In 2017, with new drummer Jesse Shreibman, Bell Witch released Mirror Reaper, a single 83 minute long song, to critical acclaim. It was dedicated to the memory of Guerra.
Beneath The Mask
Bell Witch Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Red Death: Prospero. You command me to wait? Very well. I wait.
Prospero: Condotti? Rimini? Who are you beneath your mask?
Red Death: Is my costume such a disguise that you don't recognize me?
Prospero: Your voice is familiar. Dr. Bernelli, that's who you are. Bernelli, you dog, thinking to... You are not Bernelli.
Red Death: No. The doctor dances in the white room. But I passed close by him. Truly, Prospero, you don't know me?
Prospero: So you've come.
Prospero: [To Francesca] On your knees.
Francesca: Prospero!
Prospero: [To Francesca] On your knees. [To Red Death] The Prince of Darkness. I would like to see your face.
Red Death: There is no face of death until the moment of your own death. And I am only one of many messengers.
Prospero: Who do you come for?
Red Death: Many.
Prospero: All?
Red Death: Not all.
Prospero: I knew I was right. I knew it. I've won.
Red Death: The time of unmasking. They begin to show their naked faces.
The lyrics of "Beneath The Mask" by Bell Witch are sampled from a scene from the movie "The Masque of the Red Death" in which Prince Prospero meets the Red Death in the Black Room. The dialogue captures the moment when Prospero asks the Red Death who he is beneath his mask. Red Death responds by asking if his costume is such a disguise that Prospero does not recognize him, and Prospero's voice confirms that the Red Death is a familiar figure to him. The conversation continues with Prospero asking the Red Death to unveil himself, but the Red Death refuses, stating that there is no face of death until the moment of your own death and that he is only one of the many messengers. Then, he reveals that he comes for many but not all.
The song captures the essence of the original scene and explores the themes of identity, disguise, and unmasking. It speaks to the idea that people wear masks, both literal and figurative ones, to conceal their true selves. However, underneath the masks, everyone is vulnerable to the inevitability of death. By sampling the dialogue from the movie, the song emphasizes that death is not a singular entity but a part of a larger cycle.
Line by Line Meaning
Prospero. You command me to wait? Very well. I wait.
Red Death obeys Prospero's command to wait, without hesitation.
Condotti? Rimini? Who are you beneath your mask?
Prospero tries to guess Red Death's true identity, wondering who they are under their costume and mask.
Is my costume such a disguise that you don't recognize me?
Red Death wonders if their costume is really that good of a disguise if Prospero cannot recognize them.
Your voice is familiar. Dr. Bernelli, that's who you are. Bernelli, you dog, thinking to... You are not Bernelli.
Prospero initially mistakes Red Death for Dr. Bernelli due to their familiar voice, but quickly realizes their mistake and calls Bernelli a 'dog'.
No. The doctor dances in the white room. But I passed close by him. Truly, Prospero, you don't know me?
Red Death informs Prospero that they are not Bernelli and claims to have been near him recently, questioning if Prospero truly knows who they are.
So you've come.
Prospero realizes that Red Death has come for him.
Yes, Prospero.
Red Death confirms Prospero's suspicion and acknowledges that they have come for him.
On your knees.
Prospero orders Francesca to kneel before him.
Prospero!
Francesca cries out in shock and distress at Prospero's order.
On your knees. The Prince of Darkness. I would like to see your face.
Prospero speaks to Red Death, referring to them as the Prince of Darkness, and expresses a desire to see their face.
There is no face of death until the moment of your own death. And I am only one of many messengers.
Red Death explains that there is no one true face of death, and that they are merely one of many messengers of death.
Who do you come for?
Prospero asks Red Death who they have come for.
Many.
Red Death responds that they have come for many people, but not all.
I knew I was right. I knew it. I've won.
Prospero believes that he has won, and that his preparations to avoid the Red Death were successful.
The time of unmasking. They begin to show their naked faces.
Red Death speaks of the time when people will be forced to reveal their true selves and show their 'naked faces'.
Contributed by Zoe V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.