Admonish (band)
Encyclopedia
Admonish is a Swedish
black metal
band formed in 1994. They were one of the first bands in the Christian black metal movement and the first Christian black metal group in Sweden. While the band did not release anything until 2005, the magazine Metal Hammer
called Admonish "One of the leading Christian black metal bands" in a 1990s issue which focused on black metal. In 2006 Admonish achieved some mainstream notice when the twins Emil (guitar) and Jonas Karlsson (bass) both appeared on the MTV Europe show Pimp My Ride International
on October 6. On that show, in which their car was modified, the twins advertised their band and Admonish's music was played. The former Admonish member Per Sundström was also a guitar-player in Crimson Moonlight
.
called Admonish "One of the leading Christian black metal bands" in a 1990s issue which focused on black metal.
The band was not able to record a demo because of their line up changes: the vocalist Samuel left the band, and after Per moved from drums to guitar, Andre joined the band on drums but soon departed. Emanuel, Per, and Mattias practised with a drum machine. In 1998 Joakim became their keyboard player and Martin joined as the band's vocalist. The band became as sextet when former Obsecration member Robin joined on drums in early 1999. In Summer 1999 Joakim relocated to another city and left the band. Admonish went on a hiatus after the band ended on a situation where they could not focus fully on the band.
. Mattias had left Admonish as well, but Emanuel, Martin and Robin remained in the band. They were joined by Joel for guitar and in 2003 by a former member of the melodic death metal band Taketh, Jonas, on bass. The band wrote new material, and Admonish was booked to play its first gig after the reunion at a festival called Luccemetal 2003. A few keyboard players played with the band after the reunion, but they could not commit to the band, and eventually Admonish ended up being without a keyboardist. Joel decided to leave the band for personal reasons. A new guitarist, Samuel, was performed with the band in for Luccemetal. After that, Admonish regained its reputation in the Swedish metal scene. After the reunion gig, Jonas's brother Emil, another formed Taketh member, joined for guitar. With this line-up, Admonish entered studio in January 2005. An EP titled Den Yttersta Tiden was released on April 11, 2005 at Club 666 in Stockholm.
On October 6, 2006, the twins Emil and Jonas Karlsson appeared on Pimp My Ride International in which they advertised Admonish and the band's music was played while the show host Lil Jon
presented how the twins' Audi 80
was turned into a horror-themed luxury vehicle. Metal Storm commented that their appearance on "MTV’s Pimp My Ride program made quite a lasting impression on YouTube
and co by growling and headbanging around in their ruined car." In 2007 the band recorded another EP titled Isnärjd, with artwork courtesy of Samuel Durling. The EP was released by the Norwegian label Momentum Scandinavia. The band appeared on a documentary film titled Light in Darkness – Nemesis Divina, which was released early summer in 2008. The documentary focuses on the Scandinavian Christian black metal movement and has been shown on film and music festivals around the world. Admonish performed at Elements of Rock, the biggest Christian metal festival in Europe in 2008.
, features influences from Celtic music
and classical guitar
interludes. On their MySpace, they cite Satyricon
, Emperor
, and Dissection
as their influences.
Metal Review site's gave the EP 4 out of 6 writing "the five numbers on this release are all polished, well-written metal songs with a good balance between the extreme and the accessible," and that "Top musicianship and a crystal clear sound also add to the success of this release."
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
black metal
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
band formed in 1994. They were one of the first bands in the Christian black metal movement and the first Christian black metal group in Sweden. While the band did not release anything until 2005, the magazine Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer is a monthly heavy metal music magazine published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing, and in several other countries by different publishers. Metal Hammer articles feature both mainstream bands and more unusual acts from the whole spectrum of heavy metal music...
called Admonish "One of the leading Christian black metal bands" in a 1990s issue which focused on black metal. In 2006 Admonish achieved some mainstream notice when the twins Emil (guitar) and Jonas Karlsson (bass) both appeared on the MTV Europe show Pimp My Ride International
Pimp My Ride
Pimp My Ride is a TV show produced by MTV. Each episode consists of taking one car in poor condition and restoring it and customizing it.The original United States version was hosted by rapper Xzibit...
on October 6. On that show, in which their car was modified, the twins advertised their band and Admonish's music was played. The former Admonish member Per Sundström was also a guitar-player in Crimson Moonlight
Crimson Moonlight
Crimson Moonlight is a Swedish Christian black metal band which was formed in the summer of 1997 with the mere intention of recording a primitive old school black metal demo and playing one show before breaking up. However, the breakup never happened, and they have since recorded two EPs and two...
.
1990s
The band was formed in 1994 by guitarist/vocalist Emanuel and Marcus. In 1995 Samuel joined for keyboard, Mattias joined for bass, and Per for drums. The group was named as Admonish. In 1997 Admonish launched an official website and began to achieve a reputation in the metal underground. They gained notoriety for calling their style "Christian black metal" on their website. This caused some debate in the metal underground and soon an anti-Admonish website was started. While the band did not release anything until 2005, the magazine Metal HammerMetal Hammer
Metal Hammer is a monthly heavy metal music magazine published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing, and in several other countries by different publishers. Metal Hammer articles feature both mainstream bands and more unusual acts from the whole spectrum of heavy metal music...
called Admonish "One of the leading Christian black metal bands" in a 1990s issue which focused on black metal.
The band was not able to record a demo because of their line up changes: the vocalist Samuel left the band, and after Per moved from drums to guitar, Andre joined the band on drums but soon departed. Emanuel, Per, and Mattias practised with a drum machine. In 1998 Joakim became their keyboard player and Martin joined as the band's vocalist. The band became as sextet when former Obsecration member Robin joined on drums in early 1999. In Summer 1999 Joakim relocated to another city and left the band. Admonish went on a hiatus after the band ended on a situation where they could not focus fully on the band.
2000s
Admonish was reactivated in 2002. Per Sundström had moved to the southern Sweden and joined Robin's old Obsecration bandmates in Crimson MoonlightCrimson Moonlight
Crimson Moonlight is a Swedish Christian black metal band which was formed in the summer of 1997 with the mere intention of recording a primitive old school black metal demo and playing one show before breaking up. However, the breakup never happened, and they have since recorded two EPs and two...
. Mattias had left Admonish as well, but Emanuel, Martin and Robin remained in the band. They were joined by Joel for guitar and in 2003 by a former member of the melodic death metal band Taketh, Jonas, on bass. The band wrote new material, and Admonish was booked to play its first gig after the reunion at a festival called Luccemetal 2003. A few keyboard players played with the band after the reunion, but they could not commit to the band, and eventually Admonish ended up being without a keyboardist. Joel decided to leave the band for personal reasons. A new guitarist, Samuel, was performed with the band in for Luccemetal. After that, Admonish regained its reputation in the Swedish metal scene. After the reunion gig, Jonas's brother Emil, another formed Taketh member, joined for guitar. With this line-up, Admonish entered studio in January 2005. An EP titled Den Yttersta Tiden was released on April 11, 2005 at Club 666 in Stockholm.
On October 6, 2006, the twins Emil and Jonas Karlsson appeared on Pimp My Ride International in which they advertised Admonish and the band's music was played while the show host Lil Jon
Lil Jon
Jonathan Mortimer Smith , better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, music producer, entrepreneur, and occasional disc jockey who was a member of the group Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz. Lil Jon formed the group in 1997, and the group released several albums between then and 2004...
presented how the twins' Audi 80
Audi 80
The Audi 80 is a compact executive car produced by the German car manufacturer Audi, from 1966 to 1996. It shared its platform with the Volkswagen Passat from 1973 to 1986 and was available as a saloon car/sedan, and an Avant...
was turned into a horror-themed luxury vehicle. Metal Storm commented that their appearance on "MTV’s Pimp My Ride program made quite a lasting impression on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
and co by growling and headbanging around in their ruined car." In 2007 the band recorded another EP titled Isnärjd, with artwork courtesy of Samuel Durling. The EP was released by the Norwegian label Momentum Scandinavia. The band appeared on a documentary film titled Light in Darkness – Nemesis Divina, which was released early summer in 2008. The documentary focuses on the Scandinavian Christian black metal movement and has been shown on film and music festivals around the world. Admonish performed at Elements of Rock, the biggest Christian metal festival in Europe in 2008.
Music
The recorded music of Admonish leans towards modern black metal with a focus on melodies. The music includes symphonic keyboards, although the instrument is not particularly dominant in the output. Their 2007 EP, InsnärjdInsnärjd
Insnärjd is the second EP by the Christian black metal band Admonish. The album's title translates as "Ensnared" or "Entangled". "A Glimpse" and "Legacy" are classical guitar interludes.-Reception:...
, features influences from Celtic music
Celtic music
Celtic music is a term utilised by artists, record companies, music stores and music magazines to describe a broad grouping of musical genres that evolved out of the folk musical traditions of the Celtic people of Western Europe...
and classical guitar
Classical guitar
The classical guitar is a 6-stringed plucked string instrument from the family of instruments called chordophones...
interludes. On their MySpace, they cite Satyricon
Satyricon (band)
Satyricon is a Norwegian black metal band, and the first one in the genre to join a multi-national record label .-Biography:Satyricon was formed in 1990 by Czral and Wargod. Ulver and Satyr soon joined them...
, Emperor
Emperor (band)
Emperor was a Norwegian black metal band formed in 1991. They dissolved in 2001, but reunited in 2006 and again in 2007 for a few festival dates and brief US tours. The group was founded by Samoth and Ihsahn .-Biography:...
, and Dissection
Dissection (band)
Dissection was a black metal band from Strömstad, Sweden. The band was formed in 1989, by Jon Nödtveidt. The band released its first EP in 1991. They disbanded in 2006, after Nödtveidt's suicide.- Band overview :...
as their influences.
Reception
Because of their beliefs, Admonish has been a subject of controversy in the metal scene. The two members' appearance on Pimp My Ride brought the band more attention. Metal Storm's writer Collin commented the appearance on that MTV show: "As fun as it was to watch, it certainly did not make me want to check out the music these two guys produced. So, Admonish, a joke band needing attention from a crap TV program to worm their way to the sun? Not a second. The 25 or so minutes of “Insnarjd” (their second EP) display quite a lot of skills, ideas and talent to turn a genre that is rather overcrowded and can quite rapidly become a real suckfest, i.e. melodic black metal, into something that sounds at least a little personal."Metal Review site's gave the EP 4 out of 6 writing "the five numbers on this release are all polished, well-written metal songs with a good balance between the extreme and the accessible," and that "Top musicianship and a crystal clear sound also add to the success of this release."
Current
- Emanuel Wärja: guitar, vocals
- Robin Svedman: drums
- Martin Norén: vocals
- Jonas Karlsson: bass guitar
- Emil Karlsson: guitar
Former
- Per Sundström: drums, guitar (Crimson MoonlightCrimson MoonlightCrimson Moonlight is a Swedish Christian black metal band which was formed in the summer of 1997 with the mere intention of recording a primitive old school black metal demo and playing one show before breaking up. However, the breakup never happened, and they have since recorded two EPs and two...
) - Andre:drums
- Mattias: bass guitar
- Joakim Simonsson: keyboard
- Marcus: keyboards
- Joel: guitar
- Samuel: guitar
External links
- Official website
- Admonish at Encyclopaedia MetallumEncyclopaedia MetallumEncyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives is a website which lists bands from various forms of heavy metal music...