Gorgoroth
Encyclopedia
Gorgoroth is a Norwegian black metal
band based in Bergen. Formed in 1992 by Infernus (who is also the only original member remaining), the band is named after the dead plateau of evil and darkness in the land of Mordor
from J. R. R. Tolkien
's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings
. The group is currently signed to Regain Records
and have released eight full-length studio albums. A re-recording of their third album, Under the Sign of Hell
, was released in 2011, and a new full-length album has been in the works since late 2009.
Gorgoroth was founded in 1992 by guitarist Infernus after making a pact with the devil
. In 1993, the band released their first demo, entitled A Sorcery Written in Blood
. On January 7, 1994, Firda, the major newspaper in the county of Sogn og Fjordane
where the band originated from, ran a cover story on the demo, with the headline "Local music with Satanic symbolism". According to the article, the release of the demo and flyers with Satanic symbols led to "concerned parents contacting the Sheriff's Office in Fjaler". After the demo was released, Gorgoroth signed a record deal with Embassy Productions and started work on their debut full-length Pentagram. When bassist Kjettar left the band in 1993, Samoth
of Emperor
joined Gorgoroth as their new bassist, and participated in the recording of the album. After Pentagram was completed and released in 1994, drummer Goat left the band and was replaced by Frost
from Satyricon
. The band performed their first concert at Lusa Lottes Pøbb in Oslo, Norway, on May 3, 1994, at a four-day Black Metal Nights festival with bands such as Dark Funeral
(who also made their live debut), Dissection
, Enslaved
, Marduk
(who played their first gig abroad), Gehenna
and Hades Almighty
.
This was followed by gigs with Enslaved
in Bergen
(in June and September) and in Haugesund
(in November), and the band performed their first gig abroad in Annaberg-Buchholz
in Germany on December 10, 1994. The same year, the band commenced the recording of Antichrist (originally titled Død), their second full-length album.
from Obtained Enslavement
as Gorgoroth's new vocalist. In December 1995, the band supported Cradle of Filth
at the London Astoria
, a show which also included the band Primordial
. This marked the first Gorgoroth live appearance of both vocalist Pest and bassist Ares
. In 1995 the band had been offered a record deal with Moonfog Productions, but this offer was rejected in favour of an offer made by German label Malicious Records. Malicious Records released the band's second album, Antichrist, in 1996, and also re-released the debut album Pentagram. The band went on a European tour with Satyricon
and Dissection
in April 1996, followed by a one-off gig in Bergen
with Hades Almighty
and Gehenna
, at which the live EP The Last Tormentor
was recorded. The band also played a one-off gig in the fall in Bischofswerda
, Germany, with Behemoth
. Soon the name Gorgoroth was commonplace in the black metal underground, both in Norway and in the rest of Europe, if somewhat overshadowed by some of the more famous black metal bands such as Mayhem
or Emperor
. The band's third full-length album, Under the Sign of Hell
, was recorded in spring 1996, and guitarist Tormentor
joined the band later in the year. Under the Sign of Hell
was released in 1997, and Gorgoroth went on their first headlining European tour in fall 1997, with support by Mystic Circle
. It was on this tour that Infernus and Tormentor were approached by the major German heavy metal
record label
Nuclear Blast
, who wanted to sign the band. The band accepted the offer in late 1997.
was controversial among many black metal enthusiasts who pertained to the tenets of an 'underground black metal scene', however Gorgoroth sought to utilise Nuclear Blast's distribution capacity for their own ends. The first album recorded and released for Nuclear Blast was Destroyer
(1998). New singer Gaahl
joined the band at this time, but was heard on only one song, the title track "Destroyer". The music and lyrics on the album were mainly written by Infernus, but guitarist Tormentor also contributed as composer, most notably on the title track, and former vocalist Pest wrote the lyrics on 4 tracks. In May 1998, Gorgoroth played five dates in Germany on Cradle of Filth
's European tour, with support from Old Man's Child
and Einherjer
. Gorgoroth also performed at Wacken Open Air
in summer 1998, and performed at the Tuska Open Air Metal Festival
in Helsinki, Finland, and in Oslo, Norway with Gehenna
and Dødheimsgard
.
In 1999, Gorgoroth began journeying into unknown territory with the recording of Incipit Satan
. Though mainly written by Infernus once again, the album delved into musical ideas not expanded upon by the group in previous recordings. Songs such as "Will to Power" showcased strong industrial
, dark ambient
, and noise
influences (more so than on Destroyer and Under the Sign of Hell, both of which showed signs of experimentation). The song "When Love Rages Wild in My Heart" featured clean, blues
y vocals. Overall, the album displayed progressive
tendencies, yet still retained a traditional black metal edge and Infernus' signature sound. The album was recorded during 1999, after drummer Vrolok and bassist T-Reaper had left the band and been replaced by drummer Erlend Erichsen (a.k.a. Sersjant) and bassist King ov Hell. Drummer Erlend Erichsen left the band after the recordings were finished, and Incipit Satan
was released in 2000
, preceded by a European tour in December 1999
, supporting Morbid Angel
. In May, 2000
, Gorgoroth headlined a European tour, with bands like Old Man's Child
and Krisiun
as supporting acts. In early June 2000, Gorgoroth performed at the first Hole in the Sky
festival in Bergen, Norway. This festival was arranged in memory of former Gorgoroth drummer Grim
, and also included bands such as Immortal
, Enslaved
, Obtained Enslavement
, Hades Almighty
and Aeternus
. On June 23, 2000, Gorgoroth headlined the "Knüppelnacht" stage at the With Full Force
festival in Leipzig, Germany.
After a couple of Norwegian concerts in 2000 and 2001, Gorgoroth made their hitherto only live appearance in the US, at the Milwaukee Metalfest in August 2001. In September and October 2001, the band went on two mini tours of Mexico and Colombia. In 2001 Gorgoroth was also featured on a tribute album
to the Norwegian black metal
band Mayhem, with a cover version
of that band's "Life Eternal" from the De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
album. This song had been recorded in 1998
, and featured Gaahl
on vocals, as well as Infernus and Tormentor on rhythm guitars, T-Reaper on lead guitar and bass, and Vrolok on drums. This is the only released Gorgoroth recording which has not appeared on a full-length Gorgoroth album. In February 2002, vocalist Gaahl was put into custody after being accused of having beaten a man at an after-party. This led to him having to serve 9 months in prison in 2002, due to an already existing unserved 1-year sentence for previously committed acts of violence. He was released from prison in December 2002.
In 2002
, Tormentor decided to quit the band due to no longer being able to cooperate with King, ending the stable 5-piece line-up of Gaahl, Infernus, Tormentor, King ov Hell and Kvitrafn, which had been formed in 2000. After Tormentor's departure, Gorgoroth began writing their new album, Twilight of the Idols
. The album showed a return to a more solidified black metal style, but was still quite different from early Gorgoroth releases, mainly due to the fact that most of the album's songs were written by bassist King and drummer Kvitrafn rather than Infernus. The band played their first live gig in a year and a half at Garage in Bergen in April 2003, with Tormentor returning as guitarist for a one-off show. Twilight of the Idols
was released by Nuclear Blast
in May 2003, and the band subsequently performed at the Hole in the Sky
festival in Bergen in August 2003. This marked the first Gorgoroth live appearance of session guitarist Apollyon
of Aura Noir
.
On February 1, 2004, during a concert being recorded for a DVD in Kraków, Poland, the band displayed sheep heads on stakes, a bloodbath of 80 litres of sheep's blood, Satanic symbols, and four naked crucified models on stage. A police investigation took place with allegations of religious offence (which is prosecutable under Polish law) and cruelty to animals. Though these charges were considered, the band was not charged as it was ruled that they were unaware of the fact that what they were doing was illegal, although the concert organiser was eventually fined 10000zł in 2007 as he knew about it and neither informed the band that it was against the law nor intervened. The whole controversy led to the band being dropped from the roster of the Nuclear Blast Tour and the footage of the concert being confiscated by the police. Following this controversy - and with Gorgoroth also having achieved a larger degree of worldwide recognition through Nuclear Blast's distribution facilities - the contract between both parties was bilaterally terminated. Gorgoroth further secured a reputation as a band with a vehement anti-Right Hand Path
agenda, of which certain employees in the company were alleged to have felt uneasy due to their own personal beliefs.
After a successful South American tour of Brazil, Chile and Argentina, and a performance at Norway's Inferno Festival, it was announced in April 2004 that drummer Kvitrafn had decided to leave the band. For the band's European and Central America
n headlining tours of October and November 2004, drummer Dirge Rep (ex-Enslaved
, Gehenna
) and guitarist Teloch (Nidingr) were recruited.
in November 2005, this time with Skagg (Gaahlskagg) replacing Teloch as live guitarist. On December 10, 2005, Gorgoroth played live in Trondheim
, Norway, a gig which was to be their last live performance until summer 2007.
Gorgoroth released Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam
in June 2006 through Regain Records
. This was only the second Gorgoroth album to be released since 2000's Incipit Satan
- a noticeable reduction in productivity from a band that had previously released 2 demos, 5 full-length albums and 1 live EP between 1993 and 2000. For the recording of the new album, Frost again performed on the drums. This album helped the band to expand its fan base. A short time after the album was released, bassist King quit the band. According to the official website, King left because he "had problems fronting some of the ideological aspects of his band GORGOROTH's agenda". In an interview made shortly after quitting the band, he confirmed he had problems with the ideology in public, but not in his private life. Gorgoroth was nominated in the "Metal" category at the 35th annual Spellemann Awards
for this album (the Norwegian equivalent to the Grammy Award
s). Gaahl served a sentence in jail from spring to December 2006 for the assault which happened in February 2002, and Infernus served a 4-month sentence for 'gross negligent rape' between October 2006 and March 2007, for an incident which took place in 2003. When the latter was released, it was reported that Infernus had started 'working on new material, both music and lyrics for an upcoming album, title yet undecided'.
In January 2007, it was reported that Gaahl was under investigation by Norwegian Police for his comments in an interview in Metal: A Headbanger's Journey
(2005), which had been broadcast on Norway's Lydverket NRK 1 on January 24, 2007, where he said 'church burnings are things that I support one-hundred percent, and they should have been done much more and will be done much more in the future'. In April 2007, a 5-part series entitled True Norwegian Black Metal
, produced by Peter Beste for Vice
, aired on VBS.tv, covering some of the aspects of Gaahl's life. With King back in the band, the video for 'Carving a Giant' off Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam
was also filmed and broadcast on Norwegian MTV that month.
In July and August 2007, Gorgoroth returned to the live arena with performances at festivals in Norway, Germany and the Czech Republic. In September 2007, the band went on a South American tour of Brazil
, Colombia
, Argentina
, Ecuador
and Chile
with Belphegor
. These would be the last Gorgoroth concerts to feature Gaahl and King.
page. Gaahl and King claimed that they had "fired" Infernus from Gorgoroth and claimed the rights to the name of the band, with King having made a trademark application the previous month. This dispute was concluded in March 2009 when a court verdict was announced, which recognised Infernus as the legitimate user of the name and that Gaahl and King had excluded themselves from Gorgoroth upon attempting to remove the founding member.
Shortly after parting ways with Gaahl and King, Infernus said that he was in the process of finishing and preparing the material he reportedly started in October 2006 and was first reported writing when he was released on parole in March 2007, declaring the title to be Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt
, to be released on Regain Records. He also stated that future live performances would minimalise use of the Gorgoroth songs written between 2002 and 2004 (although only three songs by King ov Hell and two by Kvitrafn - four of which had lyrics written by Gaahl - were ever performed live), and that priority would be given to both older and brand new material. In December 2007, he revealed Tomas Asklund and Frank Watkins
had joined Gorgoroth as drummer and bassist, respectively. Watkins later took the stage name "Bøddel", which is the Norwegian word for "Executioner".
In April 2008, Infernus announced he was to depart for Stockholm
, Sweden
, where the next few months were spent rehearsing the material for Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt in Tomas Asklund's Monolith Studio.
The controversial 2004 Kraków
concert was finally released on DVD in June 2008, more than 4 years after its recording. It was released by Metal Mind Productions
under the title Black Mass Krakow 2004
, and entered the Norwegian music DVD chart at position 4 in its first week of release. It remained in the charts for five weeks, peaking at a number 3 position.
On May 30, 2008, Regain Records announced the June 2008 release of True Norwegian Black Metal - Live in Grieghallen
, a new Gorgoroth album which had been recorded live in studio in mid-October 2007. The recording line-up consisted of Infernus on guitars and bass, Gaahl on vocals, Teloch on session guitars, and Garghuf on session drums. However, ostensibly in part due to the circumstances of the ongoing name dispute, the distribution of the album was temporarily halted in July 2008, with the final decision to be made in a yet-to-be announced trial in Sweden.
Infernus also announced in August that a pre-recording for Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt was made with guitars, bass and drums. After having spent the previous few months rehearsing in Monolith Studio, Infernus said that he was working on arrangements with assistance from former Gorgoroth guitarist Tormentor.
In September 2008, Infernus announced Tormentor had accepted his offer to rejoin Gorgoroth, together with Tomas Asklund and Bøddel. On December 4, 2008, it was announced that Pest had returned as the vocalist.
Shortly after the conclusion of the Gorgoroth name dispute, recording of Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt began when Tomas Asklund commenced with the drum tracks in Monolith Studio. Infernus "manually recorded six basic guitars" for the album, and Bøddel and Pest recorded bass and vocals respectively in June.
In May 2009, it was announced that Gorgoroth would play live again on August 29, 2009, at the 10th anniversary edition of the Hole in the Sky
festival in Bergen, Norway. This would be the band's first live appearance since September 2007.
In late June 2009, it was announced that the vocals on True Norwegian Black Metal - Live in Grieghallen
were rerecorded by Pest. A week later the release dates and track listing for Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt were revealed.
At the band's headlining concert at the Hole in the Sky festival on August 29 the set list consisted mainly of older material, including two songs off the Pentagram album which had not been performed live since October 1997. The band also performed live, for the very first time, the new song "Aneuthanasia" off Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt. Gorgoroth also performed at UKA 2009
in Trondheim, Norway, on October 19, 2009. This concert coincided with the release of Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt.
Upon its release the album was well received, with many reviewers commenting on the band's return to its roots, comparing the album with earlier releases like Antichrist (1996). It was revealed in October 2009 that work on the follow-up to Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt, including rehearsals by Infernus and Tomas Asklund in Stockholm, had taken place around that time. On April 1, 2010, it was officially announced that half of the yet-to-be-titled new album had been prerecorded in pre-production form, and that work on the album would continue through the year in between touring and festival appearances, with a tentative 2011 release date.
In April 2010 Gorgoroth embarked on a mini-tour of Europe consisting of five dates in Germany as well as one each in France, Belgium, Italy and Holland, to promote Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt. The band also performed at five European festivals in summer 2010: Germany's Summer Breeze Open Air
festival,
the Ragnarök Festival
in Germany, Brutal Assault
in the Czech Republic, Bloodstock Open Air
in the UK, and the Finnish festival Jalometalli
. In September 2010, Gorgoroth embarked on a mini-tour in South America and were announced to be touring Europe again in November 2010 after switching to Massive Music booking agency.
It was announced in October 2010 that the band was about to put the finishing touches on a re-recording of their 1997 release Under the Sign of Hell, with a probable early-to-mid 2011 release date, as well as giving a tentative late 2011 release date for the next album containing newly written material.
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 based in Bergen. Formed in 1992 by Infernus (who is also the only original member remaining), the band is named after the dead plateau of evil and darkness in the land of Mordor
Mordor
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, Mordor or Morhdorh was the dwelling place of Sauron, in the southeast of northwestern Middle-earth to the East of Anduin, the great river. Orodruin, a volcano in Mordor, was the destination of the Fellowship of the Ring in the quest to...
from J. R. R. Tolkien
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
. The group is currently signed to Regain Records
Regain Records
Regain Records is a Swedish based independent record label. The label predominantly releases death metal and black metal albums. Regain Records was founded from what remained of the former label, Wrong Again Records, by Per Gyllenbäck in 1997...
and have released eight full-length studio albums. A re-recording of their third album, Under the Sign of Hell
Under the Sign of Hell
-Original release:Gorgoroth*Ares – bass guitar on track 1*Grim – drums*Infernus – guitars, bass guitar *Pest – vocalsProduction*Recorded in spring 1996 in Grieghallen lydstudio.*Infernus – production*Pytten – production...
, was released in 2011, and a new full-length album has been in the works since late 2009.
Early years (1992–1995)
Pact with the Devil
A deal with the Devil, pact with the Devil, or Faustian bargain is a cultural motif widespread in the West, best exemplified by the legend of Faust and the figure of Mephistopheles, but elemental to many Christian folktales...
. In 1993, the band released their first demo, entitled A Sorcery Written in Blood
A Sorcery Written in Blood
A Sorcery Written in Blood was the first demo released by the Norwegian black metal band Gorgoroth. The title of the demo was taken from the lyrics of the song "The Return of Darkness and Evil" by the band Bathory. The demo was released in 1993 as a limited edition hand-numbered cassette. A 7"...
. On January 7, 1994, Firda, the major newspaper in the county of Sogn og Fjordane
Sogn og Fjordane
is a county in Norway, bordering Møre og Romsdal, Oppland, Buskerud, and Hordaland. The county administration is in the town of Hermansverk in Leikanger municipality while the largest town is Førde....
where the band originated from, ran a cover story on the demo, with the headline "Local music with Satanic symbolism". According to the article, the release of the demo and flyers with Satanic symbols led to "concerned parents contacting the Sheriff's Office in Fjaler". After the demo was released, Gorgoroth signed a record deal with Embassy Productions and started work on their debut full-length Pentagram. When bassist Kjettar left the band in 1993, Samoth
Samoth
Samoth is a prominent musician and multi-instrumentalist in the Norwegian black metal scene. He was well known for his distinct guitar work and drumming in the band Emperor, as well as his formation of the death metal band Zyklon...
of 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:...
joined Gorgoroth as their new bassist, and participated in the recording of the album. After Pentagram was completed and released in 1994, drummer Goat left the band and was replaced by Frost
Kjetil-Vidar Haraldstad
Kjetil-Vidar Haraldstad , was born on June 28, 1973 in Øyer, Oppland, Norway, and is the drummer in the black metal bands Satyricon and 1349....
from 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...
. The band performed their first concert at Lusa Lottes Pøbb in Oslo, Norway, on May 3, 1994, at a four-day Black Metal Nights festival with bands such as Dark Funeral
Dark Funeral
Dark Funeral is a black metal band from Stockholm, Sweden, founded by guitarists Blackmoon and Lord Ahriman in 1993. They are one of the bands to have emerged in Sweden during the Second wave of black metal....
(who also made their live debut), 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 :...
, Enslaved
Enslaved (band)
Enslaved is a progressive black metal band formed in June 1991 in Sveio, Norway, and currently based out of Bergen, Norway.-History:Enslaved was formed in June 1991 by Ivar Bjørnson and Grutle Kjellson when they were 13 and 17 years old, respectively. The band name was inspired by an Immortal demo...
, Marduk
Marduk (band)
Marduk is a black metal band from Norrköping, Sweden. The band formed in 1990 and released their first record in 1991. Their name is derived from the Babylonian god Marduk, patron deity of Babylon.-Musical style:...
(who played their first gig abroad), Gehenna
Gehenna (band)
-Biography:Gehenna was formed in January, 1993 by original members Sanrabb, Dolgar, and Sir Vereda. Their first demo, entitled Black Seared Heart, was recorded between the 3rd and 7 June 1993 in Soundsuite Studios, and was released as a cassette...
and Hades Almighty
Hades Almighty
Hades Almighty is a black metal band hailing from Bergen, Norway. They were formed in 1992, originally under the moniker Hades. They were forced to change their name to Hades Almighty in 1998, following complaints from an American band with a prior claim to the name.-Biography:Hades were formed in...
.
This was followed by gigs with Enslaved
Enslaved (band)
Enslaved is a progressive black metal band formed in June 1991 in Sveio, Norway, and currently based out of Bergen, Norway.-History:Enslaved was formed in June 1991 by Ivar Bjørnson and Grutle Kjellson when they were 13 and 17 years old, respectively. The band name was inspired by an Immortal demo...
in Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
(in June and September) and in Haugesund
Haugesund
is a town and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.-Location:Haugesund was separated from Torvastad as a town and municipality of its own in 1855. The rural municipality of Skåre was merged with Haugesund on January 1, 1958. Haugesund is a small municipality, only 73 km²...
(in November), and the band performed their first gig abroad in Annaberg-Buchholz
Annaberg-Buchholz
Annaberg-Buchholz is a town in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, in the Erzgebirge, capital of the district Erzgebirgskreis.The town is located in the Ore Mountains, at the side of the Pöhlberg . It has three Protestant churches, among them that of St...
in Germany on December 10, 1994. The same year, the band commenced the recording of Antichrist (originally titled Død), their second full-length album.
With Pest (1995–1997)
Vocalist Hat decided to leave Gorgoroth in September 1995, but agreed to finish recording the vocal tracks for Antichrist. After Hat left, Infernus recruited vocalist PestPest (musician)
Pest is a Norwegian black metal vocalist, mainly known for his work in the band Gorgoroth.-Biography:...
from Obtained Enslavement
Obtained Enslavement
Obtained Enslavement was a black metal band from Stord, Norway. They formed in 1989 and decided to split up in 2000 because Pest moved to the United States, and they did not succeed in finding a new singer...
as Gorgoroth's new vocalist. In December 1995, the band supported Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band, formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic black metal, and other extreme metal styles, while their lyrical themes and imagery are heavily...
at the London Astoria
London Astoria
The London Astoria was a music venue, located at 157 Charing Cross Road, in London, England. It had been leased and run by Festival Republic since 2000. It was closed on 15 January 2009 and has since been demolished...
, a show which also included the band Primordial
Primordial (band)
Primordial is an extreme metal band from Skerries, County Dublin, Ireland. It was formed in 1987 by Pól MacAmlaigh and Ciarán MacUiliam . Their sound melds black metal with Irish folk music.-Biography:...
. This marked the first Gorgoroth live appearance of both vocalist Pest and bassist Ares
Ares (musician)
Ronny Hovland, better known as Ares, is a Norwegian metal vocalist, guitarist and bassist, and the founder of the Norwegian death metal band Aeternus.-Biography:...
. In 1995 the band had been offered a record deal with Moonfog Productions, but this offer was rejected in favour of an offer made by German label Malicious Records. Malicious Records released the band's second album, Antichrist, in 1996, and also re-released the debut album Pentagram. The band went on a European tour with 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...
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 :...
in April 1996, followed by a one-off gig in Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
with Hades Almighty
Hades Almighty
Hades Almighty is a black metal band hailing from Bergen, Norway. They were formed in 1992, originally under the moniker Hades. They were forced to change their name to Hades Almighty in 1998, following complaints from an American band with a prior claim to the name.-Biography:Hades were formed in...
and Gehenna
Gehenna
Gehenna , Gehinnom and Yiddish Gehinnam, are terms derived from a place outside ancient Jerusalem known in the Hebrew Bible as the Valley of the Son of Hinnom ; one of the two principal valleys surrounding the Old City.In the Hebrew Bible, the site was initially where apostate Israelites and...
, at which the live EP The Last Tormentor
The Last Tormentor
The Last Tormentor is the first EP by Norwegian black metal band Gorgoroth. It was recorded live at Maxime in Bergen, Norway on May 23, 1996 and released on 7" red vinyl in the same year....
was recorded. The band also played a one-off gig in the fall in Bischofswerda
Bischofswerda
Bischofswerda is a small town in Germany at the western edge of Upper Lusatia in Saxony.-Geography:The town is located 33 km to the east of Dresden at the edge of the Upper Lusatian mountain country. The town is known as the "Gateway to Upper Lusatia" - "Tor zur Oberlausitz" in German. It is...
, Germany, with Behemoth
Behemoth (band)
Behemoth is a Polish blackened death metal band from Gdańsk, formed in 1991. They are considered to have played an important role in establishing the Polish extreme metal underground, alongside bands such as Vader, Decapitated, Vesania and Hate....
. Soon the name Gorgoroth was commonplace in the black metal underground, both in Norway and in the rest of Europe, if somewhat overshadowed by some of the more famous black metal bands such as Mayhem
Mayhem (band)
Mayhem is a Norwegian black metal band formed in 1984 in Oslo, Norway and regarded as one of the pioneers of the influential Norwegian black metal scene...
or 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:...
. The band's third full-length album, Under the Sign of Hell
Under the Sign of Hell
-Original release:Gorgoroth*Ares – bass guitar on track 1*Grim – drums*Infernus – guitars, bass guitar *Pest – vocalsProduction*Recorded in spring 1996 in Grieghallen lydstudio.*Infernus – production*Pytten – production...
, was recorded in spring 1996, and guitarist Tormentor
Tormentor (musician)
Tormentor is a black metal musician who is best known for his work as guitarist with the Norwegian black metal band Gorgoroth.-Biography:Tormentor joined Infernus in Gorgoroth in 1996, and participated as guitarist and songwriter on the two Gorgoroth albums Destroyer and Incipit Satan , both...
joined the band later in the year. Under the Sign of Hell
Under the Sign of Hell
-Original release:Gorgoroth*Ares – bass guitar on track 1*Grim – drums*Infernus – guitars, bass guitar *Pest – vocalsProduction*Recorded in spring 1996 in Grieghallen lydstudio.*Infernus – production*Pytten – production...
was released in 1997, and Gorgoroth went on their first headlining European tour in fall 1997, with support by Mystic Circle
Mystic Circle
- History:Mystic Circle was formed in 1992 in Ludwigshafen. They released several EPs before their debut LP was issued in 1997. Following their 1998 release they toured with Marduk and Old Man's Child and played several large rock festivals...
. It was on this tour that Infernus and Tormentor were approached by the major German heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
Nuclear Blast
Nuclear Blast
Nuclear Blast is an independent record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The record label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label moved on to releasing albums by melodic...
, who wanted to sign the band. The band accepted the offer in late 1997.
Tenure with Nuclear Blast (1997–2004)
The move to Nuclear BlastNuclear Blast
Nuclear Blast is an independent record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The record label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label moved on to releasing albums by melodic...
was controversial among many black metal enthusiasts who pertained to the tenets of an 'underground black metal scene', however Gorgoroth sought to utilise Nuclear Blast's distribution capacity for their own ends. The first album recorded and released for Nuclear Blast was Destroyer
Destroyer (Gorgoroth album)
- Personnel :*Ares - bass *Daimonion - synth *Frost - drums *Gaahl - vocals *Infernus - guitars , bass , vocals , drums...
(1998). New singer Gaahl
Gaahl
Kristian Eivind Espedal , better known by his stage name Gaahl, is a Norwegian vocalist, best known as the former frontman of Norwegian black metal band Gorgoroth. He is also the founder and frontman of Trelldom and Gaahlskagg...
joined the band at this time, but was heard on only one song, the title track "Destroyer". The music and lyrics on the album were mainly written by Infernus, but guitarist Tormentor also contributed as composer, most notably on the title track, and former vocalist Pest wrote the lyrics on 4 tracks. In May 1998, Gorgoroth played five dates in Germany on Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band, formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic black metal, and other extreme metal styles, while their lyrical themes and imagery are heavily...
's European tour, with support from Old Man's Child
Old Man's Child
Old Man's Child is a black metal band from Norway. The band is the brainchild of Galder who is the only permanent member of the band now.-Formation:...
and Einherjer
Einherjer
Einherjer is a Viking metal band from Haugesund, Norway, founded in 1993. Some of the band's albums are heavily folk influenced, while others have a more traditional black metal sound. Their lyrics retell Norse legends, and each of their albums has its own theme...
. Gorgoroth also performed at Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air is a summer open air heavy metal music festival. It takes place annually in the small town of Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany...
in summer 1998, and performed at the Tuska Open Air Metal Festival
Tuska Open Air Metal Festival
Tuska Open Air Metal Festival, shortly Tuska , is the largest music festival dedicated only to metal and related styles of music in the Nordic countries. The history of Tuska began in 1998 and it has grown larger every year. The location of the festival has been in Kaisaniemi park in the middle of...
in Helsinki, Finland, and in Oslo, Norway with Gehenna
Gehenna (band)
-Biography:Gehenna was formed in January, 1993 by original members Sanrabb, Dolgar, and Sir Vereda. Their first demo, entitled Black Seared Heart, was recorded between the 3rd and 7 June 1993 in Soundsuite Studios, and was released as a cassette...
and Dødheimsgard
Dødheimsgard
Dødheimsgard is a Norwegian heavy metal band formed in 1994. Dødheimsgard was originally a black metal band, but 1999's 666 International saw them change into an experimental and avant-garde / industrial metal band. In 2000, they shortened their name to DHG...
.
In 1999, Gorgoroth began journeying into unknown territory with the recording of Incipit Satan
Incipit Satan
Incipit Satan is the fifth full-length album by Norwegian black metal band Gorgoroth. It was released in February 2000 through Nuclear Blast and reissued in 2006 by Back on Black Records.The music was written entirely by guitarists Infernus and Tormentor...
. Though mainly written by Infernus once again, the album delved into musical ideas not expanded upon by the group in previous recordings. Songs such as "Will to Power" showcased strong industrial
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
, dark ambient
Dark ambient
Dark ambient is a subgenre of ambient music that features foreboding, ominous, or discordant overtones. Although it had its roots in the 1970s, Dark ambient emerged in the 1980s and 1990s with the introduction of newer, smaller, and more affordable Effects units, synthesizer and sampling technology...
, and noise
Noise music
Noise music is a term used to describe varieties of avant-garde music and sound art that may use elements such as cacophony, dissonance, atonality, noise, indeterminacy, and repetition in their realization. Noise music can feature distortion, various types of acoustically or electronically...
influences (more so than on Destroyer and Under the Sign of Hell, both of which showed signs of experimentation). The song "When Love Rages Wild in My Heart" featured clean, blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
y vocals. Overall, the album displayed progressive
Progressive metal
Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal originating in the United Kingdom and North America in the late 1980s...
tendencies, yet still retained a traditional black metal edge and Infernus' signature sound. The album was recorded during 1999, after drummer Vrolok and bassist T-Reaper had left the band and been replaced by drummer Erlend Erichsen (a.k.a. Sersjant) and bassist King ov Hell. Drummer Erlend Erichsen left the band after the recordings were finished, and Incipit Satan
Incipit Satan
Incipit Satan is the fifth full-length album by Norwegian black metal band Gorgoroth. It was released in February 2000 through Nuclear Blast and reissued in 2006 by Back on Black Records.The music was written entirely by guitarists Infernus and Tormentor...
was released in 2000
2000 in music
See also:* 2000 in music Record labels established in 2000-Events:*January – Gary Glitter is released from jail, two months before his sentence for sexual offences ends.*January 1**John Tavener is knighted in the New Year's Honours List....
, preceded by a European tour in December 1999
1999 in music
-Events:*January 7**After eight years of marriage, Rod Stewart and supermodel wife Rachel Hunter announce their separation.**Paul McCartney attends the first of his stepdaughter Heather's first housewares collection in Georgia....
, supporting Morbid Angel
Morbid Angel
Morbid Angel is an American death metal band based in Tampa, Florida. UK music magazine Terrorizer ranked one Morbid Angel album in its “Top 40 greatest death metal albums”, with their 1989 debut Altars of Madness appearing at number 1...
. In May, 2000
2000 in music
See also:* 2000 in music Record labels established in 2000-Events:*January – Gary Glitter is released from jail, two months before his sentence for sexual offences ends.*January 1**John Tavener is knighted in the New Year's Honours List....
, Gorgoroth headlined a European tour, with bands like Old Man's Child
Old Man's Child
Old Man's Child is a black metal band from Norway. The band is the brainchild of Galder who is the only permanent member of the band now.-Formation:...
and Krisiun
Krisiun
Krisiun is a Brazilian death metal band, founded by Alex Camargo , Moyses Kolesne , and Max Kolesne . Since its formation, in 1990, the group recorded two demos, Evil Age in 1991, and Curse of the Evil One in 1992, and self-released an extended play titled Unmerciful Order in 1993...
as supporting acts. In early June 2000, Gorgoroth performed at the first Hole in the Sky
Hole in the Sky
Hole in the Sky was a metal festival located in Bergen, Norway that was arranged in the end of August each year from 2000 to 2011.It was arranged for the first time in 2000, in honor of the then recently deceased Erik "Grim" Brødreskift - ex-member of Borknagar, Gorgoroth and Immortal...
festival in Bergen, Norway. This festival was arranged in memory of former Gorgoroth drummer Grim
Erik Brødreskift
Erik Brødreskift was a Norwegian drummer, who played in several black metal bands during his career...
, and also included bands such as Immortal
Immortal (band)
Immortal is a black metal band from Bergen, Norway, founded in 1990 by current frontman/guitarist Abbath Doom Occulta and former guitarist Demonaz Doom Occulta...
, Enslaved
Enslaved (band)
Enslaved is a progressive black metal band formed in June 1991 in Sveio, Norway, and currently based out of Bergen, Norway.-History:Enslaved was formed in June 1991 by Ivar Bjørnson and Grutle Kjellson when they were 13 and 17 years old, respectively. The band name was inspired by an Immortal demo...
, Obtained Enslavement
Obtained Enslavement
Obtained Enslavement was a black metal band from Stord, Norway. They formed in 1989 and decided to split up in 2000 because Pest moved to the United States, and they did not succeed in finding a new singer...
, Hades Almighty
Hades Almighty
Hades Almighty is a black metal band hailing from Bergen, Norway. They were formed in 1992, originally under the moniker Hades. They were forced to change their name to Hades Almighty in 1998, following complaints from an American band with a prior claim to the name.-Biography:Hades were formed in...
and Aeternus
Aeternus
Aeternus is a death metal band from Bergen, Norway.-Biography:Aeternus formed in 1993 as a trio, composed of Ares, Erik Vrolok, and Morrigan. They released their debut album, Beyond the Wandering Moon, in 1997 on Hammerheart Records , and toured that year with black metal bands Emperor and Limbonic...
. On June 23, 2000, Gorgoroth headlined the "Knüppelnacht" stage at the With Full Force
With Full Force
With Full Force is a metal, hardcore and punk festival held annually in Germany since 1994. The 2011 edition took place on July 1 and July 3 at the Roitzschjora airport in Löbnitz near Leipzig in the Saxon county of Delitzsch.-2010:...
festival in Leipzig, Germany.
After a couple of Norwegian concerts in 2000 and 2001, Gorgoroth made their hitherto only live appearance in the US, at the Milwaukee Metalfest in August 2001. In September and October 2001, the band went on two mini tours of Mexico and Colombia. In 2001 Gorgoroth was also featured on a tribute album
Tribute album
A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...
to the Norwegian 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 Mayhem, with a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of that band's "Life Eternal" from the De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas is an album by Norwegian black metal band Mayhem. Songwriting began as early as 1987, but due to the suicide of vocalist Dead and murder of guitarist Euronymous , the album's release was delayed until May 1994...
album. This song had been recorded in 1998
1998 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1998.-Events:*January 28 – "Weird Al" Yankovic gets LASIK surgery to cure his myopia...
, and featured Gaahl
Gaahl
Kristian Eivind Espedal , better known by his stage name Gaahl, is a Norwegian vocalist, best known as the former frontman of Norwegian black metal band Gorgoroth. He is also the founder and frontman of Trelldom and Gaahlskagg...
on vocals, as well as Infernus and Tormentor on rhythm guitars, T-Reaper on lead guitar and bass, and Vrolok on drums. This is the only released Gorgoroth recording which has not appeared on a full-length Gorgoroth album. In February 2002, vocalist Gaahl was put into custody after being accused of having beaten a man at an after-party. This led to him having to serve 9 months in prison in 2002, due to an already existing unserved 1-year sentence for previously committed acts of violence. He was released from prison in December 2002.
In 2002
2002 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2002.-Events:*February 3 – U2 perform during the halftime show for Super Bowl XXXVI...
, Tormentor decided to quit the band due to no longer being able to cooperate with King, ending the stable 5-piece line-up of Gaahl, Infernus, Tormentor, King ov Hell and Kvitrafn, which had been formed in 2000. After Tormentor's departure, Gorgoroth began writing their new album, Twilight of the Idols
Twilight of the Idols (album)
Twilight of the Idols is the sixth album by Norwegian black metal band Gorgoroth. It was released in 2003 through Nuclear Blast and reissued in 2006 through Back on Black Records....
. The album showed a return to a more solidified black metal style, but was still quite different from early Gorgoroth releases, mainly due to the fact that most of the album's songs were written by bassist King and drummer Kvitrafn rather than Infernus. The band played their first live gig in a year and a half at Garage in Bergen in April 2003, with Tormentor returning as guitarist for a one-off show. Twilight of the Idols
Twilight of the Idols (album)
Twilight of the Idols is the sixth album by Norwegian black metal band Gorgoroth. It was released in 2003 through Nuclear Blast and reissued in 2006 through Back on Black Records....
was released by Nuclear Blast
Nuclear Blast
Nuclear Blast is an independent record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The record label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label moved on to releasing albums by melodic...
in May 2003, and the band subsequently performed at the Hole in the Sky
Hole in the Sky
Hole in the Sky was a metal festival located in Bergen, Norway that was arranged in the end of August each year from 2000 to 2011.It was arranged for the first time in 2000, in honor of the then recently deceased Erik "Grim" Brødreskift - ex-member of Borknagar, Gorgoroth and Immortal...
festival in Bergen in August 2003. This marked the first Gorgoroth live appearance of session guitarist Apollyon
Apollyon (musician)
Apollyon is a black metal/thrash metal multi-instrumentalist, formerly associated with Dødheimsgard and Cadaver, now playing in Aura Noir and also Immortal after its reforming in 2006. He has done guest vocals on the Darkthrone albums Plaguewielder and Sardonic Wrath, and also on Audiopain's EP 1986...
of Aura Noir
Aura Noir
Aura Noir is a black metal/thrash metal band from Oslo, Norway. Aura Noir is heavily influenced by early thrash bands such as Slayer, Sodom and Kreator, to the latter they have also dedicated some of their songs...
.
Controversy in Kraków (2004)
Left-Hand Path and Right-Hand Path
The terms Left-Hand Path and Right-Hand Path are a dichotomy between two opposing philosophies found in the Western Esoteric Tradition, which itself covers various groups involved in the occult and ceremonial magic. In some definitions, the Left-Hand Path is equated with malicious Black Magic and...
agenda, of which certain employees in the company were alleged to have felt uneasy due to their own personal beliefs.
After a successful South American tour of Brazil, Chile and Argentina, and a performance at Norway's Inferno Festival, it was announced in April 2004 that drummer Kvitrafn had decided to leave the band. For the band's European and Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
n headlining tours of October and November 2004, drummer Dirge Rep (ex-Enslaved
Enslaved (band)
Enslaved is a progressive black metal band formed in June 1991 in Sveio, Norway, and currently based out of Bergen, Norway.-History:Enslaved was formed in June 1991 by Ivar Bjørnson and Grutle Kjellson when they were 13 and 17 years old, respectively. The band name was inspired by an Immortal demo...
, Gehenna
Gehenna (band)
-Biography:Gehenna was formed in January, 1993 by original members Sanrabb, Dolgar, and Sir Vereda. Their first demo, entitled Black Seared Heart, was recorded between the 3rd and 7 June 1993 in Soundsuite Studios, and was released as a cassette...
) and guitarist Teloch (Nidingr) were recruited.
Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam (2005–2007)
After various gigs around Norway and Europe in the first half of 2005, including the With Full Force Festival in July, Gorgoroth then went out on a month long European tour with 13491349 (band)
1349 is a Norwegian black metal band from Oslo, Norway, formed in 1997. Their name comes from the year the Black Death reached Norway.- History :1349 formed in 1997 and comprises several former members of the band Alvheim...
in November 2005, this time with Skagg (Gaahlskagg) replacing Teloch as live guitarist. On December 10, 2005, Gorgoroth played live in Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
, Norway, a gig which was to be their last live performance until summer 2007.
Gorgoroth released Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam
Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam
- Credits :Musicians:* Gaahl – vocals* Infernus – guitars* King ov Hell – bass* Frost – drums Other personnel:* Mixed by Gorgoroth and Herbrand Larsen in Bergen....
in June 2006 through Regain Records
Regain Records
Regain Records is a Swedish based independent record label. The label predominantly releases death metal and black metal albums. Regain Records was founded from what remained of the former label, Wrong Again Records, by Per Gyllenbäck in 1997...
. This was only the second Gorgoroth album to be released since 2000's Incipit Satan
Incipit Satan
Incipit Satan is the fifth full-length album by Norwegian black metal band Gorgoroth. It was released in February 2000 through Nuclear Blast and reissued in 2006 by Back on Black Records.The music was written entirely by guitarists Infernus and Tormentor...
- a noticeable reduction in productivity from a band that had previously released 2 demos, 5 full-length albums and 1 live EP between 1993 and 2000. For the recording of the new album, Frost again performed on the drums. This album helped the band to expand its fan base. A short time after the album was released, bassist King quit the band. According to the official website, King left because he "had problems fronting some of the ideological aspects of his band GORGOROTH's agenda". In an interview made shortly after quitting the band, he confirmed he had problems with the ideology in public, but not in his private life. Gorgoroth was nominated in the "Metal" category at the 35th annual Spellemann Awards
Spellemannprisen
Spellemannprisen is an award presented to Norwegian musicians for their contributions.-Operation:The award was established on the initiative of International Federation of the Phonographic Industry , an organization that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide...
for this album (the Norwegian equivalent to the Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s). Gaahl served a sentence in jail from spring to December 2006 for the assault which happened in February 2002, and Infernus served a 4-month sentence for 'gross negligent rape' between October 2006 and March 2007, for an incident which took place in 2003. When the latter was released, it was reported that Infernus had started 'working on new material, both music and lyrics for an upcoming album, title yet undecided'.
In January 2007, it was reported that Gaahl was under investigation by Norwegian Police for his comments in an interview in Metal: A Headbanger's Journey
Metal: A Headbanger's Journey
Metal: A Headbanger's Journey is a 2005 documentary directed by Sam Dunn with Scot McFadyen and Jessica Wise. The film follows 31-year-old Dunn, a Canadian anthropologist, who has been a heavy metal fan since the age of 12...
(2005), which had been broadcast on Norway's Lydverket NRK 1 on January 24, 2007, where he said 'church burnings are things that I support one-hundred percent, and they should have been done much more and will be done much more in the future'. In April 2007, a 5-part series entitled True Norwegian Black Metal
True Norwegian Black Metal (documentary)
True Norwegian Black Metal is a 2007 5-part documentary produced by VBS/Vice Magazine. The documentary mainly covers some aspects of the life of black metal vocalist Gaahl - renowned for his work with Gorgoroth and Trelldom. Principal photography took place in January 2007 over a ten day period in...
, produced by Peter Beste for Vice
Vice (magazine)
VICE is a free magazine and media conglomerate founded in Montreal, Quebec and currently based in New York City.Vice is available in 27 countries...
, aired on VBS.tv, covering some of the aspects of Gaahl's life. With King back in the band, the video for 'Carving a Giant' off Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam
Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam
- Credits :Musicians:* Gaahl – vocals* Infernus – guitars* King ov Hell – bass* Frost – drums Other personnel:* Mixed by Gorgoroth and Herbrand Larsen in Bergen....
was also filmed and broadcast on Norwegian MTV that month.
In July and August 2007, Gorgoroth returned to the live arena with performances at festivals in Norway, Germany and the Czech Republic. In September 2007, the band went on a South American tour of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
and Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
with Belphegor
Belphegor (band)
Belphegor is a blackened death metal band from Salzburg, Austria. They originally formed in 1991 under the name Betrayer before changing their name in 1993. They are named after the demon Belphegor.-Early years :...
. These would be the last Gorgoroth concerts to feature Gaahl and King.
Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt (2007 onward)
In October 2007, Infernus announced the decision of Gaahl and King ov Hell to part ways on the band's official MyspaceMyspace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page. Gaahl and King claimed that they had "fired" Infernus from Gorgoroth and claimed the rights to the name of the band, with King having made a trademark application the previous month. This dispute was concluded in March 2009 when a court verdict was announced, which recognised Infernus as the legitimate user of the name and that Gaahl and King had excluded themselves from Gorgoroth upon attempting to remove the founding member.
Shortly after parting ways with Gaahl and King, Infernus said that he was in the process of finishing and preparing the material he reportedly started in October 2006 and was first reported writing when he was released on parole in March 2007, declaring the title to be Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt
Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt
Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt is the eighth studio album by Norwegian black metal band Gorgoroth. It was released in October 2009 through Regain Records....
, to be released on Regain Records. He also stated that future live performances would minimalise use of the Gorgoroth songs written between 2002 and 2004 (although only three songs by King ov Hell and two by Kvitrafn - four of which had lyrics written by Gaahl - were ever performed live), and that priority would be given to both older and brand new material. In December 2007, he revealed Tomas Asklund and Frank Watkins
Frank Watkins
Frank Watkins is an American heavy metal musician best known as the former bass player for the death metal band Obituary. As of September 2010, Watkins is no longer a member of the band...
had joined Gorgoroth as drummer and bassist, respectively. Watkins later took the stage name "Bøddel", which is the Norwegian word for "Executioner".
In April 2008, Infernus announced he was to depart for Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
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....
, where the next few months were spent rehearsing the material for Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt in Tomas Asklund's Monolith Studio.
The controversial 2004 Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
concert was finally released on DVD in June 2008, more than 4 years after its recording. It was released by Metal Mind Productions
Metal Mind Productions
Metal Mind Productions is a Polish record label founded in 1987. Currently it is one of the lead independent labels in Poland with over 1000 of licences and over 10 million of data mediums sold. The label focuses mainly on rock and heavy metal genres...
under the title Black Mass Krakow 2004
Black Mass Krakow 2004
Black Mass Krakow 2004 is a live concert DVD by Norwegian black metal band, Gorgoroth. It was released on June 9th in Europe and on July 8th in the US. The DVD features the band's controversial 2004 concert that was filmed in a TV studio in Kraków, Poland...
, and entered the Norwegian music DVD chart at position 4 in its first week of release. It remained in the charts for five weeks, peaking at a number 3 position.
On May 30, 2008, Regain Records announced the June 2008 release of True Norwegian Black Metal - Live in Grieghallen
True Norwegian Black Metal - Live in Grieghallen
-Credits:*Infernus - guitars & bass *Gaahl - vocals*Teloch - session guitars*Garghuf - session drumsAll music and lyrics by Infernus, except track 1 , track 2 and track 4 ....
, a new Gorgoroth album which had been recorded live in studio in mid-October 2007. The recording line-up consisted of Infernus on guitars and bass, Gaahl on vocals, Teloch on session guitars, and Garghuf on session drums. However, ostensibly in part due to the circumstances of the ongoing name dispute, the distribution of the album was temporarily halted in July 2008, with the final decision to be made in a yet-to-be announced trial in Sweden.
Infernus also announced in August that a pre-recording for Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt was made with guitars, bass and drums. After having spent the previous few months rehearsing in Monolith Studio, Infernus said that he was working on arrangements with assistance from former Gorgoroth guitarist Tormentor.
In September 2008, Infernus announced Tormentor had accepted his offer to rejoin Gorgoroth, together with Tomas Asklund and Bøddel. On December 4, 2008, it was announced that Pest had returned as the vocalist.
Shortly after the conclusion of the Gorgoroth name dispute, recording of Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt began when Tomas Asklund commenced with the drum tracks in Monolith Studio. Infernus "manually recorded six basic guitars" for the album, and Bøddel and Pest recorded bass and vocals respectively in June.
In May 2009, it was announced that Gorgoroth would play live again on August 29, 2009, at the 10th anniversary edition of the Hole in the Sky
Hole in the Sky
Hole in the Sky was a metal festival located in Bergen, Norway that was arranged in the end of August each year from 2000 to 2011.It was arranged for the first time in 2000, in honor of the then recently deceased Erik "Grim" Brødreskift - ex-member of Borknagar, Gorgoroth and Immortal...
festival in Bergen, Norway. This would be the band's first live appearance since September 2007.
In late June 2009, it was announced that the vocals on True Norwegian Black Metal - Live in Grieghallen
True Norwegian Black Metal - Live in Grieghallen
-Credits:*Infernus - guitars & bass *Gaahl - vocals*Teloch - session guitars*Garghuf - session drumsAll music and lyrics by Infernus, except track 1 , track 2 and track 4 ....
were rerecorded by Pest. A week later the release dates and track listing for Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt were revealed.
At the band's headlining concert at the Hole in the Sky festival on August 29 the set list consisted mainly of older material, including two songs off the Pentagram album which had not been performed live since October 1997. The band also performed live, for the very first time, the new song "Aneuthanasia" off Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt. Gorgoroth also performed at UKA 2009
UKA
UKA is the largest cultural festival in Norway and is arrangedevery other year entirely by volunteer students from Trondheim. In 2007, 1394 students did volunteer work, while 78,000 event tickets were sold....
in Trondheim, Norway, on October 19, 2009. This concert coincided with the release of Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt.
Upon its release the album was well received, with many reviewers commenting on the band's return to its roots, comparing the album with earlier releases like Antichrist (1996). It was revealed in October 2009 that work on the follow-up to Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt, including rehearsals by Infernus and Tomas Asklund in Stockholm, had taken place around that time. On April 1, 2010, it was officially announced that half of the yet-to-be-titled new album had been prerecorded in pre-production form, and that work on the album would continue through the year in between touring and festival appearances, with a tentative 2011 release date.
In April 2010 Gorgoroth embarked on a mini-tour of Europe consisting of five dates in Germany as well as one each in France, Belgium, Italy and Holland, to promote Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt. The band also performed at five European festivals in summer 2010: Germany's Summer Breeze Open Air
Summer Breeze Open Air
Summer Breeze Open Air is a heavy metal music festival in Germany. It takes place annually in Dinkelsbühl, Bavaria. It was first held in 1997. The festival had been held in Abtsgmünd until 2006 when it was moved to its new location of Dinkelsbühl. The festival draws around 40,000 attendees annually...
festival,
the Ragnarök Festival
Ragnarök Festival
Ragnarök Festival is a pagan metal festival held annually in Germany since 2004 founded by Ivo Raab. It started out as a small one night festival with only regional bands in the town hall of Hollfeld. In 2005 it was decided to go for a festival featuring mostly Viking and pagan metal with the...
in Germany, Brutal Assault
Brutal assault
Brutal Assault is an extreme metal open-air music festival taking place in the 18th century army Fortress Josefov in Jaroměř, Czech Republic. It takes place each August traditionally on a Thursday, Friday and Saturday in the beginning of the month. The festival was started in 1995 featuring mostly...
in the Czech Republic, Bloodstock Open Air
Bloodstock Open Air
Bloodstock Open Air is a heavy metal festival held annually at Catton Hall in Walton-upon-Trent, England, since 2005. Previous line-ups have included bands such as Opeth , Children of Bodom , Nightwish , Cradle of Filth , Testament , Arch Enemy , Europe and Twisted Sister .Originally on one stage...
in the UK, and the Finnish festival Jalometalli
Jalometalli Metal Music Festival
Jalometalli Metal Music Festival is a heavy metal festival held annually in Finland since 2002. The festival has mainly old school thrash metal and death and black metal bands.-2004:Held on August 20 and August 21 at Kuusisaari in Oulu.August 20:...
. In September 2010, Gorgoroth embarked on a mini-tour in South America and were announced to be touring Europe again in November 2010 after switching to Massive Music booking agency.
It was announced in October 2010 that the band was about to put the finishing touches on a re-recording of their 1997 release Under the Sign of Hell, with a probable early-to-mid 2011 release date, as well as giving a tentative late 2011 release date for the next album containing newly written material.
Suppression of lyrics and tablature
Gorgoroth not only refuses to publish their lyrics - and in some cases tablature, but also actively suppresses any public showings of fan-written reconstructions. The reason for this suppression is not fully known, though Infernus has expressed disdain towards the prospect of material being covered by other bands, among other reasons. The metal-lyric website Darklyrics.com contains the message “Gorgoroth lyrics removed due to copyright complaint by the band,” in lieu of any actual lyrics. Lyricsondemand.com displays a cease-and-desist message from Arne Beckmann of Prophecies Publishing which reads as follows:
"Dear siteowners,
Please note that I am writing on behalf of Prophecies Publishing (PP) and as their business manager. PP is the official music publishing company of the band Gorgoroth.
The band has requested us to take care of a removal of their lyrics from your website.
Herewith we request you to remove any lyrics of the band Gorgoroth from your systems immediately, but not later than 18th Feb 2004.
Please be aware that we will undertake any necessary steps (even legal steps) to enforce this.
This is nothing against you and your business or dedication, but you will understand that we as music publisher of the band will have to enforce the copyright as desired by the songwriters.
Since you did not license the lyrics you violate international copyright laws and conventions.
With best regards,
Arne Beckmann
Prophecies Publishing"
Band members
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Kjetil-Vidar Haraldstad Kjetil-Vidar Haraldstad , was born on June 28, 1973 in Øyer, Oppland, Norway, and is the drummer in the black metal bands Satyricon and 1349.... - drums |
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Apollyon (musician) Apollyon is a black metal/thrash metal multi-instrumentalist, formerly associated with Dødheimsgard and Cadaver, now playing in Aura Noir and also Immortal after its reforming in 2006. He has done guest vocals on the Darkthrone albums Plaguewielder and Sardonic Wrath, and also on Audiopain's EP 1986... - live guitars |
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Apollyon (musician) Apollyon is a black metal/thrash metal multi-instrumentalist, formerly associated with Dødheimsgard and Cadaver, now playing in Aura Noir and also Immortal after its reforming in 2006. He has done guest vocals on the Darkthrone albums Plaguewielder and Sardonic Wrath, and also on Audiopain's EP 1986... - live guitars Kjetil-Vidar Haraldstad Kjetil-Vidar Haraldstad , was born on June 28, 1973 in Øyer, Oppland, Norway, and is the drummer in the black metal bands Satyricon and 1349.... - live drums |
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Discography
Studio albums- Pentagram (1994)
- Antichrist (1996)
- Under the Sign of HellUnder the Sign of Hell-Original release:Gorgoroth*Ares – bass guitar on track 1*Grim – drums*Infernus – guitars, bass guitar *Pest – vocalsProduction*Recorded in spring 1996 in Grieghallen lydstudio.*Infernus – production*Pytten – production...
(1997) - DestroyerDestroyer (Gorgoroth album)- Personnel :*Ares - bass *Daimonion - synth *Frost - drums *Gaahl - vocals *Infernus - guitars , bass , vocals , drums...
(1998) - Incipit SatanIncipit SatanIncipit Satan is the fifth full-length album by Norwegian black metal band Gorgoroth. It was released in February 2000 through Nuclear Blast and reissued in 2006 by Back on Black Records.The music was written entirely by guitarists Infernus and Tormentor...
(2000) - Twilight of the IdolsTwilight of the Idols (album)Twilight of the Idols is the sixth album by Norwegian black metal band Gorgoroth. It was released in 2003 through Nuclear Blast and reissued in 2006 through Back on Black Records....
(2003) - Ad Majorem Sathanas GloriamAd Majorem Sathanas Gloriam- Credits :Musicians:* Gaahl – vocals* Infernus – guitars* King ov Hell – bass* Frost – drums Other personnel:* Mixed by Gorgoroth and Herbrand Larsen in Bergen....
(2006) - Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem TrahuntQuantos Possunt ad Satanitatem TrahuntQuantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt is the eighth studio album by Norwegian black metal band Gorgoroth. It was released in October 2009 through Regain Records....
(2009) - Under the Sign of Hell 2011Under the Sign of Hell-Original release:Gorgoroth*Ares – bass guitar on track 1*Grim – drums*Infernus – guitars, bass guitar *Pest – vocalsProduction*Recorded in spring 1996 in Grieghallen lydstudio.*Infernus – production*Pytten – production...
(2011)