| I Begin | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 23 October 2012 | |||
| Recorded | August 2012, various studios in Bergen and Oslo | |||
| Genre | Black metal | |||
| Length | 42:54 | |||
| Label | Indie | |||
| Producer | God Seed | |||
| God Seed chronology | ||||
| ||||
I Begin is the only album by Norwegian black metal band God Seed. It was released on 23 October 2012 in North America and on 30 October 2012 in Europe. [1]
Following the very public Gorgoroth name dispute, former frontman Gaahl teamed up with former bassist King ov Hell to form the black metal band God Seed. God Seed then released the Live at Wacken CD/DVD, which recreated Gorgoroth's Black Mass Krakow 2004 in its entirety. Between the name dispute and forming the new band, Gaahl retired from black metal. In an interview with Terrorizer 's John Consterdine, he said, "I was basically just withdrawn from everything concerned with metal." [2]
During his self-imposed break from music, Gaahl worked with a project called Wardruna, based around Nordic spiritualism and the runes of the Elder Futhark. When asked why he returned, he replied, "I got a bit of the taste back for it, but I don't know if it will last." He claims that the lyrics are based around "my love for creation and [to] express myself vocally through the music is something that comes up now and again."
All lyrics are written by Gaahl; all music is composed by Tom "King" Visnes, except where noted
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Awake" | 4:43 | |
| 2. | "This from the Past" | 5:18 | |
| 3. | "Alt Liv" | 4:08 | |
| 4. | "From the Running of Blood" | 5:19 | |
| 5. | "Hinstu Dagar" | 4:55 | |
| 6. | "Diversion 1" (Limited edition bonus track) | 1:02 | |
| 7. | "Aldrande Tre" | Lust Kilman | 4:45 |
| 8. | "Lit" | 5:17 | |
| 9. | "The Wound" | 4:45 | |
| 10. | "Bloodline" | Geir Bratland | 3:44 |
| 11. | "Diversion 2" (Limited edition bonus track) | 0:30 |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| About.com |   [3] |
| Allmusic |  [4] |
| Pitchfork | 7.1/10 [5] |
| Revolver | [6] |
| Sputnik Music | [7] |
Allmusic's Eduardo Rivadavia said of the album, "the songs are tastefully arranged, no matter their inherent violence", and that it "simultaneously nods to the pair's past exploits and then breaks free of the restrictive B.M. aesthetic virtually demanded of Gorgoroth material." [4] Pitchfork's Grayson Currin said, "It would be a stretch to call I Begin a breakthrough for a fresh quinet; it would be dismissive to not consider it perhaps as the start of one." [5] About.com's Craig Hayes wrote, "Wayward and disobedient, I Begin contains the crucial black metal elements to secure God Seed's cold-blooded roots, but it reveals a band harnessing their will to power by determinedly ignoring constraints. That's no surprise given Gaahl and King's defiant ideologies, but I Begin requires you to be receptive to new ideas." [3]
Gorgoroth is a Norwegian black metal band based in Bergen. It was formed in 1992 by guitarist Infernus, who is also the only original member remaining, and the band have since released nine studio albums. Gorgoroth are a Satanic band and have drawn controversy due to some of their concerts, which have featured impaled sheep heads and mock crucifixions. The band is named after the dead plateau of darkness in the land of Mordor from J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings.
Kristian Eivind Espedal, better known by his stage name Gaahl, is a Norwegian vocalist and painter. He is best known as the former frontman of Norwegian black metal band Gorgoroth. He is also the founder and lead vocalist of Trelldom and Gaahlskagg. Since leaving Gorgoroth, he has been involved with God Seed, Wardruna, and Gaahls Wyrd. He was the focus of the documentary True Norwegian Black Metal and also appeared in the film Flukt.
Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam is the seventh studio album by Norwegian black metal band Gorgoroth. It was released in Europe on 19 June 2006 by Regain Records and in the US on 25 July 2006 by Candlelight Records. This was the only Gorgoroth album on which all of the lyrics and music were written by Gaahl and King ov Hell, and was the last to feature both members. It also marked the return of drummer Frost and was the last Gorgoroth album that he appeared on. It was nominated for Norway's 2006 Spellemann award in the "Metal" category. It is the first Gorgoroth album with no Norwegian lyrics.
I were a Norwegian black metal supergroup formed in 2006. The band features Immortal members Abbath and Armagedda, Gorgoroth bassist TC King, and Enslaved's Ice Dale. The band cites Bathory as one of their major influences.
Roger Tiegs, better known by his stage name Infernus, is a Norwegian black metal musician and Satanist. He is the sole founding member and chief ideologist of the black metal band Gorgoroth, which was formed in 1992, as well as the founder and head of Forces of Satan Records. He is mainly a guitarist but has also participated as bassist, drummer and vocalist on several recordings released both by Gorgoroth and other bands.
Twilight of the Idols (In Conspiracy with Satan) is the sixth studio album by Norwegian black metal band Gorgoroth. It was released on 12 August 2003 by Nuclear Blast and reissued in 2006 by Back on Black Records. It was the only album to feature drummer Kvitrafn.
Tom Cato Visnes, better known as King ov Hell or simply King, is a Norwegian musician. He is best known as the former bassist of black metal band Gorgoroth, and as a member of Ov Hell, God Seed, Jotunspor, Audrey Horne, Sahg, I and Temple of the Black Moon.
Incipit Satan is the fifth full-length album by Norwegian black metal band Gorgoroth. It was released on 7 February 2000 by Nuclear Blast, and reissued in 2006 by Back on Black Records. Incipit Satan was the first album with King ov Hell as bassist, the last album to feature Tormentor on guitar and the only one with Sjt. Erichsen on drums. The band members dedicated the album to their deceased friend and former bandmate Erik Brødreskift.
Sahg is a three-piece Norwegian hard rock/doom metal band formed in Bergen in the summer of 2004, by key figures in the metal scene of their country: Tom Cato Visnes, Einar Selvik (Kvitrafn), Olav Iversen and Thomas Tofthagen. Iversen has been the main songwriter and the only constant member of the band since its inception.
True Norwegian Black Metal – Live in Grieghallen is Gorgoroth's first full-length live album, released by Regain Records. It was recorded live in the studio at Grieghallen Lydstudio in Bergen and Threeman Recordings in Stockholm. The songs on the album represented the most commonly played songs in Gorgoroth's live set. The cover design by Magnus Wohlfart was radically different from the previous three full-length albums, being more reminiscent of the cover of the album Under the Sign of Hell (1997). Most of the album was recorded before the departure of vocalist Gaahl and bass guitarist King ov Hell, who had intended on using the band's name and assets. The bass guitar for this album was later re-recorded by guitarist and band founder Infernus. Infernus dedicated the album to the late Jon Nödtveidt of Dissection.
The Gorgoroth name dispute refers to a legal dispute between musicians from Norwegian black metal band Gorgoroth over who had ownership of the band's name, which was derived from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. The parties to the dispute were band founder Infernus and members Gaahl and King ov Hell. It began in October 2007, when it was announced that Gaahl and King had decided to part ways with Infernus, although the former two claimed to have "fired" the latter. The dispute was concluded in March 2009 when a court verdict recognising Infernus as the legitimate user of the name was announced, and the outcome of the dispute also established a precedent in Norway for subsequent similar disputes.
God Seed was a Norwegian black metal band based in Bergen, Norway. Former Gorgoroth members Gaahl and King ov Hell adopted the name in March 2009 following the ending of the Gorgoroth name dispute. After performing a few gigs as God Seed, vocalist Gaahl left the band in July 2009 and it was put on hold. King finished the music for God Seed's first album, with vocalist Shagrath, and released it under the name Ov Hell. Gaahl re-joined God Seed in 2012. In January that year they released the live album Live at Wacken, and in October they released their first studio album, I Begin.
Ov Hell is a Norwegian black metal supergroup started by Shagrath and King ov Hell in 2009. The band's debut album, The Underworld Regime, was released in February 2010 by Indie Recordings.
Arve Isdal, also known as Ice Dale, is a Norwegian musician and producer, best known as lead guitarist for the extreme metal band Enslaved and the hard rock band Audrey Horne. He owns and runs Conclave & Earshot Studio in Bergen together with former-Enslaved band member Herbrand Larsen. In addition to working as a musician and producer, Isdal also teaches music production at Noroff.
Locrian is an experimental music/drone rock band which formed in Chicago, Illinois, United States in late 2005 and is currently based in Chicago and Baltimore, Maryland. The band features Terence Hannum, Steven Hess, and André Foisy. The group incorporates influences from multiple genres including ambient, black metal, noise, drone, industrial, and electronics, and cite One Eyed God Prophecy, Uranus, Yes, Genesis, Brian Eno, and Robert Fripp as influences. Locrian lyrics and artwork evoke dystopic and apocalyptic imagery. Over their ten-year history, Locrian have released six studio albums, three collaborative albums, and numerous limited edition releases.
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Morten Bergeton Iversen, better known by his stage name Teloch, is a Norwegian musician and composer. He is currently guitarist for black metal bands Mayhem and Nidingr, and fronts the eponymous electronic solo project Bergeton. Iversen is a former touring and session member of Gorgoroth, God Seed and 1349.
