Link to article: SCP-8159.
component:preview
footer-wikiwalk-nav
===== [[include component:preview text=Are these your old records, dad? I’m surprised //you// used to be into this kind of stuff.]] ===== [[>]] [[module Rate]] [[/>]] **Item #:** SCP-8159 **Object Class:** Safe **Special Containment Procedures:** Foundation webcrawlers must monitor social media, filesharing sites, and online marketplaces for references to SCP-8159. Any online discussion of Oxhorn, //Devil’s Cup//, or related topics must be investigated. Any copies of SCP-8159 for sale or uploads of its audio must be removed immediately, and the source of the upload investigated. Any copies of SCP-8159 outside of Foundation ownership must be confiscated upon discovery. Individuals discovered to have been exposed to SCP-8159’s anomalous effects should be interviewed and monitored. Affected Foundation staff should have this noted on their personnel file. Beyond these standard procedures, affected subjects require no further engagement. **Description:** SCP-8159 is “Devil’s Cup”, the first and only album by American heavy metal band Oxhorn. SCP-8159 is notable for its heavy use of backmasking;[[footnote]]A recording technique where sound is recorded backward onto a track intended to be played forward. This conceals the backmasked audio from listeners unless they play the recording in reverse.[[/footnote]] every song on the record features at least one backmasked message. While each message is different in content and placement within the song, they each have an identical effect on listeners. When a human between the ages of sixteen and twenty-four hears a backmasked section in any of SCP-8159’s songs, they undergo behavioral changes. This occurs regardless of whether SCP-8159 is being played forward or backward, or if the listener is aware of the message’s presence. The following descriptions of individuals affected by SCP-8159, henceforth “subjects”, have been gathered via interviews with affected subjects and their families, friends, coworkers, and other acquaintances. Note that, due to the median age of affected subjects,[[footnote]]Most affected individuals were exposed to SCP-8159 within ten years of //Devil’s Cup//‘s release in 1978.[[/footnote]] the statements below primarily describe middle-aged subjects. * They avoid risk-taking behaviors. They avoid tobacco and narcotics, and do not gamble outside of minor, socially accepted forms of gambling, such as scratch cards or bingo. If they consume alcohol, it is in low quantities and generally only at social gatherings or on special occasions. * They seek long-term, committed romantic relationships and are uninterested in short-term or casual relationships. * Related to the above, they seek whatever lifestyle and goals are considered typical in their culture or community. All subjects are in stable long-term employment, have at least one child, and are married or have previously been married for at least five years. * They take jobs which are common and considered typical in their culture or community, most often in the blue collar and white collar sectors; no subjects have been found to work in a creative profession. They are devoted and hardworking in their work, although never to a degree that others find unusual or otherwise noteworthy. * They subscribe to the most common religion within their culture or community.[[footnote]]The majority of affected civilians are Christian, atheist, or agnostic.[[/footnote]] Subjects follow any expected religious tenets and attend worship at standard times, and many regularly participate in religious-adjacent social activities such as church bake sales. Despite this, they rarely describe themselves as devout or spiritual. * They are outgoing and sociable in most situations, and have an affable, convivial demeanor towards most people they interact with. During interviews, many subjects’ acquaintances, such as coworkers and neighbors, expressed that they didn’t know the subject well despite finding them likeable and interacting with them regularly. Affected subjects adhere to the behaviors described above as much as they possibly can, even when in situations where deviating from them would be advantageous or holding to them would be disadvantageous. Being forced to act outside of their typical behavior causes the subject some level of distress; while they display visible discomfort when this occurs, they refuse to discuss these events or their feelings on them, leaving the exact nature of their reaction unclear. The majority of affected subjects are from the United States, the only nation where SCP-8159 was officially released. Very few subjects have been found within Foundation ranks. No subject has reported noticing any psychological or mental change after their exposure to SCP-8159. Affected subjects are typically successful in their careers and respected and well-known in their communities. Despite this, they are significantly more likely to experience social isolation and estrangement from friends, family, and romantic partners. A 2023 study of SCP-8159 subjects in the United States showed that the marriages of affected individuals are 26% more likely to end in divorce than those of non-affected Americans. No way of reversing SCP-8159’s effects has been found. SCP-8159 was discovered in 2005 when an audio file of the song “Garden of Unearthly Delights” was uploaded to the filesharing application LimeWire. Several hours after the file’s upload, it was flagged as an auditory cognitohazard by the early Foundation webcrawler LIMEROOT and manually removed. Investigation revealed the uploader was unaware of the song’s anomalous properties and was amnesticised without incident. The backmasked clips in SCP-8159 each consist of an adult male voice with a Midwest American accent speaking a short message. The contents of each clip are recorded in full below: > “Be cool, stay in school.” > “Don’t run with scissors.” > “Chew with your mouth closed.” > “Brush your teeth.” > “Eat your vegetables.” > “Color inside the lines.” The message’s speaker and origin have yet to be identified. [[footnoteblock]] [[div class="footer-wikiwalk-nav"]] [[=]] << [[[SCP-8158]]] | SCP-8159 | [[[SCP-8160]]] >> [[/=]] [[/div]]