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“Maybe I am what you think, Little Monkey. Maybe I’m the hand of Eblis, the devil, drawing veils across the faces of men.”

Or at least that’s what Eblis Álvarez, an academy-trained Colombian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist wants you to believe with the release of his new album, “Meridian Brothers and El Grupo Renacimiento,” out Friday.

He went on, “Zahhak was such a vile punk murderer that Eblis the devil took notice and came to his court disguised as a cook. He made Zahhak lamb stewed in wine, veal with saffron and garlic, and kebab—all of it was so delicious that Zahhak said, ‘Tell me, strange cook, what gift I can give you and you will have it.’

When Eblis walked up and kissed the king on his shoulders, two things happened: The devil disappeared into a sudden burst of smoke, and the king grew two snakes from his shoulders.

The erstwhile illuminated theatre is as dark as the Hall of Eblis.