BARSHASKETH - Guillaume Martin nos describe los temas de “Antinomian Asceticism”
Para entender Antinomian Asceticism, no debemos pensar en la sucesión de canciones. sino que hay que considerar la continuidad y el hilo narrativo que conecta las pistas. Como ya es costumbre en nosotros, los temas del álbum se exploran a través de una narrativa solipsista. En el caso de Antinomian Asceticism, podemos dividirlo en tres actos principales:
To understand Antinomian Asceticism, we should not think of it as a succession of songs but rather consider the continuity and narrative thread that connects the tracks. As has become customary for us, the themes of the album are explored through a solipsistic narrative. In the case of Antinomian Asceticism, it can be divided into three main acts:
includes english version

I - Radiant Aperture/Nitimur in Vetitum
En este primer acto retomamos donde dejamos nuestro álbum homónimo (Barshasketh). Este segmento representa un proceso de humillación en el que los paradigmas previos son destruidos. Toda sensación de iluminación se pierde, dejándonos en la oscuridad, pero somos atraídos por un hilo simbólicamente representado como una "apertura radiante" (un agujero o una abertura por la que emana luz).
El título del segundo tema, Nitimur in Vetitum, es una cita de Horacio que se traduce como "Nos esforzamos por lo prohibido". Nietzsche utilizó esta frase en Ecce Homo para definir su filosofía como la búsqueda de lo que estaba vedado a otros pensadores. En nuestro caso, adquiere una resonancia teológica, pues lo que se busca es el conocimiento prohibido otorgado por Lucifer, el portador de luz, que también es esa "apertura radiante" que debemos atravesar para obtener sabiduría.
Musicalmente, este acto es el más acelerado y agresivo del álbum. Probablemente sea el más desafiante para el oyente, con ideas complejas y una alta densidad de motivos musicales. Buscamos inducir una sensación de desorientación, pánico y desesperanza.
I - Radiant Aperture/Nitimur in Vetitum
As well as the throughline that runs through each album, it’s also possible to connect our last three releases. As such, in the opening act, we pick up where our S/T album left of. We can consider that this section represents a humbling process, where prior paradigms are razed. Any sense of enlightenment is lost, and we are left in obscurity, but ultimately are drawn in by a thread that is symbolically represented as an aperture—i.e., a hole or an opening through which light emanates.
The title of the second track, Nitimur in Vetitum, is a quote from Horace, which roughly translates as “We strive for what is forbidden. In Ecce Homo, Nietzsche made use of the phrase to define his philosophy as pursuing what was forbidden to other philosophers—in our case, it takes on a theological resonance, where what is being sought out is the forbidden knowledge granted by Lucifer, the light-bearer (who is also the “radiant” aperture through which we must look through to gain knowledge).
Musically speaking, this is the most high-tempo and aggressive section of the album, probably the most difficult for the listener, with the most complex ideas and the highest density of musical motifs or riffs. We had the intention of inducing a sense of disorientation, panic, and hopelessness here.
II - Lebenswelt Below / Charnel Quietism
El segundo acto aborda el proceso ascético en sí mismo. El término Lebenswelt proviene de la fenomenología husserliana y se traduce como "mundo vivido"; en resumen, lo mundano, lo profano. A través de medios ascéticos, nos situamos por encima de este mundo y, desde esa perspectiva, podemos percibir cosas que no eran visibles al estar inmersos en él.
Charnel Quietism es una meditación sobre la muerte en sus múltiples formas: desintegración física, muerte del ego u otras concepciones posibles. Representa un momento de tabula rasa, donde el ser parece regresar a un estado prístino.
Musicalmente, este acto se caracteriza por una desaceleración gradual y una disminución en la complejidad. Estas canciones adoptan una estructura más cercana a la música clásica, con menos temas que son desarrollados y modulados de diversas maneras.
II - Lebenswelt Below / Charnel Quietism
In the second act, we move into the ascetic process itself. The Lebenswelt is a concept in Husselrian phenomenology that translates as “living-world”; in short, it is the mundane, the this-worldly, the profane. We situate ourselves above the Lebenswelt through ascetic means, and from this vantage, we can perceive certain things that we could not while embedded in it.
Charnel Quietism is a meditation on death and the many forms that it can take—be it physical disintegration, the death of the ego, or other possible conceptions. It’s a juxtaposition of both the most wretched and foul and also a kind of “tabula rasa” moment, where the self seems to undergo a return to a pristine state.
This is illustrated musically with a gradual slowing and overall decrease in complexity. This pair of tracks is constructed in a way that is more in line with classical music (which is my background), where there are fewer themes, but these are then developed and modulated in different ways throughout the song.
Transición – Phaneron Engulf
Aunque no hay letras aquí, es útil definir "Phaneron", término acuñado por Charles Sanders Peirce. Se refiere a los contenidos de la mente, ya sean "reales" o no. Esto abre preguntas sobre las condiciones necesarias para la "realidad".
Esta pieza es la más meditativa del álbum, con un uso intenso de elementos ambientales y sintetizadores.
transition – Phaneron Engulf
Obviously there are no lyrics to talk about, but it’s probably useful to define the term “Phaneron” for those that are unfamiliar with the word—coined by Charles Sanders Peirce, Phaneron stems from the Ancient Greek "phanerón" (that which is visible). There are the contents of the mind, whether or not they correspond to "reality" or not. It’s not appropriate to go into massive detail here, but one can ask what is a necessary condition of “realness.” Can the Platonic realm of forms be put into this basket?
Musically, this is the most meditative and calmest piece on the album, with the heaviest use of ambient elements and synths.
III - Antinomian Asceticism / Exultation of Ceaseless Defiance
En el acto final, se regresa al mundo tras el proceso ascético, aunque con la conciencia de que no existe un final definitivo. Como dice una línea de la letra: "Terminando sin final". Este es un proceso cíclico, fortalecido por revelaciones: "La gloria del adversario no está en la jubilación radiante; su don es la rabia infatigable, la exaltación en la resistencia incesante."
El álbum culmina de manera minimalista y condensada, simbolizando una claridad intensificada.
III – Antinomian Asceticism/Exultation of Ceaseless Defiance
In the closing act, there is a return to the worldly following the ascetic process. Yet, to quote one line from the lyrics, we are “ending without end.” There is the illusion of finality, but ultimately this is merely a mirage that appears in a cyclical process. We await the next cycle, strengthened and illumined by revelations from His tongue: “The glory of the adversary is not in radiant jubilation—a dream reserved for the willfully blind; His is the gift of indefatigable rage, of exultation in ceaseless defiance.”.
It's not accidental that we end the album in the most minimal and condensed fashion to represent a sense of heightened clarity.