Vintersorg is a Swedish band from Skellefteå, formed in 1994 under the name Vargatron. Musically, Vintersorg has covered a wide number of heavy metal genres; while the band is mostly rooted in extreme metal styles, particularly black metal and Viking/folk metal, it has also expanded into progressive metal and avant-garde metal. Lyrically, the band deals with topics on fantasy, mythology, nature, the cosmos, and metaphysics. Vintersorg means "Winter Sorrow," but the name was taken from The Legend of the Ice People series by Margit Sandemo, where the character Vintersorg is the son of a great pagan leader.
Borknagar is a Norwegian heavy metal band from Bergen, founded in 1995 by Øystein Garnes Brun. The band's style combines black metal and folk metal with progressive and melodic elements. Borknagar's lyrics often deal with philosophy, paganism, nature and the cosmos.
Lars Are Nedland, known also as Lazare, from Kristiansand, Norway, is the vocalist, drummer, and keyboardist for acclaimed avant-garde black metal band Solefald. He is also keyboardist for the heavy metal act Borknagar. He composes much of the music and all the arrangements for violin and cello on the Solefald albums, Red for Fire: An Icelandic Odyssey Part 1 and Black For Death: An Icelandic Odyssey Part 2. He also has written some lyrics for the band, including the songs "04.34 pm", "Fluorescent", and "White Frost Queen." He and vocalist/guitarist/bassist/main lyricist Cornelius Jakhelln started Solefald in August 1995.
The Olden Domain is the second studio album by Norwegian heavy metal band Borknagar, and their first to feature English lyrics. It also marks the beginning of the band's transition to their trademark progressive/folk/black metal sound featured on later records.
The Archaic Course is the third studio album by Norwegian heavy metal band Borknagar. It is the first album to feature Simen "ICS Vortex" Hestnæs on vocals following the departure of Kristoffer "Garm" Rygg, and the first with guitarist Jens F. Ryland. The album also features contributions from Enslaved guitarist Ivar Bjørnson, although he was not credited as part of the band in the album's liner notes. This is also the last album to feature drummer and founding member Erik "Grim" Brødreskift, who died of a deliberate drug overdose shortly after its release.
Quintessence is the fourth studio album by Norwegian heavy metal band Borknagar. It was recorded at The Abyss Studios in January 2000 and mixed by Peter Tägtgren.
Empiricism is the fifth studio album by Norwegian heavy metal band Borknagar. It is their first studio album to feature Vintersorg frontman Andreas Hedlund on vocals and Jan Erik "Tyr" Tiwaz on bass. It was also the last album to feature Jens F. Ryland on guitar until his return to the band in 2010.
Epic is the sixth studio album by Norwegian heavy metal band Borknagar. It was released in 2004 on Century Media Records.
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.
Simen Hestnæs, better known by his stage name ICS Vortex or simply Vortex, is a Norwegian musician. He is the vocalist of the similarly named band ICS Vortex, the avant-garde metal band Arcturus and the doom metal band Lamented Souls. He is also the vocalist and bass guitarist to the heavy metal band Borknagar, and the former bass guitarist and backing vocalist for the symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir.
Andreas Hedlund, better known by his stage names Vintersorg and Mr. V, is a Swedish vocalist and multi-instrumentalist who has played in several heavy metal bands.
Origin is the seventh studio album by Norwegian heavy metal band Borknagar. Origin explores the band's more progressive and traditional elements and is primarily an acoustic effort.
Cronian is a progressive/avant-garde metal band from Norway and Sweden founded in 2004 by Øystein Brun and Andreas Hedlund, also known as Vintersorg. The band's music is heavily symphonic and programmed, combining melodic singing and harsh vocals, all aiming to create a cold and cinematic feeling.
Terra is the debut full-length album by Norwegian/Swedish progressive metal band Cronian. The album was sporadically recorded through 2004 and 2005, with the two members of the band separated by their countries most of the time. The album was released in Europe on March 27, 2006, and on April 18, 2006 in North America.
Øystein Garnes Brun is the guitarist and founder of the Norwegian heavy metal band Borknagar. He has been the only permanent member of the group and has written almost all of their songs. Brun is noted for having many albums already written ahead of time.
Universal is the eighth studio album by Norwegian heavy metal band Borknagar. It marks the return of guitarist Jens F. Ryland. The band's former vocalist Simen "ICS Vortex" Hestnæs performs vocals on the track "My Domain". The album was intended to be released in the fall of 2009, but the release date was postponed as a result of a label decision. It was released on 22 February 2010 in four formats: a regular jewelcase CD, a limited digipack which includes a bonus disc, a CD box with extras, and a gatefold LP with double vinyl.
Jens Fredrik Ryland is a Norwegian guitarist most notable for his work with the heavy metal band Borknagar. He is known also for being the founder of the Inferno Festival in Oslo.
Urd is the ninth studio album by Norwegian heavy metal band Borknagar. Released on March 26, 2012, it is the first album to feature Simen "ICS Vortex" Hestnæs and Andreas "Vintersorg" Hedlund sharing lead vocals. It is also the final album with drummer David Kinkade, who joined Soulfly after recording sessions were completed and subsequently retired from music.
In Vain is a progressive death metal band from Kristiansand in Norway. Their music can be described as melodic extreme metal, and it is mainly composed by their guitarist Johnar Håland. The band has released four albums, and toured Europe with Solefald in 2013 and My Silent Wake in 2010. In Vain has also played concerts in Norway, and also played at the Inferno Metal Festival in 2013.
The Congregation is the fourth studio album by Norwegian progressive metal band Leprous. The album was released on 25 May 2015 in Europe and 2 June 2015 in North America. This album was partially recorded at Fascination Street in Sweden, and the vocals developed with Heidi Solberg Tveitan and Ihsahn at Mnemosyne Studios in Norway.
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