Themes from William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell

Infobox Album
Name = Themes from William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell
Type = studio
Artist = Ulver


Caption = Slipcase cover
Released = start date|1998|12|17
Recorded =
Genre = Experimental
Black metal
Avant-garde metal
Length = 101:09
Label = Jester
Producer =
Reviews =
* Allmusic Rating|2.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:tb6uak4k0m3n link]
Last album = "The Trilogie - Three Journeyes through the Norwegian Netherworlde"
(1998)
This album = "Themes from William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell"
(1998)
Next album = "Metamorphosis"
(1999)

"Themes from William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell" is the fourth album by Norwegian experimental band Ulver. It is a musical setting of William Blake's book "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell", featuring guest vocals. The actual CD booklet contains the plates of Blake's scriptures, which are contained in the lyrics.

The album is a drastic change in sound to that of its predecessors, the title alone being a loud signal that Ulver had changed somewhat. The album and the band in general got a great deal of back-lash from the black metal community for abruptly changing musical styles, though the band expressly claimed to not be part of the "so-called black metal scene" in the liner notes of the booklet.

The music on this double album consists of elements from drum and bass, progressive rock, spoken word, industrial music, and black metal, fused into a somewhat ambient new style.

Track listing

Disc one

#"The Argument, Plate 2" – 4:03
#"Plate 3" – 2:48
#"Plate 3, Following" – 1:33
#"The Voice of the Devil, Plate 4" – 2:49
#"Plates 5-6" – 2:31
#"A Memorable Fancy, Plates 6-7" – 4:24
#"Proverbs of Hell, Plates 7-10" – 9:06
#"Plate 11" – 2:01
#"Intro" – 3:26
#"A Memorable Fancy, Plates 12-13" – 5:59
#"Plate 14" – 2:08
#"A Memorable Fancy, Plate 15" – 4:51
#"Plates 16-17" – 3:17

Disc two

#"A Memorable Fancy, Plates 17-20" – 11:23
#"Intro" – 2:27
#"Plates 21-22" – 3:11
#"A Memorable Fancy, Plates 22-24" – 4:50
#"Intro" – 3:59
#"A Song of Liberty, Plates 25-27" – 26:23

The last track contains roughly 20 minutes of silence, as well as vocal appearances from Emperor's Ihsahn and Samoth and Darkthrone's Fenriz.