Vampires of Black Imperial Blood

Infobox Album |
Name = Vampires of Black Imperial Blood
Type = Album
Artist = Mütiilation‎


Released = 1995
Recorded = Black Legions Studio
Genre = Black metal
Length =
Label = Drakkar Productions (DKCD001)
Reviews = * The Metal Observer (9.5/10) [http://www.metal-observer.com/articles.php?lid=1&sid=1&id=7972 link]
*Chronicles of Chaos (8.5/10) [http://www.chroniclesofchaos.com/reviews/albums/2-2213_m%C3%BCtiilation_vampires_of_black_imperial_blood.aspx link]
*Lunar Hypnosis (10/10) [http://lunarhypnosis.com/mutiilationreviews.htm link]
*Hyperblast Zine (4.73/10) [http://www.hyperblastmetal.com/reviews/m/mutiilation/vampiresofblackimperialblood.html link]
Producer =
Last album = "Hail Satanas We Are the Black Legions"
(1994)
This album = "Vampires of Black Imperial Blood"
(1995)
Next album = "Remains of a Ruined, Dead, Cursed Soul"
(1999)
Misc = Extra album cover 2
Upper caption = End All Life Productions re-release

Vampires of Black Imperial Blood was Mütiilation‎'s and The Black Legions first full-length album. It was also the first full-length CD publication from Drakkar Productions, a french record label freshly established in 1994 by fellow musician Noktu ‎(frontman of Celestia).

Reissues

Originally limited to 1000 copies, the album was reissued in 1999 as a double-vinyl by End All Life Productions, in a limited pressing of 100 numbered copies. This edition had a slightly different tracklisting, including three bonus tracks. The album was reissued in 2005 by Tragic Empire Records, in an undisclosed amount, with the same tracklisting as the double-LP. Although the legitimacy of this reissue is disputed, it has been distributed through official mailorder channels.

Track listings

=Drakkar Original Pressing=

tracklist
title1 = Magical Shadows of a Tragic Past
length1 = 10:00
title2 = Born Under the Master's Spell
note2 = this track is missing on the re-release.
length2 = 5:29
title3 = Ravens of My Funeral | length3 = 7:41
title4 = Black Imperial Blood | length4 = 5:35
title5 = Eternal Empire of Majesty Death| length5 = 7:06
title6 = Transylvania| length6 = 5:52
title7 = Under Ardailles Night| length7 = 4:22
title8 = Tears of a Melancholic Vampire| length8 = 8:01

End All Life LP/Tragic Empire Pressing

tracklist
title1 = Magical Shadows of a Tragic Past| length1 = 10:00
title2 = Ravens of My Funeral | length2 = 7:41
title3 = Black Imperial Blood | length3 = 5:35
title4 = Eternal Empire of Majesty Death| length4 = 7:06
title5 = Transylvania| length5 = 5:52
title6 = Under Ardailles Night| length6 = 4:22
title7 = Tears of a Melancholic Vampire| length7 = 8:01
title8 = Forest of an Evil Dream
note8 = bonus track | length8 = 5:27
title9 = Travels To Sadness, Hate And Depression
note9 = bonus track | length9 = 7:13
title10 = The Rite Of Darkness
note10 = Bathory cover version, from "The Return...", 1985
length10 = 5:32

Critical reception

This album, together with "March to the Black Holocaust", was instrumental in establishing the reputation of the Black Legions among underground black metal circles. The overall reception of the album was highly polarized, followers of the Black Legions hailing it as "the most chilling and dark atmosphere ever put to tape", while others dismissed it as "forgettable melancholic drivel". Globally, the most notable elements appear to be the "twisted", "demented but catchy riffs" and, most importantly, the "melancholic", "bleak and lugubrious", "depressive atmosphere", that differed from the established Norvegian black metal acts of that time. On the base of this album, Mütiilation is often credited for inventing the "depressive/suicidal black metal" sub-genre, that would spawn acts such as Xasthur and Shining ["(...) a mournful sounding arpeggiated midtempo droniness that certainly informed Xasthur's sepia toned fuzz" - citeweb
url=http://www.aquariusrecords.org/cat/m38.html
title=Aquarius Records Newsletter
accessdate=2008-06-03 ] .

While the production quality has been acclaimed as "significantly clearer" than on earlier Mütiilation demos, other reviewers described it as "fuzzy distortion laden fog"citeweb
url=http://www.metal-observer.com/articles.php?lid=1&sid=1&id=7972
author=Charles Theel
title=The Metal Observer review
accessdate=2008-06-01] , a "nonexistant production"citeweb
url=http://www.metal-archives.com/review.php?id=2353
author=Anonymous metalhead
title=Encyclopaedia Metallum
accessdate=2008-06-01] , or even an "ultra primitive sound quality (...) making Darkthrone sound downright hi-fi".citeweb
url=http://www.aquariusrecords.org/cat/m38.html
title=Aquarius Records Newsletter
accessdate=2008-06-03] .

Trivia

* This was the first recording to feature Mørdrëd.
* This album features actual drumming, while on the following Mütiilation releases, Meyhna'ch would rely on a drum machine.
* The song "Eternal Empire of Majesty Death" has been covered by the American Black metal band Xasthur, and is included as a bonus track on the 2004 reissue of "A Gate Through Bloodstained Mirrors".

References

External links

* [http://www.metal-archives.com/release.php?id=2353 Album page] on Encyclopaedia Metallum
* [http://www.discogs.com/release/368906 Original release] (1995, Drakkar Productions) on Discogs
* [http://www.discogs.com/release/412393 EAL double-LP release] (1999, End All Life Productions) on Discogs
* [http://www.discogs.com/release/894740 Tragic Empire reissue] (2005, Tragic Empire Records) on Discogs