Friday, January 26, 2024

Entry 658 - Diamanda Galas - The Divine Punishment


Style: Vocal insanity

Primary Emotions/Themes: The filth of man, the horrors of religion, shunning the befouled

Thoughts: "When any man hath an issue out of his flesh, Because of that issue he is unclean.

Every bed where upon he lieth is unclean and everything whereon he sitteth, unclean.

And whoever touches anything under him shall become unclean."

So begins the chronicle of the gospel of Diamanda Galas. The Divine Punishment is given unto those who would be unclean, those who would befoul themselves with that which is unclean. They shall be shunned from all those who are still clean, lest they themselves become unclean. For this is the law of the plague.

The Divine Punishment came out in the mid 80's, right at the height of the AIDS epidemic. Diamanda has been one of the most vocal people supporting those who are afflicted by this terrible disease ever since her her brother passed from it. The Divine Punishment explores what life is like from the perspective of those afflicted by this terrible disease. 

It was a scary time, no one really knew how it was spread back then. There was so much misinformation going around that people avoided those who had AIDS as if they were unclean. Shunned from society, cast off, destined to die. This is the Divine Punishment.

For those unfamiliar, Diamanda has a harrowing vocal style. It pierces the air like nothing ever before, and will never be replicated after she leaves this mortal plane. Her voice can be as angelic as the heights of heaven and as demonic as the ninth pit of hell, often times in the same song. 

Her work on the Divine Punishment starts out very rhythmic and religious. As the litany of those who are unclean are laid out the percussion helps drive the music forward. After this proclamation the music takes a drastic shift. 

It casts aside any sense of meter or structure. It casts aside lyrics and words. Instead it embraces the haunting and deeply disturbing vocal escapades that Diamanda has become known for. Her voice pierces the air like nothing else can. It bores itself into the depths of my brain and will not leave. I myself have become unclean from her chants and her wails. 

I've had people ask me how I can listen to this willingly. To be honest I'm not entirely sure. It's not easy to listen to, it's not pleasant to listen to, and more than once I've gotten a headache from it. Why do I listen to music like this? The only rational reason I can give is that I enjoy music that pushes the boundaries of what's conventional. I enjoy compositions that make me question my definition of music. Much like my foray into noise last year, Diamanda pushes that boundary. Is this music? I think so - but even if it is not, it's worth every second of my time that I spend listening to her incredible recordings.

Written January 14 2024

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