Before black metal went full symphonic or dipped deep into the post-metal rabbit hole, Arcturus were already warping the genre into something entirely different — and their 1996 debut Aspera Hiems Symfonia stands as a frozen monument to their visionary lunacy. This 2022 reissue on black vinyl, released via Prophecy Productions, gives us another chance to bask in the aurora-lit madness — now housed in a deluxe gatefold sleeve with padded inner protection, minus the original poster.

Formed from a constellation of Norwegian talent, Arcturus was never meant to follow. Featuring Garm (Ulver) on vocals, Hellhammer (Mayhem) on drums, and Skoll (Ulver, Ved Buens Ende) on bass, they had the chops — but it was their ambition that really shattered expectations. Here, black metal’s raw edge meets classical grandeur, avant-garde excess, and prog rock precision. Think the epic chill of Emperor, but reimagined as a bizarre theatre performance under northern lights.

The album shifts between frostbitten blasts like “Wintry Grey” and haunting, slow-burning tracks like “Du Nordavind” — and every song is soaked in Sverd’s haunting keyboard work, which gives the record its signature sound: cold, eerie, and slightly cosmic. Garm flips between rasped howls and operatic baritone vocals, dragging listeners from icy caves to celestial vistas in a matter of seconds.

Even now, Aspera Hiems Symfonia feels way ahead of its time — and also timeless. It doesn’t sound like anything else from the mid-’90s, and even modern avant-garde acts are still chasing the weird, wonderful energy Arcturus captured here. Whether you’re rediscovering this classic or diving in for the first time, this vinyl edition is an essential artifact from the fringes of the black metal galaxy.