The Somberlain [Original recording reissued]

Dissection | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 20, 2002)
• Original Release Date: 1993
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued
• Label: Century Media
• ASIN: B00006FIAZ
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #442,798 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Black Horizons

2. The Somberlain

3. Crimson Towers [Acoustic]

4. A Land Forlorn

5. Heaven's Damnation

6. Frozen

7. Infinite Obscurity (Intro)

8. In the Cold Winds of Nowhere

9. The Grief Prophecy Shadows Over a Lost Kingdom

10. Mistress of the Bleeding Sorrow

11. Feathers Fell

Editorial Reviews

The ultimate re-issue of one of the best Swedish black metal albums ever! The album that defined the latter Swedish Black Metal sound, filled with Epic freezing cold guitar riffs, blasting drums & sinister vocal arrangements. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beauty Shines On The Somberlain, October 16, 2006

By 

Bill Lumbergh "yeaahh..." (Initech) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Somberlain (Bonus CD) (Audio CD)

I'm not the biggest black metal fan you'll ever meet. I enjoy my share of bands, but there was one band that is an essential for either the black metal fan or the melodic death metal fan. That's right, they were Dissection.

I am glad that an essential album like this is rereleased and is receive better distribution. The album is just amazing beyond belief. The late Jon Nodtveidt was one of the greatest guitarists out in the black metal scene. Ole Ohman is a double bass machine! And with the dark feel of a black metal album embedded in their melodic talents, no wonder this album is such a legendary work of art.

But wait! There's more! This reissue comes with a bonus disc as well! The first two tracks are a live recording recorded in 1995 but not released until a decade later. Next, we have the band's "Into Infinite Obscurity" 7" covering tracks 3 to 5. Tracks 6 to 9 are the 1992 demo, and track 10 is "The Grief Prophecy Demo" recorded in 1990. Tracks 3 to 10 are remastered. The final 3 tracks are closing rehearsal tracks from 1990-1991, all remastered as well. And no, they're NOT re-recorded. There's a difference between that and remastering.

If you're new to this band, or just love Dissection, pick this up. It's inexpensive and you get a lot out of this reissue. Also, check out the "Storm of the Light's Bane" reissue as well.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Debut of the Madness..., January 26, 2005

By 

Metal_fan - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Somberlain (Audio CD)

I got this album after I got Storm Of The Light's Bane, so I am comparing this to Storm Of The Light's Bane.

The production is definitely more garage than Storm Of The Light's Bane, but the guitars are still recognizably Dissection, and the drumming is for the most part the same, except Ole Ohman doesn't use as many blastbeats in this debut.

The songwriting is a bit raw compared to SOTLB, but it is still way up there. It achieves atmospheric heights in songs like Black Horizons, The Somberlain, and Mistress of a bleeding sorrow. Generally, the songs were harsher and more heavy than SOTLB, but this album does convey emotion, but isn't quite as haunting and grim as SOTLB.

Where this album is good, it excels. The garage production actually fit some certain songs, such as Black Horizons and The Cold Winds Of Nowhere, and the songwriting did use a whole lot of harmonizing to achieve a dramatic effect. However, the problem is, where this album was poor, it was abysmal. A couple of the songs took a whole lot of developing before they achieved a "personality", like A Land Forlorn. Also, I found the acoustic guitar pieces, while technically astounding, very flat and boring, and not nearly as dramatic as their names would suggest, and they tended to not be as cold as the intrumentals on SOTLB.

However, the production is still clear. Though slightly muddied, it was irrelevant because it was for the most part clear and representative. And the songwriting is still Dissection, and if you liked any other of their releases (Storm Of The Light's Bane, Past Is Alive, Live Legacy) then you will like this. In fact, it easily surpasses Past Is Alive and Live Legacy.

This album is clearly still influenced by Melodic Death Metal, as that's where Dissection's roots lay. (By contrast, Storm Of The Light's Bane is definitely Melodic Black Metal.) The Somberlain appears to be part of the time when Dissection were still in transition, as it is not recognizable to either genre. What Dissection did, in fact, was take a Melodic Death Metal melody, and then "blacken" it, and then add a sense of Iron Maiden style harmonization, and the riffs are less "blackened" than they are on SOTLB. Though there are other minor differences (production, vocals), the main difference in the fact that the riffs are more blackened on SOTLB than on this release.

Is this good Dissection? Yes. Is it worth your money? Yes. Is it their best? No. Is it sensational and will it affect you tremendously? No. It is not an incredible album, and does have its flaws. But it isn't bad; in fact, it is quite good. I just urge you to get Storm Of The Light's Bane before you get this. However, this album fails to disappoint. It does carry the Dissection name, and it lives up to it every minute of its existence.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One Of The Best Albums Ever!, November 14, 2002

By 

Metal Maiden (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Somberlain (Audio CD)

This is one of the most perfect albums I have ever heard. Everything on this album is done so well. The atmosphere on this albums is incredibly dark and perfect. This album may not have solos, but it is so good that it doesn't even need it. Even though this band only had a few releases, I still say that they are the true kings of black metal. Anyone who listens to this album would agree.