Dissection "Storm Of The Light's Bane (USA, Nuclear Blast America, NBA 6129-2)"

Storm of the Light's Bane is the second studio album by Swedish black metal band Dissection, released on 17 November 1995 by Nuclear Blast Records. It is the first album with guitarist Johan Norman, who replaced John Zwetsloot.

This would be the band's last full-length album before frontman Jon Nödtveidt's 1997 incarceration for the felony murder of Josef ben Meddour. It would not be until 2006 that they would release their third and final album Reinkaos, which was followed by the breakup of the band and Nödtveidt's suicide shortly after. As with the band's debut album, Kristian "Necrolord" Wåhlin created the artwork.

Several publications have called the album a "masterpiece" and "one of the best black metal albums ever written".

The album is notable for being one of the earliest and most successful examples of a band combining black metal with the melodic death metal sound that was developing in Gothenburg around the time of this album's release. Metal Hammer said "While Sweden's Dissection were very much black metal in terms of ideology and atmosphere, they also featured noticeable elements of the melodic death metal movement exploding in their home country, as well as classic '80s heavy metal." Dave Schalek wrote that "the songs are cold, dark, evil and extreme." OC Weekly have described the album as "extreme and aggressive but also primeval and classically orchestrated with heavy echoes of drums and haunting melodies hidden throughout the darkness."

In an interview, Jon Nödtveidt said that though "everything we do is connected through death in one way or another. This is not an album where all the songs follow a story. On this record, all the songs and music are different but still have that death theme within them to tie them in some form or another." He also added that "We never limit ourselves even if we feel we play dark, death metal. We don't write our music to fit into a certain pattern."

In 1995, Nuclear Blast released a Europe-exclusive special digipak version of the album limited to 500 copies, which upon unfolding formed the shape of a cross with the song's lyrics printed on the sleeves. It was re-released in 2002 as a digipak (catalogue number: NB 646-2), this time with the 1997 EP Where Dead Angels Lie as bonus tracks. The Japanese edition features the bonus track "Feathers Fell" as track 5, in between "Where Dead Angels Lie" and "Retribution – Storm of the Light's Bane". The album was re-released once again in 2006 by The End Records in a two-disc set, and includes the Where Dead Angels Lie EP, an unreleased EP from 1994 featuring two songs from the album, and an "alternate mix" version of the full album, all remastered from the original master tapes by Håkan Åkesson at Cutting Room Studios in Stockholm, and packaged in a slipcase. This version is touted as the "Ultimate Reissue".

The album is routinely cited as a landmark album in the history of black metal, and as one of the earliest examples of a band blending black metal and death metal, more particularly, melodic death metal.

In his review of the album for AllMusic, William York described all of the album's songs as "expertly crafted mini-epics" with thematic unity and memorable melodies, adding that the album is "deservedly hailed as a landmark" of the genre.

Sputnikmusic mentions the attention to detail in the music and the "meticulous structure" of each song, naming the album the legacy of the band.

Metal Hammer named it one of the 20 best black metal albums of the 90s, noting the influence of melodic death metal, and describing it as "a melodic, majestic and gloriously epic listen that features a measured, bombastic tone yet also makes use of furious, high-paced delivery when necessary."

Loudwire describe it as a "milestone in extreme metal" and "one to chill the bones and the only one of its kind."

In 2023, Andy O'Connor of Spin wrote: "It’s nothing short of breathtaking: Melodies are deliberately labored for optimal resonance, yet they feel as natural as wind and sunlight. [...] It’s totally possible to recognize someone who did what [Nödtveidt] did was also capable of making highly affecting music, though it doesn’t make it easier to stomach. Every artist’s dream is to live forever through their work, right? Nödtveidt got what he wanted: His melodies will always be bigger than him. Even if we can’t fully untangle Dissection from its creator, it’s not impossible to liberate those melodies in some way. They’re too good to be shamefully chained."

Tracklist:

1. "At the Fathomless Depths" (instrumental) Nödtveidt 1:56
2. "Night's Blood" Nödtveidt Nödtveidt/Zwetsloot 6:41
3. "Unhallowed" Nödtveidt/Tony Särkkä Nödtveidt/Norman 7:28
4. "Where Dead Angels Lie" Nödtveidt Nödtveidt 5:53
5. "Retribution – Storm of the Light's Bane" Nödtveidt Nödtveidt/Zwetsloot 4:51
6. "Thorns of Crimson Death" Nödtveidt Nödtveidt/Norman 8:06
7. "Soulreaper" Nödtveidt Nödtveidt/Norman 6:56
8. "No Dreams Breed in Breathless Sleep" (instrumental) Alexandra Balogh 1:26

Total length: 43:16

Comes with an 8-page booklet with English lyrics.

Features an EastWest logo on the back cover.

The first press does not feature "Manufactured in Germany" on the back cover above the barcode.

According to a 1995 interview with Jon Nödtveidt, the title means "the end of light", or "the light's damnation", which is "the main concept of [their] music and lyrics, and so it fits really well".

"Composed and arranged during hours of darkness between 1993 and 1995."

  

Recording information:

Recorded at Hellspawn / Unisound Studios between the 17th and 30th of March 1995.

Composed and arranged during hours of darkness in 1993-95.

Produced by Dissection.

Dissection – arrangement and production

Dan Swanö – recording, engineering and mixing

Håkan Åkesson – mastering and remastering (2006)

Necrolord – cover artwork

Oscar Matsson – photography

Dissection "Storm of the Light's Bane (2006 Reissue, Remastered, Ultimate Reissue, Russia, Irond Records, IROND CD 06-1190)"

Storm of the Light's Bane is the second studio album by Swedish black metal band Dissection, released on 17 November 1995 by Nuclear Blast Records. It is the first album with guitarist Johan Norman, who replaced John Zwetsloot.

This would be the band's last full-length album before frontman Jon Nödtveidt's 1997 incarceration for the felony murder of Josef ben Meddour. It would not be until 2006 that they would release their third and final album Reinkaos, which was followed by the breakup of the band and Nödtveidt's suicide shortly after. As with the band's debut album, Kristian "Necrolord" Wåhlin created the artwork.

Several publications have called the album a "masterpiece" and "one of the best black metal albums ever written".

The album is notable for being one of the earliest and most successful examples of a band combining black metal with the melodic death metal sound that was developing in Gothenburg around the time of this album's release. Metal Hammer said "While Sweden's Dissection were very much black metal in terms of ideology and atmosphere, they also featured noticeable elements of the melodic death metal movement exploding in their home country, as well as classic '80s heavy metal." Dave Schalek wrote that "the songs are cold, dark, evil and extreme." OC Weekly have described the album as "extreme and aggressive but also primeval and classically orchestrated with heavy echoes of drums and haunting melodies hidden throughout the darkness."

In an interview, Jon Nödtveidt said that though "everything we do is connected through death in one way or another. This is not an album where all the songs follow a story. On this record, all the songs and music are different but still have that death theme within them to tie them in some form or another." He also added that "We never limit ourselves even if we feel we play dark, death metal. We don't write our music to fit into a certain pattern."

In 1995, Nuclear Blast released a Europe-exclusive special digipak version of the album limited to 500 copies, which upon unfolding formed the shape of a cross with the song's lyrics printed on the sleeves. It was re-released in 2002 as a digipak (catalogue number: NB 646-2), this time with the 1997 EP Where Dead Angels Lie as bonus tracks. The Japanese edition features the bonus track "Feathers Fell" as track 5, in between "Where Dead Angels Lie" and "Retribution – Storm of the Light's Bane". The album was re-released once again in 2006 by The End Records in a two-disc set, and includes the Where Dead Angels Lie EP, an unreleased EP from 1994 featuring two songs from the album, and an "alternate mix" version of the full album, all remastered from the original master tapes by Håkan Åkesson at Cutting Room Studios in Stockholm, and packaged in a slipcase. This version is touted as the "Ultimate Reissue".

The album is routinely cited as a landmark album in the history of black metal, and as one of the earliest examples of a band blending black metal and death metal, more particularly, melodic death metal.

In his review of the album for AllMusic, William York described all of the album's songs as "expertly crafted mini-epics" with thematic unity and memorable melodies, adding that the album is "deservedly hailed as a landmark" of the genre.

Sputnikmusic mentions the attention to detail in the music and the "meticulous structure" of each song, naming the album the legacy of the band.

Metal Hammer named it one of the 20 best black metal albums of the 90s, noting the influence of melodic death metal, and describing it as "a melodic, majestic and gloriously epic listen that features a measured, bombastic tone yet also makes use of furious, high-paced delivery when necessary."

Loudwire describe it as a "milestone in extreme metal" and "one to chill the bones and the only one of its kind."

In 2023, Andy O'Connor of Spin wrote: "It’s nothing short of breathtaking: Melodies are deliberately labored for optimal resonance, yet they feel as natural as wind and sunlight. [...] It’s totally possible to recognize someone who did what [Nödtveidt] did was also capable of making highly affecting music, though it doesn’t make it easier to stomach. Every artist’s dream is to live forever through their work, right? Nödtveidt got what he wanted: His melodies will always be bigger than him. Even if we can’t fully untangle Dissection from its creator, it’s not impossible to liberate those melodies in some way. They’re too good to be shamefully chained."

Tracklist:

1. At the Fathomless Depths 01:56
2. Night's Blood 06:40   
3. Unhallowed 07:29
4. Where Dead Angels Lie 05:51  
5. Retribution - Storm of the Light's Bane 04:51   
6. Thorns of Crimson Death 08:06
7. Soulreaper 06:57   
8. No Dreams Breed in Breathless Sleep 01:26
9. Night's Blood 07:14   
10. Retribution - Storm of the Light's Bane 05:12
11. Elisabeth Bathori (Tormentor cover) 05:05  
12. Where Dead Angels Lie (demo version) 06:10   
13. Antichrist (Slayer cover) 02:45  
14. Son of the Mourning 03:13   

Time:  01:12:55  

Russian edition.

Under the license from Black Horizon Music.

Tracks 9 -- 10 is unreleased demo '94.

Tracks 11 -- 14 is "Where Dead Angels Lie" MCD '96 (remastered original mixes).

Recording information:

Recorded at Hellspawn / Unisound Studios between the 17th and 30th of March 1995.

Composed and arranged during hours of darkness in 1993-95.

Produced by Dissection.

Dissection – arrangement and production

Dan Swanö – recording, engineering and mixing

Håkan Åkesson – mastering and remastering (2006)

Necrolord – cover artwork

Oscar Matsson – photography

Doctor Butcher "Doctor Butcher (Japan, Zero Corporation, XRCN-1201)"

Doctor Butcher was a side project involving Jon Oliva and Chris Caffery of Savatage which released one major self-titled studio album in 1994. The original album title, A Living Hell, was changed at the last minute.

The project was born when Oliva left Savatage at the conclusion of their 1991 tour in support of their album Streets: A Rock Opera. Caffery was invited to play with the band on tour, like he did in the support of their 1989 album Gutter Ballet, but this was not possible because of issues within Atlantic Records. After Caffery heard of Oliva's departure from the fore of the band, he called him, and "over ten bottles of Jack Daniels", Doctor Butcher was born.

Zachary Stevens replaced Oliva as lead vocalist for Savatage in 1993, but Jon continued to work with his brother Criss on the record which would eventually become Edge of Thorns. Caffery was again asked to re-join the band, but he stayed loyal to Jon and Doctor Butcher. Some initial demos were recorded with Hal Patino and Gene Barnett, but bad press over Oliva's health (he was still recovering from the drug and alcohol addiction he had during the late 80s and early 90s) lead Atlantic Records to make a decision between Doctor Butcher or Savatage and the label chose the latter.

Hopes of an American release were shattered. However, Doctor Butcher was picked up for a European release, and a self-titled album followed. Despite being let down by a non-US release, plans were made for a second record with the tentative title, The Good, The Bad, and the Butchered, to be released in January 1996. However, after Oliva and Caffery re-joined Savatage, the album saw a possible release date pushed to 1997 (a post on the Savatage website claimed that it may also have been released prior to the band's then forthcoming album, The Wake of Magellan). Due to a contractual obligation to Edel Records, the second album was eventually never released.

A compilation of the band's demos was released in 1999 by Crook Records. In 2005, Black Lotus Records re-issued the album with a bonus disc, featuring one new song ("Inspecter Highway") and four tracks taken from the demo CD.

Tracklist:

All tracks are written by Chris Caffery and Jon Oliva.

1. "The Altar" 5:39
2. "Don't Talk to Me" 3:02
3. "Season of the Witch" 6:19
4. "Reach Out and Torment Someone" 2:28
5. "Juice" 1:43
6. "The Chair" 6:13
7. "Innocent Victim" 5:20
8. "The Picture's Wild" 4:45
9. "Lost in the Dark" 4:52
10. "I Hate, You Hate, We All Hate!!!" 4:34
11. "All for One... None for All" 4:41

Issued in a standard jewel case with 14-page booklet including English release information and lyrics, Japanese lyrics and commentary, the latter credited as:

10th Dec 1994 大野奈鷹美 (Naomi Ohno) /BURRN!

Also includes an obi.

Recording information:

Produced by Jon Oliva & Chris Caffery

Recorded at Morrisound Studios.

Dokken "Heaven Sent (Single & Video, Japan, Elektra Records, P-2363)"

Heaven Sent is a single, released in 1987 by American Hard Rock/Heavy Metal band Dokken, from their album Back For The Attack.

Tracklist:

Side A

1. Heaven Sent 04:50   

Side B

1. Mr. Scary 04:37   

Time:  09:27

Dokken "Into The Fire (Single & Video, Japan, Elektra Records, P-1924)"

"Into the Fire" is a song by American heavy metal band Dokken, released on September 11, 1984 on the album Tooth and Nail. The song peaked at number 21 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in the United States.

It was featured in the 1987 film A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors along with a title track named after the film.

The song was absent on the VHS release but was reinstated on the original DVD release and all future releases thereon.

In 2019, the song was used as the theme music to the National Wrestling Alliance's weekly wrestling show, NWA Power, and was the namesake for their pay-per-view event, NWA Into the Fire.

Track listing:

Side A

1. "Into the Fire" 4:30

Side B

1. "Bullets to Spare" 3:32

Dokken "The Very Best Of Dokken (Japan, EastWest Japan, AMCY-6030)"

The Very Best of Dokken is a greatest hits album by the American heavy metal band Dokken. Released on Rhino Records, this compilation contains most of Dokken's singles prior to 1995, the year this compilation was released. This compilation is a 16-song compilation arranged in chronological order. Tracks include the instrumental "Mr. Scary"; "Walk Away," the sole studio cut on 1988 live album, Beast from the East; "Mirror Mirror," from Don Dokken's 1990 solo album, Up from the Ashes; and "Too High to Fly," from the 1995 reunion album, Dysfunctional.

Track listing

1. "Breaking the Chains" - 3:52
2. "Paris Is Burning" (live in Europe, 1982) - 5:09
3. "Into the Fire" - 4:27
4. "Just Got Lucky" - 4:36
5. "Alone Again" - 4:22
6. "Tooth and Nail" - 3:42
7. "The Hunter" - 4:08
8. "In My Dreams" - 4:20
9. "It's Not Love" - 5:00
10. "Dream Warriors" - 4:48
11. "Burning Like a Flame" - 4:46
12. "Heaven Sent" - 4:53
13. "Mr. Scary" - 4:30
14. "Walk Away" - 5:02
15. "Mirror Mirror" (Don Dokken solo) - 4:40
16. "Too High to Fly" - 7:10

Time:  01:15:25

Original recordings produced by Angelo Arcuri, Wyn Davis, Dokken, Don Dokken, Neil Kernon, Michael Wagener, Tom Werman.