Альбом записан 18 мая 1998 года на лейбле Century Media

Состав:
Johan Liiva - Vocals

Michael Amott - Guitar

Martin Bengtsson - Bass
Christopher Amott - Guitar

Daniel Erlandsson - Drums

Треклист:
1. Beast of Man 03:35
2. Stigmata 02:12
3. Sinister Mephisto 05:46
4. Dark of the Sun 07:00
5. Let the Killing Begin 05:19
6. Black Earth 06:39
7. Tears of the Dead 05:56
8. Vox Stellarum 02:08
9. Bridge of Destiny 07:45
Total playing time 46:20

Тексты песен:

Beast of Man
Music: Michael Amott/Christopher Amott
Lyrics: Michael Amott

Beware the beast of man
For he is the devils pawn
Alone among gods primates
He kills for sport, lust or greed

The sacred scrolls…
The truth unfolds…

Chorus:
Shun him… or become like him
Shun him… the beast of man

Let him not breed in great numbers
For he will make a desert of his home and your
Shun him… drive him back into his jungle lair
For he is the harbinger of death
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Sinister Mephisto
Music: Michael Amott
Lyrics: Michael Amott

Into the night… the darkest corner of my mind
Sink into my inner self, an erotic fantasy
A spiralling vortex – an instant alter ego fix
Here I am the ruler of all, in this kingdom of sin

(Floating in a dream like state
I am the emperor of a parallel universe)

Chorus: Sinister mephisto – ride the sky
Sinister mephisto – the ultimate high

What I can not have in actuality
I feast upon in my "reality"
An extravaganza of forbidden pleasures
No sexual wish dark enough, to suppress
I am no longer a mortal man

As master of the ceremony… divine perversion
I hereby declare the orgy to begin
Ravage you luscious virgin flesh (how I love it)
My cup runneth over… drink my distilled insanity
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Dark of the Sun
Music: Michael Amott/Christopher Amott
Lyrics: Michael Amott

Like insects of the night, we are drawn to the light
Feeding off the starglow energy- controlling our fate

Bloodsucker selling hope to the hopeless
Newborn messiah or the devil incarnate?
Surrounded by a field of lost souls
These feeble minds…so easy to control

Salvation…
Damnation…
It's all the same to you
But does anyone really know,
What the future holds in store…

Chorus:
A day will come
When the sun will rise again
Rays of black will shine
And together as one,
We will walk in the dark of the sun

Say a prayer for the unborn child in the womb
The children are the heirs of this dogmatic chaos
Is there a future in this claustrophobic tomb?
We can only rely upon ourselves, to save us

We are the resistance, our last line of defence
Prepared to fight for our promised land
Rebels at heart, they will hunt us to the ends of the earth
The chase is on…forever going on and on…
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Let the Killing Begin
Music: Michael Amott/Christopher Amott
Lyrics: Johan Liiva/Michael Amott

Anxiety prevails in the end
On deathrow awaiting my fate
Sacrificed upon the altars of justice
Part of the ritual of ultimate fear
Determined men prepare to slay
Executioners axe draws near
On my way to depart from life
Lost all sense, at the gallows I will die!

Chorus:
Let the killing begin
Let them end your life of sin
Feel the torment within
As the beauty of death sets in

Counting days, the sleepless nights
Wide awake in a state of lunacy
Voices echo inside my head
Haunting memories, punishing me
Through a tunnel of madness
These endless catacombs
Left to die in a pit of confusion
Swept away by a wave of illusion
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Black Earth
Music: Michael Amott
Lyrics: Johan Liiva/Michael Amott

Across the lake of fire
Through the deserts of decay
The flames are burning higher
In this land of death you're easy pray

Chorus:
Black Earth
Save…Our…Souls

Looking back in anger
At the twentieth century
Tormented we surrender
In artificial serenity

Twisted, torn and burnt
Violation of the crust
Man got what man deserved
Turned the future into dust

A millenary failure
The dark age has returned
Waiting for a miracle
To save the common herd

"In a century of darkness
The horror spreads within…
As our planet stops to turn
All hope is lost for man"
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Tears of the Dead
Music: Michael Amott
Lyrics: Michael Amott

Hideous crimes, atrocities
The slaughter of millions…beyond belief
Those were dark times, so different from now
The law of evil ruled our fatherland

I was but a pawn in their game
Why should I feel any guilt?
Still when I close, close my eyes
The words unfold, it all comes back

Chorus: I can't deny it, can't defy it
I know it to be true
In my sleep…they come to haunt me
They know it to be true
Tears of the dead

We are all on the turning wheel of fate
A young man, standing proud in uniform
I never stopped to hesitate
Until it was far too late

My hands are soiled, covered in blood
Stains that never wash away
Their hollow eyes
Confronting me – Judging me

Now an old man, at the end of my days
Contemplating…my life of sin
Living is never simple – The road is hard
I had no say…just a puppet in a sick play
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Bridge of Destiny
Music: Michael Amott/Christopher Amott
Lyrics: Michael Amott

Standing at the bridge of destiny
So long since I tasted fear
Lurking in the darkest holes
Awaiting my minds weakest moment
Old words from an old world
Against the laws of the nature
They say the truth is overrated
Wall of anger corrupts my thought

Chorus:
Standing at the bridge of destiny
Show me a sign…
On the verge of losing my sanity
Free my soul…

My inner demons torture me
Flapping their wings in my face
Damn you! You twisted illusion
I am no longer afraid
See through their liquid souls
Evil eyes that will hypnotise
You can no longer hurt me
I am my own worst enemy

Unleash the trapped souls of the dead
Spirits since long forgotten
Guardians of the lost faith
Destined for glory?
Watch them all turn into sand
And the wind blow them away
Wisdom pours into my soul …endlessly…