Description
We recorded these demo tracks in a single afternoon during the depths of winter in 1993. Our time was limited, our budget miniscule, and the equipment we used was archaic. In truth, we never actually finished the recordings. Originally I wanted to include a keyboard intro, which was never written, and there were some additional spoken passages which I intended to add to the songs, but which were never recorded. Ultimately we chose not to release the tracks, as the mix was crude and the synth sound was rudimentary at best. And yet these recordings are not wholly without merit. They have a certain raw and sinister edge to them; a powerful and primal essence which hinted at the barbaric and sinister splendour which was to come. At length, I compiled the songs, adding an intro from the film “Masters of the Universe” and a few sound effects from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop’s “Death and Horror” tape for some atmosphere. I began sending cassette copies of the demo to those early fans who expressed interest, and also to a few record companies. Luckily, Cacophonous Records of London saw the potential in these unfinished recordings, and offered Bal-Sagoth a three album deal. Two of the songs here were slightly reworked, both musically and lyrically, and were re-recorded for our debut album “A Black Moon Broods Over Lemuria”. The remaining song was consigned to the vault, and is released here, twenty years later on this limited edition disc, for the very first time. Also included are a few interesting gems from the archival vault. I hope that the dedicated fans of Bal-Sagoth will enjoy this glimpse back into the mists of time, and will find something dark and fascinating about this earliest chapter of the Bal-Sagoth saga … this book of Apocryphal Tale
