Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio: the sensual magic of erotic dark folk

Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio (ORE), a neofolk /dark folk project from Stockholm, Sweden, started their career in 1993 under the name Ordo Equilibrio. Later "Rosarius" was added to the name.The name Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio can be translated to "Order of the Rose and the Balance" from Latin (See Ordo Templi Orientis).

The band is currently composed of its founding member and vocalist Tomas Pettersson, and Rose-Marie Larsen.

The musical ambitions of the band seem to be to create a dark ambient soundscape. To this goal a wide range of instruments are used, including acoustic guitars, percussions, and piano, together with all sorts of sound-aggregating devices combined with projected imagery. Lyrics are delivered, typically by Petterson himself, in a performance including spoken word and traditional song.

In its sombre lyrics, Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio combines seemingly incompatible polarities, such as creation and destruction, dark and light, joy and sorrow, sex and war often using Christian and specifically Catholic symbols.

All in all this results in a very hypnotic, seductive, mysterious, erotic, ritual,  dark folk with reminiscence of ancient greek bacchanals, roman orgies, late mediaeval paintings and the great romantic authors.

This is a song for hate and devotion

For all of you, who mean nothing to me

We dance in nights of broken glass

Where stars collide and dreams collapse

Time will tell, it always does

Priests and whores, cum with us

You hope to see, but never will

The world will burn, and we stand still

Time won't die, it never has

For bitter and worse, no things last

"You are my imbecile, my idiot lover

I am the one you want, unlike the others"

Corrosion came, and touched my face

One kiss in vain, refrained to hate

I kiss your eyes, one last goodbye

When lust has seized, all love must die

The end is near; hope is gone

Let's fade and fall; what's done is done

"You are my imbecile, my idiot lover

I am the one you want, unlike the others"

One, is for liberty
Two, is for evil
Three, is an orgy
Four, is forever

There are circles of forever, made of fire made of stone
There are circles of a lifetime, made of silver made of gold

Five, is a star
Six, is for the beast inside
Seven, is for the plunging of gods
Eight, is where it all begins again....

One, is for the soul
Two, is for the women
Three, is and orgy
Four, is forever

There are circles of forever, made of fire made of stone
There are circles of a lifetime, made of silver made of gold

Five, is for the sun
Six, is for lust
Seven, is for the fallen angel
Eight, is where it all begins again....

There are circles of forever, made of fire made of stone
There are circles of a lifetime, made of silver made of gold

Oh... haven't you learned anything... you must laugh!