Gerard Manley Hopkins was a 19th century Jesuit priest and poet who experimented with groundbreaking rhyme schemes influenced by ancient Anglo-Saxon poetry. Calling his technique “sprung rhythm,” Hopkins wrote poems that evoked the beauty of the natural world in order to praise its Creator. One of his most beautiful and stirring poems is “God’s Grandeur,” in which he writes that all of nature is “charged with the grandeur of God.” He contrasts that to humanity’s weariness and the toll we’ve placed on nature before finding comfort once again in nature’s resilience and the Holy Ghost’s overwhelming presence.

It’s a gorgeous poem, no doubt; even so, it seems like an odd inspiration for an industrial band. But Mortal was never your typical industrial band. Frontman Jyro was quite the poet himself, so it’s no surprise that the band would adapt Hopkins’ poem for one of the best songs on their sophomore album, Fathom. I love the fact that “Bright Wings” might’ve introduced an entire scene to Gerard Manley Hopkins, almost as much as I love the fact that the song was built around a sampled Beastie Boys beat. (“In 3’s” from 1992’s Check Your Head, to be precise.)