Der Blutharsch - Der Sieg Des Lichtes Ist Des Lebens Heil! FLAC download

First I want to get this out of the way and say this great album suffers from poor track order. It's a common problem I see with alot of un-mixed CDs, but on here it's glaringly bad. The first half of the album has almost all the weakest songs, while the later portion burries some amazing stand out tracks 40 or 50 minutes into the lenghty disc. And the change in pace and mood from one track to the next is somtimes jarring. But that's about the only criticism I can make towards this classic.The biggest improvement this release has over the previous self-titled debut is the addition of live vocals and percussion. And from that shift there are two basic musical appraoches I hear Albin working with here; either ethereal ominous ambiance, or martial rhythmic hypnosis (all in a martial-industrial style). These two sound modes fit perfectly with the subject matter of the music; namely the 'madness of the Third Reich', marching mindlessly into death, so to speak... maybe not so gloriously.Commenting on a few stand out tracks:Track 2: is the perfect introduction, thinking of the opening scene in Triumph Of The Will with the sunrise and birds over Nuernberg. This track alone is better than every song on the debut LP from a couple years earlier. We also see on this track that Albin is going full out with the Third Reich era samples, no beating around the bush as far as aesthetic motivation.Track 6: is a completely engrossing and lengthy (almost 7 minute) percussion heavy track with a tribal type beat and engaging Alpine melodies. Vocal sample is looped to infinity.Track 9: is another anthemic percussion track, this one much more melancoly. Here Albin is doing some whispered english vocals, mixed with an audio sample of the German chancellor of the era. Emotional impact of this track is deep.Track 10: is another haunting piece, with a memorable sample of Charles Manson(?) talking about race war. The entire song slowly builds into an epic tympany heavy climax. If Track 2 was 1935, this song feels like 1939.Track 13: is my personal favourite song of the album. An intoxicating martial anthem, complete with Albin giving a hypnotic recital of 'Vorwärts, Vorwärts' the Hitler Youth anthem, before switching into english, and elaborating on some blood and soil ideology. Complex instrumental mix sounds like an acid trip.Track 14: sounds like an even more disorienting drugged-out reprise of the beat and melody of the previous track, mixed with war horns and brass. Epic.Track 16: ends the album on the most ridiculously catchy marching cadence from 'Der Marsch zum Führer', mixed with an unmistakable vocal sample of the dictator himself. It's so innocent and optimistic sounding, it's ironicly funny.Needless to say, this is either a Love it or Hate it album, and no other Der Blutharsch release before or after was so politically ambiguous. Musically a huge improvement over the previous debut, especially on an emotional level. The stylistic shift of the project later on to more sing-songy and catchy volkish melodies over the melancholy and gloom of this album is also noteworthy when looking at this album in the context of the full Der Blutharsch discography.About the CD artwork; the original World Serpent edition from the UK is a much higher quality release, both in materials used and artwork selection. The original Sig Run cover on thick glossy paper was replaced on later editions in Germany by the Iron Cross cover on thinner less glossy stock. The Inner booklet photo and epitaph of Albin Julius doing his best Baldur von Schirach impersonation stayed the same on both editions though (thank god(s).

...and have the "first" logo(sig-rune) on cover,which was later removed.