Endura | |
---|---|
Also known as | AbRAXAS |
Genres | Dark ambient |
Years active | 1993 | –2001
Associated acts | Ontario Blue, Ten Horned beast, The holy order of Faust |
Past members | Stephen Pennick Christopher Walton |
Endura (sometimes written Endvra) was a dark ambient band that was active during the 1990s. [1] The band had only two members, Stephen Pennick and Christopher Walton. The name of the band comes from the Cathars' practice of ritualistic fasting to speed death. [2]
Pennick and Walton met in early 1993. [3] Walton was "once chased out of France" [3] after showing videos of hardcore violence and pornography at an industrial music festival. [3] He has referred to himself as a misanthrope. [3]
Endura mixes elements of ambient music with tribal rhythms, chants, moans, and sounds effects such as rattling chains and echoes. Their style has been described as "combining synthesizers reminiscent of Tangerine Dream with (un)healthy doses of Aleister Crowley, H.P. Lovecraft, and psychedelic drugs", [2] "absolutely haunting and dark", [4] or simply "Neoclassical". [5] Walton has stated that Pennick has more melodic talent while Walton himself is more conceptual. After Endura dissolved Walton went on to release music under the names: Ten Horned Beast and the Holy order of Faust. Pennick according to an interview with Heathen Harvest no longer produces music. [3]
Year | Title | Label | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1994 | Hexe [6] | Enlightenment Communications | as AbRAXAS, cassette only |
1994 | Dreams Of Dark Waters [6] | Nature & Art | |
1995 | Dark Projections From An Ancient Nature [6] | Psychotic Reactions | cassette only |
1996 | The Dark Is Light Enough [6] | Allegoria | |
1996 | Liber Leviathan [6] | Aesthetic Death | |
1996 | Black Eden [6] [7] | Red Stream | |
1996 | Ard Inn Ar [6] | Old Europa Cafe | cassette only |
1997 | Great God Pan [6] [8] | Misanthropy Records/Elfenblut | |
1998 | The Watcher [7] | Old Europe Cafe | |
1999 | Elder Signs [7] | Red Stream | double CD set |
Richard Melville Hall, known professionally as Moby, is an American musician, songwriter, singer, producer, and animal rights activist. He has sold 20 million records worldwide. AllMusic considers him to be "among the most important dance music figures of the early 1990s, helping bring dance music to a mainstream audience both in the United States and the United Kingdom".
Burzum was a Norwegian music project founded by Varg Vikernes in 1991. Although Burzum never played live performances, it became a part of the early Norwegian black metal scene and is considered one of the most influential acts in black metal's history. He has also released four dark ambient and neofolk albums. The word "burzum" means "darkness" in the black speech, a fictional language crafted by Lord of the Rings writer J. R. R. Tolkien. Burzum's lyrics and imagery are often inspired by fantasy and Norse mythology, and do not feature the political views Vikernes is known for.
Swans are an American experimental rock band formed in 1982 by singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Michael Gira. One of few acts to emerge from the New York City-based no wave scene and stay intact into the next decade, Swans have become recognized for an ever-changing sound, exploring genres such as noise rock, post-punk, industrial and post-rock. Initially, their music was known for its sonic brutality and misanthropic lyrics. Following the addition of singer, songwriter and keyboardist Jarboe in 1986, Swans began to incorporate melody and intricacy into their music. Jarboe remained the band's only constant member except Gira and semi-constant guitarist Norman Westberg until their dissolution in 1997.
Mortiis is an electronic band from Notodden, Norway fronted by Håvard Ellefsen, who is also known as the namesake of the band. The name is a misspelling of the word "mortis", which is the pronunciation used by the band. Mortiis started as the solo project of Ellefsen as a means to convey a story. This aspect was lost over time and Mortiis slowly formed into a band. Ellefsen previously played bass in the black metal band Emperor (1991-1992), prior to forming this project in 1993. The time he spent in his previous band laid the groundworks for mixing black metal elements with various electronic genres, with these being touched upon across each "era" of the band.
Air is a French music duo from Versailles, consisting of Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel. Their critically acclaimed debut album, Moon Safari, including the track "Sexy Boy", was an international success in 1998. Its follow-up, The Virgin Suicides, was the score to Sofia Coppola's first movie of the same name. The band has since released the albums 10 000 Hz Legend, Talkie Walkie, Pocket Symphony, Love 2, Le voyage dans la lune and Music for Museum. The band is influenced by a wide variety of musical styles and artists.
Coil were an experimental music group, founded in 1982 in London, England and concluded in 2005. Initially envisioned as a solo project by musician John Balance, Coil evolved into a full-time project with the addition of his partner Peter Christopherson. Balance and Christopherson were the only constant members; other contributors throughout the band's career included Stephen Thrower, Danny Hyde, Drew McDowall, William Breeze, Thighpaulsandra, and Ossian Brown. Coil's work explored themes related to alchemy, the occult, and sexuality, influencing genres such as goth rock, neofolk, and dark ambient. AllMusic called the group "one of the most beloved, mythologized groups to emerge from the British post-industrial scene."
Lamb of God is an American heavy metal band from Richmond, Virginia. Formed in 1994 as Burn the Priest, the group consists of bassist John Campbell, vocalist Randy Blythe, guitarists Mark Morton and Willie Adler, and drummer Art Cruz. The band is considered a significant member of the new wave of American heavy metal movement.
Christopher William Parkening is an American classical guitarist. He holds the Chair of Classical Guitar at Pepperdine University under the title Distinguished Professor of Music.
Dark ambient is a genre of post-industrial music that features an ominous, dark droning and often gloomy, monumental or catacombal atmosphere, partially with discordant overtones. It shows similarities toward ambient music, a genre that has been cited as a main influence by many dark ambient artists, both conceptually and compositionally. Although mostly electronically generated, dark ambient also includes the sampling of hand-played instruments and semi-acoustic recording procedures, and is strongly related to ritual industrial music.
Underoath is an American rock band from Tampa, Florida. It was founded by lead vocalist Dallas Taylor and guitarist Luke Morton on November 30, 1997, in Ocala, Florida; subsequently, its additional members were from Tampa, including drummer, clean vocalist and last remaining core member Aaron Gillespie. The band's current lineup consists of Gillespie, keyboardist Christopher Dudley, lead guitarist Timothy McTague, bassist Grant Brandell, lead vocalist Spencer Chamberlain, and rhythm guitarist James Smith. Originally, the band identified as a Christian group; they have since distanced themselves from Christianity.
Sunn O))) is an American experimental metal band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1998. They are known for their slow, heavy sound, which blends diverse genres including doom metal, drone, black metal, dark ambient, and noise rock, as well as for their loud live performances.
Converge is an American hardcore punk band formed by vocalist Jacob Bannon and guitarist Kurt Ballou in Salem, Massachusetts in 1990. During the recording of their seminal fourth album Jane Doe, the group became a four-piece with the departure of guitarist Aaron Dalbec and the addition of bassist Nate Newton and drummer Ben Koller. This lineup has remained intact since. They have released nine studio albums, three live albums, and numerous EPs. The band's sound is rooted in hardcore and also features frequent influences from heavy metal. They are considered pioneers of metalcore as well as its subgenre mathcore.
Kurt Ballou is an American musician and producer based in Massachusetts, best known as the guitarist for hardcore punk band Converge and for his prolific recording and production work at his own GodCity Studio.
Tim Hecker is a Canadian electronic musician and sound artist. He has become known internationally for experimental ambient recordings released under his own name, such as Harmony in Ultraviolet (2006) and Ravedeath, 1972 (2011). He has released nine albums and a number of EPs in addition to collaborations with artists such as Ben Frost, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Daniel Lopatin, and Aidan Baker.
Kekal is a heavy metal and electronic music band formed in 1995 in Jakarta, Indonesia. According to AllMusic, Kekal was one of the first heavy metal bands from Indonesia to make international inroads, and according to sociologist of heavy metal, Keith Kahn-Harris, was one of the few extreme metal bands from Southeast Asia to ever make more than a minimal impression on the global scene. Founded by two musicians known simply Yeris and Newbabe, the band underwent some shifts in lineup in its early years, but emerged with a consistent lineup of three key-members, guitarist/vocalist Jeff Arwadi, bassist Azhar Levi Sianturi, and guitarist Leo Setiawan. Frequently labeled as black metal, progressive metal, and avant-garde metal, Kekal plays a very diverse range of music styles within the frame of metal and rock, incorporating many other music genres such as ambient, electronic, jazz fusion, and progressive rock. Over the course of its career, Kekal has transitioned from a heavy metal-based style to a more experimental and electronic sound.
Celestiial is a funeral doom metal band from Minnesota. Initially consisting only of Tanner R. Anderson, the band was later joined by Jason William Walton (bass) and Timothy Glenn (percussion). Celestiial is known for using numerous instruments in its music, combining traditional folk instruments with those more typically used in metal music, as well as sampling the sounds of the natural world. Celestiial's music is intended to evoke images of the natural world.
The War on Drugs is an American rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formed in 2005. The band consists of Adam Granduciel, David Hartley, Robbie Bennett (keyboards), Charlie Hall (drums), Jon Natchez, Anthony LaMarca (guitar) and Eliza Hardy Jones (keyboards).
Emma Ruth Rundle is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and visual artist based in Portland, Oregon. Formerly of the Nocturnes and Marriages, she has released five solo albums and is a member of Red Sparowes.
Florian-Ayala Fauna is an American artist, musician, poet, and music producer. Fauna is the main member of the post-industrial music project uncertain.