 |
Mortem | |
|---|---|
| Genres | Black Metal Death Metal |
| Years active | 1987–1990, 2017–present |
| Labels | Peaceville Records |
| Members | Steinar Sverd Johnsen Marius Vold Jan Axel Blomberg Tor Stavenes Elvin Brye |
Mortem is a Norwegian black metal band formed in the early Norwegian black metal scene, in 1987. [1] [2] Their name, Mortem, references the Slayer's song Postmortem. [3] [4]
Mortem was founded by Steinar Sverd Johnsen (Arcturus, Covenant, Satyricon, Ulver) and Marius Vold (Arcturus), Thorns, Stigma Diabolicum) (both born in 1972) in the late 1980s. About 1988, the drummer Jan Axel Blomberg a.k.a. Hellhammer joined the band, and in 1989 the band released a demo entitled "Slow Death". The demo was recorded at Creative Studio in Sofiemyr, the same studio where the band Mayhem (band) recorded their debut album Deathcrush . [5]
Johnsen and Vold were longtime friends and began guitar and bass lessons at the same time with the Norwegian musician Marius Muller. They started to rehearse at Johnsen's house, and eventually some songs came out of the collaboration. In 1988, they met the musicians from Mayhem, [6] and invited Hellhammer to be Mortem's drummer. In 1989 the trio recorded the demo tape "Slow Death" in two days, with Øystein Aarseth Euronymous (Mayhem) being the producer during the studio session and Per Yngve "Pelle" Ohlin Dead (Mayhem) drew the picture on the demo cover. [7] Some months later, Thrash Records and Putrefaction Records [8] from France released 1100 copies of the demo on 7" EP. [9] Mortem became the first death metal band to be signed by a foreign record company and the first in Norway releasing a 7" EP, and the second death metal band after Mayhem to release on vinyl.
After this release, in 1990, the band was put to rest by other upcoming projects. Vold and Snorre Ruch started the band Stigma Diabolicum - later to become Thorns. [10] [11] [12] Nearly at the same time, Sverd, Marius and Hellhammer started yet another band, Arcturus, [13] [14] putting Mortem to rest for that time.
Approximately 30 years later, the heavy metal British record label Peaceville Records showed interest in re-releasing Mortem's first demo "Slow Death", and in 2017, Vold and Johnsen re-recorded Slow Death's tracks with Tor Stavenes (1349, Den Saakaldte, Svart Lotus) on bass and Hellhammer on drums. [15]
The label commented:
"This special release of ‘Slow Death’ contains the tracks newly recorded and reworked in a style more akin to the recent ‘Ravnsvart’ album material, plus also includes the legendary pioneering 1989 demo itself, with a fresh transfer from a new tape source. The new recordings also include a rendition of the old Mortem track ‘Satanas’, plus a cover of ‘Likferd’ (Funeral Fog) by Mayhem, this time sung in Norwegian. Joining the original line-up of Marius, Steinar & Hellhammer is Tor Seidemann of 1349 on bass guitar."
In the meantime, the band decided to resume recording as Mortem by composing and recording a new studio album, Mortem's first LP Ravnsvart, [17] [18] [19] released also by Peaceville Records on 25 September 2019.
Peaceville quoted about the release:
"In a moment of nostalgia & a desire for something more brutal beyond the current vessel of Arcturus, the corpse of Mortem was revived, & the unholy duo of Marius & Steinar joined forces once more. And so the long-awaited album, titled Ravnsvart, possesses the same raw brutality & spirit as the original incarnation, plus fresh elements all uniquely woven into the fabric of the early sounds of Scandinavian black metal, & crafted into a masterpiece of sinister horror. Joining the duo is Hellhammer from the legendary Mayhem on drums, plus Tor Stavenes of 1349/Svart Lotus on bass."
The band has since then been playing concerts and festivals in Norway and abroad.
Darkthrone is a Norwegian black metal band from Kolbotn, Akershus. Formed in 1986 as a death metal band named Black Death, in 1991 Darkthrone embraced a black metal style influenced by Bathory and Celtic Frost and became one of the leading bands in the Norwegian black metal scene.
The Kovenant is a Norwegian industrial metal band from Hamar. The band originally formed as a symphonic black metal act known as Covenant in 1993, but in 1999 were forced to change their name to The Kovenant due to a dispute with a Swedish electronic band of the same name. The band's name change also marked a change in sound/style as well, as the band from there on began to focus more on an aggrotech/industrial metal sound heavily influenced by Europe's EBM scene. Despite their style change, The Kovenant did however later reissue their early albums under The Kovenant name.
Arcturus is a Norwegian avant-garde metal band formed in 1991. Their name, which means "Bear Guardian", references the Behenian fixed star Arcturus.
Thorns is a Norwegian black metal band that formed in 1989 and was part of the early Norwegian black metal scene. They made two highly influential demos in the early 1990s, Grymyrk and Trøndertun, but have only released one full-length album.
De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas is the first studio album by Norwegian black metal band Mayhem. Songwriting began in 1987, but due to the suicide of vocalist Per "Dead" Ohlin and the murder of guitarist Øystein "Euronymous" Aarseth, the album's release was delayed until May 1994. De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas is widely considered one of the most influential black metal albums of all time. It is the band's only studio album to feature Aarseth and Varg "Count Grishnackh" Vikernes.
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A Blaze in the Northern Sky is the second studio album by Norwegian black metal band Darkthrone. It was recorded at Creative Studios in August 1991 and released on 26 February 1992 by Peaceville Records. Apart from earlier rehearsal recordings between March 1991 and the Norwegian summer holidays the record contained the band's first official black metal recordings and is considered a classic within the genre. It was the first album of what fans dub the "Unholy Trinity", the other albums being Under a Funeral Moon and Transilvanian Hunger. It was the last album to feature bassist Dag Nilsen. In 2020, the album was put on the National Library of Norway's permanent exhibition due to its significance to Norwegian culture and as a starting point for Norwegian black metal.
Jan Axel Blomberg is a Norwegian drummer known professionally as Hellhammer. He is best known as the drummer of the black metal band Mayhem, which he joined in 1988. In 1987 Blomberg, alonside Steinar Sverd Johnsen and Marius Vold, formed the avant-garde black metal band Arcturus, which broke up in April 2007 and reunited in 2011. He named himself after the Swiss extreme metal band Hellhammer. Praised as a talented musician, Blomberg is a three-time winner of the Spellemannprisen award.
Arcturian is the fifth studio album by the Norwegian avant-garde metal band Arcturus. It was released on May 8, 2015 and was the first album by the band in ten years. The album features Simen "ICS Vortex" Hestnæs as the principal vocalist. The first single for the album, "The Arcturian Sign", was released on March 27, 2015.
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Nexus Polaris is the second studio album by the Norwegian metal band Covenant, and was released in 1998 through Nuclear Blast.
Fleurety is a Norwegian avant-garde metal band. The band was formed in 1991 by Svein Egil Hatlevik and Alexander Nordgaren.
Winds is a Norwegian neoclassical/progressive metal band formed in 1998. The music is largely influenced by classical music, with Andy Winter's piano work and Carl August Tidemann's guitar solos, often the central focuses. The lyrics are written by Winter, and deal mostly with astral and existentialist philosophy.
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Disguised Masters is a compilation album by the Norwegian avant-garde metal band Arcturus. The album has two new songs: "White Tie Black Noise" and "Deception Genesis". Other tracks are re-mixed versions of songs from La Masquerade Infernale and "Du Nordavind" from Aspera Hiems Symfonia. Some songs received particularly significant overhauls, such as the gangsta rap version of "Master of Disguise". Due to the significant changes to several of the band's songs, it is not a typical compilation album, and is therefore more suited to existing fans of the band than new listeners.
Steinar Sverd Johnsen s a Norwegian keyboardist and composer. Sverd plays keyboards and synthesizers in Arcturus and was also the main composer for the band. He formed the band with Marius Vold and Jan Axel Blomberg of Mayhem in 1987, originally under the moniker Mortem. The band split up in April 2007, but reformed in 2011.
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The Forsaken is the third studio album by the Christian black metal band Antestor, released in 2005 on Endtime Productions. The album features guest appearances of the established metal musicians Jan Axel Blomberg (Hellhammer) and Ann-Mari Edvardsen.
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