Beyond the Cursed Eclipse is the debut album

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 American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 symphonic black metal

Symphonic black metal

Symphonic black metal is a black metal subgenre that emerged in the mid to late 1990s. The genre is known for its symphonic and orchestral elements and is centralized in Europe.-Characteristics:...

 band Vesperian Sorrow

Vesperian Sorrow

Vesperian Sorrow is a symphonic black metal band from Austin, Texas founded in 1994. They were known as Unholy Descent until they changed their name to Vesperian Sorrow in early of 1999. Their lyrics tend to be less extreme than most black metal bands that cover themes of Satanism and...

. The songs, "Twilight of Azrael" and "Windswept", have an opening sample taken from a play of the Artus-saga. The song, "Twilight of Azrael" refers to Azrael

Azrael

Azrael is the name of the Archangel of Death in some extrabiblical traditions. He is also the angel of death in Islamic theology and Sikhism. It is an English form of the Arabic name ʿIzrāʾīl or Azra'eil , the name traditionally attributed to the angel of death in some sects of Islam and Sikhism,...

, the angel of death. The production quality was lacking in the album and had a more underground style than their more commercial later releases, but would give promise for their next albums.

At the start of "Windswept", the sound clip is taken from the 1981 fantasy film Excalibur

Excalibur (film)

Excalibur is a 1981 dramatic fantasy film directed, produced and co-written by John Boorman that retells the legend of King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table. Adapted from the 15th century Arthurian romance, Le Morte d'Arthur by Thomas Malory, Excalibur features the music of Richard Wagner...

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Track listing

1. "Intro" − 2:22
2. "Beyond the Cursed Eclipse" − 8:22
3. "Twilight of Azrael" − 7:25
4. "From an Ever Blackened Star" − 8:14
5. "Calydon" − 7:43
6. "Shadowlord" − 5:19
7. "Windswept" − 8:44
8. "Saga of the Second Sign" − 5:22
9. "V S" − 3:46