Lord Mantis Wrote a Song About Jewish Mysticism

Four years ago, Cloudrat taught us all — or at least dumb ol’ me — the meaning of the word “Qliphoth,” which “are the representation of evil or impure spiritual forces in Jewish mysticism.” Now the reassembled Lord Mantis have released a new song called “Qliphotic Alpha,” which I guess would be, like, the Grand Puba of All Evil Spiritual Forces? That’s my best guess at least. The lyrics, although highly erotic (sample: “Pathways laid by the snake/ Our piss and shit is love and hate”), don’t really shed any light on the title’s meaning.

But I tell ya what: the song certainly sounds like it’s about the Grand Puba of All Evil Spiritual Forces. The first half has an oddly seductive quality; it’s black metal, sure, but the main riff is a hula hoopable bopper, and I think it be the first time vocoder has ever been used in this particular subgenre. And then it completely changes gears in the second half, turning into a hypnotic expression of debilitating grief.

It’s a great fucking song and you should totally listen to it.

Which you can do below! “Qliphotic Alpha” will be on Lord Mantis’ new album, Universal Death Church, which comes out November 22 on Profound Lore. Pre-order it here (physical) or here (digital).