I can't believe we've had this album for over a year now and I just now realized it is a concept album. Not sure why the theme is not made more obvious, but I now know beyond a shadow of a doubt that BCSL is about cannibalism. The hints and nuggets abound. Here is a short summary:
A Nightmare to Remember: The opening lyrics give us a hint that the song is about something funny that soon turned to tragedy. Let's face it, every time cannibalism is brought up in this day and age, it is treated as a joke. But what began as laughter so soon would turn to pain...as the flesh was being gnawed from their very bones!
The guests quickly left the wedding as the uninvited stranger began consuming the bride right before the wedding guests' very eyes! (so we said goodbye to the glowing (probably because she was just freshly over broiled and was glowing from the heat) bride) Then the song's protagonist finds himself lying on a table, obviously as the next meal. Why else would he be on the table? Duh. We next hear about a faceless man. Obviously, this refers to Hannibal Lechter wearing his safety mask so his face cannot be seen. Anyhow, this one should be fairly obvious now, so no point beating it into the ground.
A Right of Passage: General information about the secret rituals practiced by those secretive cannibals.
Wither: This was what clinched it for me. Now we know we aren't dealing with a single cannibal as discussed in TCOT, but a female member of royalty who also engaged in such practices. I think the lyric, "But this Baroness consumes me" says it all.
The Shattered Fortress: The cannibals regret what they have become and try to make amends, only to realize that to deny their true urge to be a cannibal is impossible. The song ends with an unexpected twist as they reach out to the hungry and try to make them into cannibals by cutting off their own hands and feeding them to these hungry people: "I am responsible when anyone anywhere reaches out for help. I want my hand to be there."
The Best of Times: This one is a little bit more of a challenge to figure out how it fits in. I haven't completely figured it out yet, but I think it's just meant to show how cannibalism is passed down through the generations as a son reflects back fondly on how his father brought him up to embrace the cannibalistic lifestyle (and perhaps the boy now thinks ahead to how he will marinate and devour his dad after his dad's passing).
The Count of Tuscany: "Cannibal curator," drinking the wine made from the dead soldiers, etc. This is obviously about Hannibal's family, bringing the album full circle back to Hannibal eating the bride in the first song and him wanting JP to tell the world about him, which DT obviously dedicated the entire album to.
There you have it. Please feel free to add in any nuggest I missed. I have to say, while this is perhaps one of the most bizarre album concepts DT have come up with to date, knowing and understanding the underlying concept has made the album even more enjoyable to me.