Arcturus - Aspera Hiems Symfonia [Green & Black]

Arcturus' debut Aspera Hiems Symfonia, Latin for "harsh winter symphony," returns as a limited 140 gram reissue on green and black vinyl, housed in a gatefold jacket.

Released in 1996, it gathered a remarkable cast from Norway's black metal circle: vocalist Garm, drummer Hellhammer of Mayhem, keyboardist Sverd, guitarist August and bassist Skoll. Four of its eight songs were reworked from the earlier Constellation EP, with four new compositions alongside them. It was the starting point for a band that would soon drift into avant-garde and progressive territory, and the seeds of that adventurous streak are already clear.

The music is slower and more atmospheric than many of its peers, built on icy riffs, sweeping keyboards and Garm's mix of harsh shrieks and stately clean singing. "To Thou Who Dwellest in the Night" opens the album with frost-bitten grandeur, "Wintry Grey" and "Raudt og Svart" swirl with symphonic menace, and "Du Nordavind" summons the north wind it is named after. The lyrics range widely across nature, winter, astronomy, alchemy and Viking folklore and mythology.

A cornerstone of Norwegian symphonic black metal, it still conjures a vivid, frozen, starlit landscape the moment the needle drops, and the gatefold gives the artwork plenty of room to match.