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ARCTURUS  Aspera Hiems Symfonia / Constellation / My Angel  2 x LP   (Back On Black)   32.00
Aspera Hiems Symfonia / Constellation / My Angel IS CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE FOR ORDER

Along with the Back On Black reissue of Arcturus's late 90's avant metal masterwork La Masquerade Infernale, we also finally picked up the latest repress of the double LP reissue of the band's early collection Aspera Hiems Symfonia / Constellation / My Angel, which had been previously reissued on Candlelight as an expanded double CD set. This vinyl edition features all of the same material as that CD version, and houses the records in a hefty gatefold jacket, with the records coming on colored vinyl. Here's our original review from back in 2002 when we first got that CD reissue in:

Here we get a beefed-up re-issue of the early Arcturus recordings delivered as a double-disc set, Aspera Hiems Symfonia / Constellation / My Angel is exactly that, a collection of the band's first full length album Aspera Hiems Symfonia from 1995, the Constellation CD promo from 1994, and the My Angel 7" from 1991. This two-disc remastered reissue documents Arcturus before they truly entered the realm of electronica-flavored, Faith No More-inspired post-black metal, but even with these early releases you can hear a band breaking through the walls of traditional black metal forms. Featuring Garm from Ulver and Hellhammer from Mayhem, Arcturus' early releases were blazing, epic Norwegian black metal bolstered by tons of majestic synthesizers, ripping double bass drumming, and a combo of alternating blackened shrieks and awesome soaring vocals that sound a lot like Depeche Mode. When their not racing through wintry wastes on fierce BM thrash, Arcturus break down into spacey orchestral waltzes and melodic breaks that border on full-on "pop" at times. Catchy as hell, but also quite vicious in spots, these recordings begin to reveal that heavy, theatrical prog-rock vibe that hints at where the band would go with their late 90's work. The Aspera hiems Symfonia disc includes two previously unreleased tracks that were recorded during the same recording session.