Babalon A.D. (So Glad for the Madness)
Encyclopedia
Babalon A.D. is a DVD
single by Cradle of Filth
.
The video is an homage
to Pier Paolo Pasolini
's notorious final film Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom, based on the Marquis de Sade
's novel. Babalon
is not a mis-spelling of Babylon
, but refers to the "Scarlet Woman", "Great Mother" or "Mother of Abominations" from Aleister Crowley
's mystical system ("Mother of Abominations" is also the name of track 13 on Cradle's Nymphetamine
album).
's face hidden in the shadows. The camera cuts to a young maid
in a restroom who notices a digital camcorder
, sits down in a toilet stall and looks at the camera for any footage
present. The video on the camcorder shows the Cradle of Filth band members in something like an empty dance hall, sharply dressed, systematically abusing and humiliating half a dozen young men and women, while Dani directs proceedings with a megaphone
. Near the video's end, Dani is seen looking at himself in an antique mirror, which he then spins around and points at the camera operator, revealing that the maid herself was recording the band's activities. In the restroom, the maid looks horrified. We then cut back to the torture room, now vacant and poorly-lit, to find the maid alone with the libertine
tormentors, and forced into a chair as Dani takes the camera and another band member takes a director's clapperboard
labelled "Pandora's Box
." The young lady weeps as she is taunted, yelled at, and ridiculed. Back in the bathroom, the footage on the digital camcorder cuts off and the maid looks up with terror etched on her face. The video ends with what appears to be a static-filled picture, but Dani's face can be seen in it.
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
single by Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band, formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic black metal, and other extreme metal styles, while their lyrical themes and imagery are heavily...
.
The video is an homage
Homage
Homage is a show or demonstration of respect or dedication to someone or something, sometimes by simple declaration but often by some more oblique reference, artistic or poetic....
to Pier Paolo Pasolini
Pier Paolo Pasolini
Pier Paolo Pasolini was an Italian film director, poet, writer, and intellectual. Pasolini distinguished himself as a poet, journalist, philosopher, linguist, novelist, playwright, filmmaker, newspaper and magazine columnist, actor, painter and political figure...
's notorious final film Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom, based on the Marquis de Sade
Marquis de Sade
Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade was a French aristocrat, revolutionary politician, philosopher, and writer famous for his libertine sexuality and lifestyle...
's novel. Babalon
Babalon
Babalon—also known as The Scarlet Woman, The Great Mother, or the Mother of Abominations—is a goddess found in the mystical system of Thelema, which was established in 1904 with English author and occultist Aleister Crowley's writing of The Book of the Law...
is not a mis-spelling of Babylon
Babylon
Babylon was an Akkadian city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which are found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad...
, but refers to the "Scarlet Woman", "Great Mother" or "Mother of Abominations" from Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley , born Edward Alexander Crowley, and also known as both Frater Perdurabo and The Great Beast, was an influential English occultist, astrologer, mystic and ceremonial magician, responsible for founding the religious philosophy of Thelema. He was also successful in various other...
's mystical system ("Mother of Abominations" is also the name of track 13 on Cradle's Nymphetamine
Nymphetamine
Nymphetamine is the sixth album by English extreme metal band Cradle of Filth, released on September 28, 2004. Nymphetamine marks the first recorded appearance of guitarist James McIlroy on a Cradle of Filth album. He would later record guitar for the band's 2010 release Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa...
album).
Music video
The video begins with a closeup of Dani FilthDani Filth
Dani Filth is the lyricist, vocalist and founding member of the metal band Cradle of Filth.-Personal life:...
's face hidden in the shadows. The camera cuts to a young maid
Maid
A maidservant or in current usage housemaid or maid is a female employed in domestic service.-Description:Once part of an elaborate hierarchy in great houses, today a single maid may be the only domestic worker that upper and even middle-income households can afford, as was historically the case...
in a restroom who notices a digital camcorder
Camcorder
A camcorder is an electronic device that combines a video camera and a video recorder into one unit. Equipment manufacturers do not seem to have strict guidelines for the term usage...
, sits down in a toilet stall and looks at the camera for any footage
Footage
In filmmaking and video production, footage is the raw, unedited material as it had been originally filmed by movie camera or recorded by a video camera which usually must be edited to create a motion picture, video clip, television show or similar completed work...
present. The video on the camcorder shows the Cradle of Filth band members in something like an empty dance hall, sharply dressed, systematically abusing and humiliating half a dozen young men and women, while Dani directs proceedings with a megaphone
Megaphone
A megaphone, speaking-trumpet, bullhorn, blowhorn, or loud hailer is a portable, usually hand-held, cone-shaped horn used to amplify a person’s voice or other sounds towards a targeted direction. This is accomplished by channelling the sound through the megaphone, which also serves to match the...
. Near the video's end, Dani is seen looking at himself in an antique mirror, which he then spins around and points at the camera operator, revealing that the maid herself was recording the band's activities. In the restroom, the maid looks horrified. We then cut back to the torture room, now vacant and poorly-lit, to find the maid alone with the libertine
Libertine
A libertine is one devoid of most moral restraints, which are seen as unnecessary or undesirable, especially one who ignores or even spurns accepted morals and forms of behavior sanctified by the larger society. Libertines, also known as rakes, placed value on physical pleasures, meaning those...
tormentors, and forced into a chair as Dani takes the camera and another band member takes a director's clapperboard
Clapperboard
A clapperboard is a device used in filmmaking and video production to assist in the synchronizing of picture and sound, and to designate and mark particular scenes and takes recorded during a production...
labelled "Pandora's Box
Pandora's box
Pandora's box is an artifact in Greek mythology, taken from the myth of Pandora's creation around line 60 of Hesiod's Works and Days. The "box" was actually a large jar given to Pandora , which contained all the evils of the world. When Pandora opened the jar, all its contents except for one item...
." The young lady weeps as she is taunted, yelled at, and ridiculed. Back in the bathroom, the footage on the digital camcorder cuts off and the maid looks up with terror etched on her face. The video ends with what appears to be a static-filled picture, but Dani's face can be seen in it.
Track listing
- "Babalon A.D. (So Glad for the Madness)" — 05:38
- "Serpent Tongue" — 05:10
- "Freakshow Gallery"
- "Merchandise Details"
- "Band Biography"