I bought Fragments of a Faith Forgotten when Andy was selling the demo through the back pages of Metal Hammer (it may have been Kerrang, but I dont think so). I was so overwhelmed with the ferocity of the music; it just blew me off my feet. I was just getting into metal big time then and was listening to Kill Em All and Testaments The Legacy (which, IMHO, shares some tonal similarities with the Dreamweaver) and then, on a completely different level was Sabbat. I still have the pre-printed letter, in red, personally signed by Andy apologising that the letter wasnt personalised and thanking me for buying the demo.
I was living in Germany at the time and never did see them in concert before they broke up. Clutching my old copies of HOATTC and Dreamweaver, the years unfolded
About four years ago, wondering why I still held onto Fragments
when clearly the band had moved on, but not me, I decided to flog it through eBay. I scanned the front cover (flimsy paper which I had laminated to help make it last) and posted it to a somewhat frenzied bidding war. I think I was already starting to regret parting with it. Too late. (The Fragments
cover seems to have taken on a life of its own and the image you may have seen on the precious few fan sites, like
http://www.sabbat-wildfire.tk/, is mine!)
But not all was lost. A friend did me a favour and ripped MP3s of these precious demo tracks and also Blood for the Blood God (I transcribed the lyrics myself). Somehow along the way, I lost my original copies of the first two albums. Maybe Dani Filth stole them, the bastard! (No, not really, just kidding
). These tracks still number among my favourites for the sheer energy and aggression they possess.
Then something started to stir anew. First, HOATTC was reissued (sans lyric sheet) a few year ago and then Martin played around with Return to the Sabbat (now living in USA, I missed out again
). I bought HOATTC first but getting hold of Dreamweaver proved impossible. Originals were parting for about $100 on eBay! Ouch! So just two months ago I bought one on eBay through a dealer in Greece, but the damned thing turned out to be pirate disk. I felt right pissed. Now comes the news that I have long wished to hear.
So, with that background, allow me to fantasize for a moment
HOATTC, remastered
Bonus disk includes demos Magick in Theory and Practice, Fragments of a Faith Forgotten, Stranger than Fiction, and Blood for the Blood God
Dreamweaver, remastered
Bonus disk with live tracks
Deluxe Edition
Three-disk digi-pak with both albums remasted, and all bonus material on third disk
Personally, I would simply plump for the deluxe edition. In fact, for the sake of marketing and actually return on investment, I would think a single package with both albums would be the way to go anyway, but thats just my thoughts. The inclusion, somewhere, somehow, of BFTBG would be a highlight.
Andy, Ill see you at the Astoria on 19 Dec (got my ticket two months ago) and wait with baited breath for the re-releases next year.
Good luck!
Manicj
