Paradise Lost（Symphony X）

This album is based on Milton's epic poem "Paradise Lost" which theme is Old Testament "Genesis". Michael Romeo himself said that, at least in terms of lyrics, it is not a concept album at all, and he just took some ideas from it. He wanted this album to be multi-interpretable, with only vague and indirect expressions.
However, I consider that a great deal of basic knowledge is required to interpret this album. So, while leaving the room for the reader's interpretation, I examined and summarized the knowledge to help interpretation and the peripheral knowledge to stir up the imagination. If you listen to the album again with this text and lyrics card in hand, their music should sound more three-dimensional.
The music is basically from the viewpoint of the fallen angel Lucifer (Satan) through the album, but Satan is described not only as a villain, but also described as having love for human beings because he was originally an angel.

1. Oculus Ex Inferni

In the English language, "Oculus Ex Inferni" means "the eye of Hell" or "the view of Hell", or some say, "The Divine Wings Of Tragedy". In short, this is on the back side of the CD jacket or the back print of the official T-shirt, and the design of the paper jacket CD (below).

There are many who say that it is Medusa's eye, as there are many entangled things like red snakes rolling around the eye. I think that Medusa's eye is surely referenced in its design.
This would be the weapon of Satan's army. In Milton's original, a weapon which looks like a large cylindrical cannon appears. In the movie "Thirteen Ghosts", a device of the same name appears, and the person who manipulates it gains the power to see heaven and hell, the angel and the devil, the past and the future. Anyway, before the earth's creation, Satan's army was burning with revenge and trying to attack heaven from hell. The first song, "Oculus Ex Inferni", is about the beginning of the war.
Lucifer was originally the head of all angels, but he fought against God. He was expelled from heaven and became an opponent of God. Lucifer is originally a Latin word meaning "the one who brings light" (lux:light + fero:carry), and in English, Light Bringer (Bearer). It is the name of a weapon in Final Fantasy. It is said that one third of all angels who followed Lucifer when he was expelled. In other words, the number of angels is twice that of the devils. This 2:1 relationship is cherished in Christianity. 2 + 1 = 3.
Dante also wrote "Inferno" in poems based on three, and Symphony X also made the album "Underworld" considering the number of three. This is a teaching that Father (= Father God), Son (= Son of God, Son of Child Christ), and Spirit (= Holy Spirit, Holy God) are "One (= One God) ". That is, the Christian doctrine of Trinity makes the number three sacred.
By the way, if the distance from the earth to the outermost part of the universe, that is, the part in contact with the heaven, surrounding the earth is one, the ratio from the earth to the hell is two, i.e. one: two. Therefore the distance between hell and heaven will be three. This is called numerology.

2. Set The World On Fire (The Lie Of Lies)

In Milton's "Paradise Lost", Satan, also known as Lucifer, infiltrates the new Paradise on the ground without the angels being aware of it. Seeing Adam and Eve's graceful appearance and happiness, Satan marvels at this, but never changes his will to corrupt them. Satan, who has been transformed into a serpent, seduces Eve to eat the fruit of wisdom, the forbidden fruit, in the Garden of Eden, and Eve shares it with Adam.
The lie Satan told Eve was, "If you eat this fruit, you can know good and evil and you can become like God." Adam and Eve ate the fruit of wisdom and were expelled from the Paradise. Human beings now bear the original sin.
"Set The World On Fire" depicts Satan's strong will to set the world on fire, and Satan's desire to let Eve eat the fruit of wisdom.

3. Domination

Satan did not want mere domination, but wanted to keep humanity's destiny. He broke the chains that connected Adam and Eve, and made them free, but of course it was far from anything that we could call freedom. Mankind has fallen from within, and purity has been lost forever.

Babylon Whore (below), which you can see in the lyrics, refers to the "Great Horny Babylon" who is anthropomorphized the ancient city of Babylon in the Mesopotamia region, and according to "The Apocalypse", "the place where the devil lives" and "the cave where the dirty spirit dwells". It is depicted in the form of a woman who is dressed in glittering accessories and holds a gold cup in her hand, but the cup is said to be deceived by dirt from adultery.
Babylon is often portrayed as a symbol of persecutors confronting justice. Also, from the prophesies of the Book of Isaiah and the Book of Jeremiah and the apocalypse of the New Testament (Revelation to John, Book of Revelation), in Christian culture areas such as Europe, it is often treated as the symbol of the city which has fallen, and also a symbol of capitalism that flourishes with wealth. At the end of the world, the figure of Satan that captures the hearts of many people and makes them rebel against God is called "Babylon". Satan, who opposes God, does everything he can to keep people away from God.

However, if this album is a story from Satan's point of view, this track’s lyrics will be the lyrics that can be read as if Satan is trying to invade Babylon, the evil den. Therefore, in this case, we may regard Satan as justice and call heaven as Babylon. Satan simply doesn't seem like a bad guy.

4. The Serpent's Kiss

It was Satan in the form of a snake that made it to break the covenant with God (Serpent). And, Christ was arrested by soldiers at the signal of the kiss of the traitor, Judas (Kiss) (below).

"I will set you free." is what Satan says to Eve. By saying "I will free you. Believe me.", Satan fooled Eve like a kiss of Judah. Satan is depicted as the embodiment of destruction and collapse.

5. Paradise Lost 

Satan sees these reckless humans who are masterpieces of God's creation, who are about to die, and suddenly feels love for them (Mystified by her beauty - does the hunter pity his prey?) The words divine/yours and damned/mine seem to imply that Satan serpentines. (My yearning is silenced by angelic skin of white) Satan is longing to dominate the earth, but was amazed to see Eve's angel-like white skin. Since he had been an angel, Satan's love, which has been left somewhere, brings him back to himself.
However, in the swaying heart, he decides to execute revenge. Satan's strong feeling of swinging away the momentary wandering and tasting the collapse of Paradise appears in Russell's powerful singing from "so I've cheated and I've lied. "
Nevertheless decorating the last of the song is Satan who is shedding tears while looking down on the beautiful Paradise from the sky (because everyone must say goodbye to Paradise "Looking down from Ethereal Skies / Silent crystalline tears I cry / For all will say their last goodbye / to Paradise").

6. Eve Of Seduction

It is a depiction of the scene that Satan is seducing Eve. "Eve Of Seduction" also means "Seduction of Eve by Satan".
"All you need is one bite of the fruit of wisdom. Take my hand. Trust your dream." It is Satan who skillfully holds Eve, but on the other hand, he confesses "I'm falling all to pieces, slowly losing control." He seems to say "There's no disguising my desires" to himself.
"Sons of Cain" in the lyrics refers to the origin of humanity and the sinfulness of human beings in the Old Testament, and is one of the concepts in Christianity. Cain is the ancestor of humanity that appears in Genesis 4 of the Old Testament. Adam and Eve had two sons, Cain and Abel, after being chased from Paradise. Cain was a farmer and an elder brother and Abel was a shepherd and a younger brother. They sacrificed to God, but only Abel's offering was received. Cain killed Abel because he got angry about that. Hatred was in the heart of Cain who killed his brother, and the Bible forgives that all human beings are descendants of Cain, and we humans have sinful hearts from birth. And this story preaches the importance of faith.

7. The Walls Of Babylon

It's just like the devils' battle of angels. The main battlefield of this battle is probably Babylon. It is interesting that the devil army is described as “Hell Riders”, while the angel army is described as “Light slayers”.
Here too, the lyrics "at war with Myself" give us an idea of Satan's complex feelings. From "Casualty of Pride - I will never be denied", it is guessed that Satan's pride is creating an intractable situation.
By the way, in chapter 51 of Jeremiah, it is written that "Babylon's thick wall will be leveled and her high gates set on fire. "

8. Seven

With the exception of the intro "Oculus Ex Inferni", this is the seventh song on the album, which is almost seven minutes long. Does "a Web of Conceit that I weave" illustrate what Satan has done so far? "Frozen in your tracks ... No remorse" implies that Adam and Eve crossed the line and became the entity that holds sin (Enemies Within).
Speaking of "Seven", the "seven deadly sins" comes to mind. Although it may not be directly related to this song, the seven deadly sins in English is a term in the Christian West Church, mainly in the Catholic Church. Rather than "sin" itself, it refers to the desires and emotions that have been regarded as having the potential to lead human beings to sin, and is translated into seven sources of sin in the Japanese Catholic Church: pride, greed, envy, wrath, lust, gluttony, and sloth.

9. The Sacrifice

This song is from Adam's point of view. Satan has seduced Eve, and Eve gives Adam the forbidden fruit. Adam was forced to make a decision. In other words, he was able to stay innocent without eating the fruit, but in that case he would be alone in Eden. He chose to sacrifice himself and stay with Eve forever.

10. Revelation (Divus Pennae Ex Tragoedia) 

"Revelation" marks the end of the album. It is the last scripture of the New Testament. Revelation means that the truth or knowledge that can not usually be known is disclosed from God or transcendental being.
"Divus Pennae Ex Tragoedia" is Latin, and it seems to indicate "Divine Wings Of Tragedy" when translated to English, but the Latin spelling is not correct. "Divae Pennae Tragoediae" or "Tragoediae Divae Pennae" is correct.
The last part of this song is the same as the main theme of the song "Divine Wings Of Tragedy", although the key is different. This kind of trick prepared by Romeo is refined.
Satan's idea is achieved through the album, but it seems that he is not pleased without thinking "Savior or Fool? "
Satan has traditionally been considered an incarnation of evel, and it is also interesting to look at the fall of humanity from Satan's point of view. Revenge hurts the innocent people. Isn’t it sad that you realize this? After all, this track’s title "Revelation" might mean that Satan intuitively recognized his greed and selfishness.