Battle Magic

Battle Magic
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 2, 1998
RecordedOctober–December 1997 at Academy Music Studio, Yorkshire, England
GenreSymphonic black metal
Length49:54
LabelCacophonous
ProducerMags
Bal-Sagoth chronology
Starfire Burning Upon the Ice-Veiled Throne of Ultima Thule
(1996)
Battle Magic
(1998)
The Power Cosmic
(1999)

Battle Magic is the third album by Bal-Sagoth, released in 1998 on Cacophonous Records, and is their last recording for that company before they signed to Nuclear Blast.

The cover artwork for the first release of the album features the fantasy character "Caylen-Tor", created by Bal-Sagoth vocalist/lyricist Byron Roberts. The character was originally introduced in the lyrics of the band's previous album Starfire Burning Upon the Ice-Veiled Throne of Ultima Thule and would later appear in "The Chronicles of Caylen-Tor" series of novels written by Roberts and published by American Sword and sorcery publishing house DMR Books.[1]

The song "When Rides the Scion of the Storms" marks the debut of Byron Roberts' character Captain Caleb Blackthorne, a privateer of the Elizabethan era, who would later appear in a trilogy of short stories written by Roberts and published by DMR Books in the "Swords of Steel" anthology series and subsequent omnibus edition.[2]

The song "Thwarted by the Dark (Blade of the Vampyre Hunter) marks the debut of Byron Roberts' character Joachim Blokk, a 19th century adventurer who would later appear in a short story written by Roberts published in the Sword and sorcery anthology paperback "Devil's Armory", released by Barbwire Butterfly Books.[3]

The band were awarded one full month to record, much of which was spent on the orchestral arrangements. The keyboards in "Blood Slakes the Sand at the Circus Maximus" alone took six full days to complete.[4] The opening of "Blood Slakes the Sand at the Circus Maximus" is identical to the score for the film Spartacus, composed by Alex North.

On 16 September 2016, Battle Magic was reissued on CD by Cacophonous Records, featuring remastered audio, an expanded lyric booklet and new cover artwork.

Track listing

All songs composed by Byron Roberts and Jonny and Chris Maudling.

No.TitleLength
1."Battle Magic"2:45
2."Naked Steel (The Warrior's Saga)"4:44
3."A Tale from the Deep Woods"5:36
4."Return to the Praesidium of Ys"6:29
5."Crystal Shards"2:17
6."The Dark Liege of Chaos Is Unleashed at the Ensorcelled Shrine of A'zura-Kai (The Splendour of a Thousand Swords Gleaming Beneath the Blazon of the Hyperborean Empire, Part II)"4:14
7."When Rides the Scion of the Storms"6:16
8."Blood Slakes the Sand at the Circus Maximus"8:53
9."Thwarted by the Dark (Blade of the Vampyre Hunter)"6:18
10."And Atlantis Falls..."2:22
Total length:49:54

Personnel

Additional personnel

  • Mags – producer, engineering
  • Jeroen van Valkenburg – artwork (inner inlay)
  • J.C. Dhien – photography
  • Simon Lee – artwork (first release)
  • Martin Hanford – artwork (rerelease)

References

  1. ^ Roberts, Byron (2019). The Chronicles of Caylen-Tor. DMR Books. ISBN 9780990990062.
  2. ^ Roberts, Byron; et al. (2017). Swords of Steel III. DMR Books. ISBN 9780990990000.
  3. ^ Roberts, Byron; et al. (2015). Devil's Armory. Horrified Press/Barbwire Butterfly Books. ISBN 9781326337513.
  4. ^ "The Official Bal-Sagoth Discography". bal-sagoth.freeserve.co.uk. Archived from the original on 22 June 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2016.


Content Disclaimer

Informasi ini disarikan dari Wikipedia dan disajikan kembali untuk tujuan edukasi. Konten tersedia di bawah lisensi CC BY-SA 3.0. Kami tidak bertanggung jawab atas ketidakakuratan data yang bersumber dari kontribusi publik tersebut.

  1. The information displayed on this website is sourced in part or in whole from Wikipedia and has been adapted for the purpose of restating it. We strive to provide accurate and relevant information, however:
  2. There is no guarantee of absolute accuracy. Wikipedia is an open, collaborative project that can be edited by anyone, so information is subject to change.
  3. It is not intended to constitute professional advice. The content displayed is for informational and educational purposes only. For important decisions (e.g., medical, legal, or financial), please consult a professional.
  4. Content copyright. Wikipedia is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License (CC BY-SA). This means that content may be reused with appropriate attribution and shared under a similar license.
  5. Responsible use. Any risk arising from the use of information from this website is entirely the responsibility of the user.