The new moniker became Officium Triste and musically they started to compose heavy and melodic doom metal. The start of Officium Triste went pretty smooth and new songs were composed quite fast. This resulted in the decision to record a demo. This demo was recorded in the summer of 1994 at the Elektra in Sliedrecht on the 4th and 5th of August. The recordings were low-budget, using a 4-tracker.
This recording-session resulted in the "Demo '94" with 3 songs and an intro on it. The reactions from the underground scene were very good and eventually all 200 copies were sold out. The music on this demo resulted in a deal with a label called Fuck You Records for a 7" EP. Officium Triste entered the Excess-studio in Rotterdam on 19 and 20 February 1995 to record 2 new songs and an intro.
Due to the incapability and “supposedly” lack of money the label didn't do anything. So, after a year of delay, the band decided to release the EP by themselves. Vocalist Pim started Weeping Willow Records and released the EP "Mountains of Depressiveness" pressed on red vinyl limited to 500 copies in the summer of 1996. In between bass player Maarten left the band in the summer of 1995, being replaced by Johan. Although the recordings were over a year old, the reactions within the scene were very good.
This resulted in a deal with Dutch underground label Teutonic Existence Records for a CD. The band entered Excess studio again to record the CD in December 1996. They recorded 5 new songs and re-recorded 2 songs of the demo and one of the EP in slightly different versions. In February 1997 the recording-sessions were done and the CD "Ne Vivam" was released late April.
Also 1 track was delivered for an all-Dutch compilation CD to be released by Moonlight records from Germany. This compilation was supposed to hit the scene early 1996 featuring bands like Orphanage, Callenish Circle and Asraï amongst others, but until now nothing has happened and it seems this compilation will never see the light of day since Oliver Kraupa of Moonlight is just a major rip-off.
Officium Triste also got more gigs that went very well. The absolute highlight to date has to be the support for Anathema at the great Noorderligt venue in Tilburg, Holland in May 1997.
The next recording Officium Triste made, were three new tracks (again using Excess studio) for a split MCD release with Cold Mourning from Monterey, California, USA. This MCD was also released through Weeping Willow Records, containing two songs by each band. Officium Triste were also featured on a compilation CD released by Innocent Record Productions from Holland. The track featured is "Dreams of Sorrow" of the "Ne Vivam" album. This compilation didn't receive much attention, and the bands featured aren't special, therefore we consider it as being a not-so-important release in the band history.
At this point of time (September 1998) some irritation between the band-members led to the decision to quit the band. However, they didn't want to leave unnoticed, so a successful goodbye-gig, again supporting Anathema, was done in their hometown Rotterdam at Baroeg.
They also decided to release one more CD-single to say goodbye. This CD contained 'left-overs' from the last two recording sessions: "Roses on my Grave" was never released before and was recorded at the same time as the songs for the split-MCD and "Headstone" was a cover song, recorded during the "Ne Vivam" session, from the underrated English band Chorus of Ruin.
In the meanwhile Martin, Johan and Pim decided to continue, creating a new band, XI:LIX [ a.k.a. Eleven Fiftynine a.k.a. 11:59 ] A new guitarist, also named Johan, was recruited and they started working on new songs. After seven months the members of Officium Triste decided to meet in the pub to have a drink for old-times sake and soon they realised the decision they made was wrong. So Officium Triste reformed and Johan the new guitarist was also taken in the line-up, leading to a line-up featuring 3 guitarists.
In January 2000 O.T. recorded two new songs, "Pathway of Broken Glass" and "Divinity" for a promo. The song "Roses on my Grave" is also included on this disc. This promo was send to labels for a possible deal. During April 2000 'new man' Johan decided he wanted to quit due to lack of time.
July 2000 we parted ways with bass-player Johan. We felt the "co-operation" between him and the rest of the band wasn't anymore what it used to be. We found a replacement in Lawrence, who is gonna handle the bass. He has a musical background playing guitar in Death Sentence and drums for Liar of Golgotha.
The release of the promo lead to a 2 album deal with Displeased records from Holland. We entered Valvesound studios in Schiedam, Holland in april 2001 to record our second full-length album. In 10 days we recorded and mixed the album which is called "The Pathway". This album contains 7 songs. In the meanwhile we did some gigs with the new line-up. In october 2001 the album "The Pathway" was released as well as a re-issue of our self-financed “Goodbye” MiniCD "Roses on my Grave". This time as a limited 7"EP with a slightly different cover.
After the release of “The Pathway” Officium Triste did a number of gigs of which the support slot for Candlemass in 013 Tilburg and the appearance on the Doom Shall Rise festival were highlights in the history of Officium Triste. The band also started working on new material for their third album (the second for Displeased) and because the band was not that fond of the production of “The Pathway” anymore they decided to record the next album in their own studio “El Pato” run by guitarist Johan. The band demoed a song and Displeased gave green light to record the next album at “El Pato”. During December 2003 and March 2004 they recorded the 5-track album “Reason” which led to great reviews worldwide. Currently the new album is promoting by doing lots of shows
THE DOOM GENERATION, December 2004
Divinity
Officium Triste Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The light, my goddess, ultimate divinity
Draped with velvet and silk
She provides honey and milk
Heart and soul I sacrifice
The love for you never dies
I realise
You're so fine
You are divine
Divine woman you stole my heart
Other gods I will discard
You are the one I will serve
I bow for your shapes and curves
Entangled we reach our paradise
A garden of eden behind our eyes
Fulfilled with lust and desire
My veins burn, my heart is on fire
Oh my goddess what have you done to me
My love for you, it shall forever be.
The lyrics of Officium Triste's song "Divinity" is an ode to a divine woman who is the "sparkle in this chaos ridden infinity". The vocalist worships her as the "ultimate divinity" and praises her beauty that is compared to a goddess. The woman is described as being draped with velvet and silk and provides "honey and milk". The singer sacrifices his "heart and soul" to the love he has for her, which will never die. He realizes that she's his life and knows that she is divine, "so fine".
The song is about one's devotion to a divine feminine figure. The lyrics praise her beauty and offer a description of the kind of love and devotion the singer has toward her. The woman is seen as a divine being, to whom the singer is ready to offer everything, including his heart and soul. The song emphasizes the paradise that the singer and the divine figure share, as they are "entangled" together, and it is fulfilled with lust and desire. The closing verse reveals that the woman has forever changed the singer's life and that he is forever devoted to her.
Line by Line Meaning
A sparkle in this chaos ridden infinity
Amidst the chaos and vastness of the universe, a glimmer of hope and light shines through.
The light, my goddess, ultimate divinity
The light symbolizes the singer's love for his goddess, who he views as the ultimate divine power.
Draped with velvet and silk
The goddess is described as being adorned in luxurious, soft fabrics.
She provides honey and milk
The goddess is symbolic of nourishment, providing the singer with the sweetness of honey and the sustenance of milk.
Heart and soul I sacrifice
The singer willingly gives up his heart and soul to his goddess, willing to do anything for her.
The love for you never dies
The singer's love for his goddess is eternal, and will never fade away.
You're my life
The goddess is the singer's everything, and he cannot imagine life without her.
I realise
The singer has come to the realization that the goddess is his one and only true love.
You're so fine
The singer is enamored with the goddess, praising her beauty and perfection.
You are divine
The singer views the goddess as a divine, otherworldly being worthy of worship.
Divine woman you stole my heart
The goddess has captured the singer's heart and soul, and he is drawn to her divine nature.
Other gods I will discard
The singer renounces any other gods or idols he previously worshiped, recognizing the goddess as the only true divine power.
You are the one I will serve
The singer pledges his allegiance to the goddess, dedicating his life to serving and worshiping her.
I bow for your shapes and curves
The singer expresses his admiration for the physical attributes of the goddess, bowing down to her beauty.
Entangled we reach our paradise
The singer envisions a paradise where he and the goddess are intertwined and inseparable.
A garden of eden behind our eyes
The singer imagines a heavenly garden - reminiscent of the Garden of Eden - where he and the goddess reside.
Fulfilled with lust and desire
The singer and the goddess are filled with a passionate, all-consuming lust for each other.
My veins burn, my heart is on fire
The singer experiences intense physical and emotional sensations when he is with the goddess.
Oh my goddess what have you done to me
The singer is overwhelmed by the powerful effect the goddess has had on him, questioning what she has done to him.
My love for you, it shall forever be.
The singer's love for the goddess is eternal and unending.
Contributed by Isaac H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
HatiDSBM
Thanks for sharing! Most of songs from The Pathway should be uploaded ... For now only few are on youtube... When I'll find the time I'll upload my fav at least (title track and "Deep Down"). Cheers!
Aly Sh
It's been a pleasure uploading this one as I looked for it here and wasn't able to find it. I will be waiting for your uploads. Cheers
EvertsonPim
This version actually differs from the version on The Pathway. It was re-recorded for the Charcoal Hearts compilation!