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Dissection - The Somberlain



8.6 | 683 votes |
Release date: 3 December 1993
Style: Melodic black metal, Melodic death metal

Owners:

776 have it
72 want it
1 trades it


Disc I
01. Black Horizons
02. The Somberlain
03. Crimson Towers
04. A Land Forlorn
05. Heaven's Damnation
06. Frozen
07. Into Infinite Obscurity
08. In The Cold Winds Of Nowhere
09. The Grief Prophecy/Shadows Over A Lost Kingdom
10. Mistress Of The Bleeding Sorrow
11. Feathers Fell
12. Son Of The Mourning [Japanese bonus]

Disc II [2006 Re-release bonus]
01. Frozen [live]
02. The Somberlain [live]
03. Shadows Over A Lost Kingdom
04. Son Of The Mourning
05. Into Infinite Obscurity
06. Frozen
07. In The Cold Winds Of Nowhere
08. Feathers Fell
09. Mistress Of The Bleeding Sorrow
10. The Call Of The Mist
11. Severed Into Shreds
12. Satanized
13. Born In Fire

Top 20 albums of 1993: 9

Additional info
Produced by Dissection.
Composed and arranged during the dawn of darkness in 1989-93.
Recorded and mixed between the 1st and 6th of March 1993 at Hellspawn/Unisound Studios, Sweden.
Recording engineer: Dan Swanö.
Remastered from the original master tapes by Håkan Åkesson at Cutting Room.
Cover art by Necrolord.

Guest Appearances:
Niklas Andreasson - Co-composer of "Into Infinite Obscurity"

The tracks on the bonus disc are made up of unreleased live material, and the following releases: Into Infinite Obscurity EP, Demo 1992, The Grief Prophecy Demo, Satanized Rehearsal and other rehearsal material.

Guest review by
-Soulreaper-
Rating:
9.0
The Somberlain is the debut album from the highly influential blackened death metal band, Dissection. In the midst of all the second wave of black metal bands and melodic death metal bands, these guys stepped out and created what no other band had done at that time; bridging the gap between black metal and death metal and throwing in some melody. This was the key that brought these Swedish pioneers to the forefront of the underground metal scene.

Read more ››
published 30.04.2009 | Comments (9)

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Comments

Comments: 15   [ 1 ignored ]   Visited by: 1234 users
06.04.2010 - 10:18
Pauleto
Account deleted
Album "The Somberlain" plus "Storm Of The Light' Bane" are best scrapbooks DISSECTION.
DISSECTION is unfeigned jewel Swedish Melodic Death Metal!
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06.04.2010 - 15:23
Angelic Storm
Melodious
Really awesome album! With ''The Somberlain" Dissection showed that black metal could be beautiful and tuneful, rather than just white noise. Definitely pure class.
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06.04.2010 - 19:35
Rating: 8
X-Ray Rod
Skandino
Written by Angelic Storm on 06.04.2010 at 15:23

Really awesome album! With ''The Somberlain" Dissection showed that black metal could be beautiful and tuneful, rather than just white noise. Definitely pure class.


I could make a huge post claming that Black Metal isn't white Noise. But I find that rather pathetic. So I'm just going with the old "I respectfully disagree with your statement and I declare Black Metal to be an excellent subgenre although an aquired taste".

Now that I think of it, peaceful posts suck just as much...

The second one is way better too. The Somberlain has was more of a death metal sound that Black Metal.
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29
Like you could kiss my ass
Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
Rod, let me love you.
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06.04.2010 - 20:26
Angelic Storm
Melodious
Haha well, I know not all black metal is white noise, but some of it is.

Hmm, I have to disagree with The Somberlain being more death than black metal. The only major difference between The Somberlain and most other black metal of the time was the heavy injection of melody into the sound. The riffing style is way more black metal than death, IMO.
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06.04.2010 - 21:11
Rating: 8
X-Ray Rod
Skandino
Written by Angelic Storm on 06.04.2010 at 20:26

Hmm, I have to disagree with The Somberlain being more death than black metal. The only major difference between The Somberlain and most other black metal of the time was the heavy injection of melody into the sound. The riffing style is way more black metal than death, IMO.


Well, the difference with Black Metal with lots of melody and Death Metal is quite fine... But songs like A Land Forlorn does sound a hell of a melodic death metal to me. It just takes growls instead of Nödtveidt's vocals and there you have it: a death classic track. For me Storm of the Light's Bane is the only Dissection album that really is melodic Black Metal as it should sound [because the last one was more like gothemburg stuff...]
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29
Like you could kiss my ass
Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
Rod, let me love you.
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12.07.2013 - 05:16
Boxcar Willy
yr a kook
Regardless, The Somberlain is awesome. Dat intro.
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14:22 - Marcel Hubregtse
I do your mum

DESTROY DRUM TRIGGERS
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11.06.2014 - 13:19
Rating: 8
musicalkaratekid

An impressive debut to say the least. The first half of the album for me is definitely much more effective than the latter half, given that there are more complex, almost progressive songs to be found. The latter half for me gets a little bit repetitive, but it's still an excellent all-round instrumental performance. The first two songs here are the highlights for me, as well as maybe "A Land forlorn".
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29.04.2015 - 11:17
Rating: 6
Dr. Strawberry

This album is just average, the later is very much better.
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29.04.2015 - 12:02
Rating: 10
angel.
Evil Butterfly
Written by Dr. Strawberry on 29.04.2015 at 11:17

This album is just average...

likewise your other comments and this one too.
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The Fangirl.
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30.04.2015 - 10:09
Rating: 6
Dr. Strawberry

Written by angel. on 29.04.2015 at 12:02

Written by Dr. Strawberry on 29.04.2015 at 11:17

This album is just average...

likewise your other comments and this one too.

of course I am picky and hard to please.
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30.07.2015 - 21:37
Maco
Pvt Funderground
A couple of fillers here and there, but it's ok. I guess the next album is gonna be better.
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Crackhead Megadeth reigns supreme.
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07.04.2018 - 00:53
Rating: 9
Redel

I seem to enjoy this slightly more than SOTLB.
The title track here is amazing, it is close to perfection.
Among the greatest songs I am aware of, certainly the band's best approach.
Black horizons also stands out.
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28.09.2021 - 12:46
Rating: 9
F3ynman2000
Nocturnal Bro
Written by Redel on 07.04.2018 at 00:53

I seem to enjoy this slightly more than SOTLB.
The title track here is amazing, it is close to perfection.
Among the greatest songs I am aware of, certainly the band's best approach.
Black horizons also stands out.

Yeah the title track and Black Horizons are some of the best songs of all time!
While I prefer Storm of the Light's Bane, I love both of Dissection's first two albums. As some other people have said, they were able to mix death metal riffs with elegant melodies and still retain the overall chilling atmosphere of black metal
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28.03.2022 - 17:29
Rating: 9
nonZero

While the best songs on this album don't reach the heights of the worst songs on Storm of the Light's Bane, that says more about how incredible that album is rather than anything negative about The Somberlain.

8.9/10 for me - the first 2 tracks are definitely the standout ones. 'A Land Forlorn' and 'Heaven's Damnation' are also great.
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20.04.2022 - 09:58
gavdann

I made the mistake of buying one of the recent reissued vinyl versions on Black Lodge records.

Side A is twice as long and mastered at half the volume of side B.

Does anyone else own a copy of this? I mean, what were these dickheads thinking!?
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