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• 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗢𝗻 𝗔𝗹𝗯𝘂𝗺𝘀 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗠𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 •
𝙱𝚢 𝙴.𝙽. 𝚆𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚜 — 𝙳𝚎𝚌𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝟷𝟷, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟹.
When I first started this blog, it began with me reviewing albums from my personal collection. Over time, my attention was diverted to posting things about albums (mostly stock information) on the anniversary of their release dates. And, with the great many people posting every day about albums on said anniversaries, I feel I am getting lost in the crowd. So, it’s time for me to take it back to where it all began. With that being said, let’s get started with the compilation album “Voyager: The Nuclear Blast 10 Year Anniversary”!
Back in the day, Nuclear Blast Records released some of the best compilation albums, including the series of “Death Is Just the Beginning” compilations they released throughout the years. “Voyager” is one of those great compilations, maybe even one of their best, as it is an anniversary collection that was released at a budget-price. A three-CD collection, it features around 50 tracks of intense, extreme Death Metal, Black Metal, Grindcore and Industrial Death Metal, to Gothic Metal and Groove Metal. It features material from throughout the label's history, as well as contributions from some of Nuclear Blast's then-latest signings. Among those included are Atrocity, Pungent Stench, Brutality, Dismember, Mortification, Therion, Pyogenesis, and Dimmu Borgir, to name just a few.
Many of these bands were heavy hitters at the time, with some gaining legendary status in the Metal world. Others began as Death Metal, only to later adopt a more Alternative Rock style (Pyogenesis), while others took the infamous “Death N’ Roll route (Dismember). Some began as traditional Norwegian Black Metal, only to later morph into Industrial Extreme Metal (Covenant aka The Kovenant). Bands like Therion began as Death Metal, only to become one of the purveyors of Symphonic Metal, while Death Metal acts like Atrocity later took on a Gothic Metal persona. Some pissed off purests by adding Nu-Metal and Modern Metal elements to their music (In Flames), while others became more infamous for their antics outside the music world (Dissection). More importantly, this compilation contains a ton of great tracks from some amazing and important bands in Metal. It was great to listen back when it was first released, and it’s a great retrospective to have on hand, both for the early fans to reminisce or for the newer generation of fans to discover some of the best Nuclear Blast had to offer in its first 10 years. — E.N. Wells
P.S. I was researching for this comp. and I found a review on Amazon where the guy claimed that there were only a couple good tracks on disc one, with only few more good ones on the second disc. I have to say that reviews like that make me think that people like this person (the reviewer) must live under a huge rock. So don’t pay attention to the reviews and listen to the compilation yourself and decide. — E.N.
Note:
Track lists below feature the song title first and the artist second.
Disc 1: Past —
1. Walls - Impulse Manslaughter
2. Sifting Through Remains - Sacred Denial
3. Resist The Urge For Power - No Fraud
4. Shit World - Chronical Diarrhoea
5. Life Or Death - Stark Raving Mad
6. I Know - Droogies
7. The Instance - Rostok Vampires
8. Boundries Unknown - Righteous Pigs
9. Side Effects - Defacation
10. Humans Lost Humanity - Atrocity
11. Servants Of The Warsmen - Winter
12. Spawn - Revenant
13. Inexorable Logic - Disharmonic Orchestra
14. Montreal Massacre - Macabre
15. Massacre Of The Unknown - Incubus
16. Just Let Me Rot - Pungent Stench
17. The Doomwatcher's Prediction - Afflicted
18. The Mystical Gate Of Reincarnation - Kataklysm
19. Shrine Of The Master - Brutality
20. Immense Malignancy - Monstrosity
21. Embalmed Existence - Resurrection
22. Dismembered - Dismember
Disc 2: Present —
1. Cross The Styx - Sinister
2. Nightfear - Benediction
3. Overseer - Mortification
4. A Coming Race - Hypocrisy
5. The Wings Of The Hydra - Therion
6. Future Breed Machine - Meshuggah
7. Slukad - The Abyss
8. God Complex - Pyogenesis
9. Retribution/Storm Of The Lights Bane - Dissection
10. Senca - Darkseed
11. The Bride Wears Black - Evereve
12. On Your Knees Again - Pain
13. No Love Last - Slapdash
14. Blood On The Floor - Crack Up
15. Of Beauty's Embrace - Night In Gales
16. Zeitbombe - Girls Under Glass
Disc 3: Future —
1. Mourning Palace - Dimmu Bogir
2. Chainbreaker - Primal Fear
3. Food For The Gods - In Flames
4. Away - Crematory
5. Stone Cold - Hammerfall
6. Banner Of Blasphemy - Agathodaimon
7. Endless Energy - Am I Blood
8. Cleansweep - Face Down
9. Wounds - Hollow
10. Immortality Is Mine - Withered Beauty
11. Angels With The Last Plagues - Left Hand Solution
12. Purge - Lost Souls
13. Du Som Hater Gud - Satyricon
14. Follow - Disbelief
15. In Rembrance... - Dismal Euphony
16. Shadows From The Past - Narnia
17. Planetarium - Covenant (now The Kovenant)
There were four editions released for this compilation. This is the first North American edition, which was released in a thick jewel box, featuring a 40-page booklet.
There were a few typos on the disc liner which include;
CD1-15 is credited as "Massacre Of The Unknown"
CD1-18 is credited as "The Mystical Gate Of Reincarnation"
CD2-9 is missing an '
CD2-12 is missing the brackets ()
CD3-16 is missing the "No More" in the beginning of the title
Other points of interest:
CD3-6 is the demo version, not the final mix (but that isn't credited).
CD3-12 and CD3-15 were not released by Nuclear Blast (teaser tracks from the latest release by those bands).
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