Protocol's Arcturus discography:
My Angel 7'' 1991 1100 copies (another 2-7 hundred bootlegs on red vinyl 1997?)
Rather drab except for the real funky 1½ last minutes of Morax.
Constellation promo-cd 1994 500 copies (plus 500 vinyl bootlegs)
Early versions of four of the tracks from Aspera Hiems Symfonia, all of which are better on AHS. Recorded without bass as I recall.
Reconstellation bootleg 199?
Includes Constellation and My Angel and two tracks called Morax Anno 1996 ev. and Outro (Radiant Star Befallen). I don't know what those are supposed to be, but this is a nice easy way to get hold of the first two releases if you want to hear them.
Aspera Hiems Symfonia cd 1994 (digipack only?)
Very nice indeed. I'd buy this cd if I could find a non-digipack release. Gotta hate those bloody digipacks.
La Masquerade Infernale cd 1997
Thoroughly brilliant. Their best. Go get it.
Masters of Disguise cd 1999 (intro + new track + remixes)
Very mixed release. Some tracks are brilliant and others I can't stand. Recommended!
The Sham Mirrors cd 2002
Some rather catchy tunes but I can't stand half the vocals. Too much cheese.
Aspera Hiems Symfonia + Constellation + My Angel dcd 2002 (remastered)
The remastering is rather uneven - it reveals previously hidden parts in the mix, some of which is good but it also brings defects to the front. Some tracks are cut short at the end (just a fraction of a second but still annoying) and some vocals have been re-recorded. I particularly dislike the sham-mirrorish cheese howl in Raudt og Svart.
On the whole I'd rather play the originals with some equalizing magic than the remastered ones.
The two session leftovers extra tracks are rather worthless. Constellation might be remastered but I don't think My Angel is, not that I see any point in remastering Constellation. If you don't mind digipack you're better off getting the AHS original and the Reconstellation bootleg.
Oh! Almost forgot Winds. I like the piano bits a lot and the drumming I guess is ok. The guitar solos all sound pretty much the same though and seem to play the exact same role in every track (at least on the mcd). And the vocals are bloody awful. They're slick and greasy and the english is horrible - too soft Rs.
