Gorgoroth

 

The early 90's Norwegian black metal scene is positively bursting at the seams with great bands. One band that got its start a little later than many of the classic bands is Bergen's GORGOROTH. 

Citing Bathory, Venom, and Celtic Frost as influences, Gorgoroth was formed in 1992 by Goat Pervertor, Hat (Norwegian for "Hate"), and Infernus--who would be the main force driving the band over the course of the years. They debuted with the now-classic demo, A Sorcery Written in Blood. This demo would earn them a record deal and be the start of their notoriety.

Off of their '93 demo, this is "Sexual Blood Gargling"

The band's limited contact with the members of the Inner Circle allowed them to perform at a live show in Oslo in tribute to Euronymous. It also allowed them to pick up Samoth (of Emperor fame) as a session bassist when they recorded their debut album, Pentagram.

Pentagram was a solid slab of Norwegian black metal. With a sound that holds its own next to early 90s Mayhem and Burzum, Pentagram has rightfully become a classic. Highlighted by Hat's demonic screeching, the album is 30-plus minutes of blazing evil black metal. Compared to some of the advances in black metal songwriting of more recent years, however, the album might sound dated to some, but it is crucial to the founding of the classic Norwegian sound. 

Pentagram gives us this classic, "Ritual"

After the release of Pentagram, Satyricon's Frost joined on drums, and Infernus took over on bass. The resulting album--1996's Antichrist--was a more varied, more atmospheric sound. With a dedication to Euronymous in the liner notes, this album pushed the classic black metal sound forward in a way comparable to Burzum's quartet of 90s albums.

The follow-up album (1997's Under the Sign of Hell) was perhaps the strongest and most well-received of Gorgoroth's so-called "classic trilogy". Featuring a more punishing production style than its predecessors, Under the Sign is now revered as a landmark in Norwegian black metal. 

"Heavens Fall" is off of Antichrist

From their 1997 album, this is "Krig"

The years immediately after the release of Under the Sign were chaotic ones for Gorgoroth. For one, they struggled to keep a stable line-up. Also, they struggled in the songwriting department as well. For example, their 1998 album Destroyer (with the Nietzschean subtitle About How to Philosophize With a Hammer) contained old songs that had never been put on record alongside newer ones. The personnel involved totaled ten individuals--including outgoing vocalist Pest and incoming vocalist Gaahl. The resulting album was a sloppily produced mess that has divided fans to this day. 2000's Incipit Satan wasn't much better, with electronic and industrial elements, and songs that didn't meet the exacting standards of many a fan. Both of these albums are considered among Gorgoroth's weakest. 

Here is the title track to 2000's Incipit Satan

Over the next few years, bassist King ov Hell would emerge as the primary song writer for Gorgoroth. This resulted in two albums that were a huge improvement over Destroyer and Incipit, but still had their own unique sound. Vocalist Gaahl served prison time for assault, and this delayed release of their albums, but he was still fully committed to Gorgoroth as well.

From their 2003 album, here is "Forces of Satan Storms"

In addition to Gaahl's jail time for assault (and the resulting publicity), two other major events in these years caused Gorgoroth's infamy to grow. First off, they recorded a concert in Poland in 2004 with the intent of marketing it as a live concert DVD, but things went sour. The authorities seized the footage because they alleged it violated Poland's "religious sensibilities" law. Of course, a blasphemous black metal band  performing live SHOULD violate people's "religious sensibilities"! The DVD did eventually go on sale as Black Mass Krakow.

Second, a rift developed in the band with Gaahl and King ov Hell on one side and Infernus on the other. Each side claimed to be the true Gorgoroth, with the dispute eventually going to court. The courts decided for Infernus, and he recruited new members and has continued the band to this day.

"Satan - Prometheus" is a song off of the first album of Infernus-driven/post-Gaahl Gorgoroth, 2009's Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt

Select Discography:

A Sorcery Written in Blood (demo) (1993)

Pentagram (full-length) (1994)

Antichrist (full-length) (1996)

Under the Sign of Hell (full-length) (1997)

Destroyer (full-length) (1998)

Incipit Satan (full-length)  (2000)

Twilight of the Idols - In Conspiracy With Satan (full-length) (2003)

Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam (full-length) (2006)

Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt (full-length) (2009)

Next time: AVENGER

Ildjarn

Norway's Thou Shalt Suffer was known for being the band that featured members of what would eventually be Emperor. Another band that arose from their ashes was ILDJARN (Norwegian for "Fire-iron"). Like Burzum, Ildjarn is essentially a one-man band. Unlike Burzum, Ildjarn has produced some of the rawest, most vile sounding black metal in history.

After the demise of Thou Shalt Suffer, Ildjarn (real name Vidar Våer) continued to use the band's old rehearsal space to create his own music. He eventually began recording on a four-track, with primitive results. His first demos--with Samoth on vocals--saw the light of day in 1992, the same year as Emperor's first demo.

Here is Ildjarn's second demo, Seven Harmonies of Unknown Truths, in its entirety

This early work of his was raw and primitive, yes, but it wasn't too far removed from what other black metal bands in Norway were doing. Burzum's sound on the self-titled release and Emperor's '92 demo are good reference points for Ildjarn's initial sound. But changes lay ahead.

"Kronet" is a great example of Ildjarn's sound--from the self-titled '93 demo

Ildjarn's self-titled 1993 demo (with Ihsahn on vocals) stripped down the sound from the early demos even more. The production was bare bones, the guitars even more vile, the percussion more primitive. In a way, this sonic primitivism reflected Ildjarn's own beliefs about black metal. Black metal, for Ildjarn, was a lifestyle. In true misanthropic fashion, real black metallers---according to Ildjarn---should shun society and retreat into the woods. Ildjarn himself has said that once he has saved up enough money and resources that he would commit fully to the black metal lifestyle.

After honing his craft and putting out a couple more demos, Ildjarn released full-length studio albums on his own label, Norse League Productions. Ildjarn himself has stated that he founded the label for the sole purpose of releasing Ildjarn albums. This was also around the time Ildjarn began collaborating with fellow Norweigan black metaller Nidhogg.

From the 1995 self-titled studio album, this is "Skogslottet"

"Clashing of Swords" is one of Ildjarn's most well-known songs from the album Forest Poetry

These years---1993 to 1996---were Ildjarn's most fruitful. Not only did he put out several albums of absolute classic Norwegian black metal, but his collaboration with Nidhogg and work in the band Sort Vokter also emerged in this era. Ildjarn was extremely busy and prolific.

The Norse album--a collaboration with Nidhogg--is the source of this track, "Svarte Hjerter"

For the most part, the black metal produced by Ildjarn was raw, primitive, and necro. There was no subtlety, just straightforward minimal, lo-fi nastiness. But Ildjarn---much like that other one-man band in classic Norwegian black metal history, Burzum---ventured into ambient territory. Ildjarn (like Varg Vikernes and any other black metaller who created ambient music) recognized that black metal was a mood, a spirit, an ethos. And that could be conveyed with ambient music (although Ildjarn referred to it as "symphonic landscape music").

"Amber Lake" is from the Ildjarn-Nidhogg collaboration Hardangervidda

Ildjarn did more or less end his career at the dawn of the new millennium. But by this point, a new generation of black metal maniacs had discovered his work, and Ildjarn felt compelled to put out all of his previously unreleased material. This culminated in the brilliantly packaged, exhaustive, epic release Ildjarn is Dead in 2005.

This is the entire Ildjarn is Dead release, laid out 

Select Discography:

as Ildjarn: 

Unknown Truths (demo) (1992)

Seven Harmonies of Unknown Truths (demo) (1992)

Ildjarn (demo) (1993)

Minnesjord (demo) (1994)
Ildjarn (full-length album) (1995)

Landscapes (full-length album) (1996)
Strength and Anger (full-length album) (1996)

Forest Poetry (full-length album) (1996)

collaborations with Nidhogg:

Norse EP (1994)

Svartfråd EP (1996)
Hardangervidda (full-length album) (recorded 1997, released 2002)

Hardangervidda Part 2 EP (recorded 1997, released 2002)

other work:

Sort Vokter - Folkloric Necro Metal (full-length album) (1996)

Next time:  BESATT

Satyricon

A classic picture of Satyricon, circa Nemesis Divina

With the Norwegian Second Wave of Black Metal under way, bands of all stripes were emerging left and right. The legendary SATYRICON emerged in the early years of the second wave, around the same time as Emperor. Initially forming in 1990 as death metal band Eczema, it wasn't long before they shifted gears entirely and became a black metal band.

It was in 1991 that they not only became a black metal band,  but that they changed their name to Satyricon and acquired Satyr as band member. It wasn't long before the band put out a demo (1992's All Evil) with a full line-up: Satyr on vocals, Lemarchand on guitars, Wargod on bass, and Exhurtum on drums

This is the title track from their 1992 demo, All Evil

While this demo was well-received, it was their second demo (1993's The Forest is My Throne) that really caught people's attention. Unlike the relatively simple black metal on the first demo, this 1993 demo sounded more like the traditional Norwegian black metal the world has come to know and love (hate?). The line-up was also notably different for this demo: Wargod quit the music scene entirely, Exhurtum was kicked out because he wasn't interested in the direction the black metal scene was taking (although he did later become a part of other important black metal bands in the Norwegian scene, like Aura Noir and Ved Buens Ende), and Frost was recruited as the new drummer.

"The Forest is My Throne" is from the 1993 demo of the same name

With this noteworthy demo under its belt, Satyricon was courted by record labels, eventually signing with No Fashion Records. They weren't financially very stable, so Norwegian label Tatra Records ended up buying the master tapes of what would become Satyricon's first album, Dark Medieval Times. A new sublabel was created under Tatra Records specifically to release extreme metal: Moonfog Productions, which was helmed by Satyr himself (and has released some amazing albums to this day!). The album was released at the end of 1993 in Norway, and in the rest of the world in 1994.

Here is "Dark Medieval Times"

Dark Medieval Times was a powerful mix of standard Norwegian-style black metal and folk elements (including folk instruments). This was a reflection of Satyr's interest in the middle ages and folk culture. Check out the title track to the album, above.

By this point, Satyricon was a two-piece: Frost and Satyr. They still recruited session players for recording purposes, including Emperor's Samoth and Darkthrone's Nocturno Culto (who went by the name Kveldulv).

The follow-up to Medieval Times was 1994's The Shadowthrone, another solid album of classic Norwegian black metal. But it was 1996's Nemesis Divina that really saw Satyricon elevate black metal to new heights. In addition to folk elements, Nemesis saw the band incorporating symphonic elements and more clean vocals. This--combined with the crisp, regal guitar sound they had borrowed from Thorns's Snorre Ruch--resulted in a truly epic black metal album that is an absolute classic  of Norwegian black metal. 

The opening track from Nemesis Divina--this is "Dawn of a New Age"

This powerful album was easily the peak of Satyricon's brilliance in this phase of their career. The next few years would see them transition to a different style of black metal. While EPs such as Megiddo (1997) and Intermezzo II (1999) saw them begin to incorporate non-black metal elements into their sound (including electronics and industrial), it was their approach to song-writing that shaped their sound. The music began to take on a more hard rock edge, moving away from the high-speed riffing and lo-fi production of second wave black metal, and adopting more traditonal rock'n'roll structures to their songs. Full-length albums such as 1999's Rebel Extravaganza and 2002's Volcano highlight this sound shift well.

This is the official music video for "Fuel for Hatred" (from Volcano)

With this change in style, Satyricon had helped pioneer a new approach to black metal. This particular sound--the blending of black metal sensibilities with hard rock song structures--has since come to be known as black'n'roll (a play on the title "death'n'roll," a subgenre associated with post-Wolverine Blues Entombed). Some other bands associated with this subgenre are Vreid, Khold, and post-millenial Darkthrone (more on Darkthrone's black'n'roll phase later).

Here is Satyricon performing perhaps their most famous song, "Mother North" (off of Nemesis Divina), with a full operatic chorus

Select Discography:

All Evil (demo) (1992)

The Forest is My Throne (demo) (1993)

Dark Medieval Times (full-length album) (1994)

The Shadowthrone (full-length album) (1995)

Nemesis Divina (full-length) (1996)

Rebel Extravaganza (full-length album) (1999)

Volcano (full-length album) (2002)

Now, Diabolical (full-length) (2005)

Age of Nero (full-length album) (2008)

Next time: AMMIT

Emperor

By 1991-1992, the Norwegian black metal boom of the second wave was in full swing. While some bands date to the 1980s (Mayhem, Darkthrone, Thorns) and others formemop in 1990 or 1991 and were becoming more widely known (Immortal, Burzum, Arcturus), some bands didn't form until 1991 or 1992, and therefore were--relatively speaking--'latecomers' to the scene. The almighty EMPEROR could (loosely) be characterized as such a band.

As stated in my entry on the pre-boom Norwegian scene, the core of Emperor centered around members of the recently-disbanded Thou Shalt Suffer. Thou Shalt Suffer was, as mentioned earlier, more on the death metal side of extreme metal than black metal, but they still centered around occultic, evil themes, and had a blackened aura. Samoth and Ihsahn had started crafting black metal compositions in their last few months in Thou Shalt Suffer, and had soon recruited Mortiis on bass.

An early band photo, from 1992

This trio set about writing material that soon would become their 1992 demo Wrath of the Tyrant. Featuring a raw sound very dissimilar to what they would later become known for, this is one of the essential demos of second wave Norwegian black metal. Yet at the same time, it was not a clone of what bands like Mayhem or Burzum or Darkthrone were doing.

"Moon Over Kara-Shehr"is from that 1992 demo

This demo really caught the attention of metalheads worldwide. They were courted by many labels, but ended up signing with the fledgling label Candlelight Records. Having recently recruited Bard "Faust" Eithun on drums, they put out another epic release, their 1993 self-titled EP. This EP was also released as a split album with Enslaved's Hordane's Land EP the same year. This proved to be hugely influential in the black metal scene. Emperor's sound really stood out from the black metal masses on this release: their use of focused keyboards to enhance the music gave the EP an almost mystical feel.

Their self-titled EP gave us "Night of the Graveless Souls"

With this EP, Emperor was now considered one of Norway's black metal elite. They were being mentioned in the same breath as Burzum, Mayhem, and Immortal. Their newfound success that resulted from the self-titled EP led to more opportunities. After replacing Mortiis on bass with Tchort, Emperor was given the opportunity to tour the UK with up-and-comers Cradle of Filth (who were themselves on the cusp of releasing their first full-length album). This helped spread the Emperor name far and wide.

The opening track of Emperor's now-legendary In the Nightside Eclipse

Following this tour, Emperor entered the studio to record their first actual full-length album. The result--1994's In the Nightside Eclipse--is one of the ultimate masterpieces of all black metal. One of the earliest efforts of symphonic black metal, Emperor's use of synths on this album truly enhanced the music, carrying the dark, mystical atmosphere of their earlier work to new heights. Simply listen to "Into the Infinity of Thoughts" (above) to hear how epic the synths complement the metal. This album was truly a game-changer. To my ears, every symphonic black metal release since Eclipse owes at least a partial debt to Emperor.

However, all was not well in the world of Emperor. As the activities of Norway's black metal Inner Circle drew attention to the scene--and not in a good way--the deeds of the musicians caught up to them. Samoth, for example, was implicated in several church burnings and imprisoned for a few years. As the main composer for the band, this put Emperor in a tough spot. At the same time, Tchort was imprisoned for assault and Faust went to jail for a very highly-publicized murder he committed in 1992. This left Ihsahn as the sole member of the band not in prison.

Here is the music video for Emperor's "The Loss and Curse of Reverence"

Samoth was released from prison a few years later, and Emperor resumed their musical activities with newly-recruited drummer Trym Torson (formerly of Enslaved). They quickly reminded the world of their epic style with releases such as the Reverence EP in March of 1997 and their second full-length album Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk in May of 1997. These albums highlighted a new sound for the band. Taking the symphonic darkness of Eclipse in a more progressive direction, Anthems is one of the most well-received albums in black metal history.

The late 1990s saw Emperor basically becoming the face of Norwegian black metal. They also worked on expanding the boundaries of the genre. In 1999, for example, they released a collaboration with Snorre Ruch's Thorns (Thorns vs. Emperor) that featured an excellent cover of Thorns's classic track "Aerie Descent".

This is Emperor's cover of "Aerie Descent"

1999 also saw the release of Emperor's third full-length, IX Equilibrium. This album can be seen as a continuation of the slightly more progressive stylings of Anthems. Emperor had also begun to incorporate clean singing and at times, the influence of death metal could be heard. Their next--and final--studio album (2001's Prometheus: Discipline of Fire and Demise) featured more of the same.

My favorite track from IX Equilibrium, "Decrystallizing Reason"

In the wake of the release of Prometheus, Emperor disbanded. The members of the band simply had different musical visions and wanted to pursue new projects. Ihsahn has since gone on to a self-titled solo project, as well as being a member of bands Peccatum and Hardingrock. Samoth focused his energy primarily on black/death metal band Zyklon, along with Trym.

Emperor has re-formed a couple of times since their initial disbanding, and has played several well-received tours and live shows. In my opinion, Emperor will go down in history as one of the greatest black metal bands ever. Period.

Select Discography: 

Wrath of the Tyrant (demo) (1992)

Emperor EP (1993)

In the Nightside Eclipse (full-length album) (1994)

As the Shadows Rise EP (1994)

Reverence EP (1997)

Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk (full-length album) (1997)

IX Equilibrium (full-length) (1999)

Thorns vs. Emperor (split album with Thorns) (1999)

Emperial Live Ceremony (live album) (2000)

Prometheus: Discipline of Fire and Demise (full-length album) (2001)

Next time: DEIPHAGO

Arcturus

One of black metal's more unique bands, ARCTURUS formed in 1990, predating the Norwegian explosion by a couple of years. They initially formed as an off-shoot of death metal band Mortem with the intention of creating a more atmospheric, eerie-sounding music. The initial line-up featured some of the Norwegian scene's more well-known musicians: Hellhammer (of Mayhem fame), Sverd (later of Ulver and Covenant), and Marius Vold (of Thorns). 

Their first release was the 1991 single "My Angel". The title track showcased the eerie, atmospheric vibe that Arcturus were striving for. At the time, it didn't really resemble anything else in the Norwegian scene, but it still had a strongly occultic feel to it.

This is 1991's "My Angel"

Some major line-up changes happened not too long after the release of the "My Angel" single. Marius left the band, and Sverd decided to switch over to keyboards/synths. As a result, they soon recruited Samoth (guitarist from Emperor) and Garm (from Ulver) on vocals. Newly reinvigorated with this line-up, they released the Constellation EP in 1993.

"Du Nordavind" is a classic track off of Constellation

This EP expanded on their earlier sound in a rather noteworthy way. With a cold, unforgiving  guitar sound to complement the creepy synths, Arcturus entered into new territory for black metal. Their style was strongly atmospheric in a way few bands had been.

After some additional line-up changes the following year, Arcturus set about recording their first full-length album: 1995's Aspera Hiems Symfonia. With a title that translates from Latin as "harsh winter symphony," Aspera is one of the absolute classics of Norwegian black metal.

"Wintry Grey" may very well be Arcturus's best song

Aspera Hiems Symfonia takes black metal in a different direction. By the time of its release, the Norwegian black metal boom was in full swing,  and all of the features associated with black metal were well-established: tremolo picking, lo-fi production values, screeching vocals, etc. However, Aspera didn't aspire to these stylistic norms: clean vocals, epic symphonic passages, and varied tempos abounded. It is a darkly beautiful album that transcends the label 'black metal'.

Aspera Hiems Symfonia marked an important transition for Arcturus. The seeds for a more avant-garde direction, one not bound by genre labels, had been sown. 1997's La Masquerade Infernale was a radical departure from black metal, but with an eerie, haunting atmosphere all its own. And since that album, Arcturus has continued to challenge people's ideas of what extreme metal is capable of.

"Chaos Path" is very representative of the avant-garde sound of Masquerade Infernale

Select Discography:

"My Angel" (single) (1991)

Constellation EP (1993)

Aspera Hiems Symfonia (full-length) (1995)

Next time: INQUISITION