- Aspera Hiems Symfonia
Infobox Album | Name = Aspera Hiems Symfonia
Type =Album
Artist = Arcturus
Released =June 3 ,1996
Recorded = July-August 1995
Genre =Black metal Progressive metal
Length = 41:27
Label = Ancient Lore CreationsCentury Media Records (reissue)
Producer = Arcturus
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|4|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:ttavqj5uojsa link] | Last album = "Constellation" (1993)
This album = "Aspera Hiems Symfonia" (1996)
Next album = "La Masquerade Infernale " (1997)"Aspera Hiems Symfonia" is the debut
album by the Norwegianblack metal band Arcturus. Four songs are re-recorded versions from the "Constellation" EP and four are new songs. The album title is inLatin and means "Harsh Winter Symphony". This was the onlyblack metal album Arcturus released, though it still contains many of the experimental elements that are seen in their following albums, which shifted into the genres ofavant-garde metal andprogressive metal . The music is relatively down-tempo, atmospheric black metal, much more restrained in character and lyrical content than major black metal acts such as Mayhem andDarkthrone . It has a somewhat lo-fi, abraded "necro" sound to the production. The lyrical themes revolve around nature, winter, astronomy, and Viking culture and mythology.In 2002, the album was
remaster ed, along with previous releases "Constellation" and "My Angel" as "Aspera Hiems Symfonia/Constellation/My Angel ". The remaster has a stronger, clearer sound that restores many of the lower-frequency elements of the music lost in the original mastering. Although Arcturus claims nothing was re-recorded, some vocal and instrumental sections were obviously either re-recorded or spliced in from other takes of the material, such as the solo at the beginning of "The Bodkin and the Quietus" and the clean vocal lines on "Wintry Grey".Track listing
All song written by
Arcturus #"To Thou Who Dwellest in the Night" – 6:46
#"Wintry Grey" – 4:34
#"Whence and Wither Goest The Wind" – 5:15
#"Raudt og Svart" (Red and Black) – 5:49
#"The Bodkin and the Quietus (...To Reach the Stars)" – 4:36
#"Du Nordavind" (Thou Northwind) – 4:00
#"Fall of Man" – 6:06
#"Naar kulda Tar (Frostnettenes Prolog)" (When the cold takes) – 4:21Credits
*Garm - Vocals
*Carl August Tidemann - Guitars
*Skoll - Bass
*Steinar Sverd Johnsen - Keyboards
*Hellhammer - Drums
*Kristian Romsøe - mixing
*Craig Morris - mastering
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