 |
Every now and then, I come across Chilean metal, which I have learned to appreciate over the years, given how far removed I am from a country I identify with. I am not familiar with the Chilean metal scene per se, but I do listen to it, and I have come to realize that Chileans are best known for their thrash metal Of course, we are talking about black metal; why not bring forth the religious overtones we have come to appreciate and discuss about this genre?
Liberation!
For all those who have suffered
Under the four elements of this matter.
Those who kissed the skull and cried.
Reborn in spirit and left behind their animal state.
We raised our temple and toasted in thy name.
LvxCælis has the ritualistic tonalities of Batushka and the raw power of creating incredibly fast-paced and driven music. The Watchers is an ode to the Luciferian Gnosis, where Lucifer is not seen as an evil archetype to God, but is seen as a liberator. You can explain the Creation myth in Genesis as Lucifer, disguised as the serpent, liberated Adam and Eve from their Garden of Eden by showing them the truth about the world. LvxCælis holds nothing back in their odes to the Luciferian Gnosis: their music is driven, well-made, and terrifying.
The atmosphere they have created on the album is ceremonial, and the chanting, syncopated voice gives the music an air of trying to summon Satan from the abyss so they can speak to him. In the past, I have mentioned that Litourgiya was to turn the vernacular on its head, especially due to their ritualistic tonalities and almost politically-charged outlook. LvxCælis not only manages to turn the vernacular on its head, but it also deconstructs it and sets it on fire. The Watchers is the soundtrack to a demon-summoning ceremony and it’s lovely.
The Watchers is the literal polar opposite of what Chile is religiously. Chile is a Catholic country; various aspects of its everyday life have some Catholic values attached to it. Although church and state are officially separate, the Catholic Church and its affiliates enjoy a certain amount of privilege and preferential treatment in the government. What better way to rebel against the imposed religion than by creating a black metal album that seem to bring Satan into the conversation? Perhaps The Watchers isn’t about rebelling, but about understanding a belief system that most people don’t seem to either discuss or understand. Either way, The Watchers forces the listener to have questions, to have doubts about various belief systems, and to see that while the world472esn’t have all the answers, you can find comfort in knowing that finding them is part of growing up.
All in all, The Watchers is a Chilean black metal gem, filled with a certain raw quality and introspection that you want to question. I do hope that LvxCælis continues to bring their game into creating more religious black metal—after all, talking about the Luciferian Gnosis is one step into bringing religion into a positive light—but I do hope we can hear it in Spanish sometime in the future.
[This week on Metal Bandcamp Hera takes you on black metal journey around the world. After South America, next stop will be in central Europe.]
