Johann Wolfgang Pozoj is an avant-garde black metal band from Croatia that … Read Full Bio ↴Johann Wolfgang Pozoj is an avant-garde black metal band from Croatia that came to existence in 2004 by merging of two “brother” bands - Intoxicate and Grob (Grave). The band’s name is derived from (pre) Indo-European myth about a dragon (Pozoj) and its later mythological and lingual derivations.

The first part of their opus is a Trilogy based on myth and the philosophical triad of thesis, antithesis and synthesis where those three phases represent the spirit becoming real through art.

The first album in the Trilogy – Birth of Pozoj represents the Trilogy’s symbolic phase where the idea hasn’t yet found its complete form, and the birth of the dragon (Pozoj) as a symbolic beginning of time flow. The album was released in 2006 via Progressive Attack Records.

Soon after, the band went through line-up changes and in 2007 Ivan Borcic joined the band as the new vocal and lyricist replacing Darko Simunovic, while Slaven Milic joined as the new bass player, replacing Domagoj Soic. Together with the three remaining founding members – Filip Fabek and Marko Balaban on guitars and Luka Kovac on drums, in 2009 the quintet began recording the second part of their Trilogy named Escape of Pozoj. Following the Trilogy’s philosophy, the album represents the peak of fertility and growth, maturity and completely becoming real where the idea is fulfilling its purpose and Pozoj is leaving its mother nature.

Escape of Pozoj was self-released in the summer of 2009 in 1,000 copies and was soon recognized by both fans and critics as a modern classic. In 2010 it landed them a record deal with Italian label code666 which will (re)release the entire Trilogy.

Bellum Omnium Contra Omnes
Johann Wolfgang Pozoj Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Koliko koraka udalijen
Sam od ponora
Toliko koraka sam
Udaljen od života
I pitam se kamo ču?...
Kako sklapam oči
Fantazije nestaju
Želja spoznaje blijedi

Duboko u sumraku
I ostaju samo sječanja
... samo sječanja
Kako sklapam oči
Javlja se glas
Taj užasm glas
Nadire iz ničega
I sipi sa neba
U iščekivanju nečega
Neodredeno negativnog
Zar ne čujete?
Zar stvarno ne čujete?
Pod zemlijom i u nebu
Zar ne čujete tišinu?!

Gmižem iz mraka u mrak...
Kakvo je to stanje
To je to stanje
To je ljudski svijet
Ljudski svijet
Bojim se i stoga sam bezpogovorno
Poslušan
Ali imam hrabrosti da sumnjam

Rat svih protiv sviju
Bellum ominum contra omnes

Scent my skin
Feel my mind
Is anybody lost out there

Living in land far from homeland
How do you feel when the sets?
Are you scared?
Ti
Ne prolaziš kroz prostor
Ti
Ne prolaziš kroz vrijeme

Ovdje si sada takav jesi
Što češ učiniti?
Što češ učiniti?
Život bez smiisla je tako besmislen
A život sa smislom, je još
Besmisleniji
Što češ učiniti?
Što češ učiniti?
Pomozi sebi jer nitko ti drugi
Ne može pomoči
Ti
Ne prolaziš kroz prostor
Ti
Ne prolaziš kroz vrijeme
Ovdje si sada takav kakav jesi
Što češ učiniti?
Što češ učiniti?
Ti si svoj najgori neprijatelj
Ali i svoj jedini prijatelj
Pomozi sebi, nitko ti drugi
Ne može pomoči

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Johann Wolfgang Pozoj's "Bellum Omnium Contra Omnes" express a sense of being lost and detached from life. The singer contemplates how far away they are from the cliff's edge and how detached they feel from life itself. The singer seeks answers and contemplates what to do. When they close their eyes, their fantasies disappear, and their desires fade away into the twilight. Fragments of memories remain, and a voice creeps in from the empty space, shaking them with the anticipation of something uncertainly negative. The world around them is chaotic, with a war that rages on without end, and fear permeates their being. They are lost in a foreign land, and they wonder if anyone else feels the same way. The singer recognizes that they are their own worst enemy, but they are also their own best and only ally. In a world where life seems meaningless, they must help themselves.

The lyrics of "Bellum Omnium Contra Omnes" touch upon themes of loss, isolation, and hopelessness. The singer expresses a deep sense of detachment from life, as though they are devoid of purpose and direction. They seem to be searching for answers to life's hardest questions but cannot find any meaningful truths. The war that rages on around them represents the chaos and suffering in the world, causing them to feel lost and alone. Despite this, the singer recognizes that they have the power to help themselves and be their own ally. Ultimately, the lyrics convey a sense of existential angst, but they also suggest that we have the power to find meaning and direction in our lives.

Line by Line Meaning

Koliko koraka udalijen Sam od ponora
I am standing just so many steps away from the abyss

Toliko koraka sam Udaljen od života
And just as many from life

I pitam se kamo ču?...
And I ask myself where do I go from here?

Kako sklapam oči Fantazije nestaju Želja spoznaje blijedi Duboko u sumraku I ostaju samo sječanja
As I close my eyes, fantasies disappear, the desire for knowledge fades away in the twilight, and only memories remain

... samo sječanja
... only memories

Javlja se glas Taj užasm glas Nadire iz ničega I sipi sa neba U iščekivanju nečega Neodredeno negativnog Zar ne čujete? Zar stvarno ne čujete? Pod zemljom i u nebu Zar ne čujete tišinu?!
A voice appears, a horrifying voice, emerging from nothing and pouring down from the sky, in anticipation of something indeterminately negative. Can't you hear it? Can't you really hear it? The silence below and above?

Gmižem iz mraka u mrak... Kakvo je to stanje To je to stanje To je ljudski svijet Ljudski svijet Bojim se i stoga sam bezpogovorno Poslušan Ali imam hrabrosti da sumnjam
I crawl from darkness to darkness... What kind of state is this? This is the state of the human world! I am afraid and therefore unquestioningly obedient, but I have the courage to doubt

Rat svih protiv sviju Bellum ominum contra omnes Scent my skin Feel my mind Is anybody lost out there
A war of all against all. Scent my skin, Feel my mind. Is anybody lost out there?

Living in land far from homeland How do you feel when the sets? Are you scared?
Living in a land far from homeland, how do you feel when the sun sets? Are you scared?

Ti Ne prolaziš kroz prostor Ti Ne prolaziš kroz vrijeme
You do not pass through space. You do not pass through time

Ovdje si sada takav jesi Što češ učiniti? Što češ učiniti? Život bez smiisla je tako besmislen A život sa smislom, je još Besmisleniji Što češ učiniti? Što češ učiniti? Pomozi sebi jer nitko ti drugi Ne može pomoči
You are here now, as you are. What will you do? What will you do? Life without meaning is so meaningless, and life with meaning is even more meaningless. What will you do? What will you do? Help yourself because no one else can help you

Ti si svoj najgori neprijatelj Ali i svoj jedini prijatelj Pomozi sebi, nitko ti drugi Ne može pomoči
You are your own worst enemy but also your only friend. Help yourself because no one else can help you

Contributed by Adam Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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