'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.
This newly remastered edition of 'The Marriage of Heaven & Hell' is presented on 2CD deluxe digipack format, including full lyrics/text, plus a new article from writer and journalist Jeff Wagner on the background, nature & triumph of such an ambitious release.
CD1
1. The Argument, Plate 2
2. Plate 3
3. Plate 3, Following
4. The Voice of the Devil, Plate 4
5. Plates 5-6
6. A Memorable Fancy, Plates 6-7
7. Proverbs of Hell, Plates 7-10
8. Plate 11
9. Intro
10. A Memorable Fancy, Plates 12-13
11. Plate 14
12. A Memorable Fancy, Plate 15 13. Plates 16-17
CD2
1. A Memorable Fancy, Plates 17-20
2. Intro
3. Plates 21-22
4. A Memorable Fancy, Plates 22-24
5. Intro
6. A Song of Liberty, Plates 25-27
Chorus Vocals