The Crest (band)

Last updated
The Crest
Origin Oslo, Norway
Genres Gothic metal, gothic rock, Dark Wave
Years active1996–2010
Labels Season of Mist
Members Nell Sigland
Kristian Sigland
Magnus Westgaard
Stian Kilde Aarebrot
Klaus Blomvik
Past members David Husvik
Xander Sevon

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. [1] [2] 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.

Contents

In 2001, The Crest recorded their first full album, Letters from Fire , in Sound Suite Studio, together with Terje Refsnes, the producer of Tristania, Carpathian Forest, and The Sins of Thy Beloved.

In 2003 the band took a sabbatical to regain energy for their next album. Nell and Kristian spent time on a side project named "Rustflower Incorporated", experimenting with electronic music. Also in 2006, Nell replaced Liv Kristine as Theatre of Tragedy's vocalist. [3]

The Crest reunited in 2004 and recorded their second album, Vain City Chronicles , at the Top Room Studio in Norway. The album features, according to the band, "a heavier, more guitar-based side of the band, while still focusing on the characteristic melancholic melodies and of course Nell's soothing voice."

In October 2010, Nell and Kristian stated that The Crest has split up to enable other projects.

Band members

Last Known Lineup
Former

Discography

Studio albums

Demos

Most of these demos ended up on the band's first release Letters from Fire.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ancient (band)</span> Norwegian black metal band

Ancient is a Norwegian black metal band from Bergen, formed in 1992. The band released six full-length albums released by Metal Blade Records to date and a variety of mini-albums, EPs and special releases. Ancient used to have the classic raw black metal sound, similar to Darkthrone's works. Beginning with The Cainian Chronicle, they moved towards a more Nordic/atmospheric black metal sound, akin to Emperor and a cleaner production. After a period of turmoil concerning their line-up, they went on to add gothic-style instruments such as violins, a female vocalist, and synthesizers to their music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theatre of Tragedy</span> Norwegian band

Theatre of Tragedy was a Norwegian band from Stavanger, active between 1993 and 2010. They are best known for their earlier albums, which influenced the gothic metal genre.

Symphonic metal is a cross-generic style designation for the symphonic subsets of heavy metal music subgenres. It is used to denote any metal band that makes use of symphonic or orchestral elements. The style features the heavy drums and guitars of metal with different elements of orchestral classical music, such as symphonic instruments, choirs and sometimes a full orchestra, or just keyboard orchestration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Sins of Thy Beloved</span> Norwegian death-doom/gothic metal band

The Sins of Thy Beloved was a death-doom/gothic metal band from Bryne, Norway, founded in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midnattsol</span> German gothic/folk metal band

Midnattsol are a gothic/folk metal band from Germany. The band was founded in 2002 by Norwegian vocalist Carmen Elise Espenæs and German guitarist Christian Hector. The band's name is a modified spelling of the Norwegian word midnattssol, which means 'midnight sun'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solefald</span> Norwegian avant-garde/black metal band

Solefald is a Norwegian avant-garde metal/black metal band that was formed by members Lars Are "Lazare" Nedland and Cornelius Jakhelln in August 1995, with Nedland singing and playing keyboard/synthesizer/piano and drums, and Jakhelln singing and playing guitar and bass. The duo experiment with a wide array of musical styles, frequently work on other projects, and rarely perform live under the Solefald name, leading them to describe themselves as "two stubborn goats pretending to be a band." According to the duo, their name is an Old Norse word for "sunset," taken from one of Theodor Kittelsen's paintings illustrating a poem of the same name by Theodor Caspari, published in the 1901 book Vintereventyr.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iron Fire</span> Danish metal band

Iron Fire is a Danish power and speed metal band which was formed in 1995 under the name Misery. The name was soon changed to Decades of Darkness and finally to Iron Fire. They have released nine albums with their debut Thunderstorm coming out in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theatres des Vampires</span> Italian gothic metal band

Theatres des Vampires is an Italian gothic metal band, mostly noted for the predominant theme of vampirism within their lyrics. The band's early material was credited as melodic black metal or symphonic black metal, but the group completely abandoned all black metal influence by the mid-2000s. Theatres des Vampires have released eleven full-length albums.

<i>Storm</i> (Theatre of Tragedy album) 2006 studio album by Theatre of Tragedy

Storm is the sixth studio album by the Norwegian gothic metal band Theatre of Tragedy, released in March 2006. It is the band's first album with a new lead singer Nell Sigland. The song "Storm" was released as the album's only single. The album shows something of a return to gothic metal, although its sound is much lighter and more upbeat than that of earlier albums and it still uses modern English lyrics. The band embarked on a European tour to support the release.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gothminister</span> Norwegian industrial/gothic metal band

Gothminister is a Norwegian gothic/industrial metal band. Formed in 1999, they have released seven albums and have had success in Germany, playing many German music festivals, including Wave-Gotik-Treffen (WGT), the Dark Storm Festival and the M'era Luna Festival, and performing for over 10,000 people at the Schattenreich Festival.

Hein Frode Hansen is a Norwegian heavy metal drummer. He was the original vocalist of the power metal band Serpent, formed in 1989. In 1990 he started playing drums in the death metal band Phobia. Both bands broke up in 1991. From 1993-2010 he co-founded and played in Theatre of Tragedy, and with them released seven studio albums, two live albums and several studio EP's. Hansen has started a new project with Kristian Sigland, called The Black Locust Project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nell Sigland</span> Norwegian singer (born 1976)

Ragnhild Westgaard, or often referred to as Nell Sigland, is a Norwegian singer from Hamar, best known as the lead vocalist of Norwegian gothic metal band Theatre of Tragedy from 2004 to 2010. She was also the lead singer for Norwegian gothic rock band The Crest for ten years, from 1996 until the end of 2005, founded by her then-husband Kristian Sigland and herself.

<i>A Rose for the Dead</i> 1997 EP by Theatre of Tragedy

A Rose for the Dead is an EP released by the Norwegian gothic metal band Theatre of Tragedy in 1997. It was the band's last release using the doom metal-influenced sound that Theatre of Tragedy had originally adopted. "A Rose for the Dead" and "Der Spiegel" are leftovers from the Velvet Darkness They Fear recording sessions, which were completed after the release of that album. "As the Shadows Dance" is the English-sung version of the single "Der Tanz der Schatten", while the remixes involved the electro-industrial musician Bruno Kramm of the German duo Das Ich. Finally, "Decades" is a cover version of a Joy Division song, which Theatre of Tragedy had recorded for a Norwegian tribute album.

Alessandro Nunziati, better known by his stage name Lord Vampyr, is an Italian musician, record producer and writer, famous for being the former vocalist of the gothic metal band Theatres des Vampires, as well as one of its founding members.

Undish was a Christian gothic metal band from Oborniki, Poland, formed in 1991. Undish is led by female vocalist Ada Szarata as well as a male vocalist named Robert Baum who is also handling the drums. After the release of their first album, ...Acta Est Fabula, on Massacre Records, they toured Europe in August 1997 together with Saviour Machine and Theatre of Tragedy, and performed at Wacken Open Air. Their second album, Letters from the Earth, was released on Morbid Noizz Productions. The band was planning to record a third album entitled A Gift of Flying in 2003 but its release was delayed until 2005 when it was released on CL Productions.

<i>Vain City Chronicles</i> 2005 studio album by The Crest

Vain City Chronicles is the second album release by Norwegian gothic metal band The Crest.

Yearning was an atmospheric doom metal band from Finland. During its career the band released five studio albums and one demo, the latter being released while the band was still called Flegeton.

<i>Forever Is the World</i> 2009 studio album by Theatre of Tragedy

Forever Is the World is the seventh and final studio album by the Norwegian gothic metal band Theatre of Tragedy. It was released on 18 September 2009, on AFM Records. The album was produced by the Zeromancer singer Alexander Møklebust and mastered by Bjørn Engelmann.

<i>Happiness in Darkness</i> 2008 studio album by Gothminister

Happiness in Darkness is the third studio album by the gothic/industrial metal band Gothminister, released 25 November 2008 through E-Wave Records.

<i>Letters from Fire</i> 2002 studio album by The Crest

Letters from Fire is the debut album of Norwegian gothic metal band The Crest. It mainly features re-worked songs from the band's previous demos.

References

  1. Rivadavia, Eduardo. "About The Crest". MTV.
  2. "The Crest". Encyclopaedia Metallum .
  3. Sharpe-Young, Garry (2007). Metal: The Definitive Guide. Jawbone Press. p. 291. ISBN   9781906002015.