Those Who Caress the Pale＜White, Black Vinyl＞

Recorded and released as a demo before their 1995 full-length, Written in Waters, but not officially released until two years after that, Those Who Caress the Pale is for the most part the more intense and traditionally heavy of the two discs. While still pretty out of the ordinary, it comes closer to the typical definition of black metal, especially in terms of the vocals and the slightly rougher production. The odd, crooning vocals that distinguished much of Written in Waters are mostly absent and there are fewer clean guitar parts. Two of the demo-era songs, "You, That May Wither" and "Carrier of Wounds," also made it onto Written in Waters in mildly different versions. The three others -- "The Plunderer," "A Mask in the Mirror," and the title track -- are in a similar vein and essentially are on par, songwriting-wise, with the others. (There is also a bonus track added on for the 1997 release, the unremarkable "Insects (Part 1).") Written in Waters is still Ved Buens Ende's definitive release, but this one is worth it for fans, and it may actually be preferable to Written for many listeners who are into more straight-ahead black metal. ~ William York