DEATHSPELL OMEGA - Si Monvmentvm Reqvires, Circvmspice (listening guide)

 0. Introduction

“Our work is structured like the Roman god Janus: facing both the past and the future.” HASJARL

“Si Monvmentvm Reqvires, Circvmspice” is the link between the first Deathspell Omega and those to come from Kenose. This album is the bridge between that first style where the band pays tribute to the classics of the genre and the style that they will adopt from this release and for which they are famous within extreme metal, a very personal, very original style, of a quality that cannot be has been matched by no other band within the genre. The band deploys several resources here that will be the basis of their aesthetic from now on. This album is the farewell to the old style, and the herald of what is to come: the birth of a new sonic paradigm that will change the history of metal forever.

1. First Prayer The track consists of an extensive riff-arpeggio. It is one of Hasjarl's most original and striking characteristics on the guitar: performing long riffs with false cadences that lead to another cadence and another, delaying the final resting point and causing a feeling of disorientation in many cases. This technique, the construction of an internal architecture of the riff based on hyper-cadence, very little used, will be perfected with each release reaching masterful levels.

The riff-arpeggio (6/4+8/4) has a length of about forty-five seconds (although it will vary) and is the only element that remains constant throughout the song (with some subtle changes). The composition is based on the variations that the rest of the instruments will add to the base arpeggio. The riff is interesting for its own internal structure, which is a 6 + 8, that is, there are 14 pulses, which makes it asymmetrical, avoiding multiples of 4. The riff plays with the open strings, in this case the third . That note alternates with the augmented fifth of the chord, which, since it is not a note within the chord, a consonant note, adds tension, is dissonant and provides that dark atmosphere. Drums and bass will deploy different resources to add variety (we must highlight the harmonization of the bass and the gradual complication of the drum patterns). Texture is also used, in this case a religious liturgical song to complete the atmosphere of the song. As the title indicates, we are faced with the “First Prayer” and the album itself is designed as if it were a complete liturgical work that responds to the Christian religious song and the entire related conceptual ensemble. Deathspell Omega will invoke with “Si Monvmentvm Reqvires, Circvmspice” a whole spell to recklessly confront the immense religious corpus of the Christian liturgy. There will be several moments on the album that stand out in this sense and we will point them out. After the first expositions of the riff (0:00/0:45/1:26/2:08/2:44), the tension will increase, until reaching 3:19 where the guitar is left alone again, this time applying a reverse effect to deepen the feeling of estrangement. The liturgical voices return at 3:46 and the tension begins again (this time without drums or bass) to increase (4:32/5:15) until the distorted layers of texture take over, ending the song abruptly. This song is a compositionally ambitious introduction that surprised a lot at the time for distancing itself from the resources used in similar songs.

2. Sola Fide I The abrupt cut with the previous song takes us to a more traditional song with Deathspell Omega who were trying to get away from the Darkthrone style of their first two albums. The quality and style are top-notch and highlight the riffs in which Hasjarl introduces more complex and extensive structures. The standout riff of the entire track is the aggressive, epic tremolo that the band embarks on at 2:13. This riff, although without vocal accompaniment, works as the chorus of the song due to its highly inspired melody. Although the overall structure of the riff is conventional (4 groups of 4 bars), Hasjarl once again manages to disorient the listener with another example of the application of hyper-cadence since it is difficult to really understand the internal architecture of the riff, especially thanks to the displacement of certain chords preventing the accents from falling in the expected places: the riff has 16 bars and it is the extension of the chord in bars 9 and 10 that breaks the symmetry and the expected melodic line causing that feeling of disorientation. This riff is repeated (4:30) to conclude the song (accentuating its role as an instrumental chorus (in the style of Black Sabbath)) but in this repetition we can hear a third guitar that plays a solo and melodic voice that provides a more complex texture. and dense. This use of a third melodic and soloist guitar will be a resource that Hasjarl applies in other moments of “Si monvmentvn reqvire, circvnspice” and that he will abandon in future releases. The drums stand out for their use of the double bass drum in certain riffs since it is a resource that the Deathspell Omega drummer will leave behind. This makes him stand out among the drummers in the extreme metal scene where the double bass drum is a basic and widely used resource. In this song (and in other parts of the album) we find ourselves facing the last times where this resource will be deployed before being abandoned in favor of more imaginative and original patterns when this technique is not used. We also highlight that in "Sola fide I" is the first time we hear the voice of Mikko Aspa, a vocalist who replaced Shaxul and who will be the main voice of the band in this second stage that opens with this album. Aspa really fits perfectly with the band's new style, more complex, ambitious and varied, and so are his vocal performances that we will highlight when appropriate. A curiosity about this track is the strange texture that begins at 3:16 and that could be a solo bass part.

3. Sola Fide II

This track works as an extension of the previous one on a conceptual and musical level. The song opens with an aggressive riff in 9 beats (5x4 + 4x4) that links with the second riff that is a development of the first maintaining that asymmetrical structure that Hasjarl uses to always add a strange element so that the music does not allow us to find a predictable resting point. After these fast tremolo riffs a third riff appears (0:58) but this time arpeggiated, a technique that provides variety and that Hasjarl will develop throughout his career to the most absolute mastery. But the most interesting riff in Sola Fide II (1:30) is the one that functions as an instrumental chorus, connecting with Sola Fide I, which uses this same resource. As in the previous song, it is again a very epic melodic riff. This time we are faced with an asymmetrical riff (13 bars) with an excellent internal architecture. The first 6 bars include power chords, the remaining 6 (tremolos on one string) are the ones that add that strangeness with an ABA structure that is unusual in this type of riff (bars 1 and 2 are repeated in bars 5 and 6, and are adds variation in measures 3 and 4, causing this asymmetry). We would now have 2 groups of 6 measures to which a measure 13 is added (with new material) that provides that irregular closure. This excellent riff (also repeated at 2:40 and 4:43) is another early example of this technique used by Hasjarl to extend/delay cadences by moving them from their natural place and is essential to his style as a composer. After an unexpected pause in the speech at 5:58, the spectacular outro of the song begins where the voices that use several different approaches, effects and resources will stand out, leaving one of the most memorable moments of the album. The riffs are linear and minimalist here, but the most interesting thing is that Hasjarl begins to experiment with bending as an element to produce a feeling of dissonance seeking to add tension to the general atmosphere. This resource will be widely used in many of his later compositions. 4. Second Prayer The second part of the album begins again with a "prayer". The topic is divided into three parts (ABA). In the first, a dissonant and angular arpeggio, very characteristic of Hasjarl's style, is repeated constantly to give a sensation of continuous tension but also to provide the ritual character that the theme conceptually needs. At 0:39 drums and bass enter, equally minimalist, adapting to the rhythm of the arpeggio. Variations in dynamics are important here, subtle but necessary to maintain tension. The voices are abstract and remain on a secondary but threatening level, contributing to increasing the ritualistic feeling of the song. At 1:42 the tribal pattern on the drums breaks, which enters with a very marked rhythm but with a very interesting set of cymbals alternating two different arrangements that provide a novel solution to what is usually done in the style. At 2:46 the second part of the song begins, which functions as a central and contrasting interlude: the drum rhythm on the timpani accelerates (reminds Neurosis of this passage) it is an abstract part where there are couplings, voices altered with effects and layers of texture environmental. The tension increases until we link back to the initial guitar arpeggio (3:38) but this time two additional guitar lines are added that add density to the speech and signal the climax of the song.

                                                   

5. Blessed Are the Dead Whiche Dye in the Lorde

After a set of fast and aggressive riffs that open the song (and that will close it at the end), the arpeggiated riff that works as a chorus stands out (1:02). Once again we have an example of an irregular riff (5 parts) with a final arrangement that extends the cadence, although not in as striking a way as in the previous cases. At 2:04 a new set of riffs are exposed. The most notable thing here is the drums where we find ourselves again with an arrangement that shows two different drums for the same riff 2:47, moving from a blast beat to a very effective Dave Lombardo pattern, which contributes to giving variety to the narrative discourse. and provides a less predictable element. Precisely, this resource is repeated again when the arpeggiated riff that functions as a chorus returns at 3:46. The riff is maintained but the drum accompaniment changes with a simplified variation of the pattern used previously. These types of arrangements provide diversity, allowing the sound narrative to constantly maintain interest.

As final details, we must highlight the use of a lead guitar at 3:06, which is an exception in SMRC. Also the variety of resources and effects used in the voice throughout the song with at least two different vocalists. 6. Hetoimasia The beginning of the song is quite traditional with a set of tremolo riffs based on power-chords where dissonance is scarce. The news appears from the ternary riff at 2:03. Here we find ourselves facing the most obvious case so far of different drum arrangements for the same riff. There are three variants. The riff is first exposed with a blast beat. It continues at 2:26 with a sharper and more varied pattern in terms of accents and continues with a very fast double bass drum pattern at 2:42 (where an obvious slowing of the pulse can still be seen). Finally, the drums return to the blast beat (which this section started with) at 2:56. We see how this resource is being used in a more evident and conscious way and it will become one of the band's distinctive elements later on, as we have already explained. When the song returns to the initial riff, an additional guitar arrangement is used again at 4:17 to add a new element. In this case it is the longest and most complex arrangement of this type on the album, extending through 3 sections until 5:44. 7.Third Prayer Third prayer begins the third part of the album. As in the two previous introductory songs ("First Prayer" and "Second Prayer"), we are faced with a truly inspired and original linear and minimalist composition. The entire song is based on an excellent Hasjarl riff of a contemplative and slow nature. While the riff is repeated tirelessly, it is the voices and drums that carry the entire weight of the song, especially the percussion, which displays perhaps the best arrangements of the entire album here. The drums take the compositional technique of varying patterns on the same riff to its maximum development. The goal here is to provide variety and increasing tension to a linear theme with the obsessive repetition of the guitar riff. The variations occur gradually with subtle changes very well executed: 0:24, 0:40, 0:54... (which are favored by the formal irregularity of the riff since it has 9 measures so that asymmetry is present continuously). The last drum variation of this first part (1:25) has the function of leading us to part B of the song at 1:33. From here the drums execute a more open but equally varied pattern with subtle arrangements (as does the bass throughout the song to accompany the drums). Layers of guitar are added to continue contributing to the tension, which continues to increase until an outro of abstract textures (3:15) dissolves all the music into a gloomy void. Another element to highlight in this excellent composition are the voices that develop in part A. The voice that recites (which does not seem to be Mikko Aspa), is answered by the voice of the choir that sings the amen, which builds an atmosphere of true ritual prayer as a dark response to the equivalent of the Christian liturgy.

8. Si Monvmentvm Reqvires, Circvmspice

After the prayer we reach what is perhaps the core of the album. We enter the Sancta Sanctorum of the sonic temple that Deathspell Omega have raised with the album's title track. The introduction to the song is a wild blast beat with a riff where dissonance is more present. The style resembles the textural plot-riffs that will characterize the band's near future. At 1:02 a very interesting riff appears. Again it is formally asymmetrical and irregular with a small addition that varies the natural place of the accents in each phrase. This riff is repeated again at 1:55 but this time adding a modified drum pattern that makes the asymmetrical character of the riff stand out much better. But the most outstanding part of the song is the exposition of a block of riffs (2:47) whose style is very close to the one that Deathspell Omega will develop since “Kenose”. The first tremolo riff abandons the power chords (almost absent in this song) in favor of the tritone to further increase the tension of the composition. The second riff is a novelty within the album: a complex, angular, dissonant and asymmetrical riff (three parts of four measures), where each guitar in its channel sings a question that will be answered by the other, overlapping one another momentarily, achieving a excellent effect. The drums and bass give enough space during this section to achieve this effect. But Deathspell Omega surprise again by repeating the riff as they add a tremolo counterpoint guitar that contrasts with the arpeggiated style of the previous guitar. By adding the voice we witness one of the densest moments of the album at the plot level. But the surprises do not end since the closing of the song is still missing with a riff (4:40) with an outro function that is repeated until the conclusion in a linear way with the aim of highlighting Aspa's excellent voice (which is outstanding in the whole topic) by intoning in a truly impious way the prayer “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” and again. 9. Odivm Nostrvm The song begins with a couple of fast, tonal riffs (they use power chords and intervals of thirds) that are repeated in block twice. We come to the most interesting riff of the song (1:36): it is a fully tonal riff but its strong point is that it is based on a succession of a 4x4 + a 3x4. This seven-bar base achieves the asymmetry that Hasjarl is looking for in so many other moments of the album. But the most notable thing again are the solutions that the drummer provides since he proposes 3 different patterns for this same riff, two in the first exposition and another when it is repeated at 2:53. As the riff is asymmetrical, the drums draw attention to the speech by marking these accents. This imagination of percussion to devise different approaches is what rounds out the band's complex compositions throughout the album. 10. Jvbilate Deo (O Be Joyfvl in the Lord) We come to one of the favorite cuts of the album and the level of epicness of the riffs is unsurpassed. The whole song is really inspired in this sense with riffs of sensational quality. The paradox is that it is a conservative song in terms of experimental resources, more conservative where the band practices a style that they will soon abandon in favor of the sound aesthetic that has made them the most influential extreme metal band of this century. The most interesting moment comes with the exposition of the riff that will serve as the outro at 4:00. As in the entire song, we are faced with a tonal riff, where dissonance is absent, with a clearly Heavy Metal aesthetic. The approach is again altered by the choice of the drum pattern that surprises with a minimalist and constant approach emphasizing the variations of dynamics that complement the excellent interventions of Miko Aspa to the voice that tirelessly repeats the phrase “Inter spem et metum ” (“between hope and fear”), the band achieving a truly overwhelming effect.

                                          

11. Carnal Malefactor

This is the only composition on the album (if we exclude the three “prayers”) that begins with a slow riff. Carnal Malefactor is also the longest song on the album and one of the most ambitious on a formal level. The riffs are excellent although again, melodic and tonal, coinciding with the previous theme (possibly these are the songs that were first composed for the album, later focusing on developing the new aesthetic based on dissonance as a primary symbol). The first riff, with its slow and dramatic tempo, serves as the basis for Aspa's vocal exposition that advances the narrative of the song. The riff divides the function of the two guitars: one of them exposes the main melody and harmony and the second functions as a simplified basis for the harmony (this way of interacting is repeated many times throughout the album). The change of pulse at 1:34 is surprising, coinciding with the second riff that develops the ideas presented in the opening riff and is excellently accentuated by a change also in the drum pattern that marks the accents more, acquiring more prominence. The first block of riff is complemented by a third riff at 2:48 that develops in a very fluid way the ideas presented previously, amplifying the melodic character but finally increasing the speed, driven by a blast beat. We approach what is the main event of the album, the moment where text and music come together to communicate the message that the band wants to convey. The speed increases in a way that serves the narration of the text of this theme, increasing the tension in parallel to the text. At the end of this section we hear Miko Aspa singing what is perhaps the main idea of ​​the song and the album itself: “He that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption Carnal malefactor, rub your sterile wriggling womb” The last words are sung by Aspa alone, the music has stopped a few seconds before. When he stops speaking, a huge void opens before us (3:45). A Christian liturgical song begins to play, sung by a choir of monks. Deathspell Omega causes a fracture in the aesthetic paradigm by confronting us with this music alone. In “First Prayer” and “Third Payer” there were already incursions into the band's music of liturgical aesthetic elements with Christian ritual voices but their role was of texture superimposed on the band, to contrast these contrasting elements that have been in struggle throughout. the album. But now we are faced with a very long passage of more than four minutes (3:45-7:52). The implications for the listener are brutal. We are facing such an extreme paradigm shift that this can only respond to a very deep reason, an essential intentionality to transmit a message. The song that plays belongs to the album “La Divine Liturgie” by Le Choeur Des Moines de Chevetogne, specifically the piece “The Hymn of the Cherubim”, which belongs to the Byzantine liturgy. And the Chevetogne monastery, where this music was recorded, was historically important for attempting a rapprochement between Western and Eastern Christian liturgies. This is further symbolized on an architectural level as the Chevetogne monastery is made up of two adjoining churches, one dedicated to the liturgy of the Roman rite and the other to the Byzantine rite. Deathspell Omega places us before music that sings of reconciliation, of the harmony of the union represented in the Trinity. And it is with this harmony and unity that Deathspell Omega wants to break. And it does so with the wildest and most brutal part of the entire album due to the contrast to which we are subjected: the liturgical chant advances but we hear how little by little a layer of noise and a percussion that functions as a heartbeat slowly ascend until the riff at 7:52 breaks with everything. The clash between paradigms is maximum and the drums launch into one of the fastest and most aggressive blast beats on the album. The next riff (8:32) (based on chords) lowers the level of intensity somewhat and stands out again for the different drum patterns, which add complexity to a simpler riff. The song closes with a riff (10:54) that is a variation of the one presented at 2:48 and that has a recapitulation function here, connecting the first part of the composition with the end of it.

                                            

12. Drink the Devil's Blood

Throughout the song, incredibly epic and very inspired riffs follow one after another that fit within the style of the second wave of Black Metal. They are riffs based on power chords, mostly tonal. Again, the most notable thing is the variations and subtleties that the drums provide to provide variety within the succession of riffs. We could highlight as a best example the third riff of the song (0:46) that shows three variations by percussion. Perhaps, the most interesting moment of the song is the riff exposed at 2:36 with a more dissonant style and that uses the same chord that Hasjarl uses in “First prayer” (which uses the augmented fifth to provide tension). In addition, this riff also benefits from the slight drop in pulse compared to the previous ones. These subtle changes in pulse are present throughout the album and move away from the general proposal of most current extreme metal bands (where this resource has stopped being used frequently and naturally, as it was in the early ones). releases of the genre, mainly due to the imposition of the metronome during the process of composing and recording the music). 13. Malign Paradigm As very well stated in the Reddit wiki dedicated to Deathspell Omega (https://www.reddit.com/r/DeathspellOmega/comments/k4oesr/check_out_the_deathspell_omega_wiki/), this song is a version/reinterpretation/tribute of the song Ashes and bloodstench” by Malign.

Malign - Divine facing

The first thing we notice is that the production is different from the rest of the songs on the album, as if it had been recorded in a different studio session. Although Desthspell Omega does not include it here, the original song has a middle section of choral voices very similar to the one included in Carnal Malefactor and which is a clear influence (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0b4gKOKTkA). The reason for closing the album in this way can be interpreted in many ways. It is related to the number 13 to which there are many references in the album's lyrics. Its outro function is clear due to its slow and reflective tempo. Furthermore, the song is renamed by Deathspell Omega as “Malign paradigm” and may refer to the paradigm shift that this album represents, since “Si Monvmentvm Reqvires, Circvmspice” is the link between the first Deathspell Omega and those to come starting from Kenose. This album is the bridge between that first style where the band pays tribute to the classics of the genre and the style that they will adopt from this release and for which they are famous within extreme metal, a very personal, very original style, of a quality that cannot be has been matched by no other band within the genre. Throughout “Si Monvmentvm Reqvires, Circvmspice” there are several forays into what the new style will be. The band deploys several resources here that will be the basis of their aesthetic from now on. This song is the farewell to the old style, and the herald of what is to come: the birth of a new sonic paradigm that will change the history of metal forever.