Holocaust Temple

Ash Pool's 'Holocaust Temple' is a harrowing exploration of themes such as suffering, destruction, and the macabre. The lyrics paint a vivid and disturbing picture of a nightmarish world where pain and death are omnipresent. The imagery of 'two electric pillars' and 'porcelain spires of cancer' sets the tone for a scene of industrial and biological decay. The blind lambs, mutilated and tortured, symbolize innocence corrupted and destroyed, a recurring motif in the song.

The song delves deeper into the grotesque with references to 'Birch bark and baby fat' burning in the eye sockets of an altar, invoking a sense of sacrilege and perversion of purity. The 'totenkopf altar' and 'demonic incense' suggest a ritualistic element, where death and suffering are not just consequences but are celebrated and revered. The 'astral charts hanging on the rib cages of carbonized skeletons' evoke a sense of cosmic horror, where the universe itself is indifferent to the suffering within it.

As the song progresses, it introduces the 'black observatory' and the 'starvation entity,' which seem to represent a higher, almost omniscient perspective on the suffering described. The mention of 'the last days of December' and 'before night brings the Christ' ties the imagery to a specific time, possibly hinting at an apocalyptic or end-of-days scenario. The 'Orion secret police' and 'Zeus labor camp' blend mythological and historical references, creating a tapestry of oppression and torment. The song concludes with the 'white face of death' whispering 'holocaust,' encapsulating the pervasive presence of death and destruction throughout the piece.

'Holocaust Temple' is a stark and unsettling reflection on the darkest aspects of human existence, using vivid and often shocking imagery to convey its themes. The song's complex metaphors and references create a rich, albeit disturbing, narrative that challenges the listener to confront the horrors it describes.