IMMORTAL

• Genres: Rock

• Representative Albums: "Pure Holocaust," "Sons of Northern Darkness," "Damned in Black" , “All Shall Fall – TBD”



Biography

Of all the Norwegian black metal bands, Immortal has, arguably, stuck the closest to the mystical, occult-inspired vision of the scene: the bandmembers kept the evil-Kiss makeup throughout the band's existence, rarely experimented outside of the traditional guitars-drums-bass instrumental configuration, and never revealed their real names. Brothers in pseudonyms only, vocalist/bassist Abbath Doom Occulta and guitarist Demonaz Doom Occulta formed Immortal in Bergen, Norway, in 1990. Abbath was originally a member of Old Funeral, a death metal garage band that also included Varg Vikernes, who would later gain notoriety not only with his own project, Burzum, but for murdering Mayhem guitarist Euronymous; Demonaz had split from fellow Bergen scenesters Amputation. (Notably, Immortal always willfully separated itself from Mayhem's oft-felonious black metal "inner circle" scene in Oslo, and downplayed its relationships with its members.) Inspired by the robust Norwegian forests and bitter cold climate, Abbath and Demonaz conceived the fictional, demon-and-battle-filled realm Blashyrkh, a foundation upon which all of Immortal's lyrical journeys would rest.

The duo recruited drummer Armagedda and, briefly, second guitarist Jorn Inge Tunsberg, who left the fold after Immortal cranked out two demos, Suffocate and Northern Upins Death. Preferring to remain a three-piece, the band recorded the Unholy Forces of Evil/The Cold Winds of Funeral Frost 7" for the French label Listenable Records in 1991, which eventually led to Immortal's contract with another French imprint, Osmose Records. Their debut full-length, Diabolical Full Moon Mysticism, was released in 1992 (distributed in North America by JL America); a more atmospheric, slower-tempo release than the majority of Immortal's contemporaries. When Abbath and Demonaz began incorporating more blast beats in their songwriting, Armagedda quit, forcing Abbath to perform all drum tracks on Immortal's two highly influential albums, 1993's Pure Holocaust and 1995's Battles in the North. However, drummer Grim was pictured on the Pure Holocaust album cover, and would perform on Immortal's first full-fledged European tour in 1993, prior to being fired (he would go on to play drums for Gorgoroth and Borknagar, eventually committing suicide in 1999). Mayhem skinsman Hellhammer temporarily filled the drum seat for the band's live commitments and the home video Masters of Nebular Frost, until Horgh could be permanently added to the lineup.

It was after the 1997 album Blizzard Beasts was released that Immortal would be dealt its most serious blow. With an acute case of tendonitis in his arms, Demonaz could no longer play guitar with the speed and intensity Immortal required, and was forced to leave the band, although he remained the group's lyricist. Abbath switched from bass to guitar, and the group filled its bass slot with Aeturnus four-stringer Ares strictly for touring duties. Demonaz's absence left the band's songwriting burden purely on Abbath, who began penning more progressive, dynamic, and epic pieces. Abbath would perform all instruments except drums on 1999's highly acclaimed At the Heart of Winter full-length, which marked the beginning of the band's relationship with producer Peter Tagtgren (singer/guitarist for Hypocrisy), who recorded Winter and its two follow-up albums at his soon-to-be-legendary Abyss Studios. Bassist Iscariah was then permanently added to the lineup, which put out Damned in Black in 2000, and led to Immortal's first full-fledged North American tour with fellow Norwegians Satyricon. In 2001, the band, looking for better U.S distribution for its albums, severed its longtime relationship with Osmose and signed to Nuclear Blast Records, which released Sons of Northern Darkness in 2002.
History

Immortal's beginnings can be traced to the death metal band Old Funeral, formed in 1988, in which both Abbath and Demonaz were members. The band's frontman Abbath also formed the band Amputation in 1989, releasing two demos before deciding to form Immortal. This new band consisted of band members from both Amputation and Old Funeral. Though remaining members of Old Funeral attempted to keep the band alive, they dissolved prior Immortal's first demo releases.

Immortal's early full-length releases were of a traditional black metal style, but their acclaimed album At the Heart of Winter saw the band begin to experiment with a complex fusion of black metal and German thrash metal. The resulting sound was a style which characterized Immortal's later works. Immortal has been influential to many modern metal artists. The band has arguably maintained the most occult-mysticism image and way of life traditionally credited to black metal. Conversely, unlike many black metal bands, Immortal does not espouse Satanism.

They are often noted as having created their own niche in black metal which has guaranteed them a spot on the list of the best bands in the history of the genre. Several classic albums such as Pure Holocaust, Battles In The North, At The Heart Of Winter and Sons Of Northern Darkness also help to solidify their status. With recent (2006) mid-price reissues of their classic back catalog in major markets, their music is now much more widely available. A defining feature of the band is their lyrics that focus on an imaginary world that is plagued by war and suffering, called Blashyrkh, ruled by the Mighty Ravendark, which is inspired by Demonaz's daily walks in the icy Norwegian forests that surround his home. Their over the top appearance with corpse paint and the cult status of their artwork (such as the album cover of Battles in the North and the cover and internal artwork of At The Heart Of Winter) has also contributed to their notability. The band has also distanced itself from the criminal activities and controversy that is usually associated with black metal. There have been a few minor controversies with members of Immortal after they have left the band, such as original rhythm guitarist Jørn's conviction of church burning, as well as Erik "Grim" Brødreskift's suicide in 1999.

Amputation recorded their first two demos in 1989 with Demonaz Doom Occulta on guitar and vocals, Jørn Inge Tunsberg on guitars, and Padden on drums. The group later reformed as Immortal around 1990–1991, adding Abbath Doom Occulta on bass and lead vocals and replacing Padden with Armagedda. They released their self-titled EP in 1991 which saw a stylistic change to black metal. This was followed by their debut album Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism in 1992 which is similar in style to the following two albums but many have noted it is slower than later recordings. While Jørn had already left the band, his guitar parts were left on the record even though he was not credited in the album insert.

Gradually, Immortal gained immense popularity in the underground, partly due to their infamous music video for The Call of the Wintermoon (though the TV station which aired the video proceeded to mock the band in the following interview and labeled them as "Satanists".) In describing the band's sound, stand-in drummer Kolgrim said the band's style was that of "Pure Holocaust Metal" which found its way onto the bands next album, Pure Holocaust, which itself is seen as a genre-defining milestone. The album was recorded by Demonaz and Abbath although they found Grim just a few weeks afterwards and he was put on the cover photo shoot. The next album, Battles in the North was also recorded by only Abbath and Demonaz as Grim had been asked to leave as they felt he could not help them move their music forward. Grim committed suicide in 1999 (although not due the fact that he had been fired from Immortal). There is a music festival in his memory, the Hole in the Sky Festival, which Immortal frequently headline, most recently in 2007.

In 1995, the band released two video clips directed by British artist David Palser, entitled Masters of Nebulah Frost, through Osmose Productions. They featured many bizarrely-shot images of frozen landscapes and vast forests with the band performing two songs from the album Battles In The North, "Grim And Frostbitten Kingdoms" and "Blashyrkh (Mighty Ravendark)" on a Norwegian mountainside. The video for "Grim And Frostbitten Kingdoms" features Mayhem drummer Hellhammer. These clips have become the template for many other bands producing such works, similarly to how "The Call Of The Wintermoon" is also highly influential. Hellhammer toured with the band for Battles In The North and was asked to join by Abbath and Demonaz but declined.
Apart from the two core members Abbath and Demonaz, Immortal did not find a stable lineup until 1996, when drummer Horgh joined the band. Horgh joined the band in time to actually play on the record Blizzard Beasts which was Immortal's first real experimental style, combing the sound of Immortal's three albums before it with a death metal style sound. It was not critically acclaimed although in time it has become more popular with fans. A major turning point for the band was in 1997 when Demonaz (then main lyricist and guitarist) suffered acute tendinitis in his arm and was unable to continue playing. Despite this, he has continued writing lyrics and has been a manager for the band, accompanying them on tour, releasing updates and giving interviews about how things are progressing with the band. Bassist Abbath took over the guitar duty. Abbath and Horgh wrote and recorded the band's next album, At The Heart Of Winter. This album was very different from what had come before as it sounded much closer to thrash metal than any album before or after it and was extremely well met by fans and critics alike. During the tours for this album, the band recruited Iscariah to stand in for bass duties and were suitably impressed with his skills that they made him a full time member.

The next album, and first with Iscariah, Damned In Black was more similar to their old style but kept many thrashy elements as well as some death metal influences. It was well received but is frequently overlooked as it came between two of their classic albums, At The Heart Of Winter and Sons Of Northern Darkness. In 2000, Immortal signed a record contract with German label Nuclear Blast; this change to a more prominent record company didn't affect their style, a fact proven by their record Sons of Northern Darkness. Two months after this, Iscariah announced his intention to leave the band and was replaced by Saroth for the next few months.
Immortal decided to split during the summer of 2003 for various personal reasons of the band members. However, in mid-October 2005, Abbath, Demonaz, and original Immortal drummer Armagedda reunited, and along with Gorgoroth bassist King ov Hell and Enslaved guitarist Ice Dale (Arve Isdal), they began work on a new project, dubbed I. This new band entered the studio at the end of April 2006 to record their debut album, Between Two Worlds, released in November 2006. Demonaz also features as lyricist for the band.

In early June 2006 came word via the German magazine Rock Hard that Abbath, Demonaz and Horgh had decided to resurrect Immortal once more. Abbath is quoted as saying:
“I didn't really want to say it, but I don't give a shit. We will come back, stronger than ever. I've met with Horgh for the first time in over a year. He's built his new house here, right around the corner. In the next few days we will begin to rehearse our old 'Blizzard Beasts' classics. I'm already really hot on the idea. Immortal are timeless frost. One year more or less doesn't make a difference. We have all the time in the world”



In July 2006 it was announced that Immortal would reunite for a string of summer shows in 2007. They headlined the Inferno Festival in April, the Tuska Open Air festival in June/July, Metal Camp festival in July, and the Wacken Open Air festival in August. They also performed twice in the United States in July 2007. Filling in as bassist for these dates was the Aura Noir bassist Apollyon. Immortal have since announced the band's first tour of Australia and New Zealand in March 2008.
After the reunion, Abbath and Horgh decided to reform the band on a permanent basis and have been hinting at a new album to be released in 2008. This was confirmed by Demonaz in an interview with Eternal Terror. Apollyon will be the permanent replacement for Iscariah and the three are now working with Demonaz on material for their next album. On April 15, 2009 Immortal Management stated the following issue: "The band has started to record the upcoming album! They will be working in both Grieghallen and Abyss studios this time." On Immortal's website,the following message appeared on May 26 2009:
"The new Immortal album is finally recorded, and will be released in the autumn. The album title is: ALL SHALL FALL In two weeks, the band will return to the stage, at this year's Swedenrock and finnish Tuska.

Discography

Full-length albums

• Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism (1992)
• Pure Holocaust (1993)
• Battles in the North (1995)
• Blizzard Beasts (1997)
• At the Heart of Winter (1999)
• Damned in Black (2000)
• Sons of Northern Darkness (2002)
• All Shall Fall (2009)

EPs
• Immortal (1991)

Splits

• True Kings of Norway (2000)

Demos

• Achieve The Mutilation (as Amputation) (1989)
• Slaughter In The Arms Of God (as Amputation) (1990)
• The Northern Upins Death (1990)
• Promo '91 / Suffocate (1991)

Home video

• Masters of Nebulah Frost VHS (1995)
• The Call of the Wintermoon
• Blashyrkh Mighty Ravendark
• Grim and Frostbitten Kingdoms

Members
Current members
• Abbath Doom Occulta (Olve Eikemo) - vocals, bass guitar, guitar, keyboards, drums (1989–2003, 2006–present)
• Demonaz Doom Occulta (Harald Nævdal) - guitar (up to 1997), lyrics (switched to lyricist and band manager after his injury) (1989–2003, 2006–present)
• Horgh (Reidar Horghagen) - drums (1996–2003, 2006–present)
• Apollyon (Ole Jørgen Moe) - bass guitar (2006–present)

Past members

• Iscariah (Stian Smørholm) - bass guitar (1999–2002)
• Saroth (Yngve Liljebäck) - bass guitar (live, 2002–2003)
• Ares - bass guitar (live, 1998; lead singer of Aeternus)
• Hellhammer (Jan Axel Blomberg) - drums (live, 1995)
• Grim (Erik Brødreskift) - drums (live, 1993–1994) (deceased)
• Kolgrim - drums (demo, 1992)
• Jörn Tonsberg - guitar (demo, 1989–1991)
• Armagedda - drums (1990–1992)

Official web site http://www.immortalofficial.com/