To understand the defining traits of Greek Black Metal, one need only to listen to The Tressrising of Nyarthotep by the mighty Varathron. This track, first appearing on the genesis of Apocryphal Desire demo, possesses all of the victorious grandeur and tragic melancholia that are the essence of the early 1990s Greek Black Metal sound. Along with contemporary releases by Rotting Christ and Necromantia, Varathrons demo material firmly established a style that is thoroughly Grecian in character. Thick with a damp and heavy Hellenistic darkness, Varathron explored a sound that was infused with the epic and the ancient. As with so much of the most evocative and potent Black Metal, the ancient currents are revealed through the expression of the modern. Varathrons music is as mystical as it is visceral. The recordings on this compilation comprise the earliest seeds of what would become one of the greatest bands in the history of the genre. This collection contains all of Varathrons work leading the band toward the creation of their monumental debut LP, His Majesty at the Swamp. The two demos, Procreation of the Unaltered Evil and Genesis of Apocryphal Desire reveal the steps that Varathron took that would later come to fruition on their first album. This collection also contains the more refined tracks that were utilized on their first vinyl releases the One Step Beyond Dreams EP and The Everlasting Sins tracks from the split LP with Necromantia and three additional bonus tracks recorded during the early years. As with the forthcoming Rotting Christ demo collection that NWN! will soon release, the songs on this compilation of Varathrons early recordings reveal the painstaking emergence of a bands identity. Absorbed in the context of early works by Varathrons Greek contemporaries, one also witnesses the development of a sound uniquely specific to a geographic region, so specific, in fact, that it is impossible to imagine such a multidimensional approach to Black Metal originating anywhere else. Both the Regular and Die Hard editions of this release will feature gatefold jackets with artwork by Manuel Tinnemans and layout by Tilmann Benninghaus as well as a 48 page zine booklet. The Die Hard edition will also come with a separate LP (with jacket) featuring the Live at the Swamp demo material. Originally released on tape in 2004, Live at the Swamp features a live recording and rehearsal recording from 1991. These recordings have been remastered and cleaned up by James Plotkin and the sound quality on this LP, although still quite raw, is markedly better than the original tape version.

Tracks 1-2 : Demo 1 1989

Tracks 3-7 : Demo 2 1990

Tracks 8-9 : 7″ EP 1990

Tracks 10-13 : Split LP 1992

Tracks 14: Studio bonus track 1989

Track 15: Studio bonus track 1993

Track 16: Studio bonus track 1995