Label: Peaceville

Reissued 10/1/2021, Originally released 1998

‘Themes from William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell’ is the fourth studio album by Norwegian experimentalists Ulver. 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 & avantgarde 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 90’s. Upon release, ‘The Marriage of Heaven & Hell’ received widespread acclaim from critics within the rock, metal & 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.

Track listing:

1. The Argument
2. The Voice Of The Devil
3. A Memorable Fancy
4. Proverbs Of Hell
5. A Memorable Fancy
6. A Memorable Fancy
7. A Memorable Fancy
8. A Memorable Fancy
9. A Song Of Liberty