THE SACRILEGE OF FATAL ARMS (OST)

You know that one meme that's like 'Daniel' and on the right hand side there is the same picture of the guy but he has glasses and it's like 'the cooler Daniel'? Well this is the cooler Daniel equivalent to Sacrilegium.

Every Devil Doll record usually changes things up a lot in the grand scheme of things. The Girl Who Was...Death set the scene for what Devil Doll does with their music, Eliogabalus showcased two sides of what Devil Doll can do, and Sacrilegium put Devil Doll's avant-prog styles front and center with a sprawling 40+ minute epic. The Sacrilege of Fatal Arms is no exception, as even though it's a reworking of Sacrilegium, with parts that are basically pulled from the original album, it still feels like its own thing.

This is the longest Devil Doll track to date (not counting The Girl Who Was...Death's 25 minutes of silence) being over an hour long. Already it certainly does feel like a bit of a daunting task to manage, however Mr. Doctor knows how to make it work. After all, he had made epics equally as long before, right?

Like all Devil Doll works, I think the music here is amazing. I mean, it does have a lot of its moments pulled from Sacrilegium. I could call that lazy because the parts pulled from Sacrilegium are basically the same minus a few production and length differences, but I get it, making a massive epic like that must've taken some time, especially considering a literal war was going on during recording sessions. And really, if it ain't broke, why fix something that's already great?

The parts that were renewed between the previous album and here are just as great as ever for me, in fact maybe even better due to Mr. Doctor seriously lengthening them out. They honestly now feel more complete to me more than anything.

Not only that but the whole concept of the album is now a bit more comprehensible. I mean, sure, it still has that Devil Doll madness, but I feel like I am scratching my head less at this than with the predecessor. Guess it's less weird now, but there can still be some chaos in order, right?

Though, I do think it was a bit of an odd choice to have the later half of the album to basically be Sacrilegium in its entirety again with a few minute differences. I suppose you can only do so much with reworking that suite into an hour long opus before you kind of run out of ways to make it work. Probably the only major downside of this album for me though, cause, even if Sacrilegium is my least favorite from Devil Doll, it's still an amazing record! Devil Doll's worst can be of the same tier as records like Automata II and I Robot for me.

There is also a variety of newer parts. Sure they may not be as plentiful as the reworks, but man are they good! Very rocking, with some signs even showing what Mr. Doctor would be cooking for his final record of Dies Irae. They put on a stronger emphasis on the gothic rock sounds, which I thought was a bit missing from Sacrilegium. This record really does know how to right the wrongs of its former.

Now, which is better, Sacrilegium or The Sacrilege of Fatal Arms? Without a doubt, I think The Sacrilege of Fatal Arms is the better album. It feels more complete, and more like an actual epic similar to Mr. Doctor and The Girl Who Was...Death. It's an hour long song that weaves through familiar grounds, while also adding newer elements in its wake.

However, I do see the side that may prefer Sacrilegium. Again, this album is an hour long song, and even though Sacrilegium is equally lengthy being around 40 minutes, it does seem more easily digestible, especially for more casual prog fans. Plus, I can see people preferring the more chaotic weirdness and mishmashing that suite has, rather than its more structured little twin brother.

But honestly, whether you prefer Sacrilegium or The Sacrilege of Fatal Arms doesn't quite matter to me, because I can see through to anyone's favorite Devil Doll album, because all of their albums are just incredible. With a catalog that's quite small, yet still packs a punch, I wouldn't really argue with anyone no matter what their favorite is. Sure, I'll still have my preferences, but I can most certainly get why one would think The Sacrilege of Fatal Arms or Eliogabalus is the band's best.

With that being said, this is another marvelous work by Mr. Doctor. Seriously, I am impressed he wasn't one of the biggest names in prog rock in the 90s cause his albums are really good. It goes without saying but this is a must listen for me. Give it a listen, it's very great!