Sol Invictus
Let Us Prey

“Let Us Prey”, published in 1992, is the second official live album by Sol Invictus.

The first was the raw “In the Jaws of the Serpent” in 1989, which followed shortly after the release of the debut EP “Against the Modern World”: the appalling sound quality, which certainly did not highlight the poor technical baggage of the musicians, made “In the Jaws of the Serpent” a rather forgettable episode in the Sol Invictus discography (little more than an archaeological artifact for the most diehard fans), while this “Let Us Prey”, compared to its predecessor, sounds like a sparkling parade of beautiful songs, in more than one instance resurrected in an enhanced form compared to their studio versions (often plagued, especially in the early works, by unforgivable flaws both in arrangement and sound mixing).

This performance, held in an intimate, almost religious, gathering at the Concert Artistes' Association in London on April 4, 1992, brings back the legendary apocalyptic folk of Sol Invictus in a renewed form, as elegant as it is essential, given that alongside the deus ex machina Wakeford we find only a sparse chamber ensemble composed of Sarah Bradshaw's cello and Stéphane Ruiz's flute, all embellished by the indispensable piano of David Mellor, here also in charge of the sound.

So, the setlist:

Angels Fall

Fields

English Murder

In a Silent Place

Gold is King

Lonely Crawls the Night

Blood of the Summer

Trees in Winter

World Turn Green

Like a Sword

Let Us Prey

The Killing Tide

A sequence of tracks that certainly satisfies us, despite at the release of this live the band having only a few years of activity and only four record releases (two of which EPs) behind it. So it is evident how already at that time Wakeford had many winning aces up his sleeve to proudly unveil on stage, while on the other hand, the more attentive fans will notice the absence of classics of the caliber of “A Ship is Burning”, “Against the Modern World”, “Summer Ends”, “Abattoirs of Love”, “Sawney Bean”, “Media” and “Looking for Europe”. But from this point of view, we can safely say that: a) almost all the songs contained in the first Sol Invictus albums are classics, both of the band and of the entire genre, so it’s impossible to include them all; b) Sol Invictus’ live shows have never been strict best-ofs: Wakeford has always loved to vary the setlist according to personal tastes and the mood of the evening. In this case, it is fair to think that our Wakeford (understandably) gave more space to recent works (and in particular to the just-released EP “The Killing Tide”, of which all four unreleased tracks are re-proposed), and, more generally, that he wanted to align his production of the time with the stylistic canons fully adopted with the masterpiece “Trees in Winter”, a work that knew how to more vigorously and convincingly start that motion that led the former Crisis and former Death In June to free himself from the post-punk, dark-wave, and industrial contaminations of the early career, to embrace more strictly folk sounds.

It is therefore logical that the tracks have been selected and reinterpreted in light of the maturity reached in the meantime, that the tracks themselves have acquired the outlines of a clearer artistic vision and have benefited from that songwriter approach that will eventually become the preferred expressive vehicle of Sir Tony Wakeford's apocalyptic art. It's a pity that, however, in this sort of “unplugged” (sure, you might say, it's apocalyptic folk!) the mythical debut (featured only by “Angels Fall”) and the good “Lex Talionis” (represented solely by “Fields”, written, among other things, during the Death in June era) have suffered the most. Finally noteworthy is the presence of two tracks (“Lonely Crawls the Night” and “World Turn Green”) that at the time of the live recording had not yet been officially released, being held back for the imminent release of “King & Queen”, scheduled for the same year: far from tantalizing previews, considering that album will certainly not go down in history as Sol Invictus’ best.

The sensations, therefore: one certainly cannot be disappointed in front of a live played with dignity and with overall good sound quality. Besides, the initial set of three tracks can only leave you breathless. “Angels Fall,” just to be clear, is always a pleasure to listen to (I personally have listened to it a billion times, in a thousand different renditions, yet this song has the merit of never tiring me); the apocalyptic chords of Mellor's piano, which replace the electronic thrusts of the original version, are literally chilling, as is Wakeford's vocal performance, certainly not worthy of a performance at La Scala, but undeniably engaging in every nuance. “Fields” is even better than the version we can hear on “Lex Talionis,” thanks to the solemn flute work by Stephane Ruiz, which creeps desolately on the skin, while the legendary “liars liars liars liars”, laconically repeated in the chorus, can only tear the heart once again. “English Murder” then certainly needs no introduction: its visionary strength survives the minimal arrangements of this live revival where the undulating and disorienting sway of the instruments that accompany Wakeford's dark arpeggios preserve the dreamlike charm of the track, among the most beautiful ever written by Our Man.

I also feel it is worth mentioning three other tracks, which, in my opinion, are certainly the strong moments of this work. “In a Silent Place”, remains one of the most intense dramas ever sprung from Wakeford's wretched pen, and while on one hand, it is stripped of the electric aura originally given by Karl Blake's distorted bass slaps, on the other, it gains in the finale a splendid piano solo that enriches its instrumental tail. “Blood of the Summer”, while not being an indestructible classic of Sol Invictus, has always had an electrifying effect on me, reminding me quite a bit of the movements of another immortal moment of apocalyptic folk, “Coal Black Smith” by Current 93. Finding it here, even more urgent and raw, animated by an epic medieval flute and the frenetic scraping of the cello, with a Wakeford literally on a high, is pure joy. As is the version delivered to us of that already spectacular piece that is “Like a Sword” (always imposing the cello by Bradshaw, which gives vigor to a piece that, alas, will soon be forgotten).

This song also opens the final phase of the performance, entirely dedicated to the EP “The Killing Tide”: hence it's time for “Let Us Prey” which paradoxically holds the honor of giving the album its title and at the same time is truncated (impossible, after all, to transfer its instrumental magnificence with an ensemble stripped to the bone), ending up serving as an evocative introduction to the concluding, intense “The Killing Tide,” also softened, as often happened in many other episodes present here. The evening concludes as it began, with chamber scores, for cello and piano, of the aforementioned “Like a Sword” theme (emphasizing the centrality of the last discographic release of the Sun Invictus within the entire performance).

Appendix: the impossible dream. It would be amazing to hear “Deceit” live, and see Ian Read's voice materialize, piercing through the last chorus amongst the clumsy swirling of Wakeford's ungraceful vocal, amid strings and winds describing the end of the world. But this does not happen, and it is impossible for it to happen, since Ian Read left the band shortly after its formation and the same “Deceit” is not something Wakeford himself seems to have ever considered a staple to always and forever propose live. Why then write about an impossible dream? To better explain the essence of this “Let Us Prey”, which remains a good live album, but that does not shape any dream, does not reinvent the songs, does not shock the listener, does not ultimately bring that added value that live performances can and should bring with them. “Let Us Prey” is just the testimony of a pleasant evening spent in the company of good Tony Wakeford.

If only there were more evenings like this...

“These are sad days my friend

We’re here to witness the coming of the end

We shut our eyes and we try and laugh

But we know full well that it’s all falling apart”