Watain - Casus Luciferi

Watain - Casus Luciferi (2003)

After posting my comments about Otargos I recognized that an attentive guy from the Netherlands wrote me asking about some Watain lyrics. I mention this little fact at the beginning because I've just seen both bands in combination on tour a few days ago. The show was very impressing, as you can see above.

But let's go back to the Lucifer's Case, which is the translation of the album's title. There are two latin phrases on this album:

Song: I am the Earth

Hic est draco caudam suam devorans - Here is the dragon that devours his own tail.
This is the subscription of a medieval emblema which shows the dragon Ouroboros. (Click on the picture to see the information's source which offers many more informations).

Ouroboros (ancient greek for "the self-devourer") is a ancient Egyptian alchemic symbol. For the Greek philosopher Platon the Ouroboros was the perfect being, a circulation with no needs from outside. This symbol is not only limited to the Egyptian mythology - the Norse Midgard Serpent as well bites it's own tail to surround the Earth.

Song: From the Pulpits of Abdomination

This song as well contains a line in... well, not in Latin, but in ancient Greek. It is Iesous Christos Theou Yios Soter - which means: Jesus Christ God's Son Saviour.

The first letters of each word form the acronym I.CH.TH.Y.S. This greek word means fish, and that's why the fish was an identification symbol among christians in early christian times and still is until today.

Otargos - No God, No Satan

Otargos - No God, No Satan (2010)

Just a short note: Otargos is a French Black Metal band which has released their fourth CD this year. On the record there is a song called Cuiusvis hominis est errare. It means: It's characteristic of any human to err.

On this song, the last line is Homines quod volunt credunt - Humans believe what they want to.

That's all for the moment...

Keep of Kalessin - Reclaim

Keep of Kalessin - Reclaim (2003)

Keep of Kalessin are in the big time at the moment, as it seems to me. "Armada" was thrilling and majestic, "Kolossus" epic and monumental, and "Reptilian" in general is a worthy successor.
But between "Armada" (2006) and it's predecessor "Agnen. A Journey through the Dark" (1999) there is a gap of seven years. The small EP "Reclaim" fills this gap with some fine songs, harsh but progressive black metal, and with the great Attila doing the vocals.

I wouldn't mention this EP, if there weren't some fragments of latin in the lyrics.

From the track "IX"

in limbo - in the limbo
in vitro - within the glass (means: life not in a living organism but in a controlled environment)

gigni de nihilo nililum, in nihilum nil posse reverti - Nothing can be born of nothing, nothing can be resolved into nothing (This is a phrase written by Persius, a Roman author (1st century a.d.) of dark, hard to understand satires).

From the track "Reclaim"

faber est quisque fortunae suae - Man forges his own destiny (Appius Claudius Caecus, about 300 b.c.)

lex Talionis - Talion's law (= An eye for an eye)

Vae victis - Woe to the vanquished (said by Gaul's leader Brennus who forced the Romans to bring gold and silver after he had captured the city of Rome in 387 b.c.)

fiat iustitia et pereat mundus - Let there be justice, though the world perish (motto of Ferdinand I., Holy Roman Emperor (1503-1564)

mortui non mordent - dead men don't bite

sic itur ad astra - that's how you reach the stars

exegi monumentum aere perennius - I've raised a monument more permanent than bronce (originally from Roman's famous poet Horace, Ode III, 30, praising his own poetry and claiming that his fame will last forever... where he's actually right because after more than 2000 years he's still (beside Vergil) the most famous and valued Roman writer).

So let us hope that Keep of Kalessin as well exegit musicam aere perennius.