Tiamat (band)

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Tiamat
Tiamat band - 2 (cropped).jpg
Tiamat performing at Kavarna Rock Fest 2011
Background information
Also known asTreblinka (1987–1989)
Origin Täby, Stockholm, Sweden
Genres
Years active1987–present
Labels Century Media, Nuclear Blast, Napalm
Members Johan Edlund
Lars Sköld
Anders Iwers
Roger Öjersson
Past membersJörgen "Juck" Thullberg
Anders Holmberg
Stefan Lagergren
Niklas Ekstrand
Thomas Petersson
Johnny Hagel
Kenneth Roos
P.A. Danielsson

Tiamat is a Swedish metal band that formed in Stockholm in 1987 and led by Johan Edlund. The band went through a number of stylistic changes in their earlier releases before settling on gothic metal.

Contents

History

Initially, the band had the name Treblinka and a style of black/death metal. After having recorded the album Sumerian Cry in 1989, guitarist/vocalist Johan Edlund and bassist Jörgen Thullberg parted ways with the other two founding members, and subsequently changed the name to Tiamat, after the Babylonian goddess representing the primordial sea and forebear to other gods. The Sumerian Cry album included re-recorded Treblinka songs and was released in June 1990. AllMusic refers to early Tiamat as "one of the leading lights in symphonic black metal." [3]

After the debut, Edlund's leadership would modify the band's style with influences ranging from Black Sabbath, Mercyful Fate, Candlemass, Pink Floyd and King Crimson, with Sumerian lyrical themes. H. P. Lovecraft's writings also appear to have influenced Tiamat's thematology, a development consistent with a broader trend in death metal culture. [4] Polish guitarist Waldemar Sorychta would produce and contribute instrumentation to many of the band's albums, as well as those by Tiamat's own tour and labelmates, including Moonspell, Rotting Christ, Lacuna Coil and Samael.

1994's critically acclaimed Wildhoney mixed raw vocals, slow guitar riffs and synthesizer sounds which sounded different from other extreme metal bands active at that time. An almost continuous forty-minute piece of music, Wildhoney led to the band's appearances at the Dynamo [5] and Wacken Open Air heavy metal festivals in 1995. The group would play a second gig at Dynamo two years later.

Tiamat performing in Krasnodar, Russia, May 2013 Tiamat performing in Krasnodar, May, 2013-5.jpg
Tiamat performing in Krasnodar, Russia, May 2013

Upon the release of A Deeper Kind of Slumber in 1997, Edlund relocated from Sweden to Germany and declared himself the only permanent member of the band; all albums that would follow would cement the band into a more gothic rock sound, quite different from the extreme music they did in the years before, with recent albums showing a Sisters of Mercy and Pink Floyd influence. [6]

The band signed to Nuclear Blast in June 2007, and released their ninth album Amanethes on 18 April 2008.

On 10 August 2008, Thomas Wyreson announced that he was quitting the band, stating that "it's just kinda hard to make everything work with the family etc." [7]

Their song "Cain" was also featured in the 2004 video game Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines .

The band's tenth full-length studio album, The Scarred People , was released on 2 November 2012 through Napalm Records.

Members

Timeline
Tiamat (band)

Discography

Studio albums

TitleAlbum detailsPeak chart positionsSales
SWE
[11]
GER
[12]
AUT
[13]
BEL
[14]
Sumerian Cry
  • Released: 7 June 1990
  • Label: CMFT Productions
  • Formats: CD, LP, CS, DL
The Astral Sleep
  • Released: 1 September 1991
  • Label: Century Media
  • Formats: CD, LP, CS, DL
Clouds
  • Released: 2 December 1992
  • Label: Century Media
  • Formats: CD, LP, CS, DL
Wildhoney
  • Released: 25 October 1994
  • Label: Century Media
  • Formats: CD, LP, CS, DL
29
A Deeper Kind of Slumber
  • Released: 12 August 1997
  • Label: Century Media
  • Formats: CD, LP, CS, DL
392922
Skeleton Skeletron
  • Released: 11 August 1999
  • Label: Century Media
  • Formats: CD, LP, CS, DL
561947
Judas Christ
  • Released: 30 April 2002
  • Label: Century Media
  • Formats: CD, LP, CS, DL
5228
Prey
  • Released: 27 October 2003
  • Label: Century Media
  • Formats: CD, LP, CS, DL
83
Amanethes
  • Released: 27 May 2008 [16]
  • Label: Nuclear Blast
  • Formats: CD, LP, DL
1369
The Scarred People
  • Released: 2 November 2012 [17]
  • Label: Napalm
  • Formats: CD, LP, DL
1162154
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Singles

TitleYearAlbum
"A Winter Shadow"1990The Astral Sleep
"Cold Seed"1997A Deeper Kind of Slumber
"Brighter Than the Sun"1999Skeleton Skeletron
"Vote for Love"2002Judas Christ
"Cain"2003Prey
"The Temple of the Crescent Moon"2008Amanethes
"Born to Die"2013The Scarred People

EPs

TitleEP details
Gaia
  • Released: 28 November 1994
  • Label: Century Media
  • Formats: CD
For Her Pleasure
  • Released: 8 November 1999
  • Label: Century Media
  • Formats: CD, DL

Live albums

TitleAlbum details
The Sleeping Beauty (Live in Israel)
  • Released: 5 April 1994
  • Label: Century Media
  • Formats: CD

Compilation albums

TitleAlbum details
The Musical History of Tiamat
  • Released: February 1995
  • Label: Century Media
  • Formats: CD
Commandments
  • Released: 26 February 2007
  • Label: Century Media
  • Formats: CD, DL
The Ark of the Covenant - The Complete Century Media Years
  • Released: 18 August 2008
  • Label: Century Media
  • Formats: CD

Video albums

TitleVideo detailsPeak chart positions
SWE
[18]
The Church of Tiamat
  • Released: 24 April 2006
  • Label: Metal Mind Productions
  • Formats: DVD
5
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Music videos

YearTitleDirectedAlbum
1992"Sleeping Beauty"
Clouds
1995"Whatever That Hurts"
Tamara Jordan
Wildhoney
"Gaia"
Tamara Jordan
1997"Cold Seed"
Tamara Jordan
A Deeper Kind of Slumber
1999"Brighter Than the Sun"
Doro Film
Skeleton Skeletron
2002"Vote for Love"
Alexander Detig (Sound & Vision Film, Video & Media GmbH)
Judas Christ
2003"Cain"
Patric Ullaeus (Revolver Film)
Prey
2003"Do You Dream of Me?"
Eugen Erhan
Wildhoney
2012"The Scarred People" [19]
angst-im-wald
The Scarred People
2013"384"
Ioanna Lampropoulou [20]
"Love Terrorists"
Johan Edlund, Ioanna Lampropoulou [21] [22]
"The Red of the Morning Sun"

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