The History – Part One cover

The History – Part One

Grave Digger · 2002

114 min · 24 tracks · heavy metal

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Elevation

Our rating, out of 100 — and why.

AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.

49 /100
Lowland
Higher than 1% of albums we've rated

The two intact album sequences preserve their own pacing, but the appended tracks and compilation format keep this from feeling like a newly shaped statement.

What we noticed

  • Tracks 1–10 run in the original sequence of The Reaper; tracks 11–20 then run through Heart of Darkness, making the first 20 tracks two album-length blocks.
  • The final four tracks—“Circle Of Witches” through “Dolphin's Cry”—sit after those two blocks as an appended coda rather than continuing either album's sequence.
  • The 24-track length therefore asks for a long retrospective listen, but its strongest internal shape comes from preserving the two source albums rather than building a new arc.
Composition 25% of the score
6/10

the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics

Craft 20% of the score
6/10

production, performance, arrangement

Durability 25% of the score
5/10

whether it rewards returning to it

Distinctiveness 18% of the score
4/10

whether it sounds like itself

Sequencing 12% of the score
4/10

running order, pacing, length

Influence 3/10

Known within its scene. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.

Tracklist

Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.

Disc 1

  • 1 Tribute To Death 1:28
  • 2 The Reaper 4:14
  • 3 Ride On 3:31
  • 4 Shadows Of A Moonless Night 3:54
  • 5 Play Your Game (And Kill) 3:23
  • 6 Wedding Day 3:52
  • 7 Spy Of Mas'On 3:57
  • 8 Under My Flag 4:46
  • 9 Fight The Fight 2:44
  • 10 Legion Of the Lost (Part II) 6:18
  • 11 And The Devil Plays Piano 3:59
  • 12 Ruler Mr. H. 3:38
  • 13 The Madness Continues 1:32

Disc 2

  • 1 Tears Of Madness 2:09
  • 2 Shadowmaker 5:39
  • 3 The Grave Dancer 5:01
  • 4 Demon's Day 7:28
  • 5 Warchild 6:09
  • 6 Heart Of Darkness 11:56
  • 7 Hate 4:22
  • 8 Circle Of Witches 7:43
  • 9 Black Death 5:40
  • 10 My Life 5:06
  • 11 Dolphin's Cry 6:00

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heavy metal power metal

Reference: MusicBrainz · Wikidata