Black Earth
Black Earth is the first studio album by Arch Enemy, the Swedish melodic death metal band. It came out in October 1996 and sets the starting point for a catalogue that now runs to thirteen studio albums, from Stigmata in 1998 through to Blood Dynasty in 2025.
The record has had a healthy afterlife. A 2007 reissue on Regain Records added "Losing Faith", two Iron Maiden covers and a video for "Bury Me an Angel", while a further reissue in April 2023 appeared in various formats alongside a visualiser for "Dark Insanity". If you want to hear where Arch Enemy began, before the long run of records that followed, this is the place to start, and the extras on the reissues make it a rewarding way to do it.
Black Earth: tracklist and credits
9 tracks · 32:46Tracklist
- 1Bury Me an AngelMichael Amott3:40
- 2Dark InsanityMichael Amott and Johan Liiva3:16
- 3EurekaChristopher Amott and Michael Amott4:44
- 4IdolatressMichael Amott and Johan Liiva4:56
- 5Cosmic RetributionMichael Amott4:00
- 6DemonialityMichael Amott1:20
- 7Transmigration MacabreMichael Amott4:10
- 8Time CapsuleChristopher Amott and Michael Amott1:09
- 9Fields of DesolationAmott, Amott, Liiva5:30
- Produced by
- Michael Amott, Fredrik Nordström, Michael Amott
- Recorded at
- Studio Fredman
- Recorded
- February–March 1996
- Mixed by
- Michael Amott, Fredrik Nordström
- Engineered by
- Fredrik Nordström, Baskim Zuta
- Labels
- TOY’S FACTORY, Wrong AgainRegain (reissue)Century Media (reissue)
- Length
- 32:46
Line-up
- Fredrik Nordström · keyboard · guest
- Johan Liiva · lead vocals
Singles
- “Bury Me an Angel” · 1996
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
Released the same week
Also released on 2 October
Every year →
More from Arch Enemy
Full discography →
The best of 1996
All of 1996 →
More on TOY’S FACTORY
The label →
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia 1996-10-02 vs 1996-12-12 (musicbrainz)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 12 December 1996 | ignored lone early release dated 1996-10-02 |
| Wikipedia infobox | 2 October 1996 | |
| Wikidata | 1996 |
11 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 October 1996 | JP | TOY’S FACTORY | 4988061887920 | original |
| 12 December 1996 | SE | Wrong Again Records | 7393412016015 | other |
| 2002 | SE | Regain Records | 7320470030486 | other |
| 25 March 2002 | SE | Regain Records | 7320470030486 | other |
| 24 April 2007 | SE | Regain Records | 879822000013 | other |
| 24 April 2007 | US | Regain Records | 879822000013 | other |
| 2010 | GB | Back on Black | 803341309760 | other |
| 12 October 2011 | JP | Trooper Entertainment | 4582352381076 | remaster |
| 8 November 2013 | DE | Century Media | 5051099824324 | remaster |
| 11 November 2013 | — | Century Media | 727701894362 | other |
| 28 July 2023 | XE | Century Media | 196587931520 | other |
Cover art sources
deezer · upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| deezer ✓ | 1200×1200 | upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25) |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |
| coverartarchive | 300×300 | upscaled |