Ophthalamia - A Journey In Darkness LP

(Description from Peaceville)

VINYL RELEASE OF THE OPHTHALAMIA DEBUT, IN MEMORY OF TONY SARKKA, WITH ADDITIONAL NOTES FROM METALION & DAN SWANO.

This Swedish act was formed in 1989 by Tony “IT” Sarkka, mainly known for his dark band Abruptum, and his heavy presence in the Scandinavian black metal scene in the late 80’s & early 90’s.

Opthalamia was a land of pure fantasy created by IT and the songs are connected to stories based around this fantasy-world. The original vocalist of the band was All (also in Abruptum), but he was then replaced by Shadow (Jon Nödtveidt of classic death/black metal band, Dissection). Shadow handled vocals on this album, the band’s debut, which was originally released in 1994.

Though the band could be classified as black/doom metal, there is much more to Opthalamia, with varied metal influences, tempo changes and melodic passages becoming progressively more prominent, helping to distinguish them from their peers.

The album was produced by the legendary Dan Swano (Opeth, Katatonia, etc) & Opthalamia at Unisound in 1993.

This vinyl edition of ‘A Journey in Darkness’ includes original artwork, plus new notes from Metalion & Dan Swano, offering their recollections of IT, who passed away in early 2017.