''Tara'' is the fourth album by

black metal Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with t ...

band Absu. It was released on May 23, 2001, by

Osmose Productions Osmose Productions is a French independent record label created in 1991 by Hervé Herbaut, after he had spent three years running a small mail order company. They specialize mainly in death and black metal bands. Many of the groups who began wit ...

. A remastered edition was supposed to come out in September 2007, but was delayed until March 2009. It contains the ''

In the Eyes of Ioldánach Absu was an American extreme metal band from Dallas, Texas.Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Absu Biography" ''Allmusic''. Macrovision Corporation. Their demos and first album leaned towards death metal, but evolved more towards a black metal and thrash met ...

'' EP as bonus tracks. Early promotional material for the album stated that

Mike Scaccia Michael Ralph Scaccia (June 14, 1965 – December 22, 2012) was an American musician, best known as a guitarist for several heavy metal and alternative rock acts, including Rigor Mortis, Ministry and Revolting Cocks. Life and career Scaccia was ...

Rigor Mortis Rigor mortis (Latin: ''rigor'' "stiffness", and ''mortis'' "of death"), or postmortem rigidity, is the third stage of death. It is one of the recognizable signs of death, characterized by stiffening of the limbs of the corpse caused by chemic ...

Ministry Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian ...

fame would contribute to the album but that did not occur. In addition,

King Diamond Kim Bendix Petersen (born 14 June 1956), better known by his stage name King Diamond, is a Danish rock musician. As a vocalist, he is known for his powerful and wide-ranging countertenor singing voice, in particular his far-reaching falsetto s ...

did contribute vocals to the album but could not be credited due to contractual restrictions. He is credited as Masthema Mazziqim, a pseudonym used by the singer of Dolmen, a band that eventually became Absu.

Track listing

All music composed by Shaftiel, except "Tara" and "Tara (Recapitulation)" by Sir Don Shannon. Phase One: "Ioldánach's Pedagogy" #"Tara" – 1:57 #"Pillars of Mercy" – 4:22 #"A Shield with an Iron Face" – 3:22 #"Manannán" – 6:39 #"The Cognate House of Courtly Witches Lies West of County Meath" – 4:19 #"She Cries the Quiet Lake" – 4:11 #"Yrp Lluyddawc" – 1:52 Phase Two: "The Cythraul Klan's Scrutiny" #

"From Ancient Times (Starless Skies Burn to Ash)" – 3:54 #"Four Crossed Wands (Spell 181)" – 4:47 #"Vorago (Spell 182)" – 5:46 #"Bron (Of the Waves)" – 1:32 #"Stone of Destiny (...For Magh Slécht and Ard Righ)" – 7:47 #"Tara (Recapitulation)" – 1:46 ;2009 Digipack Re-Release Bonus Tracks #

"V.I.T.R.I.O.L." #"Hallstatt" #"Manannán" #"Never Blow Out the Eastern Candle"

Personnel

Absu

*Shaftiel –

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...

rhythm Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular recu ...

, acoustic & bass guitars, voice *Equitant Ifernain – electric bass *Sir Proscriptor McGovern – voices, drums, percussion and analog synthesizers

Additional personnel

*Sir Don Shannon – Bagpipes *Sir Vincent Rossi –

Acoustic Guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

, Mandolin *

David Harbour David Kenneth Harbour (born April 10, 1975) is an American actor. He has played supporting roles in films such as ''Brokeback Mountain'' (2005), ''Quantum of Solace'' (2008), '' State of Play'' (2009), ''The Green Hornet'' (2011), ''End of W ...

– Additional Keyboards and Piano *King Diamond (credited as "Masthema Mazziqim") – Additional Vocals *Ronnie Trent – Additional Vocals *Ashmedi (

Melechesh Melechesh is an ethnically Assyrian black metal band that originated in Jerusalem and is currently based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Ashmedi started the band as a solo project in 1993. In the following year, guitarist Moloch and drummer Lord C ...

) – Additional Vocals

Production

*Arranged by Absu *Produced by Absu & Kol Marshall

References

2001 albums Absu (band) albums {{2000s-black-metal-album-stub