Ulver - Themes From William Blake's The Marriage Of Heaven And Hell (Remastered) (1998/2021)

Peaceville Records are set to release a newly remastered edition of Ulver’s paradigm-shifting fourth studio opus – Themes From William Blake’s The Marriage Of Heaven And Hell. This new edition will be presented on double gatefold coloured vinyl (red & white) and as a 2 CD set both formats include a retrospective look at the album courtesy of writer Jeff Wagner, on 23 July 2021.

Having been known for their more folklore-tinged black metal compositions on early studio releases, in late 1997, mainman Kristoffer Rygg invited keyboardist, sound conceptualist, and composer Tore Ylwizaker into the collective, and together they devised a plan for ‘The Blake’ Album; an altogether far more adventurous endeavour than prior releases.

What resulted was a seamless integration of electronic & industrial music, with elements of progressive metal & avant-garde rock, all fused with ambient passages, & following Blake’s plates as track indexes. A work of deep and personal art, the album, while initially surprising to fans due to its complete shift in genre, has become a classic today, and a prime example of the boundary-pushing evolution beyond the confines of genre expectations through the latter part of the 90s.

Upon release, The Marriage of Heaven & Hell received widespread acclaim from critics within the rock, metal and alternative music press, being awarded Album of the Month in several high-profile magazines such as Terrorizer, Metal Hammer, and Rock Hard.

The album notably includes guest vocal appearances from Darkthrone’s Fenriz, as well as Ihsahn & Samoth; most known for their work in Emperor.

Tracklist
1. The Argument, Plate 2 (04:03)
2. Plate 3 (02:48)
3. Plate 3, Following (01:33)
4. The Voice of the Devil, Plate 4 (02:50)
5. Plates 5-6 (02:31)
6. A Memorable Fancy, Plates 6-7 (04:24)
7. Proverbs of Hell, Plates 7-10 (09:06)
8. Plate 11 (02:01)
9. Instrumental 1 (03:26)
10. A Memorable Fancy, Plates 12-13 (05:59)
11. Plate 14 (02:09)
12. A Memorable Fancy, Plate 15 (04:51)
13. Plates 16-17 (03:18)
14. A Memorable Fancy, Plates 17-20 (11:24)
15. Instrumental 2 (02:28)
16. Plates 21-22 (03:12)
17. A Memorable Fancy, Plates 22-24 (04:50)
18. Instrumental 3 (03:59)
19. A Song of Liberty, Plates 25-27 (26:24)