diSEMBOWELMENT played a very slow form of doom metal (with occasional bursts of great speed) that relied equally on the atmospheric effects of droning guitars and constant riffing. The band was known for its atmospheric chanting, slow riffs and spiritual dark elements present in their symphonic, heavily distorted style. They are often credited with spawning the funeral doom movement that developed years later.
In 1991, Jason Kells joined the band on lead guitar. The song "Extracted Nails" was recorded in April 1991 at Double Tea Studios for a compilation on the German label Mangled Beyond Recognition, released the following year. The compilation featured Therion, God Macabre, Rottrevore, Cadaver, Crematory, Pan.Thy.Monium, Cenotaph, Hydr Hydr.
Over the 3rd & 4 August 1991, the band went back to Double Tea studios to record their second demo Deep Sensory Perception into Aural Fate. This recording marked a big step forward in the maturity of the songwriting, performance and overall production. The demo sparked the interest of Relapse Records, who promptly signed them up and released the demo as the 1992 EP dUSK. This was an edited version of the demo that omitted the linking piece of music between the two songs. It also in addition included the first recorded version of "Cerulean Transience of All My Imagined Shores."
At the end of '91, Matthew Skarajew (Sanctum lead guitarist) joined the band and recorded for the "Cerulean Transcience" track the following year. Initially as full time bassist for the Cerulean session & album, ultimately adding guitar tracks (acoustic and melodic) on the album. He later switched to guitars for the (never recorded) 'covers' EP.
The 1993 album Transcendence into the Peripheral featured a slow, ritualistic drumming style, accompanied by death metal vocals, chants and passages of dark ambience.
diSEMBOWELMENT split up after the album's release. Prior to disbanding, the members had mentioned in interviews about a one-off live show that 'would be an event, a unique concert,' but this never eventuated.
At this time the band also rehearsed and prepared 5 cover tunes for a potential EP release. 'Slaughtered Remains' (Necrovore) was a demo track that appeared on the bonus extra disc of the (limited) re-release years later. This featured Paul on drums, Matt on guitars and Renato layered a vocal track on it 3 years later.
Gallina and Skarajew continued working together in the ethno ambient act Trial of the Bow which Skarajew had originally initiated during his time in diSEMBOWELMENT. Releasing an EP 'Ornamentation' and Full length album 'Rite of Passage' to critical approval by the press of the day, notably Rolling Stone and Wired Magazine. Trial of the Bow was licenced to Rykodisc soon after.
Skarajew and Mazziotta have since formed a grind band called Pulgar (active since 2004).
diSEMBOWELMENT's entire recorded catalogue was re-released as a double and limited edition triple CD by Relapse in 2005. Two different 'Limited Edition' Vinyl Box sets have since been released and have now sold out.
The band "reformed" under the guise of d.USK in 2010, featuring original members Matt and Paul. d.USK transformed into Inverloch, which released an EP titled Dusk | Subside in 2012 and an LP entitled Distance | Collapsed in 2016. Inverloch's style is fairly similar to diSEMBOWELMENT's and can be considered a continuation of the earlier band.
The Tree of Life and Death
Disembowelment Lyrics
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Disillusioned peasants lay in the catacombs,
Gothic oakwood may once again take its real form
And grasp for Your soul,
As the night falls,
Green turns to the colour which brings forth the eternal rest,
Reach forth and separate the mystical branch
As the moon is surpassed by a blanket of unholy cloud
Ambience of the dark evolves from beyond the divine nightshade,
Faraway from the forest,
The souls of the dead travel beneath the earths soil to arrive
At the tree of life and death,
Now a disoriented monk banished from the order finds solace
Within the cold surroundings of the untouched ground,
The secrets are revealed to him,
It is who commands the living,
The dead - The dead.
The Tree of Life and Death by Disembowelment is a dark and brooding song that speaks to the entanglement of life and death in a deep, ancient forest. The opening lines of the song speak of a winding forest, filled with the bodies of disillusioned peasants lying in the catacombs. The gothic oakwood that surrounds them seems to take on a life of its own, grasping for the listener's soul as night falls.
As the moon is veiled by an unholy cloud, and echoed shrieks fill the air, the ambience of the dark begins to evolve from beyond the divine nightshade. Though the forest itself is far from the listener, the souls of the dead travel through the earth to arrive at the tree of life and death, weaving in and out of the roots that bind it to the earth. As the branches of the tree stretch toward the heavens, the secrets of the world are revealed to a disoriented monk banished from his order. In the cold, untouched ground, he finds solace and understanding, learning who commands the living and the dead.
Line by Line Meaning
Through the winding forest where the bodies of
Disillusioned peasants lay in the catacombs,
Moving through the forest that is home to the catacombs where the corpses of peasants who have lost faith reside.
Gothic oakwood may once again take its real form
And grasp for Your soul,
The Gothic oak trees can take on their original shape and reach out for your soul.
As the night falls,
Green turns to the colour which brings forth the eternal rest,
As night falls, the color green transforms into the hue that signifies eternal repose.
Reach forth and separate the mystical branch
As the moon is surpassed by a blanket of unholy cloud
And echoed shrieks,
Extend your hand and detach the magical branch as the moon is obscured by an unholy veil and screams resound.
Ambience of the dark evolves from beyond the divine nightshade,
The dark and ominous environment transforms from the mystical and sacred nightshade plant.
Faraway from the forest,
The souls of the dead travel beneath the earths soil to arrive
At the tree of life and death,
Distant from the forest, the souls of the deceased journey below the ground to reach the tree that governs both life and death.
Now a disoriented monk banished from the order finds solace
Within the cold surroundings of the untouched ground,
A confused monk who has been exiled from the order discovers comfort in the frigid and unspoiled earth.
The secrets are revealed to him,
It is who commands the living,
The mysteries are unveiled to him; he learns who directs the living.
The dead - The dead.
The dead indeed.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Renato Gallina, Paul Mazziotta, Matthew Skarajew, Jason Kells
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind