Babylon Mystery Orchestra

Album Title: 
Poinium Cherem
Release Date: 
Monday, June 25, 2012
Label: 
Distribution: 
Review Type: 

B.M.O. is the solo musical vehicle of Greenville, Alabama based Sidney Allen Johnson, and  Poinem Cherem is the 6th album on which he brings his typical socio-politically incorrect thoughts to life. For info on those previous releases, read the review of The Godless, The Godforsaken, And The God Damned in the TSM/SLW Promotions special also featuring Arbogast, Toyz and Yotangor, posted April 18, 2010..

With the new album, Johnson returns to the conceptual form of album, in that he starts the story of the booklet in the year 3000 after the apocalypse. Peace is universal, sin non-existing, belief in Jesus and The Lord the most natural thing. Everyone seems to be happy...but then stories about the old days surface, and it is feared that the Devil will be let loose again. So, bibles are being distributed again to test people, and along with it comes a recording and accompanying booklet. The recording contains music recorded during the last days of the old world, said to be important because it was recorded by one who knew that the end was at hand, and as it is known that in the old days those who knew their end way near more than often turned away from their love of lies, to repent before God. The recording, of course, is called Poinem Cherem.

Now, there's apparently an historical significance to that title, as it were words carved into the entrance door  (prior to the volcanic eruption) by the Christian owner of a bakery in Pompeii, the words translating as “punishment destruction”, with the Hebrew exclusive word “cherem” translated as devoted to Divine destruction. Today, we know that Pompeii was somewhat of a special resort in the Roman Empire, as it was essentially a collection of brothels. In other words, as ween in the eyes of Christians of that age, a place of sin and depravity. Did the Christian baker have a foresight, and were the words carved in the entrance door of his place of business a declamation of the Divine vengeance that would come upon the town, a vengeance for the Roman Empire destroying the city of Jerusalem only a couple of years before?

Those are things left open to personal conjecture, I guess! At any rate, B.M.O.'s 6th release again finds Johnson criticizing several wrongs in this world, by playing the controversial Devil's Advocate on a number of issues. In the booklet, you'll find the texts accompanied by several citations from the bible and of history's great philosophists. Musically, everything remains the same as before, being a hybrid of mostly slow-paced Gothic Hard Rock with Heavy Metal influences and Traditional Rock music, focused on simple riffs on top of which occasionally comes a simple organ or keyboard line. As Johnson himself states in the info he sent along with our promo copy, “...those looking for self-indulgent displays of musical prowess will be better off looking elsewhere...”, but overall the music and lyrical contexts dó have an awkward attraction factor! Ah well, nobody explains that better that Johnson: “This is music with a purpose!”...and that's something which will always have an attraction to those music fans who try to stay away from the run-of-the-mill down-trodden musical entertainment genre(s).

To get the album (or any of the 5 previous ones), contact Johnson via his MySpace, his official website (www.) babylonmysteryorchestra.com, or via allenjohnson @ centurytel.net. P.S.: the diminished rating (as compared to the previous album) is due to my getting “used” to Johnson's stylings...can you forgive me? I still think the album (as its predecessors) are worth getting, you know!

88/100