Well, I had intended to post this much sooner, but better late than never, right?
I’ve said this before, but I’ve never met a fellow Satanist who didn’t listen to the band Ghost. For those not in the know, Ghost is a band typically marketed as satanic black metal. Stylistically, I would say they’re more pop metal with a gimmick that happens to involve Satanism (or at least a parodied version of Christianity’s view on Satanism). A couple of months ago, Ghost released “Satanized,” their first single from their latest album, Skeleta. While I wouldn’t consider Skeleta Ghost’s best album, it’s pretty good. “Satanized” is one of my favorite songs off the new album. It’s a jam, but it’s a little bit different from a lot of Ghost’s other music.
“Satanized” is much more personal than a lot of Ghost’s previous work, and that’s what makes it stand out. I adore Ghost’s Satanic gimmick, but this song seems deeper to me than just, “Ha ha, the Satanic pope is the lead vocalist of a heavy metal band, isn’t it funny!” This song describes nearly perfectly how people feel who have been “othered” by society (and specifically the church, if we go by the music video). It’s a very relatable song, whether you’re a former Christian like me, suffering from chronic mental or physical illness, suffering from addiction, neurodivergent, or a member of the LGBTQ+ community (somewhat appropriate, considering it’s Pride month). To me, this is a song about learning to love yourself when everyone around you is telling you that who you are is wrong.
“There is something inside me / And they don’t know if there is a cure / A demonic possession / Unlike any before / It’s a sickening heartache / And it’s slowly tormenting my soul / I’ve invested my prayers / Into making me whole”
On the surface, this is a song about demonic possession rather than, as I interpret it, overcoming a struggle to be yourself. But that doesn’t mean the two aren’t unrelated. Before we knew much about psychology and mental health, mental illness was often attributed to demonic activity and possession. Shockingly, that belief hasn’t fully died out. As of 2008, about 70% of the United States population believed in demons and that they could manipulate people. Given how far the U.S. has regressed in the 17 years since that study was published, it would not surprise me if that percentage has increased since then.
Many charismatic Protestant Christian denominations, in particular, teach that certain aspects of a person’s personality can be attributed to the demonic. Financial hardships, mental and physical illness, addiction, neurodiversity, and homosexuality, especially, can all be results of demonic possession. And that demon can be forcibly removed through prayer and exorcism.
It’s clear to me that the monk in this music video is going through some type of hardship, and he believes, at least initially, that demonic possession is the cause.
“An nescitis quoniam membra vestra / Templum est Spiritus Sancti / Qui in vobis est / Quem habetis a Deo? / Et non estis bestri”
These few lines are inspired by the Latin Bible. The verse is I Corinthians 6:19. My Latin is a little rusty, but the generally accepted translation is: “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.” This is a concept I was constantly being taught as a Christian. My body wasn’t mine, it was God’s. I had no autonomy over myself. The monk from the video has the same experience. He is constantly being told to give himself over to God rather than be who he is.
Within the original context, this verse is referencing what Paul calls “sexual immorality.” I’d like to think this means rape and sexual assault, but many modern interpretations I’ve heard of the verse beg to differ. A lot of Christians believe that this verse forbids masturbation and homosexuality, but I’ve also had this verse quoted at me to explain why Christians shouldn’t get tattoos, piercings, or dye their hair (not that half of them are very good at following that restriction). Given that the character this song is about is a monk, I would say that this verse for him means any form of sexuality. Which means that the crush he has on the nun, while perfectly natural, is a major no-no.
What’s interesting is that the actual wording of the line has been tweaked. The original verse was “An nescitis quoniam membra vestra templum est Spiritus Sancti Qui in vobis est quem habetis a Deo? Et non estis vestri.” However, vestri has been replaced with bestri in the song. Again, my Latin is a little rusty, but according to Google Translate, bestri is the Latin word for beast. When you plug the whole verse into Translate, it doesn’t change the translation at all. But just the phrase “Et non estis bestri” translates to “And you are not the best.” I don’t think the change makes too much of a difference in the meaning of the song, but it’s an interesting play on words.
“Through a life of devotion / I’ve been quelling my urges to burst / I’ve been fighting the notion / To, by love, be coerced”
In an interview, Tobias Forge has said that this song is about being in love. Given these few lines, I can see it (never mind that he fucking wrote it and would know better than I). My interpretation of this part of the song is that, having grown up in the church, the monk has denied certain aspects of himself (aside from his crush). Maybe he’s gay, maybe he relates to things he’s always been told are Satanic (like heavy metal and Dungeons and Dragons), maybe he’s decided the political party endorsed by his church no longer resonates. Given that this is the part of the song in the video where the monk starts dancing with a bewildered look on his face, I’d say it probably has something to do with expressions of pleasure. Either way, the monk is experiencing some type of awakening.
“Like a deadly affliction / That is twisting and bending my core / I have begged God for the remedy / But I’m no longer sure”
This is the point of no return. This is the verse where the monk finally admits his doubts. He’s been begging for help from his community and has been consistently denied. He’s prayed to his god and heard nothing but silence. It only makes sense for him to wonder if he even wants to be saved. He’s lost faith in his god, his church, and his community.
“I should have known not to give in / I should have known not to give in”
The tone of these two lines changes as the song progresses. The first time we hear them, it’s almost like a form of verbal self-flagellation. The monk in the music video gives a little shake of his head as he says these lines in the confessional, scolding himself for giving in to his urges.
The second time those lines are sung, the monk has a much more introspective look on his face. Through his awakening, he’s beginning to break. He’s starting to wonder if those urges he’s been quelling are really that bad after all.
The third and last time we get these lines, it’s mostly just the voice. The only background instruments we hear along with it are some very soft hits on the closed hi-hat and some bells following along with the melody, which gives it a little bit of a music box feel. To me, this last repetition of the lines seems hopeful. The monk has survived the exorcism, with his urges still intact. Or rather, himself still intact. This ritual was meant to break him, and he got through it in one piece, even though his life will never be the same again.
“Blasphemy, Heresy”
This is the mantra the church is constantly throwing at the monk. Every time he asks for help, all he gets is accusations of blasphemy. Whenever he tries to express himself, he’s called a heretic. The thing is, in my experience, anyway, when you’re constantly being told there’s something wrong with you, you start to believe it. And once you start to believe that, the only way to hold onto your sanity is to accept and embrace it.
“Save me from the monster that is eating me / I’m victimized (paralyzed) (laicized)”
These two lines in the chorus show how the monk’s attitude changes as the song progresses. Initially, he believes he is being unfairly accused or attacked. However, as he begins to give in to his doubts and starts to give them merit, he becomes paralyzed with fear, confusion, or a combination of both. Which is fair. When the monk finally accepts who he is, he is laicized and cast out of the fold.
“Save me from the bottom of my heart, I know / I’m satanized”
Once again, the monk is crying out for help. The first two times we hear these lines, he’s asking for help from the church, and has been consistently denied. The last time is when he finally saves himself. At this point, he doesn’t have a choice. His community has rejected him, so all that’s left for him is to accept his new place in life outside of the community he once knew. It seems sad at first, but as the monk transforms into the new Papa V at the end of the video, it’s really not. The monk was finally able to be himself, and yes, he went through hell to get there, but ultimately, he found people like him who accept him for who he is (the ghouls).
Of course, this is only my interpretation of the song. This is a song that resonates with a lot of people, and for many different reasons. This is how I think of the song based on my own experiences and observations that I bring to the table.
Playing With Demons 