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is confirmed to have left due to his distaste for the band moving towards Orthodox Satanism, and is believed to have been replaced by Mikko Aspa on vocals.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.
ii
Deathspell Omega Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
... Echange du Vide
Ecce lignum Crucis,
In quo salus mundi pependit)
Therefore, God honors the sword so highly
That He calls it His own ordinance, and will not have men say
For the hand that wields this sword and slays with it is then
No more man's hand, but God's, and it is not man,
But God, who hangs, tortures, beheads, slays and fights
All these are His work and His judgments...
Plerosis, answering the strident call of felony,
Filling the void of purity gone instantly...
Instigating manifold quadrants of industrialized death,
An avid Moloch, never satiated, an endless Feast,
Following the principle of reversibility of merits, shattering up the Word
As Pillars of grayish Soulfire spurt out to a bereaved firmament
... I am the son of Man, and this in erring reason's spite, is my pride...
War, be enthroned, a form of divine retribution!
Execution,
Be sacred, agent of divine Providence!
Man, lost somewhere between the restrictive force
Of Cain and the expansive force of Abel,
Falls from his median position between Angel and Beast
Each time he ceases to desire a being superior to himself
Adam's descent into materiality,
May it be questioned...
The separating line between the Saved and the Damned,
May it be questioned...
If there is to be a multiplicity of forms, can one thing be worse
Unless another is better, or one be better unless another is worse...
Those who would eliminate the worse from the universe would eliminate
Providence itself
Interrogate the patterns of the prophetic mode,
Perceive the two faces of the Divine
And shed the just, divine retribution
Quantified, a suppurating cross, alike in blood and scoria
(Qual und Tod bringt dieser Sang, der ihn bestürmt,
Sein Herze zerreißt, Sinne zerstört...
"L'Esprit du Seigneur ne se promène pas seulement dans les cimetières
Ceux qui Le connaissent peuvent Le rencontrer partout, fût-ce en enfer,
Et Il dit Lui-même que le feu marche devant Sa Face!")
Microcosm,
The details of a burning body, vivid and morbid,
Flaming eyes perceived through a virtuous glance,
A swollen tongue protruding through the nasal apertures, hanging lips bruised,
Teeth overcome with rot, long arms that hang down to the feet and odors foul...
Explicit is the belief that God permits his creatures to be reviled and scorned
And that this is their only means of
Salvation
Means of...
Salvation!
Thesaurus Ecclesiae
The memory of a stagnant and somber vale
Inhabited by ethereal purity,
Violet and blood-red crucifixes,
Sulfurous shrines and red-glowing demonism
Thou shalt bringeth the chalice of divine wrath and final consummation
To thine lips, and drink with confidence...
Tell me, sweet child, why are tears rolling from your eyes?
The opening lines of the song II by Deathspell Omega references a Biblical quote from the New Testament stating that the cross is the symbol of God's ultimate sacrifice, in which the salvation of humankind rests. The following lines illustrate how God honors the sword, as it is emblematic of his divine ordinance. The song speaks to mankind's ambiguous position between the forces of good and evil but ultimately suggests that both divine retribution and execution are sacred and agent to God's providence.
The song utilizes violent and graphic imagery to depict the consequences of human sinfulness, drawing inspiration from religious themes, history, and philosophy. The lyrics suggest the battle between good and evil is played out in the microcosm of the individual's body, which is portrayed in gruesome detail. Ultimately, the singer concludes that God permits his creatures to be reviled and scorned, as this is their only means of salvation.
Line by Line Meaning
Therefore, God honors the sword so highly
That He calls it His own ordinance, and will not have men say
Or imagine that they have invented it or instituted it
For the hand that wields this sword and slays with it is then
No more man's hand, but God's, and it is not man,
But God, who hangs, tortures, beheads, slays and fights
All these are His work and His judgments...
God holds the sword in high regard - it is His instrument and men should not think they created it. When wielded, it is God's hand that acts, performing acts of judgement and punishment.
Plerosis, answering the strident call of felony,
Filling the void of purity gone instantly...
The void left by lost purity is filled by plerosis, who echoes the call of felony, bringing corruption to completeness.
Instigating manifold quadrants of industrialized death,
An avid Moloch, never satiated, an endless Feast,
Following the principle of reversibility of merits, shattering up the Word
As Pillars of grayish Soulfire spurt out to a bereaved firmament...
Industrial death is propagated in many ways by an insatiable Moloch, who turns the concept of merit upside down, breaking apart the divine word as gray pillars of soulfire explode into the mournful sky.
... I am the son of Man, and this in erring reason's spite, is my pride...
War, be enthroned, a form of divine retribution!
Execution,
Be sacred, agent of divine Providence!
Pride is found in the fact of being human, while war and execution are seen as divine retribution and sacred, executed by the hand of God.
Man, lost somewhere between the restrictive force
Of Cain and the expansive force of Abel,
Falls from his median position between Angel and Beast
Each time he ceases to desire a being superior to himself
Adam's descent into materiality,
May it be questioned...
The separating line between the Saved and the Damned,
May it be questioned...
Man is caught between Cain's restrictive force and Abel's expansive force, falling from his position between angel and beast when he no longer desires a superior being. Adam's descent into materiality raises questions about the line separating the saved and the damned.
If there is to be a multiplicity of forms, can one thing be worse
Unless another is better, or one be better unless another is worse...
Those who would eliminate the worse from the universe would eliminate
Providence itself
Interrogate the patterns of the prophetic mode,
Perceive the two faces of the Divine
And shed the just, divine retribution
Quantified, a suppurating cross, alike in blood and scoria
If there are multiple forms, one cannot be worse without the other being better, or vice versa. To eliminate the concept of worse would be to eliminate Providence. The patterns of the prophetic mode should be examined to perceive both faces of the Divine and correctly execute divine punishment.
Microcosm,
The details of a burning body, vivid and morbid,
Flaming eyes perceived through a virtuous glance,
A swollen tongue protruding through the nasal apertures, hanging lips bruised,
Teeth overcome with rot, long arms that hang down to the feet and odors foul...
The gruesome details of a burning body are depicted, with flaming eyes and grotesque bodily features, highlighting the horror of such an image.
Explicit is the belief that God permits his creatures to be reviled and scorned
And that this is their only means of
Salvation
Means of...
Salvation!
It is believed that God allows his creatures to be insulted and ridiculed, as this is the path to salvation.
Thesaurus Ecclesiae
The memory of a stagnant and somber vale
Inhabited by ethereal purity,
Violet and blood-red crucifixes,
Sulfurous shrines and red-glowing demonism
Thou shalt bringeth the chalice of divine wrath and final consummation
To thine lips, and drink with confidence...
Thesaurus Ecclesiae is a memory of a bleak valley inhabited by pure beings, with blood-red crucifixes and fiery demonism. The chalice of divine wrath and final judgment will be brought to the lips of the faithful.
Tell me, sweet child, why are tears rolling from your eyes?
Unknown
Contributed by Juliana R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.