The Sham Mirrors

The album steps away from the layered, classical melodies of La Masquerade Infernale in 1997 for a far more modern, space-influenced sound. Trip hop, ambient music and electronica sit alongside the band's usual progressive black metal, and the lyrics take on abstract science fiction, a sharp contrast to the theatrical, Satanic writing of the earlier records. The cover is a model drawing of the upper part of the Apollo spacecraft. Kristoffer Rygg sings, credited as Trickster G. Rex, and this is the last Arcturus album on which he does. Knut M. Valle plays guitar, Dag F. Gravem bass, Steinar Sverd Johnsen keyboards and Jan Axel Blomberg — Hellhammer — the drums. Ihsahn of Emperor sings on "Radical Cut", where Hugh Steven James Mingay of Ulver is credited with "low frequentation", and Mathias Eick plays trumpet on three songs. Tore Ylwizaker mixed the record and Tom La Bomba mastered it. The running order here is the original's as printed.