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Rating: "- How do you know all this? Is he a devil?-
- I'm just a man - replied Father Brown - and therefore I have all the devils in my heart -"
Chesterton, "The Dagger with Wings"
To each their own devil (not necessarily the one they deserve, alas). Trey Spruance got Xaphan, a second-class little demon (even though he was with Satan from the very beginning of the Great Rebellion). In fact, our Xaphan, much like Trey Spruance, had quite a bit of vehemence; just before the Great Expulsion, he was hatching a plan to set all of heaven on fire. However, if we listen to Collin de Plancy's "Dictionnaire infernal" (a book I recommend keeping on hand, you never know when you might need some invocation and/or exorcism), the figure of this demon turns out to be rather ridiculous, a sort of Harry Potter-esque elf with a bellows, and furthermore quite useless since he's forced by superior entities to fan the flames of the Abyss solely with the breath of his mouth and hands (even a few farts, according to the apocryphal version, "even angels eat beans" and sometimes suffer from flatulence as well).
Trey Spruance is probably known to you as the guitarist of Mr. Bungle. On allmusic, it reads that Secret Chief 3 are essentially Mr. Bungle without Patton. A rather reductive definition, to say the least. This group delves more into the realm of oriental music (Arabic, Persian, Indian), creating an effective mélange with Surf Rock, Exotica, and Electronic sounds.
The name of the band itself is already indicative. The "Secret Chiefs" in occult tradition are a sort of cosmic authority responsible for the moral order of the cosmos. Simple human beings, but with terrifying and powerful powers. It is rumored that even Aleister Crowley was part of this cheerful group, but personally, I don't believe it, being Mr. Crowley a well-known show-off and a character a tad too flamboyant to be part of such a secret society.
At this point, may Xaphan assist me in the dutiful task of a track by track:
1. Sheburiel - A simple hiddish metal riff, with a background of exotica-conga-electronic, with schizoid improvisations, strings, and guitar.
2. Akramacharei - Surf guitars, poignant violins, sounds typical of those Macedonian weddings where people drink for three days in a row. An electrified Kochani orchestra.
3. Shoel - Conga intro, just to set the mood. Distorted guitar in a Turkish Buckethead style. Powerful bass loops. Very funky.
4. Bakariel - An expansive and lyrical theme, practically Morriconian. Harp and choral background.
5. Bezriel - Jewish hard rock, more or less what Deep Purple would have played after a crash course in Talmud. It really rocks!
6. Kemuel - The circus of horrors arrives, ladies and gentlemen, the greatest show on earth. Dances of crazy vampires, sarabandes of drunk and bloodthirsty clowns, more or less like in the first album of Mr. Bungle.
7. Labbiel - A cedar of Lebanon in flames, with trance choirs and conga in the background. Orgiastic, a good soundtrack for a sabbath.
8. Asron - My favorite of the entire record, a punk version of manouche tziganata
9. Balberith - A piece focused on a bass loop that supports powerful trumpets.
10. Omael - Another piece that wouldn't look out of place at a Macedonian wedding.
11. Hamaya - Organ, almost Gregorian chants, solemn and austere.
In the following link:
http://www.webofmimicry.com/museum/
one can find, like in a kind of mini-debaser, their reviews of books and records, including Harry Partch and Borges. How could one not love them.
Along with Volume 4 (Orobas with Koby Israelite) and Volume 7 (Asmodeus with Marc Ribot), it is part of the volumes of the more rock-oriented series.
PS. A heartfelt thanks to Muitosaudosismo for his tips.
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