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Black Vinyl

Limited edition of 199 copies on green/yellow marble vinyl

Limited edition of 199 copies on white vinyl with orange and black splatter

Conceived in solitude and wrought by Solace alone, "An Oath Undone" marks the latest invocation of Forlorn Citadel as a hermetic monument to decay, memory, and the deliberate erosion of purpose. Eschewing collaboration and concession, the album unfolds as a single consciousness fracturing inward, its compositions shaped by medieval ruin, funereal restraint, and a reverence for absence as much as sound. Rather than offering resolution, "An Oath Undone" lingers in suspension, tracing the slow unbinding of sworn ideals and the hollow resonance they leave behind, like vows whispered into collapsed stone. In this work, Solace does not document loss so much as ritualize it, sealing Forlorn Citadel further from the present world and into a timeless, inward-facing realm where honor survives only as echo and ash.

Conceived in solitude and wrought by Solace alone, "An Oath Undone" marks the latest invocation of Forlorn Citadel as a hermetic monument to decay, memory, and the deliberate erosion of purpose. Eschewing collaboration and concession, the album unfolds as a single consciousness fracturing inward, its compositions shaped by medieval ruin, funereal restraint, and a reverence for absence as much as sound. Rather than offering resolution, "An Oath Undone" lingers in suspension, tracing the slow unbinding of sworn ideals and the hollow resonance they leave behind, like vows whispered into collapsed stone. In this work, Solace does not document loss so much as ritualize it, sealing Forlorn Citadel further from the present world and into a timeless, inward-facing realm where honor survives only as echo and ash.

Gatefold LP (bright green/black marble) incl. insert, padded inner sleeve and protection sleeve

Following their early EPs "My Angel" (1991) and "Constellation" (1994), ARCTURUS finally released their debut album "Aspera Hiems Symfonia" in 1996. The Norwegians derived their name from the brightest star of the Northern hemisphere and were obviously influenced by the massively expanding black metal scene of their homeland. Already featuring such well-known protagonists as ULVER's Garm and MAYHEM's Hellhammer, the line-up on "Aspera Hiems Symfonia" saw Samoth replaced by excellent guitarist Carl August Tidemann and outstanding ULVER bass player Hugh "Skoll" Mingay also joining the band. Despite their audible black roots, ARCTURUS clearly begged to differ by daring to experiment and adding an avant-garde twist with strange sonorous vocals complementing those piercing shrieks, Sverd's cinematic keyboards, the technical guitar solos, and more elements that to this day mark the band from Oslo as progressive innovators.

reissue 2014