Just found a solid copy of this for €20, couldn't believe my eyes! The seller apparently got his prices from 15 year old auctions from a swedish auction site 😅

I thinking "$45?! That's crazy. Alright, I'll take it (but thought I overpaid)." Then I heard it.....easily best press I've heard of this record.

Is anyone from Europe interested in trading their 1992 DFI reissue against a spare copy I have of the original 1991 PRS pressing (Sterling-mastered) ? Please message me if you do.

I bought this edition, it says made in the USA, but the barcode shows that the recording was made in Cuba. Is that how it should be? Who knows?

Sound like the same USA elektra 1991 or im wrong??
Many thank s for Infos.

Hmm, I wonder if Levi at black belt mastering tweaked anything while remastering for vinyl as it was remastered digitally by Bob Ludwig?

Absolutely amazing pressing, The surface noise is pretty much inaudible no loud pops or anything. This album already has some of the best mixing of any metal album and it sings on this pressing, definitely one of the cleanest sounding records in my collection.

The color is pretty cool too, it's almost a dark clear smoky color, that being said you can't really see that it's colored while it spins on a black mat

▬▬▬▬ ADDITIONAL INFO ▬▬▬▬
Mine version features a non-transparent mould with a silver, mirror-like appearance.

Released in 1992—just months after 1991—it is certainly NOT from 1993 or later if I well!
At the time, we considered this the first issue
(WE didn't care for the CD releases, we were 1st pressing vinyl-oriented collectors).
But, to put this into perspective, some releases follow each other within mere months—such as an August 1991 release succeeded by another in January 1992. Would the latter truly be considered a reissue?

I was there in 1991-1992, a teenager, when this CD hit the shelves.
I bought it from an official store in Greece (NEW & SEALED of course), and it remains a "treasured" piece in my collection.

This isn't hearsay or speculation—this is my firsthand experience.

Mine copy comes in a standard jewel case, without a record company logo embossed on it. (For reference, many major labels—Sony, Warner, and others—often engraved their logos onto jewel cases during that era.)

All my CDs were purchased upon release in the early '90s and 2000s from official stores. No counterfeits or trade results—only genuine, original releases.

Afterall, it is A MAGNIFICENT MUSICAL MASTERPIECE!

This is a truly special pressing if you can find it. I just happened upon it at an awesome record shop in Hilton Head and was intrigued by it being on the Vertigo label. Turns out this is a 10th anniversary repress but not remaster of the original EU release pressed at Optimal in German. So basically its likely from the same metalwork as the original but at a significantly lower price, though still not cheap. The first thing i notice is the bass. On Enter Sandman it's ridiculous. Vocals are clear and the guitars screaming an in your face like they should be. It's so much better than the Blackened reissue that I'll never listen to that one again. This should have a much higher rating. They're are a few 1 star ratings, which is ridiculous send to be bright down by a few 1 star ratings bringing it down from people with low ratings themselves who probably don't even have this version. It may not be as good as the 45 rpm version, so if you have that, maybe this is 4 stars in comparison. Some I'll probably never afford that, this is definitely a 5 star for me

For Whom The Bellman Tolls! My copy has ZERO noise. This pressing sounds ace. Airy but still goes deep… and deeper when needed. Highs and lows are all in there. This generous Black Album cuts through firing A LOT of strength without asking for more volume.
Gear:
Hegel V10 phono preamp
Hegel H120
Hana SL cartridge
Rega P3
Harbeth M30.2 XD