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Rating: "Sol Veritas Lux", released in 2006, proves to be a fundamental operation for Sol Invictus enthusiasts, as it revives the first essential recordings of the group led by Tony Wakeford, otherwise difficult to find today.
It begins with the indispensable EP "Against the Modern World", the first artistic testimony of Sol Invictus.
1987-1988: Tony Wakeford, having left Death in June, decides to embark on a path similar to that of his former companion Douglas Pearce. An artistic journey that sees the gradual abandonment of the post-punk sounds of the early days and a move towards the unsettling shores of a sparse and decadent folk. Indeed, there are many common points with Death in June, both stylistically and conceptually. But Wakeford's reading of the End is extremely personal and not at all traceable to Pearce's poetic vision, who, as a disenchanted pursuer of his own ghosts, approaches with dense masks and impenetrable symbolism, showing a more enigmatic and introspective stance.
According to Wakeford's passionate and visionary talent, the path of the End assumes the epic, tragic, and universal tones of a harsh battle. A battle that metaphorically represents the courage of solitude, the individual's responsibility compared to the lack of values in the masses. It's the solitary, desperate, and hopeless struggle of a man against the overwhelming and invincible forces of a corrupt and petty society. But it is also the struggle of Man against the ruthless laws of nature that govern the universe: "From yesterday… till tomorrow" thus goes "A Ship is Burning". And in the simplicity of these verses lies the sense of Wakefordian poetry: the transience of existence, which, like a sea breeze, passes over our heads, passes through us, precedes us, will outlive us.
From a strictly musical viewpoint, it must be said that Our Man will make strides ahead: behind the microphone, Wakeford’s voice is really terrible (and thank goodness that his friend Ian Read is there to lend a hand, to whom, for the pleasure of our ears, the microphone is handed over more than once), while his fingers, accustomed to the much thicker strings of his original instrument, the bass, clumsily attempt to grasp the most basic chords. However, these sparse compositions represent the essence of Wakeford's art, which throughout his career, despite stylistic refinement, will simply reaffirm the themes, concepts, and visions contained here.
Not even 25 minutes are enough to write the history of apocalyptic folk. Four out of eight tracks will remain indestructible classics of the Sol Invictus repertoire: "Angels Fall", "Against the Modern World", the already mentioned "A Ship is Burning" and the splendid "Summer's End". The remaining pieces are certainly no less: "Raven Chorus" and "Long Live Death" recall those Joy Division reminiscences that characterized the early Death in June, while "Untitled" and "Wolf-Age, Axe-Age" testify, among the noise of looping sounds and "Odinic" invocations, the ritual component that will consistently feature in the future artistic production of Sol Invictus.
("Against the Modern World": 5 stars)
Listening continues with the ten tracks of "In the Jaws of the Serpent", a historic live performance from December 1988. Strongly penalized by a rudimentary recording and the musicians' very poor technical preparation, this live performance nevertheless proves to be an interesting listen for the most die-hard fans. First, because it contains the embryos of historical tracks such as "Gold is King", "Media" and "Abattoirs of Love" (which will be immortalized in later works, the seminal "Trees in Winter" and "Lex Talionis"). There's also room for an early version of "Two Corbies", a classic of English tradition, which will find its place in the recent "Devil's Steed", underscoring a conceptual and stylistic consistency the group will demonstrate throughout their career.
This recording also delivers us the first actual nucleus of Sol Invictus, a nucleus that includes, alongside good old Tony, the trusty Karl Blake on bass (whom we still find alongside the robust singer today) and the aforementioned Ian Read (who will later proceed with the excellent Fire + Ice), on this occasion on keyboards as well as vocals. Lastly, one cannot overlook the amusing (though irrelevant) presence of Rose McDowall, a former collaborator of Death in June and Current 93, on drums.
("In the Jaws of the Serpent": 3 stars)
After the useless instrumental ramble of "The Joy of the World", the last three tracks are nothing more than revisitations of "Angels Fall", "Against the Modern World" and "Summer's End", better performed, arranged, and recorded, bringing to a close nearly eighty minutes that no true apocalyptic folk enthusiast can do without.
So Long Live Death!
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
05 A Ship Is Burning (01:47)
A ship is burning
Out at sea
Flames in the dark
Caught on the breeze
From the shore
With tear stained eyes
The king is dead
But a phoenix will arise
From yesterday
To tomorrow
From yesterday
To tomorrow
From yesterday
To tomorrow
From yesterday
To tomorrow
On ancient stones
On misty moors
I carve the names
Of those who came before
Washed in moonlight
The shadows move
Hear the voices
Calling out to you
From yesterday
To tomorrow
From yesterday
To tomorrow
From yesterday
To tomorrow
From yesterday
To tomorrow
13 Gold Is King (02:24)
Gold is king, and the wind blows misery
Gold is king, and the wind blows usury
A falling leaf from a poisoned tree
A fetid river flows into an empty sea
The lute is cracked as is the spinner's wheel
A broken plough stands on a barren field
The sun is dying, dark comes the dawn
And in the womb, the child stillborn
Gold is king, and the wind blows misery
Gold is king, and the wind blows usury
16 Media (01:51)
Here we go again: the same old lies again
The empty words again, the pigs can fly again
From Wall Street to your heart
Neon Hollywood lights the dark,
Hear the bleating of the sheep
At the jokes of a media creep
And there's nothing I can say
See a world of tanks, ruled by a world of banks
Turn up you TV set, forget the chains of debt
See it all go down the drain
Switch channels, do you think it'll change?
Lapping prole food in the sun
Hail the masses—ugly and dumb
And there's nothing I can say
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