Ragnarok

Genre(s): Black Metal
Formed: 1994
Representative Albums: Nattferd, Diabolical Age and Blackdoor Miracle





Ragnarok is a Norwegian black metal band. The band was formed in Sarpsborg, Norway in 1994 by Jerv and Jontho, after they left Thoth, their previous band. Lyrical themes include paganism, Vikings, anti-Christianity, and Satanism. The band's name comes from the Old Norse word ragnarok, which in Norse mythology refers to a prophesied war of the gods.

History

Ragnarok made a name for themselves locally by recording demo tracks and a compilation album including the song Et Vinterland i Nord with their original lineup, consisting of Jerv on bass, Jontho on drums, Rym on guitar and Thyme as the vocalist. The band received good feedback for their demo work and soon signed to the cult label Head Not Found Records, who released Ragnarok's debut album Nattferd in 1995.

The band was generally dissatisfied with Head Not Found Records, and intended to leave in 1996, but were persuaded to sign a contract for two more albums after the label offered them a much better deal. Unfortunately, this deal meant that Ragnarok was forced to turn down a deal with Century Media, who expressed interest in signing the band after a show in Oslo later that same year.

In 1997, work was begun on Ragnarok's second album, titled Arising Realm, which featured Shagrath of the band Dimmu Borgir on keyboards. In 1998, Ragnarok went on tour for the first time, playing eight shows in Denmark and Germany in addition to the Hellraiser Festival in Leipzig. At the end of the year Ragnarok started recording Diabolical Age, their third album. Diabolical Age was not finished until late in 1999, and by the time it was actually released Thyme had left the band, to be replaced by vocalist Astaroth, and Sander had joined as a second guitarist. It was soon clear, however, that Sander was not cut out to perform with the band, so he was kicked out and replaced with Lord Arcamous shortly after the eventual release of Diabolical Age in 2000.

Later in 2000, Ragnarok embarked on a short tour with Swedish band Satanic Slaughter, in the course of which it became clear that Astaroth was not capable of continuing on with the band. He was kicked from the band after the tour. Lord Arcamous filled in as vocalist for the recording of the album In Nomine Satanas on Regain Records, but he himself was replaced with Hoest of the band Taake in 2002.

After Hoest joined the band, Ragnarok was finally able to go on tour and perfect their sound for their next album. Blackdoor Miracle was recorded in 2004, and both the band and its fans were pleased with the results.

After a renewal of the lineup the only remaining old member, drummer Jontho, announced they will start touring with the new lineup and are planning for a new album through Regain Records early 2009.

Current members




• HansFyrste - vocals
• Brigge - guitar
• Decepticon - bass and backing vocals
• Jontho - drums

Former Members

• Høest - vocals 1999 - 2008
• Thyme - vocals 1994 - 1999
• Astaroth - vocals 2000 - 2001
• Lord Arcamous - vocals 2001 - 2002
• Sander - rhythm guitar 1999 - 2000
• Jerv - bass 1994 - 2007
• Rym - guitar 1994 - 2007

Discography

• Et Vinterland i Nord demo (1994)
• Pagan Land demo (1995)
• Nattferd (1995)
• Arising Realm (1997)
• Diabolical Age (2000)
• In Nomine Satanas (2002)
• Blackdoor Miracle (2004)
• Collectors Of The King (2009)

Gehenna

• Genre(s): Black Metal
• Representative Albums: "WW," "Through the Veils of Darkness," "Through"




Biography

According to some gospels, when Jesus Christ referred to Hell, he often used the word Gehenna, which was actually the name of Jerusalem's garbage dump -- where fires were constantly kept burning to cope with the city's refuse. Fast forward roughly 2,000 years and the name was adopted by one of Norway's most influential black metal bands, which formed in the town of Stavanger, in January 1993, in the wake of local forefathers Mayhem's ascendance, and integrated a now heralded generation also including such contemporaries as Emperor, Enslaved, Darkthrone, and Ulver. Initially comprising vocalist/guitarist Sanrabb, guitarist/bassist Dolgar (real name Steffen Simenstad), and drummer Sir Vereda, the initially nameless project that would become Gehenna recorded a pair of demos, Black Seared Heart and Ancestors of the Darkly Sky, in their first year, before earning their Scandinavian black metal stripes in dubious fashion when the drummer joined several other more prominent scene members behind bars. Even so, by the following year, Sanrabb and Dolgar had drafted bassist Svartalv, keyboardist Sarcana, and drummer Dirge Rep (aka Per Husebø), played their first local shows, and recorded a debut mini-album entitled First Spell for Head Not Found Records. Still widely regarded to be their definitive work, First Spell showcased a unique style of black metal, both somber and melodic in nature, and earned the group a new recording contract with Cacophonous Records, which also released subsequent efforts Seen Through the Veils of Darkness (1995) and Malice (1996) to serious acclaim in the underground metal world. But Gehenna almost came to a grinding halt in 1997, when internal tensions led to Svartalv's departure to found thrash band Nocturnal Breed, Dirge Rep's defection to Enslaved, and Sarcana's retirement from the scene. Sanrabb and Dolgar would re-emerge the following year with a new album entitled Adimiron Black for Moonfog Productions, and new members E.N. Death (bass), Blod (drums), and Damien (keyboards), but the latter would soon be dismissed due to Gehenna's distinctly more aggressive sound. In fact, by the release of 2000's Murder, Gehenna had reinvented themselves as a death metal band, leaving many observers puzzled. Come 2005's WW, they'd once again returned to their haunting black metal roots, but time has yet to tell whether their fans returned to it with them.

History:

Gehenna is a Norwegian Death/Black metal band. Gehenna was formed in January, 1993 by original members Sanrabb, Dolgar, and Sir Vereda. Their first demo, entitled Black Seared Heart, was recorded between the 3rd and 7th of June 1993 in Soundsuite Studios, and was released as a cassette. Around this same time, a 7" titled Ancestors of The Darkly Sky was released by Necromantic Gallery Productions.
Shortly after the release of these two recordings, Sir Verada left the band due to legal problems, and was replaced by Dirge Rep. The band also enlisted Svartalv as bass player during this time.

Up until this time, the band had yet to play any live shows. It was not until February, 1994 that the band made their live debut.
In 1994 Sarcana joined the band and added keyboards to the mix.
In March, 1994, the band entered Soundsuite Studios to record their debut album, First Spell. It was released as an MCD on Head Not Found Records. First Spell generated a larger fan-base for the band, and led to them signing 2-album record deal with Cacophonous Records.

In 1995, Gehenna released their second full-length, Seen Through The Veils of Darkness. This record featured a guest appearance by Garm of Arcturus and Ulver doing vocals on the track Vinterriket. This release cemented Gehenna as a strong band in the black metal scene.

Shortly before the release of Gehenna's next record, Svartalv left the band. Noctifer, who had joined the band as Svartalv's replacement, was unable to meet the demands of being a member of Gehenna. After 6 months, during the recording sessions of Gehenna's third release, Noctifier left the band.
E.N. Death, a friend of the band, was asked to sit in as a session bassist to finish the recording. After also joining the band on tour, he was asked to join the band full-time.

In 1996, Gehenna's third release, Malice, was released on Cacophonous Records.
Sarcana and Dirge Rep both left the band shortly after a touring in support of Malice. Damien was added as Sarcana's replacement on keyboards and Blod took up drumming duties.

With the new members, Gehenna's sound changed a bit. Blod brought a death metal background with him, and it influenced Gehenna in a much heavier way.
In 1998, Gehenna signed to Moonfog Productions and immediately released an EP Deadlights, which was a sample to their fans of what to expect from the newer Gehenna material. This EP was later followed by their Moonfog debut LP, Adimiron Black.
During their tenure with Moonfog Productions, Gehenna would also release Murder 2000 and WW 2005.

In late 2005 Gehenna signed with ANP Records.

In December, 2007, Gehenna announced that the previous contract signed with ANP Records was cancelled and that Gehenna signed with Norwegian based "Indie Recordings". Dirge Rep was also announced as a full-time member.
According to a message posted by the band on their official MySpace page in June 2009, "Gehenna is currently writing new material for a yet untitled album. We hope to have it recorded by the end of 2009. Some work / track titles are : The Blooding, Melek, Stillborn, Claws of Obedience, Death's Emblem, Liber Torquere (Leviathan Rising)".

Members











• Sanrabb - Vocals, Guitars
• Dolgar - Vocals, Bass
• Amok, Guitars
• Dirge Rep, Drums

Former members

• Blod (1998-2001) - Drums
• Damien (1998-1999) - Keyboards
• Dirge Rep (Per Husebø) (1993-1997 2007-) - Drums
• E.N. Death (Frode Sivertsen) (1996-2000) - Bass
• Frost - Session Live Drums
• Kine (2000-2005) Synths
• Nekro - Guitars
• Noctifer (1996) - Bass
• S. Winter - Drums
• Sarcana / Nina (1994-1997) - Keyboards
• Sir Vereda (1993) - Drums
• Svartalv / Kenneth (1993-1996) - Bass

Discography

• Ancestor Of The Darkly Sky (EP), 1993
• Black Seared Heart (demo), Necromantic Gallery Productions 1993
• First Spell (Full-length), Head Not Found Records 1994
• Seen Through The Veils of Darkness (The Second Spell) (Full-length),

Cacophonous Records 1995

• Malice (Our Third Spell) (Full-length), Cacophonous Records 1996
• Black Seared Heart (Re-Release of BSH Demo, with bonus tracks), Holycaust

Records 1996

• Deadlights (EP), Moonfog Productions 1998
• Adimiron Black (Full-length), Moonfog Productions 1998
• Murder (Full-length), Moonfog Productions 2000
• WW (Full-length), Moonfog Productions 2005


Official page: http://www.ludewigs.net/gehenna/

http://www.myspace.com/gehennaofficial

Keep of Kalessin

• Genres: Black Metal
• Representative Albums: "Kolossus," "Armada," "Through Times of War"

Biography

During their first incarnation, Norway's Keep of Kalessin were comprised of vocalist Ghâsh, guitarist/keyboardist Obsidian C., bassist Warach, and drummer Vyl, and released a pair of quite competent -- but also rather typical -- Scandinavian black metal albums in 1997's Through Times of War and 1999's Agnen: A Journey Through the Dark. Neither LP made much of an impact outside the extreme metal scene itself, and so the bandmembers went their separate ways, as Obsidian C. (real name Arnt Grønbech) accepted a position as touring guitarist with Satyricon, while continuing to write his own songs on the side. These he eventually recorded with the help of Satyricon drummer Frost and black metal vocalist-for-hire extraordinaire Attila Csihar (Mayhem, Aborym, etc.) and released under the Keep of Kalessin name as 2003's Reclaim EP, featuring three lengthy tracks of eclectically spiced black metal. One year later, Grønbech and keyboardist Steinar Gundersen were arrested in Canada on rape accusations while touring with Satyricon, but all charges were soon dismissed as unfounded and, by 2006, Grønbech was ready to release a third full-length Keep of Kalessin CD, Armada, featuring new cohorts Thebon on vocals, Wizziac on bass, and Vyl (aka Vegard Larsen) on drums.

History:

Keep of Kalessin is a black metal band from Trondheim, Norway formed in 1993. The group's early lineup consisted of Ghash on vocals, Obsidian C. on guitars and keyboards, Warach on bass, and Vyl on drums. They released two albums under this lineup: Through Times of War in 1997, and Agnen: A Journey Through the Dark in 1999, before splitting up. Obsidian C. then toured with Satyricon, but revived the Keep of Kalessin name for a 2003 EP, Reclaim. In 2006 he reconstituted the group with a new lineup and released a third full-length, Armada. They toured with Behemoth and Dimmu Borgir early in 2008. Their fourth album Kolossus was released on June 6, 2008. They take their name from Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea series of books, where Kalessin is the name of the arch-dragon who is the bearer of the Earthsea world.

Obsidian C. announced in the Studio Report 4 video of Kolossus that they're already working on some new songs for the next album.


“I think we'll have maybe one week of vacation after these recording sessions are done before we start recording the next album again. We have written songs for the new album, so hopefully the fans won't need to wait more than a year between Kolossus and the next one”

Keep of Kalessin was nominated for a Spellemannprisen in the metal category in 2008.

Other than most black metal bands, Keep of Kalessin is in its harshness still melodical and technical oriented. Unlike the traditional Norwegian black metal, Keep of Kalessin also makes use of other instruments like the piano, keyboards and synthesizers. They started experimenting with a new sound which gave Keep of Kalessin its new character after Obsidian C. recruited the new band-members Thebon, Wizziac and Vyl for their album Armada in 2006, the follow-up after Reclaim in 2003. Before Reclaim, the band had a much darker and colder character because of the different line-up they had back in the days. The line-up split in 2000, though Obsidian C. still wanted to make something of the band and the split-up wasn't the end of the band yet. He wanted to give Keep of Kalessin a unique character and developed its music and improved himself too as a musician and lyrics writer, but the band still needed a drummer which could keep up with his riffing and he couldn't find one in Trondheim. After nearly 3 years, the band Satyricon was in the need of a guitarist and Obsidian C. participated in the auditions and "played the ass off" some other 30 guitarists who also had applied for the job. He made it to the band and came in contact with one of the most renowned, fast and brutal black metal drummers, Frost.

Obsidian C. didn't give up on Keep of Kalessin and as soon as Frost heard its material, without hesitation, he immediately said yes when Obsidian C. asked him to do the drumming on his new EP. As the band's new guitarist, Obsidian C. also toured with the band and this made it possible to recruit Attila Csihar for his EP to do the vocals. This new line-up recorded Keep of Kalessin's new EP Reclaim and sky-rocketed the band into the elite black metal scene of Norway. But the line-up did not last and fell apart because of the distances between the band members. Still, this would not stop Obsidian C. and he was more and more determined to bring Keep of Kalessin to the masses. As part of Satyricon he toured a lot with the band and understood that touring is a must to promote a band. Not much later he teamed up with a new drummer he found, Vyl who had no difficulties to keep up with Obsidian C.'s fast riffing and became part of the band. Now the band still needed a vocalist and preferably a bassist as well. This is when Thebon and Wizziac became part of the band as the band's new vocalist and bassist.

Together, with Torstein Parelius - the lyric writer from their EP Reclaim - the new line-up spend 2 years to prepare and record their next album entitled Armada. This elevated the band up a higher place in the elite black metal scene of Norway and the band finally had a line-up which could last and made the band even more promising than before.

This same line-up recorded in 2007 the new album Kolossus which released in the summer of 2008, demonstrating the band improved their sound after the well received and highly acclaimed release Armada in 2006 which even got some good attention from the more mainstream masses in Norway. This resulted in nomination for the Spellemannprisen in the metal category in 2008. In Kolossus they started to experiment more with different instruments and the band indeed created a unique character for Keep of Kalessin as we now know it.

Discography


Studio releases

• Through Times of War (1997)
• Agnen: A Journey Through the Dark (1999)
• Armada (2006)
• Kolossus (2008)

Extended plays

• Reclaim (2003)

Demos

• Skygger av Sorg (1996)

Band members



Current members

• Arnt "Obsidian C." Grønbech - guitars, synths
• Torbjørn "Thebon" Schei - vocals
• Robin "Wizziac" Isaksen - bass
• Vegar "Vyl" Larsen - drums

Former members

• Attila Csihar - Vocals - (Reclaim EP)
• Frost (Kjetil Haraldstad) - Drums - (Reclaim EP)
• Ghâsh - Vocals - (1996-1999)
• Warach (Øyvind A.Winther) - Bass - (1996-1999)
• Cernunnus (Tor-Helge Skei) - Live guitars
• Kesh - Session Bass


http://s15.zetaboards.com/Keep_Of_Kalessin/index/ Official Page
http://www.myspace.com/keepofkalessin

The Funeral Pyre

Formed: 2001
Genre(s): Blackened Death Metal
Representative albums: Immersed by the Flames of Mankind, Wounds




The Funeral Pyre is a blackened death metal band from La Habra, California, United States. The band has released three studio albums, two EPs, and two split 7" albums, and consists of guitarists James Joyce and Justin Garcia, vocalist John Strachan, drummer Alex Hernandez, and bassist Adam Campbell.

History

Formed under the name Envilent in 2001, The Funeral Pyre was formed in La Habra, California and entered the underground extreme music scenes in both LA and Orange counties. The Funeral Pyre has gained acclaim amongst metal internet press outlets for its Swedish-style melody, ethereal keyboards, and blackened vocals.

Several demos and an early EP were released under the bands former moniker, Envilent, until the independent release of the 2003 EP, October, when the band changed their name to The Funeral Pyre. Soon, the band released its first full length album, Immersed by the Flames of Mankind in 2004, and a merger between Oregon's Leech and The Funeral Pyre was released in 2006, with limited quantities as a split 7" called The First Book Of The Kings, released through Forest Moon Special Products.

The band released their second full length album The Nature of Betrayal on August 22, 2006, recorded at Ulug studios in Costa Mesa, California through Creator-Destructor Records, an independent California based recording studio. In a distribution deal with Prosthetic Records, The Nature of Betrayal was re-released on March 20, 2007, due to decent success on the internet.

Recorded in January and February with producer John Haddad, Wounds was mixed by Erik Rutan and mastered by Alan Douches and was released on May 27, 2008. This was the first album to not feature long time keyboardist, Daniella Jones, who was released by the band for "musical differences", and was in turn replaced by a second guitarist, Justin Garcia. However, the band suffered another loss when Garcia left the band, but soon was replaced by Lanny Perelman, formally of Cerberus, who, left the band as well. The band has more closely embraced black metal entirely with the release of Wounds, as well as later works.

The band released December, mixed and mastered by Ryan Butler at Arcane Digital Recording during December 2008, a limited EP distributed by Creator-Destructor on March 10, 2009. A 7" split with Landmine Marathon was released shortly after through Forest Moon Special Products, showcasing a cover of short lived German act, ACME's song "Attempt", as well as another original song.

The band has their fourth studio album planned to be due sometime in 2010, and former guitarist Justin Garcia is expected to be joining the band for the fifth album.


Current members




• Jimmy Joyce - Guitar
• Alex Hernandez - Drums
• John Strachan - Vocals
• Adam Campbell - Bass
• Justin Garcia - Guitar

Discography

Studio albums

• 2004: Immersed by the Flames of Mankind
• 2006: The Nature of Betrayal
• 2008: Wounds

Singles & EPs

• 2002: Whispering to the Shadows EP
• 2003: October EP
• 2009: December EP

Live & other albums

• 2006: The First Book of the Kings (Split EP)
• 2009: The Funeral Pyre/Landmine Marathon (Split EP)

http://www.myspace.com/thefuneralpyre

Malevolent Creation

• Genres: Death Metal
• Representative Albums: "The Ten Commandments," "Eternal," "Retribution"
• Representative Songs: "Impaled Existence," "No Salvation," "Slaughter of Innocence"




Biography

Arising from the death metal hotbed of Florida in the early '90s (but originally from Buffalo, NY), Malevolent Creation tend to be somewhat overlooked in discussions of groups who helped define the sound and style of American death metal. Initially inspired by the sonic and lyrical extremity of Slayer, the group landed a deal with Roadrunner Records at the dawn of the '90s, featuring a lineup of vocalist Brett Hoffmann, guitarists Phil Fasciana and Jeff Juskiewicz, bassist Jason Blachowicz, and drummer Mark Simpson. Their 1991 debut album, The Ten Commandments, became something of a landmark in the death metal underground, expanding on the early work of Slayer and fellow Floridians Death. Its sequel, 1992's Retribution, was just as strong, featuring two new members added from Solstice -- guitarist Rob Barrett (who replaced Juskiewicz) and drummer Alex Marquez. Barrett and Marquez were replaced by John Rubin (who had been in a very early lineup of the band) and "Crazy" Larry Hawke for 1993's Stillborn, which disappointed many of the group's faithful and signaled an acrimonious end to their relationship with Roadrunner. Those label difficulties nearly broke the band apart, but they eventually resurfaced on Pavement Music with a more progressive, technical approach and an even more revamped lineup on 1995's Eternal. Hoffmann was gone, with the vocals now handled by bassist Blachowicz, while guitarists Fasciana and Rubin were joined by ex-Suffocation drummer Dave Culross. The remixes/outtakes/demos collection Joe Black appeared in 1996, followed the next year by In Cold Blood, which featured guitarist John Paul Soars taking Rubin's place, and drummer Derik Roddy replacing Culross. For 1998's The Fine Art of Murder, Fasciana (now doubling on keyboards) brought vocalist Hoffmann, guitarist Barret, and drummer Culross back to the fold, along with new bassist Gordon Simms. The Pavement label retrospective, Manifestation, appeared in 2000, followed towards the end of the year by the all-new Envenomed. The sequel to Envenomed came out two years later, followed a few months later by drummer Justin DiPinto's last album with the group, The Will to Kill.

History

Malevolent Creation is a death metal band originally hailing from Buffalo, New York. Moving to Florida in 1988, they became a part of the emergent local death metal scene, landing a deal with Roadrunner Records. Their debut album, The Ten Commandments, became something of a landmark in the death metal underground, expanding on the early work of Slayer and fellow Floridians Death.

According to a series of posts published at blabbermouth.net, Phil Fasciana claimed (via several emails he sent to Blabbermouth.net) he was involved in a shootout in which he shot and killed a man who he says was robbing a store he was in.

Members



Current members

• Bret Hoffmann – vocals
• Marco Martell – guitars
• Phil Fasciana – guitars
• Gio Geraca – bass guitar
• Gus Rios – drums

Former members

• Peter Tägtgren - guitars
• Jim Nickles – guitars
• Kyle Symons – vocals
• Jeff Juszkiewicz – guitars
• Rob Barrett – guitars
• John Paul Soars – guitars
• Jason Hagan – guitar
• Gordon Simms – bass guitar
• Jason Blachowicz – bass guitar
• Justin DiPinto – drums
• Alex Marquez – drums
• Mark Simpson – drums
• Dave Culross – drums
• David Kinkade - drums
• Derek Roddy - drums
• Fabian Aguirre - drums

Discography

Studio Albums

• The Ten Commandments, (Roadrunner Records, 1991)
• Retribution (Roadrunner Records, 1992)
• Stillborn (Roadrunner Records, 1993)
• Eternal (Pavement Music, 1995)
• In Cold Blood (Pavement Music, 1997)
• The Fine Art of Murder (Pavement Music, 1998)
• Envenomed (Arctic Music, 2000)
• The Will to Kill (Arctic Music, 2002)
• Warkult (Nuclear Blast, 2004)
• Doomsday X (Nuclear Blast, 2007)

Live Albums

• Conquering South America (Arctic Music), 2004)
• Live at the Whiskey (Arctic Music, 2008)

Compilations

• Joe Black (Pavement Music, 1996)
• Manifestation – Compilation (Pavement Music, 2000)
• The Best of Malevolent Creation (Roadrunner, 2003)
• Retrospective (Crash Music, 2005)
• Essentials (Crash Music, 2009)

DVD
• Lost Commandments (Massacre Records, 2008)

http://www.myspace.com/malevolentcreation