Babylon Mystery Orchestra is no stranger to controversy. The Gothic metal project of Greenville, Alabama native Sidney Allen Johnson, BMO has gained renown for its politically incorrect lyrical themes. Concept albums such as The Great Apostasy (2006) and Axis Of Evil (2008), for instance, addressed the Satanic infiltration of the church and how violence is not part of Islam but essential to Islam, respectively, while The Godless, the Godforsaken & The God Damned (2010) focused on topics ranging from abortion to hate crime legislation to collectivist politics. Poinium Cherem, the most recent from BMO, proves no exception with subject matters including evolution, homosexuality and quantum physics. Angelic Warlord had the recent opportunity to interview Johnson, who offers his thoughts regarding the meaning to the Poinium Cherum title, its lyrical themes and future of BMO.
For those not familiar with Babylon Mystery Orchestra would you please go into more detail about the project. Specifically, when did you develop the vision for BMO? And what inspired you to start BMO?
You could say that Babylon Mystery Orchestra officially started in the year 2000. That's when I acquired the final pieces of recording gear I needed to make a true attempt at recording music properly. The inspiration may actually be attributable to the KISS reunion from the late 1990's. I had long given up any more notions of being in bands and recording music. Essentially, this came about when I went to Hollywood in 1987 and actually saw how the system was operating and what kind of people were out there. Ultimately I just decided to come home and forget about it. But when the KISS reunion became a reality I got right back into my old habits from the late seventies and started buying up all the memorabilia they were putting out. This included the Ibanez PS-10 Iceman guitar that Paul Stanley made famous. Once I got it, I naturally started playing again and slowly but surely started putting together recording gear for my amusement. I was certain that I didn't want to be restrained by other musicians. And I say restrained because it has been my experience that the more musicians you have around, the less work you get accomplished. Besides, musicians have an inherent need to be liked. I suffer no such impediment. In fact, I do not even like to be called a musician because I have such disdain for this characteristic normally found in them. Once I decided that I could record something acceptable that I actually liked, Babylon Mystery Orchestra was born.
Now as to how I came up with the "vision" of what Babylon Mystery Orchestra would become...that is actually quite simple. BMO is an extension of my personality and belief system. Since I was the sole creator in this endeavor, there was no need to be conservative in the delivery of the material. As I indicated, I do not suffer from a musician's weakness of needing approval, and since I am financing the entire operation, I am simply creating a presentation the way I think it should be done. Because I am a Christian, and rather "apocalyptically" inclined, I have steered BMO into a heavy handed, lyrically dominated approach. I have taken the approach of the old "fire and brimstone" preachers and set it to musical accompaniment. I want to speak the great truths that everyone knows but few are willing to speak...especially as directly as these records speak them. BMO records are essentially mini-plays with the booklets acting as librettos to help guide the listener through them. That is why I go to such expense on the booklets...I really hate digital downloads. I have always loved music as a physical purchase.
Would you please go into more detail about the statement “In fact, I do not even like to be called a musician because I have such disdain for this characteristic normally found in them.” Why do you disdain the characteristics found in musicians? And what are these characteristics?
The characteristic I dislike in musicians is their need for approval and attention. One of the things I am happiest about with the arrangement of Babylon Mystery Orchestra is that it requires no support from anybody. That most definitely includes the audience. Don't get me wrong. I appreciate all the people who like this music and what it has to say however it was not designed to be liked. It is not important that anyone like it but me. The audience does not control it. The music isn't being made in an attempt to fit into any of the existing audiences out there. Almost no one else can say that. Most music is made by people who want to be liked by a particular audience. They want to be accepted by that audience. Being liked and approved of by that audience is crucial to their continued existence. I can't stand that. I really can't. These are not ”artists.” They are entertainers. People who are willing to do what is necessary for another's approval are not fit to be delivering messages of any kind. You never know whose words you are getting...yours, theirs or their benefactors. Babylon Mystery Orchestra is all about messaging, but not as a means of gaining acceptance by anyone.
BMO released its last album, The Godless, the Godforsaken & the God Damned , in 2010. What has been happening with BMO the past two years?
Where Babylon Mystery Orchestra is concerned, there has been a constant stream of recording going on since the year 2000. That is the entire purpose for this entity, so as soon as one record is finished another one has been started...until now. I have not recorded a thing since I finished Poinium Cherem. I haven't even touched a guitar in a couple of months...but I will be recording again soon although at a substantially slower rate. I have managed to get a new BMO record out at least every two years now for twelve years. The next one will not be finished in 2014. That much is certain. Shortly after the release of The Godless The Godforsaken and the God Damned my father died so I had to deal with that. Otherwise not much happens in Greenville, Alabama, to distract me. However BMO is celebrating the second Alabama Crimson Tide national championship of the Nick Saban era...with more to come I hope. This is important around here!
BMO recently released its new album Poinium Cherum. What inspired you to entitle the album Poinium Cherum? And what is the meaning behind the title?
The phrase Poinium Cherem at its easiest interpretation means punishment destruction. Cherem is a Hebrew word that more correctly is defined as "devoted to God for destruction" or "purification through annihilation." This is a word that is often cited as the definition/description of what Joshua did in the land of Canaan as he annihilated it and, through destruction, turned it into what we today call the Holy Land. I have always been fascinated by the word and have been working on a song about it for a long time. The song that appears on this album was originally just called Cherem. However as I was working on this record I saw, twice, a program on the History Channel called the Naked Archaeologist. Strange title because he, fortunately, is never naked. However he did a show investigating the ruins of Pompeii for evidence of Christianity, and it was while watching that program that I was initially interested in a baker's house that had the inscription Poinium Cherem carved into its wall. After I saw the program a second time, I was convinced that this was something that was speaking to me in a way I could not ignore. It was put forth that this baker carved Poinium Cherem into the wall of his house during the last hours before the city was completely destroyed. It was asserted that the use of these strong words implied he felt the city was being judged for its whorish behavior and also was possibly being judged for Rome's destruction of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. The nature of the times and their limited means of communication probably led the baker to believe that the entire world was coming under judgement. Certainly his was.
I thought that these words were very applicable to bring back into our time. Our country is fast returning to a paganism that all too horribly resembles Rome at its worst and most immoral. Like Rome, we tolerate everything but the truth. We are seeing the resurgence of pagan religions and institutional homosexuality, and it often seems like there is nothing we can do about it. Well, our country is very well informed about the truth of the Gospels. It is not a lack of knowledge that we face but a knowledgeable rejection. If our country insists on rejecting the God of its ancestors, then I think we should expect God to fulfill his promise:
PSALM 58:10 The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.
You will find that on the outside of the CD. Whenever someone insists on insulting God in your presence, simply say the words Poinium Cherem to them and walk away. We are duty bound to tell others about Christ...not to listen to them blaspheme him. I would love for the words Poinium Cherem to start appearing all over the place as a reminder to everyone that they will answer to God. It seems Christians today are paralyzed. They are afraid either to use or cast judgement of any kind. This is a terrible and foolishly simplistic misreading of scripture. All that "judging not lest they be judged" is having serious consequences. Unfortunately those who champion the legitimization of immorality have no such hesitation when it comes to using or casting their impoverished judgement against us. We need some backbones.
What are your feelings about Poinium Cherum? Are you happy with the way the album turned out? And how has the response been so far?
I know this is said by everyone who makes a record every time a new record is released, but I like this record a lot and tend to see it as the ultimate Babylon Mystery Orchestra record. Of course it's not my place really to decide which one is best. That is decided by those who like the records. But I am very happy with every aspect of the recording and the mix. It's very much in keeping with the very first BMO record, Divine Right Of Kings. If this were to be the last BMO record, I would think I have brought the entire project back to where it originated thematically.
For the most part both Babylon Mystery Orchestra and the responses it generates are very consistent. Those who have liked BMO continue to do so...and those who have loathed BMO continue to do that as well. I wouldn't have it any other way. I cherish those who despise what I have to say...I really do.
Why do you cherish those who despise what you have to say? And more specifically, what do those who despise your work say about it?
I have always believed that the quality of your message is determined in large part by your ability to attract the wrath of your adversaries. Babylon Mystery Orchestra is a very adversarial entity. Everything about it is designed to provoke a reaction. Considering the ungodly nature of the world, how could BMO not generate animosity? More often than not the criticism is aimed at making me appear to be less intelligent than those who would criticize me. I am called a simpleton who plays very simple music. There is a great desire to point out where I come from and to attempt to link my lack of intelligence to an alleged tradition of southern ignorance. Almost never has a single word or idea that I have presented ever been quoted. It's often quite childish but then we must remember that, by and large, Heavy Metal is not the refuge of intellectualism so those who feel the need to defend it from me are not going to attack with intelligence.
I will say that the criticism that bothers me most comes from Christian metal fans who seem to be looking for a Christian band to sound like their favorite non-Christian band. The one thing that is admirable (and it is the only thing) about Black Metal is that it created its own style and sound. Why is it so bad for a Christian artist to want to sound entirely off the path of the other metal styles? If we are sincere about our Christianity would it not merit the music being different and message oriented? In many ways I thought that is what I have been dong with BMO. But Christians are just like other music fans, they only hear the difference between BMO and their favorite records. They do not hear what is there. But that is a problem and a reaction I sought...so I can't be unhappy with it.
How does Poinium Cherum compare musically to past BMO releases?
You said in your review of the CD that I know not to fix something that isn't broken. Though this record clearly has things about it that make it different from previous releases, it also has a consistent sound to it. One of the things I am most happy about with Babylon Mystery Orchestra is the fact that it does have its own sound and style as well as an originality in the format in which these records are presented. That is hard to do that these days with everyone trying so hard to copy the currently popular styles and methods of music. I partially attribute the uniqueness of Babylon Mystery Orchestra to my limitations. Limitations force you to operate within a confined space, but it is a space that is uniquely defined by only Babylon Mystery Orchestra. Bringing in other players may relieve you of these boundaries and broaden your capabilities, but it will do so at the expense of your uniqueness. You will become the same as everything and everyone else when you make that choice. I have made the conscious choice to avoid that. Still, each record is a different animal. I wrote the longest song in the entire BMO catalog for this record...and I think it caps off the record perfectly.
What are your favorite songs off Poinium Cherum and why?
Hands down, "Seething" is my favorite song. It has a couple of really interesting riffs to it, and I think it has one of the best constructed guitar solos I have ever done. It's fast and powerful, and it was made that way for a reason. It was going to carry the freight of some very powerful words. I went straight for the jugular of the abomination of homosexuality on this song, and I think the combination of music to message is one of the best ever for BMO. I have dealt with this topic before but not this directly...what was said needed to be said. Although "Seething" seems to be among the most well received songs on the record by others, I also get a lot of positive response for "Apollyon" as well. I like songs where I assume a character and this song is one I seem to like almost as well as the BMO audience.
I understand that BMO places a high importance on lyrics. As a result, I would like you to go into detail about the lyrics to several songs off Poinium Cherum:
What is the inspiration behind “Destroyer”?
In the book of Daniel (10:13) it is revealed that the angel sent to help Daniel understand his vision had been intercepted by "the prince of the Kingdom of Persia" and had delayed him for 21 days until Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help him. This is a fascinating concept. Of course these princes are actually angels. That there was an angel opposed to God who was assigned to oversee the Kingdom of Persia would of course imply that other angels have been assigned similar duties throughout history. How much these fallen angels can influence a nation, of course, would be directly proportional to the relationship that nation has with God. At one time such an angelic overseer would have had a minimal influence on the United States. Today we can see that our angelic overseer has a considerably greater influence. "Destroyer" is about the Angelic Principality that oversees the United States/North America on behalf of Lucifer. I later give him the name "Apollyon" just because it is a name found in the Bible. This song envisions his attitude towards HIS subjects...and you better believe he perceives you as his property. A fine example of that evil angelic influence can be seen in the monumental arrogance of the current occupier of the White House. He did not build that arrogance by himself...somebody else helped build that!!!
The subject to “The Affliction” revolves around Christians who recognize what is going on around them and know that such trials and tribulations are necessary and expected...even desired. Would you please expand upon this further.
There is an episode of the original Star Trek TV series ("Friday's Child") in which Kirk gets upset when one of his men is killed. At that point the planet's native leader asks him..."If he is your man, is it not his honor to die for you?" This is an excellent expression of how we Christians should perceive our relationship with God on this earth. Jesus said we should expect to be persecuted because of him. Therefore we should look upon that persecution as an honor. We should be fully expecting it and even embracing it as a natural expression of our responsibilities as his representatives. This is, of course, not always an easy thing to do. Humility is not something very many people do willingly or well. But that which appears to be an earthly defeat is often a heavenly victory. It is we who know the truth, and it is a powerful weapon. Likewise, those who persecute us tend not to be "lost" nor are they in need of "witnessing." A persecutor is in denial or rejection of God. They can and will be quite vicious and deadly...but they were beaten before they ever got started. Something we should always keep in mind.
What is the meaning behind the statement “that who persecute us tend not to be "lost" nor are they in need of "witnessing"? Are you implying that the attack can and/or will come from within?
Those who deny and reject God all too often are VERY familiar with him. They attack us from a point of knowledge. They are not lost or in need of hearing the word of God. They have heard it and rejected it. You see this often in people who grew up in the church and then turn against all they were brought up to believe in order to be accepted in the godless world. For some reason Catholics seem highly susceptible to this. It's true that such people can, and often do, return to the fold however they also often make the most vicious adversaries.
The same can be said to be true when dealing with those who defend the homosexual lifestyle. They are quick to accuse you of condemning them entirely on religious grounds. In fact they are quick to bring up the Bible and call it a hate book whether you say a word about it or not. These people are quite familiar with the word of God. They are not lost...they are not ignorant...they are at war with God and just looking for one of his people to vent their hatred upon. When they persecute us they know exactly what they are doing.
I understand that “Apollyon” is about a direct attack on Christianity. What is the specific attack in question? And who or what is the source of the attack?
You are seeing it every day. It probably has its greatest expression in the war to normalize homosexuality in this country. There is no way that such a thing can be done without directly attacking the only thing that has ever stood against such behavior...and that would be the Judeo-Christian philosophy. As homosexuality advances, Christianity recedes. It is the entire objective of the homosexual agenda to destroy Christianity whether homosexuals know or admit this. The pursuit of "civil rights" protection for a CHOSEN behavior totally reverses 4000 thousand years of Judeo-Christian progress in freedom and responsibility. With the lie that "they are born that way" human life is rendered back to the ethics and morality of the animal kingdom. The term "hate crime" should never exist in any American's vocabulary, and yet such things do now exist, and they are a dagger pointed straight at the heart of Christianity. There are other attacks, and they have been going strong since the second world war. Detractors of school prayer, abortion, separation of church and state, Islam, and media such as Hollywood movies and rock music are all at war with Christianity. They are all weapons at the disposal of our enemies...and with the exception of Islam, they are all collaborating behind the agenda to paganize and de-Christianize the United States.
In the song "Apollyon" I present the confrontation in a very personal manner that is reminiscent of a similar encounter that can be found in the classic book Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan. There was a time when almost any Christian would have been familiar with this book but not so much these days. The demon that accosts the Christian pilgrim is also named Apollyon. Be assured the BMO song's title is not a coincidence.
“I Am An Artist” is about artists that speak a despicable alternative to truth. In what manner do artists do this? And who are the artists in question?
Artists often flatter themselves by claiming that they speak truth to power. The only thing more foolish than saying such a thing is believing the damn fools who say it. There are no people more at the mercy of their benefactors than artists. No Hollywood actor is self-made. They are well compensated to speak words written by others. Do not make the mistake of believing that just because they appear to be on their own time, they are expressing anything other than the opinions and agendas of those who made them famous. The same people who made them can break them at any time, and they know it. This is especially true of musicians. Columbia Records invested many years and millions of dollars creating Bruce Springsteen. He is bought and paid for and always will be. His image is just as fabricated as that of KISS. It's just not as honestly represented. Such people owe, and as such, they are owned as well. You want to know which artists are speaking despicable alternative truths? Pick up a copy of Rolling Stone magazine. They are all about agendas and "alternative" truths. And Rolling Stone glorifies the artists who toe the most despicable lines. That does not mean to imply that these artists don't actually hold the beliefs that they express. The fact that they hold such beliefs and are willing to express them may very well be the reason they were "chosen" for investment. However it also means that they cannot hold another set of beliefs and still be who and what you perceive them to be. Their benefactors won't allow it.
Self-importance and self-adoration afflicts a lot of them. However, I would suggest that any time an artist perceives him or herself to be "important," then they have crossed that threshold into delusion. No one needs musicians or actors for anything. In fact, ancient civilizations looked down upon poets, actors, and musicians the same as they looked down on prostitutes. They were useful diversions but not the work of decent people. Only in our times are we foolish enough to elevate people willing to sing, speak, and dance for their supper to the elevated status of "stars." Kind of makes you wonder why prostitutes don't get angry about being left behind. Their "services" seem a lot more genuine and honest.
Why is it that when an artists perceives him or herself to be “important” that they have crossed a threshold into delusion? Also, please expand upon the statement that “no one needs musicians or actors for anything”. Not even for entertainment?
What do you “need” from musicians or actors or anyone in the business of entertainment? Nothing. All entertainment is completely disposable to everyone's lives. The musicians and actors need their audience to continue to evade gainful employment, but no one requires entertainment. The very best of our entertainers have always understood that and acted quite humbly in that regard. Those who have misread their contract with their audience have deceived themselves into thinking that they are “special” or “chosen” and their audience belongs to them. That is why they perceive themselves to have some sort of duty to utilize their influence to direct us to their “worthwhile” causes or candidates. Nothing is more disgusting than having these song and dance people who owe others their fame turn around and utilize that fame as a political weapon against us...and yet they do it every day!
Entertainment is no more a need than welfare is an entitlement.
The topic of “Devilution” is evolution. Why? Also, would you please offer further detail about the line “He who believes in nothing will fall for anything”.
2 Peter 3:3-7 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
The Bible has assured us that what we call the theory of evolution is not only an ancient lie...it is a lie foisted by God upon arrogant unbelievers. They have neither the choice nor the ability to resist this lie, for that resistance can only be given by faith...which they are willingly lacking. Once again I see this as an example of how our faith should be strengthened by seeing how powerless the enemies of God are to resist this lie. They cannot even come up with an alternative to the lie mandated by God.
“Devilution” seems like an obvious title for so insidious a philosophy. An evil generation has attempted to put God's own creation at odds with its creator. This is the essence of those who often cite science over religion when in fact they are using false science exactly as the pre-reformation church used the Bible against believers. There were few Bibles and even fewer people who could read them, so people placed their trust not in God's word, but in his word as delivered to them through priests whose work was not verifiable by them. The same is now the modus operandi of much science. The universities control the accreditation process and decide who gets credentialed and therefore who has access to data. This leads to a uniformity of policies that is easy to police. This might be excellent for political advantage and exploitation, but it is not science. Whether it be the never found "gay" gene or the lie of Anthropic Global Warming, we are constantly being fed political agenda as science fact.
The fact that someone claims he doesn't believe in God does not mean he has no god. Science has acquired an oppositional relationship with religion for a reason. The absence of a belief in God will be replaced by something. That has been the point all along. Having a weak belief system renders you vulnerable to most anything...and there will always be somebody willing to tell you what you want to hear.
On “Another Path” you discuss quantum physics/mechanics and theoretical math. Why did you choose to confront these matters?
Do you really think that scientists who have spent billions of dollars constructing CERN's Large Hadron Collider facility were not going to claim to have found something resembling the fabled Higgs Boson particle? Who is capable (ie. credentialed) of telling them they did not? They are in control of too much of the process and are not going to ever admit to failure. They just keep adding more layers of fraud to the false science of the Big Bang theory.
I choose to confront these issues because they matter. If you have ever watched the science channels and listened to these genius physics professors talk, you can hear that everything they are saying has been said before. Dark Matter? We have heard this before. The alchemists that scientists ridiculed in the past invented the concept. They called it Aether. How often do our science classes teach not just the theory of relativity but the events that led up to it? Both relativity and the runaway greenhouse effect on Venus are REACTIONS to scientific consensuses that were proven wrong. The people who had a lot invested in their scientific theories had to scramble for something to preserve their lies. Its bad enough that our world has turned against God and his absolute truths. But the very idea of theoretical math? In our time even math cannot stay out of the realm of politics and theory. With enough variables you can get any result you desire. It's witchcraft by another name...but it's still witchcraft. I'll take the Ancient Aliens theory over any of that. At least with Von Daniken's theories I can be comforted with the knowledge that the "United Federation Of Extraterrestrials" once attacked a couple of earth cities for immoral homosexual conduct. Moral aliens would be a more appealing alternative to me than immoral scientists and their multiple universes.
“A Prophets Song” was written as though a prophet such as Jonah were sent here to us in our time. Why would current society need a prophet? And what type of message would such prophet deliver?
Why would this society need a prophet? Perhaps because we anointed the current president as a "messiah" and are finding ourselves surprised that he would attempt to make his government the single most important thing in our lives. In the absence of God, someone or something will replace him. An expanding government will become a god. Almost half of this country is dependent on government in order to survive. That is not a healthy relationship for citizens to have with their government. What the Bible calls charity the government tells certain of its citizens they are entitled to as a reparation/redistribution payment from other citizens who earned it...but it gets worse than that. Citizens who "need" their government this much are rendered vulnerable to that government. For the last half century we have had our freedoms and our morality redefined. A wicked government once removed prayer from schools and Christians did...nothing. Now a more progressively (pun intended) wicked government tells us homosexual marriage will be the law of the land no matter how many times we vote it down.
In Jonah's time, his preaching led to a true repentance and revival. The leaders of Ninevah even wore sackcloth and sat in ashes because they believed they had done wrong in the sight of God. I wouldn't hold your breath that this will happen in our time. However, you have asked what type of message such a prophet would deliver...it would be a lot like the entire Poinium Cherem record. That is the point of the record. However Poinium Cherem's booklet starts with an introduction alluding to the annihilation of our civilization occurring some 1000 years before. So perhaps Nahum is a more fitting example. In any event, Ninevah repented in one generation only to fall back into sin and later be destroyed. Ultimately I believe this will happen, or is happening, to the United States.
As far as a "prophet" is concerned. There will be none:
MATTHEW 16:4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.
In the days of Ninevah, the word of God was sent by prophets as there was no Bible nor was there any literacy to read the word of God had they had it. However we are flush with Bibles and the ability to read them. Thus Jonah IS our prophet every bit as much as he was to Ninevah. Listen and repent or be destroyed. We are without excuse.
I have often insinuated in previous recordings, particularly Divine Right Of Kings, that the United States could be the Mystery Babylon of the book of Revelation. However, this does not have to be the case. Many civilizations have gone unnamed by the Bible and still earned their destruction. The United States may very well be Mystery Babylon...I still think this likely...but it does not have to be. We will answer to God regardless.
How are the lyrics to “We Write The Words” relevant to current events?
How are we having our history and truths rewritten to make them more acceptable to a generation indoctrinated with "political correctness"? This is almost too tall a question to answer. Every day there are new examples of people, whether they be politicians, artists, college students/professors or just average citizens who are discarding thousands of years of historical truths in favor of the "civil right" of the moment or the latest chic "impending disaster." Homosexuality and climate change are the two obvious ones, but there are others. Some of them may fly under the radar, but they are still important. I will give a detailed example of one that has bothered me recently.
I was watching a history program on the battle of Gettysburg. As always there is a major fixation on the decision of Robert E. Lee to launch the assault known as Pickett's Charge. It was a direct attack on the well defended Union lines over open ground. The program all but made General Lee, a man who had defeated the Union Army decisively several times already, to be somewhat of a fool for ordering the attack. It even portrayed the Confederate General Longstreet as being somewhat heroic for recognizing the suicidal nature of the attack and wanting to move the army to another position. People seem to forget that by disengaging and removing the army deep in Union territory the Confederates would likely lose their lines of communication and supply, but we are not supposed to be smart enough to question that. The true evil is not so much in what is told...but in what is not told. Nowhere is there mention that this attack on the Union lines has another element: a cavalry attack by JEB Stuart to circle around the Union army and attack it from the rear. There is a military axiom that states that men who are surprised from behind in battle do not stand and fight. Lee was attempting to create this situation. Therefore the reality of the attack has BOTH Pickett and Stuart attacking the same point of the Union line, from two different directions, in order to split the Union army into two pieces. That was never mentioned. It almost never is. You won't find any sign of it in Ted Turner's politically correct movie Gettysburg either. As a result, the true hero of the battle of Gettysburg is never mentioned...and there hangs the evil in the story. You see, even though the Union had a numerical advantage over the Confederacy in manpower, the Confederates had more cavalry at Gettysburg. When Stuart swung behind the Union army, he had the numerical advantage and the Confederate cavalry were notoriously better than the Union cavalry. However, one Union commander saw the danger and responded with a series of cavalry counter-attacks that, through sheer daring and unwillingness to be defeated, succeeded in repulsing Stuart and keeping him from linking with Pickett. Pickett's charge actually succeeded. He made it to the Union lines and got the Confederate flags raised there...but he couldn't hold his position without support from Stuart...and Stuart wasn't coming thanks to the actions of a Brigadier General. Who was this General? George Armstrong Custer. And there is the problem. Custer is a politically incorrect historical figure. He was an Indian fighter, and the greatest victory of the American Indians over the white man was their defeat of Custer at the little Big Horn years later. So historians with a political agenda have re-written Custer out of his heroic actions to save the Union at Gettysburg. If it also can portray a great Confederate General (Lee) in an unflattering light, so much the better.
So you see, when someone writes, the words they can rewrite history in any way they want. In a very real sense, they are remaking the world in their own image. Homosexuals want you to know about their place in history too. In California they will be teaching it in public schools thanks to a law signed by Governor Jerry Brown on July 14th of this year. When he signed the bill he said "History should be honest." Do you think it will be?
What is in the future for BMO? Have you started work on the seventh album? And when do you anticipate it being released? Any specific songs you can talk about? Will it be concept related?
As of this moment I have not done a single thing toward recording new music. In fact, I have barely touched a guitar since finishing Poinium Cherem. When I first started Babylon Mystery Orchestra, I told myself that in order to really feel as though I brought Babylon Mystery Orchestra to fruition, it would take from 4-6 records. I felt it would take a minimum of four just to establish a style that can be said to be a consistent Babylon Mystery Orchestra sound. I am happy that so many reviewers, both positive and negative, have recognized that there is a unique style and sound to this project. One reason I chose the number six was because of the band the Doors. They did six studio records, and I feel like they had just the right amount of music. I feel as though they were finished.
Now that is not meant to say that Babylon Mystery Orchestra is finished. However it does require a lot of commitment, time, and initiative to record entire albums by yourself. I promised myself I would be committed to a schedule that could fulfill that promise through six records. I have kept my word to myself. That's a good thing. There is no one easier to lie to than yourself. I believe there will be more BMO music, but it will not be coming out every two years as it has been. I have ideas and songs that I still want to get done. Whether they will be conceptual or not remains to be seen...but I do like to work in that way. Even the one BMO record that is not conceptual, The Godless, The Godforsaken and the God Damned, feels like a concept record. However the song ideas I am most motivated to consider right now don't have a common thread.
Having said all that though, if there were never to be another BMO record I would still be left with a feeling of completion. This was a successful chapter in my life.
Official: www.babylonmysteryorchestra.com/home.html
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Babylon-Mystery-Orchestra
Interview by Andrew Rockwell
