Search - Arcturus :: Aspera hiems Symfonia/Constellation/My Angel

Rating of the value of the remaster.

S. Flask | the Pequod | 10/02/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"i won't bother discussing the album at this point. what you're wondering is, "is it worth me buying this album again" right?very simply, yes. there are several reasons:1. the album itself is excellent, and if you're contemplating the remaster you obviously value it enough to consider purchasing again. 2. the album contains a second disc of other material. this is great because you get more than just a remaster. what's even better about this is that it's on a second disc, so it doesn't feel tacked onto the original album. you can choose to listen to the extra material as you please.3. the remaster itself. a lot of times "remasters" are just superficial cleaning of the original mix, and don't contribute much to the album. not so in this case. the sound is much better than on the original, with a better overall balance and notable improvement to the vocals. you will notice the difference.so there you have it. if you were on the edge about splurging for the remaster, i'd say it's worth it. if you're just getting into this album for the first time, this is the place to start too - it truly sounds like a better album. enjoy!"

If the cover art doesn't grab you.........

Matt Stoessel | Tolland, CT USA | 11/28/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"At first, this CD really impressed me. It is the band's first album with a bonus disk. The entire thing clocks in at about 83 minutes. I'm not sure what is from the first album and what's not, but I do know that the quality of this remastered version is quite wonderful. Right now, I'm listening to the wonderous keyboards in track 7. They are beyond beautiful. You don't hear music like this anywhere - black metal or not. I like to compare them to Dawn of Relic and Lunaris. Arcturus, at least in this release, fits into the sub-genre of black metal that will give you the same feeling that gothic metal does. But by no means at all is this music goth. For the most part, the music is very beautiful with haunting vocals that are well into the background, much like in the band Summoning. This is also where part of the similarness with Dawn of Relic is seen. In these 3 bands, the voices are very severe and you can't understand what is being sung at all, but they don't draw away from the music at all. On the first disc, the entire CD's production/quality is wonderful. Halfway through the 2nd disk, the production slips a bit, but the overall powerful sound is still there. So if you are a quality freak especially when comes to black metal, like me, this is a band to keep an eye on. You can very easily hear each instrument as it is being played. The album just has a very clean sound to it. The other component I feel I should mention is how much of what kinds of vocals are used. Most of the album (both disks) is full blown growls. Sometimes, you will hear a very nice gothic voice, somewhat like what you hear in bands like Paradise Lost and Agathodaimon's clean vocals. If you are into melodic and atmospheric black metal, or just want to hear something different, this is the band to look at. Once you decide that you like this genre, then go on and look at bands like Dawn of Relic and Lunaris. When you get the time, go and check out some of my other reviews. Earlier today I reviewed a Dawn of Relic CD, if you're interested."

Yet again, an absolutely splended work of art!

Icede | Antelope, CA | 07/03/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"2002 Limited edition Import Only Remastered & remixed version of the Norwegian lack metal luminaries 1995 debut album includes new artwork plus the highly collectable 8 rarity tracks on the bonus CD including 'The Deep Is The Skies', 'Cosmojam', 'Raudt Og Svart', 'Icebound Streams And Vapours Grey' (same song as track 2, different title), 'Naar Kulda Ra', 'Du Nordavind', 'My Angel' & 'Morax'. Well let me put it this way.. I've had it for a week now & it hasn't left my CD player yet. Someone over at Candlelight records certainly did great justice to Aspera, as the remix actually sounds better than the original! Garm's voice is amazing. I mean absolutely amazing. The vocals are clear, and about the screechiest I've ever heard Garm sing. They must have either muffled Garm's voice in the original recording, or this re-release accents his voice. It's not completely overpowering, but it stands out exactly as it should.The guitars, compliments of Carl Tidemann, are excellent as always... Keyboards and drums of course are excellent.Overall, the recording is a 11/10. There is absolutely no place in the CD where it's muffled, unclear, etc. Shoot, you can even hear the bass guitar in some parts! I must say, I was a bit skeptical when I heard that Arcturus was having Aspera remastered along with the addition of Constellation, and My Angel put onto a 2CD effort. The first CD is Aspera remixed... They definitely did not skimp on quality when making this CD! The remaster of Aspera is amazing. It brings out new sounds you cannot hear in the original recordings. Garm's voice is crystal clear, along with all other instruments.it is worth every penny, especially if you're an Arcturus fan.On CD #2, the bonus tracks include two songs that were recorded during the Aspera recordings, but never made it to the final pressing. The first song is very cool, and the second song (although it's quite short) is pretty cool too. The Constellation and My Angel recordings are also on the 2nd CD. These are not remixed, but simply added to this 2CD set. A good buy for anyone who has not been able to afford to buy the original Constellation ('95) or My Angel ('91).From the liner-notes:
The Original masters were re-visited for this release. They were in terrible shape, so we enhanced their voices slightly (some previously unheard) & did our best to clothe them properly. Their bodies remain the same. We made no attempt, however tempting, to change them. We heard: "Blasphemy!"* Tracks 9 & 10 culled from the same masters, but never displayed before, as they were at the time (still are) considered prospects; for your amusement only!
* Tracks 11 - 14 were originally released in a limited-edition MCD of 500 copies on Samoth's Nocturnal Art Production, Norway 1994.
* Tracks 15 & 16 were originally released in a limited edition of 1,100
copies as ''My Angel'' 7-inch EP from Putrefaction Records, France in 1991
which is now almost impossible to find!"