Dawn of Ashes – whose very name brings to mind “the beginning of the end” – has broken ground across multiple genres, from aggrotech/terror EBM to industrial black metal, producing a unique hybrid of dark electro and industrial-metal styles since 2001. Their new album, The Crypt Injection II (Non Serviam) comes out today. For the occasion, we asked vocalist Kristof Bathory to tell us about each track. His commentary on the album can be seen below.

1. Thirteen Chants To Lilith: I actually wrote this track and did a ritual to Lilith. I recorded the ritual and put into the song. The ritual was conducted from ‘Thomas Karlsson’s qabalah qliphoth and goetic magic’. On the Qliphoth(Tree Of Daath / Knowledge); Lilith is the 10th realm on the inverted tree.

2. Reborn In Fire: The metaphysical / spiritual meaning of the element ‘fire’ represents passion, determination,destruction, aggression, creativity, rebellion, and motivation. Fire has the power of forging desires and determination.

3. The Serpents Of Eden: In the Christian Bible it is said that a serpent tempted Adam and Eve to eat the apple from the tree of knowledge. In other cultures and religions, the serpent is seen as a powerful symbol of wisdom and knowledge. This shows us how corrupted monotheistic religions are. Christianity, Catholicism, and Judaism stole so much ancient knowledge from older religions and cultures and created stories to create fear and negativity. The wisdom of the serpent teaches us to destroy oppression and learn about our free will and individuality. We can can become the serpents of knowledge.

4. Ahriman: In Zoroastrian Mythology; Ahriman / Angra Mainyu is said to be the Persian Adversary. This deity is seen as the spirit of destruction. In the Left Hand Path, Ahriman has a lot of mixed feelings regarding if this entity is beneficial or not. It can be seen as being positive or negative. In my personal opinion Ahriman can be seen as a way to destroy human ignorance through a misanthropic point of view which can be either ethical or unethical. Like fire; It can be dangerous or used in beneficial ways.

5. Slaves To The Addiction: In my past I battled bad addictions and have done a lot of spiritual work to recover and overcome this battle. Being someone that is completely sober, I have seen almost every single person I encounter with some sort of addiction. Addictions dont always pertain to drugs and alcohol. The obsessive need for something is an addiction and most people struggle from this. Those who have done the work have seen the truth and we are in a world full of addicts.

6. Sitra Ahra: This was again inspired by working with the Qliphoth. Most of the lyrics however, are inspired by Kenneth Grant’s work who was a student of Aleister Crowley in the O.T.O. Grant was also the founder of the Typhonian O.T.O and taught a lot about the darker side of Magick. Sitra Ahra is the “Other Side” in Kabbalah texts which is another term for the Qliphoth.

7. The Spirit Of Anger: Rage Against The Machine had this quote that said “Anger is a gift”. This is such a powerful quote that means so much. I have always been an angry person and have been self destructive from anger in the past. Through my practice in The Left Hand Path, I have found that anger and rebellion can can be productive and less self destructive. Standing up for your individuality and fighting for freedom with this powerful emotion is very crucial in life.

8. Hexcraft: I wrote this song to follow up on the original Crypt Injection title track from the first album. I am not too fond of using Magick for malicious intent, but it does come in handy at times. Anton LaVey spoke about an eye for an eye and not the Christian concept of loving thy neighbor. I have always understood this idea and if someone is going to disrespect your boundaries, they shall be cursed.

9. Abuse the Abusers: I understand that there are a lot of souls in this world that have been treated unfairly. The mentality of past abuse is very hard to overcome. The nightmares won’t stop and the pain is embedded in liked a scar. This song was meant for those to embrace that anger and be okay with wanting to punish the abuser.

10. Non Serviam: Non Serviam is Latin for “I will not serve”. Lucifer said this to reject being a servant in Heaven. Oppression and slavery has been an issue for centuries, especially in religion. You can either follow the herd and submit to the destruction of your individuality or cut the cord and become free.

11. Entering The Realm Of Shadows: The dark side of the psyche is a place in the darkness where aspirations manifest. Carl Jung taught that the shadow(s) refer to an unconscious aspects of the personality.