The Sound ov Satan: the use of alliteration in Behemoth’s song “The Satanist”

 

Released in 2014, “The Satanist” is the title song of Polish band Behemoth’s tenth studio album.

The theme of the album is, as its name suggests, the opposition between God and Satan, with the triumph of the latter.

The intention is pretty straightforward, Behemoth openly criticize the Catholic religion, advocating for the liberation of mankind from its yoke. This liberation is, of course, embodied by Satan, in a metaphor which echoes the tragic, passionate and majestic hero of Milton’s poem “Paradise Lost”.

All lyrics in the album are, as it is usual with Behemoth, very poetic and at times cryptic. They contain many reference both to the Bible and to the esoteric tradition, like for example the use of the so-called “Bornless Ritual”, written by Aleister Crowley, in the masterpiece “O Father, O Satan, O Sun!”.

Listening to this album without taking the time to savour its lyrics would be unforgivable, since they possess more literary quality than many contemporary poems.

Interpretations and explanations of the lyrics are available on various websites, but so far nobody has ever focused on a textual analysis of them from a literary point of view. That’s why in this article I’ve chosen to focus on one song only, and to underline the way in which the use of a particular figure of speech contributes to enhance the message conveyed by the song.

 

First of all, let’s take a look at the whole text:

 

I descended from the Mount Sinai
Unleashed the splendour upon a scoundrel mob
To shelter where no messianic light
Drove one single ray into the pulp ov life
O sweet Salome I beckon thee
Bring forth thy heinous offering
Without your love
So incomplete
Corrupt me with your dignity

I decompose in rapture ov hells
Dissolve divide disintegrate
I am yours
In euphoria below

At faintest whim they would impale the sun
And thus the sheep in me became the wolf in man
I am the fly that flew forth from the ark
My thoughts like insects
Whoring wounds divine
Been bored with cosmos my dear old foe
This universe has never been enough
Compelled to liberate the spring ov life
When the levee breaks gush forth o’ stream ov ice

I decompose in rapture ov hells
Dissolve divide disintegrate
I am yours
In euphoria below

I cast my halo from perdition’s clay
Behold my bliss profane
Born ov a lie
Condemned to lurk
Live in denial
Yet coiled aflame…

I am the great rebellion
Neath Milton’s tomb I dwell
An existence even sin would not pardon
No guilt, no reason, saviour, or shame

 

 

The song is a poliphony of voices in which the first-person narrator switches from Moses, to Herod, to Satan himself.

The figure of speech I would like to concentrate upon is alliteration, which is used extensively throughout the whole song. For those unfamiliar with figures of speech, alliteration is the repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of words close to each other. This device has the function of amplifying the meaning of of a sentence or a line by suggesting it also through the sound of words.

So, “The Satanist” does not merely combine the meaning of the lyrics with the music, it also exploits how the words in the lyrics sound, all of this in order to create a powerful and striking experience on multiple levels.

 

Starting from the first part of the song, we immediately notice the obsessive repetition of the S- sound, both at the beginning and in the middle of a number of words. Technically speaking, the latter is not an alliteration, but it nonetheless adds to the general impression conveyed:

 

 

I descended from the Mount Sinai
Unleashed the splendour upon a scroundel mob
To shelter where no messianic light
Drove one single ray into the pulp ov life
O sweet Salome I beckon thee
Bring forth thy heinous offering
Without your love
So incomplete
Corrupt me with your dignity

 

The alliteration of the S- sound suggests the hissing of a snake, and it has been used throughout literary history in association with evil forces, namely the Devil.

So here, even though the narrating voices are those of Moses and Herod, the sound of the words already suggests what is really lurking in the shadows. .

 

The refrain brings another interesting example of alliteration, that is to say that of the D-sound:

 

I decompose in rapture ov hells
Dissolve divide disintegrate
I am yours
In euphoria below

 

The D-sound alliteration conveys a sense of authority, thus recalling what will happen in the Judgement Day. The Bible says that humans will be reunited with their bodies to ascend to Heaven. However, here the situation is reversed, and the climax of four verbs, all beginning with a D-sound, suggests that the only possible outcome after death is the rotting of the flesh (“decompose - dissolve - divide - disintegrate”).

 

Moving on to the second part of the song, we encounter Satan as the narrating voice:

 

At faintest whim they would impale the sun
And thus the sheep in me became the wolf in man
I am the fly that flew forth from the ark
My thoughts like insects
Whoring wounds divine
Been bored with cosmos my dear old foe
This universe has never been enough
Compelled to liberate the spring ov life
When the levee breaks gush forth o’ stream ov ice

 

Here, the predominant alliterating sound is that of F-, which in poetry is typically used to evoke a sinister atmosphere.

All these sounds point to the most important word in this part, which is “foe”. Satan here ironically addresses God, taking his role as the archetypical enemy of Christianity.

 

Finally, in the last part of the song, we find a less extensive but nonetheless meaningful repetition of the B- sound:

 

I cast my halo from perdition’s clay
Behold my bliss profane
Born ov a lie
Condemned to lurk
Live in denial
Yet coiled aflame…

 

The use of the B-sound was already present in the previous part, in close proximity to the word “foe” (“Been bored with cosmos, my dear old foe”).

The percussive B-sound has something warlike in it, suggesting the opposition that exists between the forces of Heaven and those of Hell.

In particular, the line

Behold my bliss profane

 

sounds extremely majestic, as if Satan were displaying his power in a declaration of war.

 

Finally, another interesting alliteration is that of the C-sound, which does not recur in words close to each other, but makes an appearance once in every part of the song (“Corrupt - compelled - condemned”). All three adjectives are related to Satan and the C-sound, which has something harsh and almost cacophonic, is usually associated with chaos.

 

In conclusion, I hope that this brief analysis might help better understand the depth of Behemoth’s work, which combines skilful composition and careful writing to create songs which can be regarded not only as musical masterpieces but also as literary works in their own right.

 

 

“The Satanist”

Lyrics by Adam Nergal Darski

Nuclear Blast, 2014