Arcturus - Aspera Hiems Symfonia (1996)

Aspera Hiems Symfonia is essentially a blown out version of the Constellation EP, with the original tracks re-recorded, four more added on, into a proper full-length debut. Norwegian guitarist Carl August Tidemann, who would skirt around the progressive rock edges of that country's black metal for years through projects like Winds, stepped in for Emperor's Samoth, and the result is a more seasoned, graceful and atmospheric sound which invests fully into the symphonic/progressive style present on its predecessor. I remember this record as one of the earlier Century Black releases alongside Triarchy of the Lost Lovers, The Pagan Prosperity, Nemesis Divina, etcetera at a time when I was already fascinated by what was evolving out the black metal roots.

This project did not disappoint, an evocative and captivating spin on the genre which was in a whole different dynamic range than what Emperor and Dimmu Borgir were doing. Rather than storm and surge like a raging sea or winds striking a mountainside, this record is like wandering a frosty landscape, as a snow lightly falls, shadows playing at the edge of your perception with an orchestrated whimsy. As I had hinted before, the aurora pictured on the cover is a strikingly accurate (if simplified) visual for what the record sounds like, but it's not only gorgeous...it's also a little creepy due to the presence of some impish rasps and effects in Garm's vocals. These are often accompanied by some lower, clean croons in his usual inflection that would be evolved further through the diverse Ulver catalogue, and some reverse shifted lines and other weirdness that almost seem sacrilegious to the crystalline throb of the guitar melodies and rime-glistening synthesizers that dominate the nighscape above Hellhammer's dependable beats.

Tunes like the re-recorded "Wintry Grey" and the subsequent "Whence & Whither Goest the Wind" are flighty, catchy things which progress steadily like a carousel of lights amidst a surrounding squall. The lead melodies are integrated right against the backdrop with the keys and it creates a consistent outer shell that seems highly theatrical, as if a lot of film-scores were rubbing up against the classical composers and neo-classical folk and opera which obvious inspired these guys along this axis. To keep it moored in the metal realm, Hellhammer shifts into more intense rhythms, and this is to my memory one of the earlier examples of where those 'extreme' drum styles were being affixed to something other than the churning tremolo-picked guitars and flurries of savage chords. It's hypnotic and enchanting, largely due to how sticky Sverd's keyboards are throughout the experience, but maintains just the right level of mystique and danger in a tune like "The Bodkin & the Quietus (...to Reach the Stars)".

There are some areas where the material does border on the more traditional intensity of the black metal side, but never for more than a riff or two, in fact Garm's snarling is arguably the most evil and extreme thing present (ironic now that he's essentially an artsy pop guy). However, this album does lack the clownish pageantry that Arcturus would explore on the follow-up, there's a stark seriousness in the lyrics and delivery betrayed only by the glittering flourishes of synth and the obvious prog nerdery that went into its composition. It's not ultimately my favorite Arcturus album, but certainly among their better recordings, a substantial stride beyond the EP, and one I find myself returning to most winter seasons, this one included, and it would prove a huge influence on some of the band's peers and the members' other projects.

Verdict: Win [8.75/10]

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