Enslavement of Beauty was formed in January 1995 by Ole Alexander Myrholt (vocals & lyrics) and Tony Eugene Tunheim (guitars & composing). The band spent the subsequent years composing and recording material and thereby developed their expression.
In the summer of 1998, Enslavement of Beauty recorded the demo CD "Devilry & Temptation" which gained them a deal with Head Not Found / Voices of Wonder.
This resulted in the 1999 release "Traces o' Red" which received very positive response. In November 2000, the beauticians headed back to the studio to record their second album, "Megalomania", accompanied by drummer Asgeir Mickelson (Borknagar/Spiral Architect) and bass player Hans-Aage Holmen.
Musically the band still sounds very melodic and deeply inspired by classical music but with a sharper metal edge and a truly hell-bent rock 'n' roll attitude. Lyrically Enslavement of Beauty is more direct approach but still highly influenced by the poetic beauty of Shakespeare and De Sade's works.
X and Moments
Enslavement of Beauty Lyrics
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To meet an antique book,
In just the dress his century wore;
A privilege, I think,
His (venerable) hand to take,
And warming in our own,
A passage back, or two, to make
To times when he was young.
His knowledge to unfold
On what concerns our mutual mind,
The literature of old;
What interested scholars most,
What competitions ran
When Plato was a certainty,
And Sophocles a man;
When Sappho was a living girl,
And Beatrice wore
The gown that Dante deified.
Facts, centuries before,
He traverses familiar,
As one should come to town
And tell you all your dreams were true:
He lived where dreams were born.
His presence is enchantment,
You beg him not to go;
Old volumes shake their vellum heads
And tantalize, just so.
And there's grief of hunger, and grief of cold
And there's a sort they call despair
There's banishment from primitive lust
In the slightest sight of fundamental air
The lyrics of Enslavement of Beauty's song "X and Moments" depict the beauty of encountering an antique book that offers a window into another time. The singer describes the pleasure of holding such a book in their hand, feeling a connection to the past and the knowledge it offers. They speak of the opportunity to inspect the opinions of those who came before, explore their knowledge of literature, and learn about what interested scholars in past centuries. The singer describes the feeling of being transported back in time, to an era when famous philosophers like Plato and Sophocles were still living, and poets like Sappho and Dante were roaming the earth. The singer marvels at the fact that the book's author once lived in a time when the dreams of the future were just beginning to take shape.
The latter half of the song takes a different direction, exploring the concept of grief and despair in various forms. The singer speaks of the grief of hunger, poverty, and banishment from primitive desires, all of which are vaguely linked by the notion of lacking something essential. The song's thematic link between the beauty of antique literature and the weight of human suffering remains unclear, but the mood of contemplation and introspection remains present throughout the piece.
Line by Line Meaning
A precious, mouldering pleasure 'tis
It is a valuable, decaying experience
To meet an antique book,
Encountering an old book
In just the dress his century wore;
In its original form
A privilege, I think,
A great honor
His (venerable) hand to take,
To hold hands with the author
And warming in our own,
To empathize with their thoughts
A passage back, or two, to make
To time-travel through their words
To times when he was young.
To revisit their youth
His quaint opinions to inspect,
To analyze their unique views
His knowledge to unfold
To unravel their wisdom
On what concerns our mutual mind,
On topics that interest us both
The literature of old;
The classic works of the past
What interested scholars most,
What fascinated the intellectuals
What competitions ran
What contests took place
When Plato was a certainty,
When Plato's ideas were accepted
And Sophocles a man;
And Sophocles was still alive
When Sappho was a living girl,
When Sappho was among the living
And Beatrice wore
And Beatrice donned
The gown that Dante deified.
The dress that Dante praised highly
Facts, centuries before,
Historical events from ages ago
He traverses familiar,
He explores with ease
As one should come to town
As one would survey a city
And tell you all your dreams were true:
And confirm your wildest aspirations
He lived where dreams were born.
He inhabited a realm of imagination
His presence is enchantment,
He exudes enchantment
You beg him not to go;
You implore him to stay
Old volumes shake their vellum heads
Ancient writings seem to come alive
And tantalize, just so.
And tease, exactly in that way
And there's grief of hunger, and grief of cold
There is the sorrow of physical needs
And there's a sort they call despair
And there is a type of gloom known as despair
There's banishment from primitive lust
There is a renunciation of carnal desires
In the slightest sight of fundamental air.
In the smallest glimpse of essential air.
Contributed by Oliver W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
nMAsee
The last album, but not new, it's from 2007