Si Monvmentvm Reqvires, Circvmspice is a 2004 album by the black metal

Black metal

Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....

 band Deathspell Omega

Deathspell Omega

Deathspell Omega are a French black metal band. Their lyrical content deals primarily with Satanism on a metaphysical level – as the band has stated that "all other interpretations of Satan are intellectually invalid" – and other various theological topics...

. (The album title is Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

 for "If you seek a monument, look around you", from the epitaph

Epitaph

An epitaph is a short text honoring a deceased person, strictly speaking that is inscribed on their tombstone or plaque, but also used figuratively. Some are specified by the dead person beforehand, others chosen by those responsible for the burial...

 of Christopher Wren

Christopher Wren

Sir Christopher Wren FRS is one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history.He used to be accorded responsibility for rebuilding 51 churches in the City of London after the Great Fire in 1666, including his masterpiece, St. Paul's Cathedral, on Ludgate Hill, completed in 1710...

's tomb at St Paul's Cathedral

St Paul's Cathedral

St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...

.

Musically, it represents a massive departure in sound from the band's previous work, both for the increase in recording quality and for the pursuit of far more avant-garde and experimental directions than the band's previous work. The album is also intentionally structured in the manner of 1970s double album

Double album

A double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact discs....

s, with each LP side opening with a "prayer" (side four, which opens with "Carnal Malefactor," being an arguable exception).

The track "Malign Paradigm" is a tribute to the Swedish black metal band Malign, and their track "Ashes and Bloodstench". Additionally, "Drink the Devil's Blood" is a re-recording of a song of the same title appearing on the band's first album, Infernal Battles

Infernal Battles

Infernal Battles is the first album by the black metal band Deathspell Omega. It was released in 2000 by Northern Heritage records, and then re-released in 2003 by NH on CD. Tracks 5 through 8 constitute a reissue of the demo Disciples of the Ultimate Void in its entirety.-Track listing:...

. The re-interpretation of this station contains completely new lyrics dealing with a Eucharist

Eucharist

The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...

ic theme, in keeping with the more cerebral lyrical approach of this and subsequent releases.

Track listing