Watain "Rabid Death's Curse"

 Watain is a Swedish black metal band from Uppsala, formed in 1998. The band's name is taken from an early recording by the American black metal group Von. The band have become infamous for their Theistic Satanist views and for their live shows which involve pyrotechnics, candles, Satanic rituals, animal carcasses, and blood. At a now-notorious live performance in Brooklyn in 2014, they doused audience members in animal blood, allegedly causing some members of the audience to vomit. This was picked up and publicised by TMZ, generating controversy around the incident. To date they have released six full-length albums, as well as three live albums and a number of demos and EPs. Their most recent album Trident Wolf Eclipse was released on 5 January 2018 through Century Media Records. The band's core lineup has remained stable since their formation, consisting of Erik Danielsson, Pelle Forsberg, and Håkan Jonsson, though as of 2015 Jonsson no longer performs live, his live duties now being covered by Emil Svensson (aka E. Forcas) of fellow Uppsala Death metal band Degial.

Rabid Death's Curse is the first studio album by the black metal band Watain. It was released in 2000 on Drakkar Productions. It is notable as being the first and only album for which the band had two guitarists; from Rabid Death's Curse onwards, the band would be a trio. The song "Rabid Death's Curse" contains an audio sample from the film Friday the 13th. The album is considered a classic and was featured on German Rock Hard magazine's list 250 Black-Metal-Alben, die man kennen sollte ('250 black metal albums you should know').

Ronald Ziegler of the German Horrible Eyes fanzine described the sound of Rabid Death's Curse as "very Swedish, very Death Metalish". According to Eduardo Rivadavia of Allmusic, the album "suggested that Watain were, at best, content to produce intentionally crude facsimiles of inspirational forefathers ranging from Bathory to Mayhem and, at worst, unable to do anything else".

Rivadavia described the production as "muddy" and "less-than-ideal". According to the band's vocalist, Erik Danielsson, "[t]here were some minor mistakes regarding the productions which could have been done better, but on the other hand it is stuff that you hear after listening to it through and through far too much. At least it does not sound as whatever cheap fucking 'primitive, cult, limited, true underground Black Metal' shit out there, which is a relief. I like the album, it's one of the better to come from Sweden, it's just my sense of perfection that haunts at times."

The lyrics are based upon "Satanism, or—to avoid confusion—Devilworship" and play "a terribly important role in our creations". Danielsson explained the title as "a rather personal attempt of mine to symbolically explain the idea of salvation through spiritual slavery and the will to serve. […] To put it briefly, the Rabid Death's Curse is the curse of life, the disease which we are condemned to suffer from until divine punishment comes upon us."

Davthvs was "responsible for almost the whole layout, as well as the rather successful idea of printing the LP inside out, so that the lustreless side was turned out". Danielsson, who draws artwork for Watain and other bands himself, was "very pleased in working with such a talented man". The gatefold contains a photography "which is a bit hard to recognice [sic] at 1st sight—but when the observer looks at it a bit more he witnesses it's a turned upside down photo of a decayed bird surrounded by flying autumn leaves"; the idea came from Danielsson although dead birds are the responsible artist's trademark. Davthvs found a dead bird and scanned it for the artwork. According to Danielsson, "there's truely [sic] much symbolism behind the usage of the bird. A dead, decayed bird represents to me the death of freedom, and the beauty that lies in the silent process of its way into ashes and dirt. It also visualises the idea of the "Rabid Death's Curse" quite well, the molten dead lying in slumber, unconsiously [sic] walking towards the unescapable claws of Satan!"

Track listing

All songs written by Watain, except where noted.

1. "The Limb Crucifix" 4:21
2. "Rabid Death's Curse" 5:21
3. "On Horns Impaled" 2:35
4. "Life Dethroned" 5:45
5. "Walls of Life Ruptured" 4:21
6. "Agony Fires" K. v Bonsdorff 5:22
7. "Angelrape" 3:40
8. "Mortem Sibi Consciscere" Elizaveat 7:02

Total length: 38:27

The original LP version by End All Life Productions included the Sabbat cover "Curdle the Blood" which is not featured on the CD version by Drakkar Productions. The 2004 CD re-release includes Dødheimsgard cover "When Heavens End". The bonus track "The Essence of Black Purity" from Watain's first official release, the 7" The Essence of Black Purity, put out by the Swedish Grim Rune Productions, was added to the remastered 2008 CD re-release by Season of Mist.

CD

- CD released by Drakkar Productions, limited to 1000 copies.

- CD re-released by Drakkar Productions in 2004, with one bonus track (#9) : "When Heavens End" (Dødheimsgard cover) (5:32).

- CD re-released by Season of Mist in 2008, remastered on both versions: digipak and standard jewel case, and also with one bonus track (#9) on both: "The Essence of Black Purity".

Tape

- Tape released by Tribal Death Association in 2001, limited to 300 copies (this was the first in the line of cassette releases of the album).

- Pro-Tape released by InCoffin Productions, limited to 250 copies.

- Tape re-released by Satanic Propaganda Records in October 2008, limited to 500 copies.

Vinyl

- LP released by End All Life Productions in 2000, limited to 350 copies and includes one bonus track (#9) : "Curdle the Blood" (Sabbat cover).

- PIC-LP released by Apocalyptor Records in 2004 and limited to 300 copies, first 100 with 2 inserts, sticker and poster.

- PIC-LP re-released by Norma Evangelium Diaboli in 2008, limited to 999 copies.

- Double LP released on November 16 2012 by Season of Mist.

Recording information:

All music by Watain, except Track 08 by Elizaveat.

Recorded in Necromorbus, April 2000.