dreameth
Hear me, Lord of Dreams!
The Deep Ones knoweth Thy secret name,
The Hydra knoweth Thy lair
Dagon shall break Thy accursed bonds,
And Thy kingdom shall rise once more."
Rise o' spawn of Chaos and elder night,
With these words (and by the sign of Kish), I summon thee,
Slumbering serpent, primal and serene,
Great Old One, hearken to me!
When the stars align in the Chaosphere,
Then the time of awakening shall be at hand.
"When death dies, Thy time shall be, and Thou shalt sleep no more"
"Hear me, Lord of Dreams". "Hear, thy servant calleth thee."
In Thy tower they have sealed ye, dead yet ever dreaming.
O' great Lord of the Deep, awaken from thy deathly sleep.
And there fell a great star from the heavens burning,
Older than the Sphinx or Babylon.
O' mighty one, lord and master of the great abyss!
"Give forth Thy sign that I may know Thy will upon the earth"
"Grant me the power to still the waves that I may hear Thy call."
"In his house at R'lyeh, dead Cthulhu waits dreaming."
"Yet he shall rise, and His kingdom shall cover the earth!"
The lyrics of Bal-Sagoth's "Shackled to the Trilithon of Kutulu" depict a summoning ritual aimed at invoking the Lord of Dreams in order to gain power over his minions and to unlock the secrets of the deep. The lyrics describe the steps required to summon the Great Old One, including the inscribing of great seals under the horned moon and offering up various incenses and supplicants. The supplicant calls upon the Lord of Dreams, who is ever dreaming but dead, to rise once again and assume his rightful place as lord and master of the great abyss.
The lyrics are heavily influenced by the writings of horror author H.P. Lovecraft and his mythos, specifically the deity known as Cthulhu, who is heavily referenced throughout the song. The song's theme revolves around the idea of cosmic horror and the insignificance of humanity in the face of the vast, alien and malevolent powers that lurk in the universe. The song's lyrics can be interpreted as a warning against the hubris of human beings, who believe they can control and harness powers beyond their understanding, leading to disastrous consequences.
Line by Line Meaning
Seek ye to invoke the Lord of Dreams,
Do you wish to call upon the Lord of Dreams?
To know His divine will via the dreamscape,
To understand His will through the realm of dreams?
To have power over His minions,
To control His followers?
To unlock the secrets of the deep?
To reveal the mysteries of the abyss?
Enscribe ye the great seals 'neath the horned moon,
Write the sacred seals beneath the moon?
When the black stars of the chaosphere spin in trine,
When the dark stars of the chaosphere align?
Prepare ye a supplicant, and offer up olibanum,
Prepare a worshipper, and offer sacred incense?
Storax, dictamnus, opium and the incense of Zkauba,
Sandalwood, dittany, poppy and Zkauba incense?
In the shadow of the sacred trilithon
In the shade of the holy trilithon?
That overlooks the endless sea
Watching over the infinite sea.
"O' Thou that lieth dead but ever dreameth
Oh, the one who is deceased but continuous dreaming
Hear me, Lord of Dreams!
Listen to me, the deity of dreams!
The Deep Ones knoweth Thy secret name,
The Deep Ones understand your true title,
The Hydra knoweth Thy lair
The Hydra knows where you slumber,
Dagon shall break Thy accursed bonds,
Dagon will break the chains that bind you,
And Thy kingdom shall rise once more."
And your reign will be restored.
Rise o' spawn of Chaos and elder night,
Rise, the offspring of Chaos and darkness,
With these words (and by the sign of Kish), I summon thee,
With these words and the Kish symbol, I call upon you,
Slumbering serpent, primal and serene,
Serpent of slumber, ancient and peaceful,
Great Old One, hearken to me!
Great Old One, listen to my plea!
When the stars align in the Chaosphere,
When the stars align in the realm of chaos,
Then the time of awakening shall be at hand.
Then it will be the moment of awakening.
"When death dies, Thy time shall be, and Thou shalt sleep no more"
"When death dies, you will arise, and you shall never sleep again"
"Hear me, Lord of Dreams".
"Listen to me, deity of dreams"
"Hear, thy servant calleth thee."
"Listen, your servant is calling you"
In Thy tower they have sealed ye, dead yet ever dreaming.
In your tower, they trapped you, dead but still dreaming.
O' great Lord of the Deep, awaken from thy deathly sleep.
Great Lord of the Abyss, wake from your eternal rest.
And there fell a great star from the heavens burning,
And a bright star fell from the sky, blazing,
Older than the Sphinx or Babylon.
Older than the Sphinx and Babylon.
O' mighty one, lord and master of the great abyss!
Oh, powerful one, lord of the vast abyss!
"Give forth Thy sign that I may know Thy will upon the earth"
"Show me your sign so I may understand your will on earth"
"Grant me the power to still the waves that I may hear Thy call."
"Give me the strength to calm the water so I can hear your voice."
"In his house at R'lyeh, dead Cthulhu waits dreaming."
"Cthulhu lies dreaming at his home in R'lyeh."
"Yet he shall rise, and His kingdom shall cover the earth!"
"But he will awaken, and his reign will extend over the earth!"
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BYRON A. ROBERTS, JONATHAN MAUDLING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Disembowell
The best part about 'Sagoth albums is they are so absurdly epic it's almost tear-inducing. The amount of stories of my own i've made up to either single songs or spanning several is immense, totally fucking inspirational. And Mayhem are awesome, i'm surprised i'm allowed this name :P
voorish
AND THERE FELL A GREAT STAR FROM THE HEAVENS BURNING, OLDER THAN THE SPHINX OR BABYLON! Love this song! :)
Asmodeus8797
A quote from one of Lovecraft's own letters: "The actual sound - as nearly as human organs could imitate it or human letters record it - may be taken as something like Khlul'-hloo, with the first syllable pronounced gutturally and very thickly."
Ultra Dude
One of the first pure metal songs i heard (back then.) its still amazing!!.
voorish
This is one of the best of their songs.
Asmodeus8797
@Mikanojo The writings of Lovecraft have inspired many different kinds of musicians over the years, in all genres of music. I've even heard Lovecraftian jazz bands and so forth. No single genre of music is more or less suited to having Lovecraftian influences than any other. But Bal Sagoth is certainly one of the best "Lovecraftian" metal bands, because the band's entire lyrical concept is heavily influenced by the pulp horror, fantasy and sci-fi of the 1930s.
damnote
Such a magical song! LOVE IT!
Asmodeus8797
He's preparing us for when the old gods reclaim the earth. Hail Kutulu!
Chris Day
Band that never got the notice it should have. So fucking epic.
anthemlog
That would be Cthulhu, a malign entity from many of Lovecraft's stories. He lies, still sleeping, in the sunken city of R'lyeh waiting for the stars to become aligned and to be awakened that he may claim the earth as his new kingdom.