Well, what are the differences? A lot. First of all, the tracklist that includes some new songs; moreover those songs that appeared in the 1996 release sound completely different. This is due to the different lineup, but also to different arrangements and the use of different instruments, like a beautiful violin in “Heaven Torn Asunder” that then disappeared in the later version; this section of the song is also much more atmospheric in my opinion. Another example is the guitar solos in “A Gothic Romance” that were not reproposed in the new version. Another interesting element is the production, which is much more raw and straightforward; listen to the thick guitar sound in “Heaven Torn Asunder”, for example, but listen also to the furious blast beat section in “Dusk... and Her Embrace”. In a few songs the bass is very high, perhaps because the mastering was not completed.
However, this is a wonderful album, I think the absolute masterpiece by the masters of gothic black metal. Many thanks to Cacophonous who has finally decided to unveil this material, kept secret for twenty years, thus giving us the opportunity to listen to material never heard before. Unmissable.
Notes:
Dusk... and Her Embrace – The Original Sin was released on July 8 2016 in Europe and July 15 in USA through Cacophonous Records. The CD also includes a 20 page booklet.
Tracklist:
Dusk... and Her Embrace - The Original Sin (2016)
1. Macabre, This Banquet
2. Nocturnal Supremacy
3. Heaven Torn Asunder
4. Dusk... and Her Embrace
5. A Gothic Romance
6. The Graveyard by Moonlight
7. Funeral in Carpathia
8. Beauty Slept in Sodom
9. The Haunted Shores of Avalon
10. Carmilla's Masque
11. A Gothic Romance (demo)
12. Nocturnal Supremacy (demo)
Personnel:
Dani Filth: Vocals
Paul Ryan: Guitars
Benjamin Ryan: Keyboards
Paul Allender: Guitars
Nicholas Barker: Drums
Jon Kennedy: Bass
Text by Herjann
herjann@unholyblackmetal.com