While information about the band's membership has never been officially confirmed (apart from Shaxul being known as the band's first vocalist), it is generally believed that Deathspell Omega was created by Hasjarl as a side project before Hirilorn broke up. After Hirilorn split, it is believed that Shaxul, Hasjarl and Khaos created Deathspell Omega, with Hasjarl's brother (no known pseudonym) on drums. Eventually, Shaxul is confirmed to have left due to his distaste for the band moving towards Orthodox Satanism, and is believed to have been replaced by Mikko Aspa on vocals. Apart from Shaxul's identity, there are no official sources for any of this, however; much of the information about the remaining membership appears to be based on correspondence with Shaxul himself, and it's speculated that additional musicians may appear on some of the band's work since he left. The band gave no interviews between 2004 (for Ajna Offensive) and 2019 (for Bardo Methodology); although the band has consistently taken pains to conceal its members' identities, the interviews are quite candid explications of the band's ideologies and mindsets at the times the interviews were given. The Bardo interview also addresses an ideological chasm in the band between the "French core" of the band and "parts of the second circle", which is presumed to refer to Aspa's involvement in the project; Aspa has noted associations with authoritarian political movements. The band gave another interview in 2020 with Roy Kristensen for the website Cult Never Dies in which they elaborated further on some of their ideas.
The Long Defeat, as of this writing Deathspell Omega's most recent release, reflects something of a shift in stylistic focus, as it brings the slower, more melodic elements that had shown up occasionally across the band's prior two decades of work (e.g., "Carnal Malefactor", "Apokatastasis pantôn", "Salowe Vision") to the forefront. It also clearly features several vocalists, although the exact number and which parts they perform remains a matter of conjecture. (Common conjectures include Aspa, Daniel Rostén of Funeral Mist and Marduk, Spica of S.V.E.S.T., M. of Mgła, and Silenius of Abigor and Summoning.) Lyrically, the album is centred around an allegorical fable about techno-capitalism and humanity's despoilment of nature, featuring a silhouette who represents a corruptible man, several beasts, and Satan in the form of a gigantic, diseased black poodle; many of the themes addressed in the Bardo Methodology and Cult Never Dies interviews reappear in the album and its accompanying fable. In addition to these, the album also features a two-metre-long mural addressing many of the same themes. The fable ends with the phrase "To Be Continued", suggesting that it is the first part of a longer work.
Hasjarl is the owner of End All Life Productions and one of the main forces behind Norma Evangelium Diaboli. Mikko Aspa is the owner of Northern Heritage Records and Freak Animal Records (power electronics label), and is also believed to own a progressive rock label called Totuuden Sarvi Levyt. Shaxul (ex-member) is the owner of Legion of Death Records.
In December 2015, the band launched a Bandcamp site.
Major releases:
1999 - Disciples of the Ultimate Void (demo, later re-released as part of Infernal Battles)
2000 - Sob a lua do bode / Demoniac Vengeance (split with Moonblood)
2000 - Infernal Battles
2001 - split with Clandestine Blaze
2002 - split with Mütiilation
2002 - Inquisitors of Satan
2004 - Si monumentum requires, circumspice
2005 - From the Entrails to the Dirt (four-way split with Malicious Secrets, Antaeus, and Mütiilation)
2005 - Kénôse (EP)
2005 - Crushing the Holy Trinity (six-way split with Stabat mater, Musta surma, Clandestine Blaze, Mgła, and Exordium)
2007 - Fas - ite, maledicti, in ignem aeternum
2008 - Veritas diaboli manet in aeternum: Chaining the Katechon (EP, also released on vinyl as part of a split with S.V.E.S.T.)
2008 - Mass Grave Aesthetics (EP, originally released in 2005 on From the Entrails to the Dirt)
2008 - Manifestations 2000-2001 (compilation of previously released material from Mütiilation split, Moonblood split, and Black Metal Blitzkrieg multi-artist compilation)
2008 - Manifestations 2002 (previously unreleased album)
2010 - Paracletus
2011 - Diabolus absconditus (EP, originally released in 2005 on Crushing the Holy Trinity)
2012 - Drought (EP)
2016 - The Synarchy of Molten Bones
2019 - The Furnaces of Palingenesia
2022 - The Long Defeat
Note that the material from the Clandestine Blaze split from 2001 contains material not on any of the other above releases. There are also two untitled, comprehensive vinyl box sets, one a five-LP set compiling all the material from the Shaxul era (2000-2002; LP 1: Infernal Battles, LP 2: Inquisitors of Satan, LP 3: Manifestations 2000-2001, LP 4: Manifestations 2002, LP 5: Deathspell side of Clandestine Blaze split) released in 2009 and the other a seven-LP set compiling all the material from the Mikko Aspa era's "trilogy" and related releases (2004-2012; LPs 1-2: Si monumentum requires, circumspice; LP 3: Kénôse; LP 4: Diabolus absconditus/Mass Grave Aesthetics; LP 5: Fas - ite, maledicti, in ignem aeternum; LP 6: Chaining the Katechon/Drought; LP 7: Paracletus) released in 2012.
III
Deathspell Omega Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So astonishingly simultaneous and in unison,
Each and every second,
They defuse each other in such a perfect manner,
Equaling the most inscrutable of all
Silences
Doctrine of Mystical Substitution, Mystical Body, Sanctorum Communionem,
Celebrate the Sin of one reflecting, tectonic forces alike, upon the multitude
The fruit that is forbidden
Holds the greatest potential for providing infinite knowledge
Spiritual Incest and the defilement of the temple of the Holy Spirit
Ritualized and Immanent...
The pursuit of perversity, is it not but a mask
On the search for meaning and knowledge?
The purest of all Holocausts shall be perpetrated
By a loving hand, never knowing if it provided felicity
Or the vilest of everlasting torments
... No man can see Me and live!
"Et proiectus est draco ille magnus serpens antiquus qui vocatur Diabolus et Satanas qui
Seducit universum orbem proiectus est in terram et angeli eius cum illo missi sunt"
May Repentance be nothing more than a mask of algolagnia?
And the victim, blind to the radiating Light of Truth, stuttering, repeats
Lamma Sabacthani,
Lamma Sabacthani,
Lamma Sabacthani...
And the victim, blind to the radiating Light of Truth, stuttering, repeats
Lamma Sabacthani,
Lamma Sabacthani,
Lamma Sabacthani...
And the victim, blind to the radiating Light of Truth, stuttering, repeats
Lamma Sabacthani,
Lamma Sabacthani,
Lamma Sabacthani...
And the victim, blind to the radiating Light of Truth, stuttering, repeats
Lamma Sabacthani,
Lamma Sabacthani,
Lamma Sabacthani...
(Consummatum est
"Nous n'avons pas d'autre moyen que la douleur
Pour sentir notre propre existence spirituelle et divine;
Nous n'en avons pas d'autre pour la faire sentir à nos semblables"
"And we have the prophetic word made more sure
You will do well to pay attention to this as a lamp shining in a dark place,
Until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts"
- 2 Peter 1:19)
The lyrics of Deathspell Omega's song iii delve deep into the themes of spiritual pain, suffering, sin, and the search for knowledge and truth, often through the veil of religious imagery. The song begins by describing the stillness of contemplation that arises from the billions of woeful cries that rise in unison, defusing one another in a perfect manner, and leading to the most inscrutable silence. The lyrics then move on to discussing the forbidden fruit that holds infinite knowledge, but also the potential for spiritual incest and defilement of the Holy Spirit. The pursuit of perversity, it suggests, is but a mask for the deeper, more complex search for meaning and knowledge.
The lyrics then take a more sinister turn, alluding to the purest of all holocausts that may be perpetrated by a loving hand, without knowledge of whether it brings happiness or the vilest of torments. The questioning then turns inward, wondering if repentance is nothing more than a mask for the pleasure of pain. The song concludes with a repetition of the words Lamma Sabacthani, spoken by a victim blind to the radiating light of truth and searching for answers.
Overall, the lyrics of iii are poignant and thought-provoking, forcing the listener to confront the darker side of spirituality and religion.
Line by Line Meaning
The stillness of Contemplation is allowed in billions of woeful cries,
Amidst billions of painful cries, there can be found a serene stillness that is available for contemplation.
So astonishingly simultaneous and in unison,
These cries happen all at once and are in harmony with each other.
Each and every second,
This is a constant occurrence.
They defuse each other in such a perfect manner,
The cries neutralize each other perfectly.
Equaling the most inscrutable of all Silences
The silence that results from these cries is incomprehensible.
Doctrine of Mystical Substitution, Mystical Body, Sanctorum Communionem, Celebrate the Sin of one reflecting, tectonic forces alike, upon the multitude
The celebration of one person's sin reflects upon the many, like tectonic plates crashing together.
The fruit that is forbidden Holds the greatest potential for providing infinite knowledge
What is forbidden holds the most valuable knowledge.
Spiritual Incest and the defilement of the temple of the Holy Spirit Ritualized and Immanent...
The sanctity of the Holy Spirit's temple is defiled through the act of spiritual incest, which is repeated frequently.
The pursuit of perversity, is it not but a mask On the search for meaning and knowledge?
Is the search for perversity simply a cover for the desire for knowledge and understanding?
The purest of all Holocausts shall be perpetrated By a loving hand, never knowing if it provided felicity Or the vilest of everlasting torments
The most perfect destruction will be carried out by someone who loves, but their actions may have resulted in either joy or infinite suffering.
... No man can see Me and live!
God is beyond human comprehension and anyone who claims to have seen him cannot survive the experience.
May Repentance be nothing more than a mask of algolagnia?
Perhaps people only express regret as a way of enjoying pain.
And the victim, blind to the radiating Light of Truth, stuttering, repeats Lamma Sabacthani, Lamma Sabacthani, Lamma Sabacthani...
The victim, unable to see the truth, repeats 'Lamma Sabacthani' endlessly.
(Consummatum est
It is finished.
"Nous n'avons pas d'autre moyen que la douleur Pour sentir notre propre existence spirituelle et divine; Nous n'en avons pas d'autre pour la faire sentir à nos semblables"
Pain is the only way to experience our own divine existence and share it with others.
"And we have the prophetic word made more sure You will do well to pay attention to this as a lamp shining in a dark place, Until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts" - 2 Peter 1:19)
The word of prophecy is a light shining in the darkness, guiding us until the day God's light will rise within us.
Contributed by Elena K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.