Night on Bröcken

Night on Bröcken
Original vinyl edition
Studio album by Fates Warning
Released	September 1984 (1984-09)
Studio	The Gallery Recording Studio, East Hartford, Connecticut
Genre	Heavy metal
Length	42:26
Label	Metal Blade
Producer	Fates Warning
Fates Warning chronology
Night on Bröcken (1984) The Spectre Within (1985)
Alternative cover
1988 reissue

Night on Bröcken is the debut studio album by the American progressive metal band Fates Warning, released in September 1984 through Metal Blade Records.[1]

The title of the album is apparently a reference to the Brocken, a mountain in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, which is traditionally associated with witches (Walpurgis Night), most famously in Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust (1806–1831). The reference becomes apparent on two original album covers that "were scrapped prior to major distribution".[2] The spelling is a typical example of a "metal umlaut".

Reissues

Night on Bröcken has been reissued several times. The first edition, featuring the original cover art, was released only on vinyl[3] and cassette.[4] A CD edition with new cover art was released in 1988.[5] A double compilation album, packaged together with The Spectre Within (1985), was released in 1992.[6] A remastered edition of Night on Bröcken was released in 1994,[7] followed by another in 2002; the latter containing four bonus tracks[2] and restoring the original cover art, albeit with a different font.[8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[9]

Robert Taylor at AllMusic awarded Night on Bröcken two stars out of five, calling it "A very humble beginning for this excellent progressive band" but stopping short of actually recommending it for fans of progressive metal: "Metal fans will find this too close to Iron Maiden, and progressive fans should skip this altogether."[9]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Buried Alive"	Jim Matheos, John Arch	4:40
2.	"The Calling"	Matheos, Arch	5:03
3.	"Kiss of Death"	Matheos, Arch	4:38
4.	"Night on Bröcken"	Matheos, Victor Arduini, Arch	5:29
5.	"S.E.K."	Matheos	1:19
6.	"Misfit"	Arduini, Arch	5:06
7.	"Shadowfax"	Matheos	3:16
8.	"Damnation"	Matheos, Arch	6:27
9.	"Soldier Boy"	Arduini, Arch	6:24
Total length:			42:22

2002 remastered edition bonus tracks

No.	Title	Length
10.	"Last Call" (demo; 1984)	5:39
11.	"The Calling" (rehearsal; 1983)	4:36
12.	"Kiss of Death" (live at L'Amour, Brooklyn, New York; 1985)	4:35
13.	"Flight of Icarus" (rehearsal; 1983)	5:18
Total length:		62:34

Personnel

Fates Warning

• John Arch – vocals, production
• Jim Matheos – guitar, production
• Victor Arduini – guitar, production
• Joe DiBiase – bass, production
• Steve Zimmerman – drums, production

Additional credits

• mixed at Track Record, Los Angeles
• Bill Metoyer, Brian Slagel – mixing
• Doug Clark – engineering

References

1. "Fates Warning Night On Brocken". Metal Blade Records. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
2. "Night On Bröcken". fateswarning.com. Archived from the original on April 17, 2011. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
3. "Fates Warning – Night On Bröcken". Discogs. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
4. "Fates Warning – Night On Bröcken". Discogs. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
5. "Fates Warning – Night On Bröcken". Discogs. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
6. "Fates Warning – Night On Bröcken / The Spectre Within". Discogs. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
7. "Fates Warning – Night On Bröcken". Discogs. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
8. "Fates Warning – Night On Bröcken". Discogs. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
9. Taylor, Robert. "Night on Bröcken - Fates Warning". AllMusic. RhythmOne. Retrieved January 28, 2020.