Lost in Reverie and the 2005 EP The Moribund People were both produced under the label Mnemosyne Productions, owned and operated by Ihriel and Ihsahn themselves.
On March 4th, 2006 Peccatum split, leaving room for Ihriel to continue with Star of Ash and Ihsahn to work on his solo work. They still work together in their other project Hardingrock.
Speak of the Devil
Peccatum Lyrics
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Once upon a forest
The expression sought my mind
Yet I could not find
The purpose of its birth
Nor the scope of his dominion
The move:
The state of immortality
Is offered to mankind
Yet I could only
Whisper the name of Thine
The wait:
Once upon a time
Yet in the state
Of both mourning and longing
Waiting to proceed
Towards the end of the beginning
The meeting:
Once and for all
There was no withdrawal
I could just let myself
Be carried that way
This was to be my dying day
The end:
Once upon a death
The life was not mine to be
My own funeral
Was my surrounding
As the end revealed itself to me
The awakening:
Once upon a birth
An adult was to see
The secrets of pregnancy
As I screamed once more
I was made forever to be...
The lyrics of Peccatum's song "Speak of the Devil" are a narration of the different phases an individual goes through in life. The song starts by depicting a state of confusion, with the singer being unable to comprehend the purpose of their existence. They are lost in a forest, and the expression sought after by their mind is not clear to them. The ambiguity is highlighted when the scope of the dominion of this expression is not defined, further adding to the confusion of the singer. As the song progresses, the singer moves into a state of contemplation where they realize an offering of immortality has been made to humanity. However, they are incapable of fully grasping the concept and can only whisper the name of Thine, indicating an acknowledgment of a higher power at play.
In the next part, the lyrics speak about the singer waiting for life to unfold, a phase that is marked by both mourning and longing. They stand at the cusp of the end of the beginning, brimming with hope and anticipation. The song then highlights a meeting, where the singer accepts the inevitability of their own death. They forego their need to control and are instead carried by fate, leading to their dying day. The end is revealed in front of them, and they are surrounded by their own funeral, proving that life was not their own to begin with though they had a part in it. The final part of the song speaks of the singer's awakening, where they are reborn with the realization that the secrets of pregnancy are forever hidden from an adult. The scream marks their entry into the world of the living, where they come to terms with the fact that their existence is forever changed.
Line by Line Meaning
Once upon a forest
At one time in a place with many trees
The expression sought my mind
An idea or emotion was looking for my attention
Yet I could not find
But I was unable to discover or understand it
The purpose of its birth
The reason for it coming into existence
Nor the scope of his dominion
And the extent of its power or control
Once upon a blue moon
At a very rare occasion
The state of immortality
The condition of living forever
Is offered to mankind
Given to all human beings
Yet I could only
But all I was able to do was
Whisper the name of Thine
Murmur the identity of a divine being
Once upon a time
At some point in the past
Yet in the state
But existing in the condition of
Of both mourning and longing
Simultaneously grieving and desiring something
Waiting to proceed
Pausing for the opportunity to progress
Towards the end of the beginning
Moving in the direction of completing the start
Once and for all
Once without the possibility of repetition
There was no withdrawal
There was no retreat or hesitation
I could just let myself
I was able to permit myself to
Be carried that way
Be taken in that direction
This was to be my dying day
That day was going to be the end of my life
Once upon a death
At the time of passing away
The life was not mine to be
The existence did not belong to me
My own funeral
The ceremony commemorating my death
Was my surrounding
Became the environment around me
As the end revealed itself to me
When the conclusion became apparent and was disclosed to me
Once upon a birth
When someone was born
An adult was to see
A grown-up person was going to experience
The secrets of pregnancy
The hidden knowledge of gestation
As I screamed once more
While I cried out again
I was made forever to be...
I was transformed to exist unceasingly after that moment
Contributed by Blake D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.