German black metal has always been a favorite with Maelstrom, and part of what put it on our map was Lunar Aurora’s Ars Moriendi, an essential album for anyone purporting to be a black metal fan. This album is still Lunar Aurora’s best work to date (although we haven’t heard Zyklus yet.)

So this review is not taking into question Ars Moriendi’s worth. Rather, it is primarily examining whether those like me, who have the original issue, should pay to get the re-issue, which is not only remastered, but also has an extra guitar layer throughout the album.

Seems like a shoo-in, right? More is better. More layers, more dense goodness. But that’s why we write the reviews.

As clearly an unpopular opinion as this is, you should stick with the original album. On the re-issue, the guitar is more powerful, sure, but it’s to the detriment of being able to hear all the rest of what’s going on, like the deeply resonant piano notes on track three. Certainly all of the other players on the album can still be heard, but it definitely helps if you are familiar with the album to begin with to know what to listen for.

The original has a sort of more relaxed feel, like evil, astral mist (it lends itself very well to the last track, a soothing wind chime and keyboard outro). The production is kind of like something you’d expect from Nokturnal Mortum. The new album is more in your face and aggressive. Again, it seems better on paper, but in reality, it’s not.

Now, don’t get the wrong idea. This is not saying that the re-issue of Ars Moriendi sucks. It is still a superb album, and those who don’t have either version would do just fine by getting it. At the end of the day, it really doesn’t make that much of a difference. (And for what it’s worth, the new record has far better artwork). But if you find the original for a reduced price, that’s called a gift. (re-issue: 8.5/10, original 9/10)