ARCTURUS - CONSTELLATION (1994)

On a black reissue vinyl from 2012 limited to 300 copies by the amazing Kyrck Productions that comes with a double sided poster and a 8-page booklet.

Have written before about other the great reissues by Kyrck Productions in other posts. Definitely worth checking out their releases if you're in search for something rare. They have always delivered fantastic releases in my opinion.

Arcturus was formed around 1990/91 by members from the Norwegian Death Metal band called Mortem. Steinar 'Sverd' Johnsen on keyboards also guitarist in 1991, Marius Vold bass & vocals, the drummer was Hellhammer from Mayhem.

In 1991 that lineup released a 7" LP the 2-song My Angel  limited to 1100 copies on Putrefaction Records. All members used their first name on that release and the cover artwork was done by the music mastermind Snorre Ruch from Thorns.

The Constellation EP was Arcturus 2nd release. Arcturus had recruited both Samoth of Emperor as guitarist and my favorite Norwegian vocalist of all time Garm from Ulver.

And here's when Arcturus really took off and became an incredible band in my opinion.

The EP was originally released on CD in 1994 limited to 500 copies on Samoth's own record label called Nocturnal Art Productions. Just 4 songs on that release Rødt Og Svart; Icebound Streams And Vapours Gray; Naar Kulda Tar (Frostnettenes Prolog) and Du Nordavind. That CD goes for an crazy amount of money these days.

Also in 1997 Samoth re-released it on vinyl, again 500 copies but hand numbered with a poster (a different one then the one included in this release). It has 4 bonus songs 2 of them are from the 7" My Angel and Morax but also Morax (Anno 1996 Ev) and Outro (Radiant Star Befallen).

Icebound Streams And Vapours Gray was renamed to Wintry Grey on the release and has been called that ever since that. That LP although not cheap isn't as expensive as the CD nowadays.

This 2012 reissue has the same songs as the 1997 vinyl but with a rehearsal version of Wintry Grey as a bonus song.

All four songs on the original Constellation EP were re-recorded for the Aspera Hiems Symfonia album. I bought that album the same year as it was released.

It was actually not until the year 2000/01 (?) that I heard the Constellation EP versions. Admittedly although I'm almost proclaiming myself as Herr Physical Media they were downloaded on Napster.

It's hard to choose if I prefer the Constellation versions over the album. Even if I think that Garm's vocals had evolved much more for the better on the album. But "the old" recordings has a certain charm and history to them that the album don't.

Not to try getting off-topic but it's the same with the Emperor 4-song EP Emperor (1993) and the album In The Nightside Eclipse (1994).

However in that situation I lean more towards the album because it was the first Norwegian Black Metal release I ever bought.

Anyway going back to Constellation the cover artwork for the 1994, 1997 and this 2012 release are the same picture. The LP's are both almost identical, but the CD looks best in my opinion. Sadly that one doesn't have the classic Arcturus logo on it.

From the lineup that recorded Constellation only Sverd and Hellhammer are the only members that's still in the band as of now.

Have to say that ever since I got that debut CD Arcturus has been one of my top-5 Norwegian bands of all time. I would even go as far as to say they are in my top-10 bands ever.

Arcturus might not be a band for everyone but once you get into them you will want more. But I think that the Constellation EP (any version) should be in every Black Metal collection its that excellent.