FUNERAL MIST - SALVATION (2003) VINYLS & POSTERS x 3

This crown jewel of an album had its 15th anniversary earlier this year and here's my complete vinyl collection of them all. Included the Salvation from the Trisagion (2013) vinyl boxset that also consists of Devilry and Maranatha.

Have already posted a similar complete vinyl collection of Devilry (1998) earlier this year check it out here if you're interested. Don't own nearly as many CD's of Salvation as Devilry only have the original Norma Evangelium Diaboli CD from 2003. The ones I'm looking out for most are the one on The Ajna Offensive from 2006 & the Season Of Mist from 2012. Will have more with time but I'm not in any hurry.

First out one of my biggest gems in my entire collection and it’s never about fucking monetary value in these cases. Salvation means something for me, something much more then money can buy.

Salvation ‎(2 x LP) 2003 Norma Evangelium Diaboli

The layout of the 2003 release I like the most. Only Arioch (& Dauthus on this release) can create that weird, twisted, sinister, sick & astonishing design. Brilliant poster, the pictures of the “band” & lyrics inlay are amazing.

The marks/branding of the pics might be a bit overkill but I don't like it whenever some shithead at Instagram uses my images from my collection. Which have happened on numerous occasions.

Salvation ‎(2 x LP) from the 2013 Trisagion boxset Norma Evangelium Diaboli

The 5 x LP Trisagion (2013) boxset naturally includes Salvation. Haven’t actually played any of those LP’s because I want to keep them as pristine as possible. Great design once again but the box only comes with 1 poster. However it’s my favorite Funeral Mist poster of the 9 different official ones that I own.

Salvation ‎(2 x LP) reissue 2017 Norma Evangelium Diaboli

In 2017 all 3 releases were reissued, likely to high demand and the expensive prices. The cover artwork has a slightly different color, it looks like the Trisagion one. Almost not notable with my crappy iPhone camera. 

Inside the gatefold there’s a great Arioch picture & the lyrics. Although a great piece of artwork on the poster but I think it has a bit too much dark grey color. As does the 2 other 2017 reissue posters.

Salvation ‎(CD) 2003 Norma Evangelium Diaboli

Chose to include this one also. Because it's worth buying the CD copy just for the 16-page booklet alone. It got even more artwork then the vinyl releases and esthetics that really pleases my eyes.

This is one of my favorite Black Metal albums of all time. If I ever did a list of my best records 2000-18 Salvation would be in 2nd place. Don’t expect such list from me though it's too hard. Actually tried once but gave up. I can say that lots of Funeral Mist, Marduk, Wardruna etc. at the top but also some newer bands. But never say never...

A bit off-topic but I do prefer Maranatha just a little bit more over Salvation but it's like choosing between Storm Of The Light's Bane and The Somberlain by Dissection and that's EXTREMELY difficult.

Any which way you own Salvation is the right way (not a download one or burnt CD-copy though). When you got it in your hands you will feel the magic within this masterpiece.

FUNERAL MIST - DEVILRY (1998)

20 years ago Funeral Mist released their debut MCD Devilry on Shadow Records. A year later in 1999 it was also released on LP by the same record label.

Here’s all the different versions I have of this devilish brilliant release:

1998 CD Shadow Records SHADOW 003
1999 LP Shadow Records Shadow 003 with the poster
2005 LP Norma Evangelium Diaboli NED 009 with the poster
2006 CD The Ajna Offensive FLAME 38
2012 CD Season Of Mist SOM 729
2013 LP gatefold Norma Evangelium Diaboli NED 035 (from the Trisagion box comes with a poster)
2017 LP gatefold Norma Evangelium Diaboli NED 009 with the poster

1998 Shadow Records

Missing 3 CD reissues on Norma Evangelium Diaboli. Will get those eventually, but I’m in no hurry.

In the late 90's I became aware of "newer" bands like Malign, Sorhin, Ofermod, Triumphator and of course Funeral Mist. I owned the MCD Here’s No Peace (1997) by Marduk that Marcus Tena had released on his label Shadow Records.

1999 LP Shadow Records

He frequently posted amazing promo ads in a Swedish Metal magazine (see others I scanned on my Instagram @herr_black_metal) and he had a cool store in Stockholm. You can read about my only visit to that short lived store also over at my Instagram.

1999 LP Shadow Records

I became very intrigued by the new wave of bands through reading about them in fanzines. They were really into the Black Metal scene as a lifestyle, something that many other bands at the time had lost. Remember really wanting to hear Malign but I couldn’t find any of their releases and I didn't know how to neither did I dabble with MP3 bullshit. However the Devilry MCD by Funeral Mist was obtainable.

The 5-song MCD was excellent and one could hear the infernal potential Arioch possessed. And that’s how I discovered Funeral Mist.

2005 Norma Evangelium Diaboli

My absolute favorite out of these versions I own is of course the first print vinyl on Shadow Records from 1999 with the poster, insert and the sticker that was limited to 300 copies. It has a bonus song called Hellspell 2 that one was recorded in November of 1998 in the drummer Necromorbus studio. Where Arioch and him also recorded the entire Devilry CD in October 1997 and January 1998.

2006 The Ajna Offensive and 2012 Season Of Mist

All re-releases on CD and LP since 2005 of Devilry after the Shadow Records vinyl have all included 4 additional songs from their Havoc Demo II 1996 and the Hellspell 2 song. Havoc Demo II 1996 was the first Funeral Mist release to feature Arioch as guitarist, bassist and vocalist. On the former demo Darkness (1995) he was the bass player and also backing vocalist.

2013 Norma Evangelium Diaboli (from the Trisagion vinyl box set)

It’s not many other releases in my entire collection that I value as high as that Devilry on Shadow Records because Funeral Mist is my favorite band and Shadow Records have also meant so much for me. And I’m NOT talking about fucking monetary value!

Just what means most to me personally. Like the first print LP of the Dismember brilliant debut Like An Everflowing Stream (1991) that my older sister gave to me in the 90’s is probably my personally most valued. Also when my great friend for almost 25 years Adde of the amazing band Tyrant Wrath gave me his own personal copy of the excellent Pleasure To Kill (1986) by Kreator the first print German vinyl on Noise Records

2017 Norma Evangelium Diaboli 

There’s other releases that I also regard very high in my collection but that Devilry LP truly has a very special place in my collection.

Shadow Records promo ad scanned from an issue of Close-Up Magazine when Devilry was first released. On top the Marduk EP‎ Here's No Peace (1997) that was released on LP in 1998 one year after Shadow Records released the 3-song MCD.