Nuclear War Now! Productions sets November 25th as the international release date for Order From Chaos' long-awaited Frozen in Steel vinyl-discography
boxset. It is a nearly axiomatic principle that the most truly
important artists tend to be overlooked or at least do not obtain the
full extent of their deserved accolades during the time they produce
their greatest work. Even in the context of underground metal, this
principle is too often proven accurate. Such is the case with Order From Chaos. During the short span of the band’s existence, Order From Chaos garnered
emphatic support from a relatively small faction of the underground,
but went largely unnoticed by the scene at large. As time passed,
however, the scene began to catch up with Order From Chaos and their albums attained their well-deserved canonical stature.
Shortly after the three Kansas City, MO teenagers – Pete Helmkamp, Chuck Keller, and Mike Miller – united to form Order From Chaos in
1987, they clarified their mission: they would channel all their
creative energy into the band, perfect the presentation of their
message, and terminate the project after three albums in order to
preserve the integrity of their statement. The band members adhered to
this directive, and after recording three albums (augmenting their
discography along the way with various demo and EP releases), they
disbanded in 1995 following the completion of their magnum opus, An Ending in Fire.
To bring the music of Order From Chaos into
proper focus, the band (the members of which have all remained
continually active in the underground metal scene since their days in Order From Chaos) worked together with Nuclear War Now! Productions to produce this definitive discography collection. Frozen in Steel contains
all of the material Order From Chaos released during its existence.
Included here are all the demos and early EPs revealing the band’s
obsession with the likes of Venom, Sodom, Slaughter Lord, and Voivod
among others. Listening to the demos, one hears the raw materials out of
which Order From Chaos would later construct its definitive monumental statement of intent, the debut album Stillbirth Machine.
While clearly maintaining the integrity of their approach on previous
releases, the debut album extends beyond the confines of any
particularized genre or subgenre; instead, it reflects a style that is
wholly and completely that of Order From Chaos.
With their second album, Dawn Bringer, Order From Chaos’ ability to refine their sound became remarkably apparent. As with any genuine musician, author, or artist, Order From Chaos was not content with remaining static, and Dawn Bringer shows
the band expanding the borders of its sonic and thematic universe. Its
inclusion in this boxset marks the first time the album has ever been
committed to vinyl. Finally, if their first two albums and their
impeccable collection of shorter EP releases did not secure Order From Chaos’ legacy, their final album, An Ending in Fire, is irrefutable proof of the band’s genius. It is, in fact, nothing short of a masterpiece.
In addition to these releases, Frozen in Steel contains
several rare and/or previously unreleased rehearsal and live recordings
to provide the listener with the full spectrum of Order From Chaos’
dynamics. For the diehard edition, the band culled from its massive
collection of rehearsal and live recordings those with the highest
fidelity and selected them for inclusion. Accompanying the musical
content is a 124-page hardbound book featuring a complete bio written by
the band members, numerous previously unseen photos from their personal
collections, a thorough discography, reprinted pages from the Order From Chaos zines the band produced, and a complete presentation of the lyrics. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Order From Chaos' 12LP Frozen in Steel boxset
LP 1: Demos
A1. Of Death and Dying
A2. Quietus
A3. The Scourge
A4. Victimized
B1. Apocalyptic Visions
B2. Golgotha (Second Death)
B3. The Scourge
A1. Of Death and Dying
A2. Quietus
A3. The Scourge
A4. Victimized
B1. Apocalyptic Visions
B2. Golgotha (Second Death)
B3. The Scourge
LP 2: Demos
A1. Webs of Perdition
A2. Quietus
A3. Crimes Against the State
A4. Of Death and Dying
A5. Blood and Thunder
B1. Nucleosynthesis
B2. Megalomania
B3. Nuctemeron (Conqueror of Fear II)
B4. Tenebrae / Draconis (Conqueror of Fear III)
LP 3: Live in Studio
A1. Stillbirth Machine
A2. Plateau of Invincibility
B1. As the Body Falls Away
B2. Forsake Me This Mortal Coil
B3. The Angry Red Planet (Fugue for Cydonia)
B4. Labyrinthine Whispers
B5. An Ending in Fire
LP 4: Stillbirth Machine
A1. The Edge of Forever
A2. Power Elite
A3. Iconoclasm Conquest
A4. Forsake Me This Mortal Coil
B1. Stillbirth Machine
B2. Blood and Thunder
B3. As the Body Falls Away
LP 5: MLPs
A1. Plateau of Invincibility
A2. Nuctemeron
A3. Dead of the Night
B1. The Edge of Forever
B2. Webs of Perdition
B3. Imperium
B4. De Stella Nova
LP 6: Dawn Bringer
A1. Labyrinthine Whispers
A2. Ophiuchus Rex (He Who Plays with the Serpents)
A3. War And Pain
B1. Tenebrae / The Sign Draconis
B2. Raise The Banner
B3. Webs of Perdition
LP 7: Live, 1993 and 1994
A1. Blood and Thunder
A2. Ophiuchus Rex
A3. Power Elite
A4. Iconoclasm
B1. Plateau of Invincibility
B2. Ophiuchus Rex (He Who Plays with the Serpents)
B3. Nuctemeron (Sodom cover)
B4. An Ending in Fire
LP 8: An Ending in Fire
A1. Dawn Bringer Invictus
A2. Tenebrae
A3. The Sign Draconis
A4. Plateau of Invincibility
A5. The Angry Red Planet
B1. There Lies Your Lord, Father of Victories
B2. Nucleosynthesis
B3. De Stella Nova (Instrumental)
B4. An Ending in Fire
LP 9: Rehearsal, Dec 25, 1988
A1. Of Death and Dying
A2. Webs of Perdition
A3. Crimes Against the State
A4. Golgotha (Second Death)
B1. Quietus
B2. Apocalyptic Visions
B3. Victimized
B4. Blood and Thunder
LP 10: Live and Rehearsal
A1. Victimized
A2. The Scourge
A3. The Edge of Forever
A4. Webs of Perdition
B1. Crimes Against the State
B2. Power Elite
B3. Iconoclasm Conquest
B4. Blood and Thunder
B5. Stillbirth Machine
LP 11: Rehearsal, February 1991
A1. Nucleosynthesis
A2. Webs of Perdition
A3. The Edge of Forever
A4. Crimes Against the State
A5. Power Elite
A6. Iconoclasm Conquest
B1. As the Body Falls Away
B2. Blood and Thunder
B3. Forsake Me This Mortal Coil
B4. Megalomania
B5. Stillbirth Machine
LP 12: Live, January 2, 2010
A. The Edge of Forever / Forsake Me This Mortal Coil / Of Death and Dying / Labyrinthine Whispers / Webs of Perdition
B. Dawn Bringer Invictus / Tenebrae / The Sign Draconis / Plateau of Invincibility / An Ending in Fire
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