skepticism
17:41 Tuesday, 26 August 2025
Funeral doom pioneers Skepticism are celebrating three decades of their monumental debut Stormcrowfleet with a definitive 30th anniversary edition. Originally released in 1995, the album remains a cornerstone of funeral doom — a record that defined both a sound and a legacy.
The new edition has been newly mixed from the original tape reels by award-winning producer Anssi Kippo at Astia Studio in 2018, under the direct supervision of the band. Now, it is freshly cut for vinyl and expanded with rare material and exclusive commemorative items.
Skepticism explained their approach to revisiting Stormcrowfleet: "Stormcrowfleet was originally released on CD. Instead of taking the easiest route we wanted to make the vinyl version the best it can be. We bought the multi-track tapes at the end of the recording sessions back in the day and have stored them for possible later use. This use became the Stormcrowfleet reissue — not just a vinyl edition but a complete remix of the album from the original recordings."
The band emphasized that nothing was added or altered during the process: "In the remix sessions nothing was added or changed in the original recordings. The mix was done at Astia-studio with high quality analog equipment.
"In fact most of the equipment used did exist in 1995. What did not exist back then was more than two decades of audio engineering tradition dedicated to processing extreme metal. In this process that tradition manifested in the form of Anssi Kippo — multiple award-winning producer who handled the mixing in co-operation with the band members. In short the target was not to do a different mix but one with the original vision for the album with better equipment and engineering."
The 30th anniversary edition features two bonus tracks from Skepticism's 1994 demo cassette Aeothe Kaear, cut directly from the original studio master tape and released on vinyl for the first time ever.
Also included is a special anniversary edition booklet, documenting the making of the album in detail. For collectors, the reissue comes with a 30th anniversary T-shirt and the first-ever cassette reissue of Aeothe Kaear, all available for pre-order now.
Stormcrowfleet remains one of doom metal's most influential records — a work of overwhelming atmosphere and funereal weight. This new edition ensures that both longtime devotees and a new generation of listeners can experience the album with renewed clarity and expanded context.
