THE PARADIGM-SHIFTING FOURTH STUDIO OPUS FROM THE NORWEGIAN PIONEERS. PRESENTED ON DOUBLE GATEFOLD BLACK VINYL FORMAT, INCLUDING A RETROSPECTIVE LOOK AT THE ALBUM COURTESY OF WRITER JEFF WAGNER.

 

‘Themes from William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven & Hell’ was the fourth studio album by Norwegian experimentalists Ulver. Having been known for their more folklore-tinged black metal compositions on early studio releases, in late 1997, mainman Kristoffer Rygg invited keyboardist, sound conceptualist & composer Tore Ylwizaker into the collective & together they devised a plan for The Blake Album; an altogether far more adventurous endeavour than prior releases.

 

What resulted was a seamless integration of electronic & industrial music, with elements of progressive metal & avantgarde rock, all fused with ambient passages, & following Blake's plates as track indexes. A work of deep & personal art, the album, while initially surprising to fans due to its complete shift in genre, has become a classic today & a prime example of the boundary-pushing evolution beyond the confines of genre expectations through the latter part of the 90s. Upon release, ‘The Marriage of Heaven & Hell’ received widespread acclaim from critics within the rock, metal & alternative music press, being awarded Album of the Month in several high-profile magazines such as Terrorizer, Metal Hammer & Rock Hard.

 

The album notably includes guest vocal appearances from Darkthrone’s Fenriz, as well as Ihsahn & Samoth; most known for their work in Emperor.

 

This remastered edition of ‘The Marriage of Heaven & Hell’ is presented on double gatefold black vinyl, including full lyrics/text, plus an article from writer & journalist Jeff Wagner on the background, nature & triumph of such an ambitious release.

 

Side A

1. The Argument, Plate 2 (04:02)

2. Plate 3 (02:48)

3. Plate 3, Following (01:33)

4. The Voice Of The Devil, Plate 4 (02:49)

5. Plates 5-6 (02:31)

6. A Memorable Fancy, Plates 6-7 (04:26)

 

Side B

1. Proverbs Of Hell, Plates 7-10 (09:04)

2. Plate 11 (02:01)

3. Intro (03:26)

4. A Memorable Fancy, Plates 12-13 (05:55)

 

Side C

1. Plate 14 (02:08)

2. A Memorable Fancy, Plate 15 (04:51)

3. Plates 16-17 (03:17)

4. A Memorable Fancy, Plates 17-20 (11:23)

 

Side D

1. Intro (02:27)

2. Plates 21-22 (03:11)

3. A Memorable Fancy, Plates 22-24 (04:50)

4. Intro (03:59)

5. A Song Of Liberty, Plates 25-27 / Chorus Vocals (06:16)