This sonata was described by Scriabin himself as a satanic poem, a black mass awakening the forces of evil. With this piece, he returns to the aesthetics of dark romanticism, full of gothic scenery and devilish figures (Mephisto Waltz by Liszt, Night on Bald Mountain by Mussorgsky…). It appears as a musical nightmare, a kind of sabbath.

Like the Poème Satanique Op.36, some motifs built on repeated staccato notes almost resemble a devil’s laugh, especially striking in the climax made of vibrating dissonant chords. The piece ends just as it began (as in the Sonata No.5): the evil forces always return to their dormant state…

Although no sign of tonality remains, the piece seems to be grounded in the note “F”, which Scriabin (thanks to his synaesthesia) perceived as dark red—possibly explaining the “hellish” theme.