While never mentioned directly by name in the lyrics or extended lyrics of the song, they are referenced by other names. The Silver Surfer is called by his former name Norrin Radd, while Galactus is referred to his former name of Galan of [the planet] Taa. The Silver Surfer's main power, and coincidentally the name of the entire album, is called the Power Cosmic and is referenced directly in the song ("I wield the Power Cosmic!"). In the extended lyrics for the song, the superhero Thor is indirectly referenced ("Behold [...] my ally [...] speeds to lend his might and the power of his Uru hammer"), the Uru hammer of which is also known as Mjolnir. Radd's onetime lover, Shalla Bal, is referenced in the lyrics, as well as his former home planet of Zenn-La. Finally, the Watcher Uatu is noted in the extended lyrics of the album - he is an extraterrestrial being tasked to passively observe the universe that Earth is situated in. Time, Space, Soul, Mind, Reality, and Power are the Infinity Gems in the Marvel Universe, which are items of great power and used to influence events in the universe.
In an interview, Bal-Sagoth vocalist/lyricist Byron Roberts stated that he wrote the lyrics because the Silver Surfer had always been one of his favourite comic book characters. Byron was also featured in issue 50 of "The Jack Kirby Collector" magazine speaking of his love for the work of Jack Kirby, the co-creator of the Silver Surfer.
The scourge of the fourth celestial host
Bal-Sagoth Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ageless, remorseless. Without pity or conscience.
Manipulators of evolution on countless worlds.
Gods of the stars... the Celestial Host!
Zenn-la! (My homeworld, denied me by the whims of Galan of Taa!
I vow that another world shall not be taken from me while I live!)
I beseech thee, great ones... spare this insignificant planet... this earth.
Humankind, behold your creators... behold your destroyers.
Arishem, Exitar... Judge and executioner!
They who sow the fields of the stars...
They return to reap the evolution harvest.
Arishem, Exitar... Judge and executioner!
Time, space, soul, mind, reality, power...
I am the last scion of Zenn-La,
Never more to embrace Shalla-Bal.
I was born to soar beyond the stars...
And lo, the Exterminator,
The Destroyer of Worlds,
The Purifier of Galaxies...
The edge of oblivion beckons...
(the blood of countless billions stains these silvern hands...
But I must... I will endure!)
I am the protector of this world! I wield the Power Cosmic!
(Behold, from the Realm Eternal my ally speeds to lend his might
And the power of his Uru hammer to the fray!)
Arishem, Exitar... Judge and executioner.
I shall scatter your atoms to the four cosmic winds!
Time, space, soul, mind, reality, power.
Hail Arishem! Hail Exitar!
The Star-Gods have returned!
The vast sea of stars stretches into infinity before me...
I am the last scion of Zenn-la, Never more to embrace Shalla-Bal,
I was born to soar beyond the stars.
The lyrics to Bal-Sagoth's song The Scourge of the Fourth Celestial Host describe a race of all-powerful beings known as the Celestial Host. These creatures possess unparalleled power and manipulate evolution on countless worlds. They are essentially gods of the stars, with no pity or conscience. The song also mentions Zenn-La, the singer's homeworld that was denied to him by Galan of Taa. The singer beseeches the Celestial Host to spare Earth, an insignificant planet in the grand scheme of things.
The lyrics also introduce two entities, Arishem and Exitar, who are referred to as judge and executioner. They sow the fields of the stars and return to reap the evolution harvest. The song goes on to mention Time, Space, Soul, Mind, Reality, and Power. The singer claims to be the last scion of Zenn-La, born to soar beyond the stars. He wields the Power Cosmic and is the protector of Earth, seeking revenge against Arishem and Exitar for denying his homeworld to him.
One interesting aspect of the song is its inspiration from the Marvel Comics character Silver Surfer. The singer's story closely mirrors that of the Silver Surfer, who also hails from the planet Zenn-La and wields the Power Cosmic. The song also alludes to the Marvel villain Galactus, who famously devours worlds. Another interesting aspect is the precision of the lyrics in describing the cosmic aspects of the story, such as Time, Space, Soul, Mind, Reality, and Power. The song also portrays a battle between cosmic deities, which makes it epic and grandiose.
Line by Line Meaning
They possess power unparalleled...
The Celestial Host has unparalleled power.
Ageless, remorseless. Without pity or conscience.
The Celestial Host is without age, remorse, pity, or conscience.
Manipulators of evolution on countless worlds.
The Celestial Host manipulates evolution on countless worlds.
Gods of the stars... the Celestial Host!
The Celestial Host are gods of the stars.
Zenn-la! (My homeworld, denied me by the whims of Galan of Taa!
The artist's homeworld, Zenn-la, was denied them by Galan of Taa.
I vow that another world shall not be taken from me while I live!)
The singer vows to not let another world be taken from them while they live.
I beseech thee, great ones... spare this insignificant planet... this earth.
The singer asks the Celestial Host to spare Earth.
Humankind, behold your creators... behold your destroyers.
Humankind's creators and destroyers are the Celestial Host.
Arishem, Exitar... Judge and executioner!
Arishem and Exitar are judges and executioners.
They who sow the fields of the stars...
The Celestial Host sow the fields of the stars.
They return to reap the evolution harvest.
The Celestial Host return to harvest evolution.
Time, space, soul, mind, reality, power...
These are the six infinity stones, also known as the singularities.
I am the last scion of Zenn-La,
The singer is the last scion of Zenn-La.
Never more to embrace Shalla-Bal.
The singer will never embrace Shalla-Bal again.
I was born to soar beyond the stars...
The singer was born to travel beyond the stars.
And lo, the Exterminator,
The Exterminator arrives.
The Destroyer of Worlds,
The Exterminator is the Destroyer of Worlds.
The Purifier of Galaxies...
The Exterminator is the Purifier of Galaxies.
The edge of oblivion beckons...
The singer is facing oblivion.
(the blood of countless billions stains these silvern hands...
The artist's hands are stained with the blood of countless billions.
But I must... I will endure!)
The artist will endure despite the blood on their hands.
I am the protector of this world!
The artist is the protector of Earth.
I wield the Power Cosmic!
The singer wields the Power Cosmic.
Behold, from the Realm Eternal my ally speeds to lend his might
The artist's ally from the Realm Eternal arrives to help.
And the power of his Uru hammer to the fray!)
The ally brings the power of their Uru hammer to the fight.
Arishem, Exitar... Judge and executioner.
Arishem and Exitar are still judges and executioners.
I shall scatter your atoms to the four cosmic winds!
The singer will defeat Arishem and Exitar.
Hail Arishem! Hail Exitar!
The artist sarcastically greets Arishem and Exitar.
The Star-Gods have returned!
The Celestial Host have returned.
The vast sea of stars stretches into infinity before me...
The singer looks out into the endless expanse of space.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
xSamhain72x
and lo, the Exterminator. The Destroyer of Worlds, the Purifier of Galaxies....
I always find myself saying some of the spoken word parts of Bal Sagoths music as i'm just going about my day, theyre just so fucking epic
yabby
@frankstersaysmemorable line
Valentius
Magick⭐️⚡️💚⚡️🪶
frankstersays
"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!" often comes out of my mouth while driving ...
Narsil the Freak
Agreed. :v
Lux Bellator
Symphonic Black Metal about Marvel's Silver Surfer confronting the Celestials. Doesn't get more metal than that :D \m/
Arhius
"And lo the exterminator the destroyer of worlds the pure fire of galaxies" I love this song. It's great. It's The Power Cosmic.
Alex DeLarge
I know I am a bit late, but it is actually the purifier of galaxies :)
Семён Семёнов
This song is so over-the-top badassery and epic!
3:24
5:31
Valentius
No words of praise will ever be enough. This was and is absolutely beautiful.⚡️💚⚡️