Storm of the Light's Bane

In 1995, Nuclear Blast released a Europe-exclusive special digipak version of the album limited to 500 copies, which upon unfolding formed the shape of a cross with the song's lyrics printed on the sleeves. It was re-released in 2002 as a digipak (catalogue number: NB 646-2), this time with the 1997 EP Where Dead Angels Lie as bonus tracks. The Japanese edition features the bonus track "Feathers Fell" as track 5, in between "Where Dead Angels Lie" and "Retribution – Storm of the Light's Bane". The album was re-released once again in 2006 by The End Records in a two-disc set, and includes the Where Dead Angels Lie EP, an unreleased EP from 1994 featuring two songs from the album, and an "alternate mix" version of the full album, all remastered from the original master tapes by Håkan Åkesson at Cutting Room Studios, Stockholm, and packaged in a slipcase. This version is touted as the "Ultimate Reissue".[5]

The album is notable for being one of the earliest and most successful examples of a band combining black metal with the melodic death metal sound that was developing in Gothenburg around the time of this album's release.[6] According to Metal Hammer, "While Sweden's Dissection were very much black metal in terms of ideology and atmosphere, they also featured noticeable elements of the melodic death metal movement exploding in their home country, as well as classic '80s heavy metal."[7] Dave Schalek wrote that "the songs are cold, dark, evil and extreme."[8] OC Weekly have described the album as "extreme and aggressive but also primeval and classically orchestrated with heavy echoes of drums and haunting melodies hidden throughout the darkness."[2]

In an interview, Jon Nödtveidt said that though "everything we do is connected through death in one way or another. This is not an album where all the songs follow a story. On this record, all the songs and music are different but still have that death theme within them to tie them in some form or another." He also added that "We never limit ourselves even if we feel we play dark, death metal. We don't write our music to fit into a certain pattern."[9]

Track listing adapted from liner notes.[19]

Dissection

• Jon Nödtveidt – vocals, lead, rhythm & acoustic guitars
• Johan Norman – rhythm guitar
• Peter Palmdahl – bass guitar
• Ole Öhman – drums

Additional musicians

• Alexandra Balogh – piano
• Legion – backing vocals on "Thorns of Crimson Death"
• Tony Särkkä – backing vocals on "Soulreaper"

Production

• Arranged & produced by Dissection
• Recorded, engineered & mixed by Dan Swanö
• Håkan Åkesson – mastering & remastering (2006)
• Necrolord – cover artwork
• Oscar Matsson – photography

• "Black Metal Foundations Top 20: The First Wave" (2005). Terrorizer #128: 42–43.