Maximum Metal Rating Legend

Babylon Mystery Orchestra- 2004 Reviewed by: Nailer

Track Listing1. Descension 2. Semjaza's Song 3. Violation 4. A Celestial Kiss 5. Recieve, Trust And Believe 6. Ravishing Music 7. Bleed 8. War Anthem 9. One Man 10. Heaven Can Wait 11. And The Waters Prevailed 12. Rainbow's End 13. Unrepentant

Sidney Allen Johnson is the one man show on this one, each song consistent with an old Biblical storyline that, from what I assume, Sidney is a dedicated believer in. There's too much work done here by one person for me to believe otherwise. The liner notes are pretty vague saying that it "tells a story that is both well known and virtually unknown, and from a unique perspective". Rock and Roll is thousands of years old and a tool of the devil. I will do my best to interpret each song.

Descension - Intro. Nice picking and strumming

Semjaza's Song - Angels in Heaven are lusting after the women of Earth and wish to take some for themselves to breed a new race. 200 of them choose Semjaza as the leader of their enterprise, but to prevent dissention, he sets a curse on any who go on a different path. Music is to be the corruptor.

Violation - Secrets of Heaven (ornamentation, sorcery, astronomy, etc) are given to Mankind taking him from a simple, innocent life to one with damned knowledge. Violation explores the role that songs as sung to Man send him on a fateful path.

The one thing that puzzles me at this point is that since music is seen as a deception from the devil, why is Sidney using it as the means of spreading his beliefs?

A Celestial Kiss - The angels mate with women and beget a race of giants. Questions of resisting temptation are raised.

Recieve, Trust and Believe - Satan comes into play as the teacher of one of Cain's children, Genum. He is shown how to make musical instruments, implying I believe that evil was forged into musical tools by the influence of the fallen angel.

Ravishing Music - As Genum played his music and people partake in drink (assumed to be alcoholic), the worst behaviors of men and women are brought out and apmlified.

Bleed - Genum and his musicians move on to the mountain of God in order to bring sin to the children of Seth. Ornamentation (tattoos?) is brought in as another of Satan's infernal devices. He taught Seth's children the way off the mountain and they joined Genum's crew never to go back.

War Anthem - After the groups got together, Satan taught them how to make war weapons which led to increased violence amongst each other to the point of war. Control and subjugation is brought about by power over others.

One Man - Earth is now to the point where God instructs Noah to build the Ark, so the sins and evil of Earth can be washed away in the Great Flood.

Heaven Can Wait - Those under judgment plead their case before God who gives no mercy. Denied forgiveness, they celebrate in sin a last time.

And the Waters Prevailed - Noah and the chosen ones enter the Ark and the waters flood the world.

The music is OK on its own. Nothing remarkable; nothing substandard. It's somewhat doomy and dark with moments of epicness, but there's little variety across the whole thing which moves at a plodding pace. The singing, which I can best describe as half-sung, half pseudo-narration is the main problem. The vocals are at an unnatural pitch and just horrible, showing rather succinctly that if you can't sing in the first place, it won't sound good no matter how many effects are used. A hired gun would've been a better choice than computer enhancement.

There's also the issue of the idea that some of the greatest works and enjoyments of Man were given to us by Satan and some fallen angels. Pretty hard to swallow for us average folk.

Good, one-man effort but seriously weighed down by the vocals, static music and a preachy manner that only agreeable parties would want to deal with.

--Nailer 05.25.04