Death Knell by Ghost Lyrics Meaning – Unraveling the Mystique of Satanic Symbolism
Lyrics
Inverted solemnly
A symbol for the goat
Of a thousand young
Six, six, six
Evoke the king of Hell
Strike the death knell
Death knell
Say, can you hear the chimes?
Tolls now for the end
Bells call out their doom
As victor reaches womb
Six, six, sx
Recieve the beast of evil
Of evil
Can you say His name?
Carrier of the light
Legions of this seed
A child a spouce will feed
S-A-T-A-N
Under spell
Of death knell
Death knell
Ghost, a band notorious for its shrouded identity and ritualistic performances, never fails to stir the pot of controversy and intrinsic fascination. A significant shiver down the spine of the pious and the unafraid, their track ‘Death Knell’ bellows from the depths of diabolic lore and strikes at the rebellion against dogmatic obedience.
The song is rife with allegory, a darkened mosaic of blasphemous insinuations and a challenging commentary on religious symbolism. To the untrained ear, it may just be another rock ballad about evil, but to the discerning mind, ‘Death Knell’ is a rich tapestry of cryptic messages, weaving a narrative that goes well beyond its haunting melody.
The Cross Inverted: A Rebellions’ Emblem
The stark image of an inverted cross sets the ominous tone of ‘Death Knell’. Ghost uses this potent symbol to unsettle the normative alignment of faith. Inverting the cross serves as a bold insignia for the ‘goat of a thousand young’ – an allusion to Baphomet, a figure steeped in occultism and synonymous with the balance of opposites.
This disturbing iconography challenges the listener’s perception of sanctity. The band compels engagement with an anti-dogma narrative, pushing boundaries to question the steadiness of one’s moral compass when it is turned upside down—quite literally.
Evoke the King of Hell: Summoning the Beast Within
The repetition of ‘six, six, six’ hammers home the unapologetic celebration of the infernal. By evoking the ‘king of Hell’, Ghost summons not just a spiritual entity but calls forth the primal aspects of human nature often shunned in polite society.
It’s a nod to rebellion, to the fringes of the human psyche that harbor resentment against suppression and seek liberation through the darkness. The lyrics, therefore, mirror an invocation, each verse a spell cast to beckon the inner darkness that lies dormant in every individual.
The Chimes of Doom: Prophesying the End
The auditory imagery ‘hear the chimes’, paired with the ‘tolls now for the end’, weaves an almost apocalyptic vision. This element of the song does more than predict doom; it signifies a momentous shift—an end to the old and the beginning of something new and forbidding.
Bells have historically marked significant events, both of tragedy and celebration. In the realm of ‘Death Knell’, these bells do not just toll to signify death but also act as harbingers of the victory of the unconventional, the insurgent, as the ‘victor reaches womb.’
A Moniker That Binds: The Resounding Power of Names
There is immense power ascribed to names in many cultures and religions. In ‘Death Knell’, the act of saying His name – ‘S-A-T-A-N’ – is a daring confrontation with the taboo, an embrace of an entity that represents ultimate defiance against the sanctimonious.
This section of the song explores the real and metaphorical significance of naming that which is feared, thereby owning it and diminishing its power over the individual. Satan, as the carrier of light, also implies an ironic twist, presenting the darkness as a bearer of truth, hidden knowledge, and enlightenment.
The Infectious Refrain: Lyrics That Haunt and Hypnotize
Perhaps the most lingering aspect of ‘Death Knell’ are its memorable lines, ‘Under spell of the death knell’. These words ring with an ominous cadence long after the song has ceased. The persistent refrain serves as an incantation, each repetition embedding deeper into the consciousness of the listener.
Such haunting simplicity makes the verse unforgettable, and it resonates as much for its suggestive menace as for its rhythmic quality. It is Ghost’s lyrical craftsmanship that allows such seemingly simple words to conjure a vast and mesmeric narrative that delves into the complexities of theology, idolatry, and the dichotomy of good versus evil.
