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**MORBIUS: A Look Back at “The Shades Below” Album**

 

In March 1992, MORBIUS made their mark in the music industry at Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, VA, under the proficient guidance of Producer King Fowley and engineer Don Zientra. Their album, “The Shades Below,” was primarily recorded on a reel-to-reel system, resulting in a raw, authentic sound the band sought to capture.

 

The recording and mixing process was impressively completed in just two days, utilizing a combination of fan-favorite tracks from the 1990 Realm Demo alongside intriguing new material.

This album marked a significant evolution in MORBIUS’ sound, characterized as morbid, drugged-out, gloomy, and yet strikingly memorable.

 

Noteworthy tracks include “Tapping The Vein” and “Mortal Realms,” which offer updated, smoother renditions of their earlier demo versions. New compositions like “Remains of Jahveh” and “The Frost” reflect a shift to a more complex, melodic structure that showcases the band’s growth. The recording sessions were also notable for King Fowley’s spontaneous naming of “Underground Civilization”. Additionally, the album features a bonus track, “Encoffination,” released by With Your Teeth Records on the inaugural Midnight Offerings compilation CD.

 

In 1994, the CD was released by Paul Folk’s Last World label and later reissued by Lost Apparitions Records in 2014, which included four bonus tracks: “Sethanian Darkness” and “Scream To No Avail” from the Realm Demo, “Ghosts,” an early demo recorded by King Fowley in 1993, and a live cover of RUSH’s “Witch Hunt” from the historic Club Asylum in Washington DC.

 

### Album Track Listing:

1. Remains Of Jahveh

2. Nemesis

3. Beneath The Crust

4. Underground Civilization

5. Tapping The Vein

6. Mortal Realms

7. The Frost

8. Dreadful Night

9. Sethanian Darkness (Bonus Track)

10. Scream To No Avail (Bonus Track)

11. Ghosts (Bonus Track)

12. Witch Hunt (Live) (Bonus Track)

 

This retrospective on “The Shades Below” illustrates MORBIUS’ pivotal journey in the heavy metal scene, marking the band’s sound development and artistic evolution within their debut studio album.
Witch Hunt (Live) (Bonus Track)