Soulside Journey
Occupation
- Vocals, Lead Guitar: Ted Skjellum
- Rhythm Guitar: Ivar Enger
- E -Bass: Dag Nilsen
- Drums, Vocals: Gylve " Hank Amarillo " Nagell
Soulside Journey is the debut album of Norwegian metal band Darkthrone. It was published in January 1991 in the UK record label Peaceville Records.
In contrast to the subsequent albums, which have been relevant for the Nordic Black Metal, the music on the album is unique to the Death Metal.
Formation
The album went in the years 1988 and 1989 are progressing four demos, with the last two ( Thulcandra and Cromlech ) already five of the songs from the debut album were included. Curiously, the title Cromlech was not composed for the same demo, but only for the album.
The recording of the album found in 1990 in the Sunlight Studios in Stockholm. Under the engineer Tomas Skogsberg this studio was at the time as being essential for the typical Scandinavian, especially Swedish Death Metal; among other things created here early albums by Entombed, Dismember, Grave and Amorphis. The album was released on CD and LP in 1991.
The album cover was painted by Duncan Fegredo and shows the outlines of different people on a wide plain, about a black sky with the silhouette of a nondescript machine gears. It is dominated by the colors black, white and blue.
2001 a new edition appeared in Jewel Case, 2003 as part of a series of complete Darkthrone reissues in digipack. This edition was like the other re-released by Peaceville the band's albums have been provided with a data track containing a playable on computer video interview with the band at the relevant album. In addition, a limited edition of 1,000 units of output appeared as Picture- LP.
Another curiosity is the naming of the band members on the back cover. While the band members appeared later under pseudonyms, the real names of the musicians were called here. The exception is the drummer Gylve Nagell, which is called here under the name " Hank Amarillo ". On the reissues Nagell is called contrast with his later stage name " Fenriz ", the rest of the band members, however, still with real names.
Title list
Style
The music is largely based on typical Scandinavian death metal of his time, which is exacerbated by the corresponding heavy bass Sunlight production. Characteristic is also a contrast between the slower and fast parts. Chance is resorted to style elements of the later Black Metal, which here consist in building upon dissonances riffs (eg in the song Cromlech ).
Frank Albrecht of the magazine Rock Hard engaged in his review of the album the music style in the vicinity of the band Death, but also points to other influences:
" [ ... ] One can easily see that DARKTHRONE have like Chuck Schuldiner belongs discs, because of the structuring of the songs they remember her in places belonging to Death [ ... ]. , Soulside Journey ' is simply a synthesis of Florida -style death metal sound and archetypical Nordic influences, especially the sound, make the Doom parts and the singing felt. "
The texts, due to which members of the Norwegian Black Metal scene as Euronymous and Varg Vikernes Album zuordneten Black Metal, are of pagan rites ( Cromlech, see the meaning of the name; Sempiternal Sepulchrality ), anti-Christian themes ( Sunrise over Locus Mortis, Grave with a View ). Occasionally, existential or transcendental border experiences in surreal processing are described ( Soulside Journey, The Watch Tower ). Exceptions are the historically inspired Iconoclasm Sweeps Cappadocia (see iconoclasm ) and the sci-fi theme in Neptune Towers (see Neptune (planet ) ).
Reception and impact
With release of the album, the fact was highlighted by music critics, first, that Darkthrone had released with Soulside Journey in a time in which the scene of bands from Sweden and Florida was dominated, one of the first death metal albums from Norway. But it was criticized that the style of music over other bands show little independence. Similarly, the albums production was designated as not optimal. Frank Albrecht awarded the Work in its review to the album a rating of 8.5 / 10 points and pulled at the end the following conclusion:
" Nonetheless,, Soulside Journey ' a very interesting album that will make quite a stir. I distribute 8.5 points, connected with the Council, most produce next time in Australia or in the Fiji Islands to get added a more autonomous sound. "
In retrospect, the style of the album was not taken up again; the recorded immediately after Soulside Journey during the change of style towards the black metal work Goatlord was discarded in the course of this development and provided only in 1996, with vocal tracks and regularly released. Instead, published in 1992, the nominal follow-on A Blaze in the Northern Sky.
The title of the song Neptune Towers was also the name of a 1993 founded ambient side project of Gylve " Fenriz " Nagell.