Aspera Hiems Symfonia
Encyclopedia
Aspera Hiems Symfonia is the debut album
by the Norwegian
black metal
band Arcturus
. Four songs are re-recorded versions from the Constellation
EP
and four are new songs. The album title is in Latin
and means "harsh winter's symphony". This was the only black 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 of avant-garde metal and progressive 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
and Darkthrone
. It has a somewhat lo-fi, abraded or tinny 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 considerably 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 are considerably clearer and were likely either re-recorded or spliced in from alternate 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".
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by the Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
black metal
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
band Arcturus
Arcturus (band)
Arcturus is an avant-garde metal band formed in Norway in 1987. They named it Arcturus , after the Behenian fixed star Arcturus.-Biography:The band has released four official full-length albums...
. Four songs are re-recorded versions from the Constellation
Constellation (EP)
Constellation is an EP by the Norwegian black metal band Arcturus. It was limited to only 500 copies. Tracks from this album were later re-recorded on Aspera Hiems Symfonia and re-released on Aspera Hiems Symfonia/Constellation/My Angel compilation....
EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
and four are new songs. The album title is in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
and means "harsh winter's symphony". This was the only black metal
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
album Arcturus released, though it still contains many of the experimental elements that are seen in their following albums, which shifted into the genres of avant-garde metal and progressive metal
Progressive metal
Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal originating in the United Kingdom and North America in the late 1980s...
. 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
Mayhem (band)
Mayhem is a Norwegian black metal band formed in 1984 in Oslo, Norway and regarded as one of the pioneers of the influential Norwegian black metal scene...
and Darkthrone
Darkthrone
Darkthrone is a Norwegian black metal band. They formed in 1987 as a death metal band, but after embracing the black metal style in 1991, they became a driving force in the Norwegian black metal scene. For most of this period Darkthrone has consisted of just two musicians, Nocturno Culto and...
. It has a somewhat lo-fi, abraded or tinny sound to the production. The lyrical themes revolve around nature, winter, astronomy, and Viking culture and mythology.
In 2002, the album was remaster
Remaster
Remaster is a word marketed mostly in the digital audio age, although the remastering process has existed since recording began...
ed, along with previous releases Constellation
Constellation (EP)
Constellation is an EP by the Norwegian black metal band Arcturus. It was limited to only 500 copies. Tracks from this album were later re-recorded on Aspera Hiems Symfonia and re-released on Aspera Hiems Symfonia/Constellation/My Angel compilation....
and My Angel
My Angel (EP)
My Angel is a 1991 EP by Arcturus. Arcturus's first work published on an actual record label, My Angel represents a halfway point between band leader Steinar Sverd Johnsen's original project Mortem, a death metal band, and Arcturus's later symphonic black metal and avant-garde metal albums...
as Aspera Hiems Symfonia/Constellation/My Angel
Aspera Hiems Symfonia/Constellation/My Angel
Aspera Hiems Symfonia '95, Constellation '94 and My Angel '91 is a compilation album by the Norwegian black metal band Arcturus. The album contains their first full-length album Aspera Hiems Symfonia and two earlier releases, Constellation and My Angel...
. The remaster has a considerably 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 are considerably clearer and were likely either re-recorded or spliced in from alternate 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 (band)Arcturus (band)
Arcturus is an avant-garde metal band formed in Norway in 1987. They named it Arcturus , after the Behenian fixed star Arcturus.-Biography:The band has released four official full-length albums...
- "To Thou who dwellest in the Night" – 6:46
- "Wintry Grey" – 4:34
- "Whence & wither goest the Wind" – 5:15
- "Raudt og Svart" (Red and Black) – 5:49
- "The Bodkin & 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 (The Prologue of the Frostnights)) – 4:21
Credits
- GarmKristoffer RyggKristoffer Rygg , also known as Garm, Trickster G. and recently also God Head is a Spellemannprisen nominated vocalist, musician and producer known as the frontman of Ulver and former vocalist for Arcturus...
- Vocals - Carl August TidemannCarl August TidemannCarl August Tidemann is a highly technical Norwegian Neo-classical metal guitarist and composer, best known for his work in progressive bands like Arcturus and Winds.- With Tritonus :# Shadowland Demo...
- Guitars - Skoll - Bass
- Steinar Sverd JohnsenSteinar Sverd JohnsenSteinar Sverd Johnsen is a Norwegian keyboardist and composer, born 1972. Sverd last played keyboards and synthesizers in Arcturus and was also the main composer for the band. He formed the band with Jan Axel Blomberg of Mayhem in 1987, originally under the moniker Mortem...
- Keyboards - HellhammerJan Axel BlombergJan Axel "Hellhammer" Blomberg is a three time Spellemannprisen award-winning heavy metal drummer. He is most well known for his drumming with the band Mayhem, with which he began his career...
- Drums - Kristian Romsøe - mixing
- Craig MorrisCraig MorrisCraig Morris is a world-renowned orchestral trumpeter. He is widely known for serving as the Principal Trumpet of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He is also known as a critically acclaimed soloist and chamber musician...
- mastering