Monumental second album, “The Dawn of the Dying Sun,” featuring the core lineup of Tunsberg, Garmansland, drummer Remi Andersen, and second guitarist Stig Hagenes. Released in December 1997 on Full Moon Productions, “The Dawn of the Dying Sun” represented the full bloom of Hades’ sound. Featuring vigorous riffs ensconced among cascading windswept melodies, “The Dawn of the Dying Sun” is compositionally darker and more aggressive than the band’s debut album. The densely layered production and complex songwriting give the album a unique balance of power and atmosphere perfectly suited to the band’s thematic and lyrical content, which is also represented by the striking cover art—a portion of a painting from 1881 by the Norwegian painter Olaf Isaachsen. The title “Tore Hund ved Olav den Helliges lik på Stiklestad” (“Tore Hund By St. Olav’s Body on Stiklestad”) refers to the Battle of Stiklestad, in 1030, at which Hund, a revered pagan Viking, participated in the murder of King Olaf II, a Norwegian king responsible for the promulgation of Christianity. Often heralded as a virtually perfect album by many but far too frequently overlooked, “The Dawn of the Dying Sun” belongs in the canon of Norwegian black metal.

Country: Norway
Label: Nuclear War Now!
Year: 2023
Genre: Black Metal

1. The Dawn of the Dying Sun
2. Awakening of Kings
3. Apocalyptic Prophecies (The Sign of Hades)
4. Alone Walkyng
5. Crusade of the Underworld Hordes
6. The Tale of a Nocturnal Empress
7. The Red Sun Mocks My Sadness
8. Pagan Prayer
9. For All Those Who Died (Bathory cover)
10. Alone Walkyng (live)

You may listen HERE