| Carving an Icon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by | |
| Released | February 20, 2015 |
| Recorded | Transient Lab / Strand Studio / Spacemachine Studio in Oslo, Norway Sound Suite Studio in Marseille, France, in May -July, 2014 |
| Genre | Extreme metal, gothic metal |
| Length | 52:42 |
| Label | Massacre Records |
| Producer | Terje Refsnes |
Carving an Icon is the debut album by the Norwegian extreme / gothic metal band Viper Solfa. The album was released on February 20, 2015 under the German record label Massacre Records.
Almost a year after Viper Solfa have settled in Kristiansand, Norway, the band signed a contract with Massacre Records in 2014, after composing and rehearsing several songs. [1]
The recording sessions took place between May and July 2014 in Transient Lab (mostly), the Strand Studio in Oslo, Norway and several vocal tracks were recorded in the Spacemachine Studio. [2] The recording and mixing were completed in Sound Suite Studio in Marseille, France with producer Terje Refsnes, who previously worked with groups of similar genres such as Trail of Tears, Tristania, Sirenia and Carpathian Forest among many. [3] Carving an Icon was finally released on 20 February 2015. [4] [5]
Former Tristania singer Vibeke Stene is one of the main songwriters for the song called Whispers and Storms. [6]
The cover art was created by renowned Brazilian graphic designer Marcelo Vasco, creator of the covers of bands such as Machine Head, Dimmu Borgir and Borknagar.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Deranged" | Sphinx, Ronny Thorsen | Morfeus | 4:47 |
| 2. | "Funeral of Kings" | Sphinx, Ronny Thorsen | Morfeus | 5:43 |
| 3. | "Carving an Icon" | Sphinx, Ronny Thorsen | Morfeus | 4:42 |
| 4. | "The Toxic Thousands" | Sphinx, Ronny Thorsen | Morfeus | 4:50 |
| 5. | "Vulture Kingdom" | Sphinx, Ronny Thorsen | Morfeus | 5:03 |
| 6. | "Call For Silence" | Sphinx, Ronny Thorsen | Morfeus | 5:40 |
| 7. | "War of Zion" | Sphinx, Ronny Thorsen | Morfeus | 4:31 |
| 8. | "The Viper Legion" | Sphinx, Ronny Thorsen | Morfeus | 4:32 |
| 9. | "Whispers and Storms" | Vibeke Stene, Ronny Thorsen | Morfeus | 5:01 |
| 10. | "Shahanshah" | Sphinx, Ronny Thorsen | Morfeus | 7:03 |
| Total length: | 52:42 | |||
Tristania was a Norwegian gothic metal band formed in 1996 by Morten Veland, Einar Moen and Kenneth Olsson. Tristania's music is usually classified as Gothic metal with death influences, due to its strong tie and legacy within the gothic metal history. Their songs largely dealt with dark and sentimental topics, including depression, sadness, suicide, love, absence, and anger.
Vibeke Stene is a Norwegian soprano and actress. She is best known as a former member of the gothic metal band Tristania, which she joined in 1996 and appears with on five albums. as the band became "one of the world's premiere goth metal bands".
Lake of Sorrow is the debut studio album by the Norwegian gothic metal band The Sins of Thy Beloved. It was recorded at Sound Suite Studio and released on August 8, 1998 through Napalm Records.
Perpetual Desolation is the second and final studio album by the Norwegian gothic metal band The Sins of Thy Beloved. It was recorded and mixed at Sound Suite Studio during September/October 1999 and released in 2000 through Napalm Records.
Trail of Tears is a Norwegian gothic/symphonic black metal band originally formed in 1994 by Terje Heiseldal, Kjell Rune Hagen, Jonathan A Perez, Michael Krumins, and Ronny Thorsen, under the name of Natt. Through most of their career the band emphasised the use of contrasting soprano and death grunt vocals, except for the release of Free Fall into Fear in 2005, in which the band switched this contrast mostly to tenor and growls, with less frequent soprano passages. The band disbanded in 2013, being succeeded by Thorsen's project Viper Solfa. In 2020, they reformed with old and new members, including previous Sirenia vocalist Ailyn.
Morgul is a Norwegian symphonic black metal band formed in Råde in 1991.
Strange Old Brew is the second studio album by Norwegian black metal band Carpathian Forest. It was released on November 6, 2000, through Avantgarde Music. It was re-released under digipak format in 2007 by Peaceville Records, containing an extra track. Contrasting with the previous Carpathian Forest releases, the sonority of Strange Old Brew is their most experimental one so far, mixing black metal with jazz interludes. It was their first release with Anders Kobro and Tchort in the band's line-up.
Morbid Fascination of Death is the third studio album by the Norwegian black metal band Carpathian Forest. It was released in 2001 by Avantgarde Music, and it was the last album to feature guitarist and founding member Johnny "Nordavind" Krøvel on the band's line-up. It was also their last studio album to be released by Avantgarde before they switched to Season of Mist.
An Elixir for Existence is the second studio album by the Norwegian gothic metal band Sirenia, released in 2004. The album follows in the same vein as the previous At Sixes and Sevens, but includes a new female vocalist, Henriette Bordvik. From this album, Sirenia has been presented as a 4-piece band, with Morten Veland as the only permanent member.
At Sixes and Sevens is the debut studio album by the Norwegian gothic metal band Sirenia, and their only album featuring the vocals of French singer Fabienne Gondamin. The woman on the cover is a Norwegian model, picked by the designer to represent a Siren.
The Crest was a gothic metal/darkwave band from Oslo, Norway noted for their gothic metal with catchy melodies, massive guitar sound, and a soothing female voice. The band was formed in 1996 by Nell and Kristian Sigland. After going through changes in name and line-up, the band settled on the name "The Crest" in 1999, after recording their second demo when they started to develop their characteristic sound.
Sirenian Shores is an EP by the Norwegian gothic metal band Sirenia. It was released on 11 October 2004 by Napalm Records. It is the last work recorded with the female lead singer Henriette Bordvik, who left the band in November 2005.
Nine Destinies and a Downfall is the third studio album by the Norwegian gothic metal band Sirenia. It was released on 23 February 2007 through Nuclear Blast. The enhanced CD of the digipak edition contains a bonus track, the video for the song "My Mind's Eye" and multimedia software. The music video was produced and directed by Serbian film company iCODE Team, being the first of the band. In March 2007 a second video was released, "The Other Side".
Illumination is the fifth full-length album by the Norwegian band Tristania. It is the last album to feature Vibeke Stene on vocals, Rune Østerhus on bass, Svein Terje Solvang on guitar, and Kenneth Olsson on drums. This is also the final album to feature Østen Bergøy as an official member of the band, although he performed some vocal work on the band's next studio album as a session member.
Bloodstained Endurance is the sixth studio album by the Norwegian black/gothic metal band Trail of Tears. It was the first full-length album recorded after Kjetil Nordhus, Runar Hansen, Kjell Rune Hagen and Jonathan Perez left the band in November 2006, forcing frontman Ronny Thorsen to assemble a new band. It is also the first album to feature soprano Cathrine Paulsen since A New Dimension of Might in 2002. The cover, by Travis Smith, uses the band logo from that album.
Kvelertak is the debut album by the Norwegian band Kvelertak, released on 21 June 2010 through Indie Recordings. The album was released in North America on 15 March 2011 through The End Records with six bonus tracks—four live recordings from the group's BBC sessions and two demo tracks.
Thunderbolt is a Norwegian heavy metal band.
Viper Solfa is a Norwegian extreme / gothic metal band from Kristiansand, Norway. It was founded in 2013 by Ronny Thorsen, once the symphonic black metal band Trail of Tears was separated.
Oscillation is the seventh and final studio album by the Norwegian black / gothic metal band Trail of Tears. It was released on April 26, 2013 under Massacre Records. The album was recorded at Sound Suite Studio in Marseille, France, between September and October 2011, in collaboration with producer Terje Refsnes.
Arcane Astral Aeons is the ninth studio album by Norwegian gothic metal band Sirenia. It was released on 26 October 2018 through Napalm Records.
