Olve Eikemo
Encyclopedia
Olve Eikemo better known by his stage name Abbath Doom Occulta, is a Norwegian
composer
, vocalist
, guitarist
, bassist
, keyboardist
, drummer
, and one of the founding members of the black metal
band Immortal
. Before he founded Immortal, Abbath played in a band called Old Funeral
, with future Immortal member Demonaz and Varg Vikernes
of Burzum
fame (though they were not all in the band at the same time). While working with Old Funeral, he also joined Demonaz's band Amputation which later became Immortal. He also plays bass in Demonaz's newly started project Demonaz.
Although he is primarily a guitarist, he is also proficient as a drummer, using techniques such as blast beats and double bass (as heard on the Immortal
albums Pure Holocaust
and Battles In The North
) which are highly present in black metal
.
. He started his musical career with the band Old Funeral
.
arrived that Immortal was able to secure a steady line-up, but problems continued. After the release of Blizzard Beasts
in 1997, Demonaz was diagnosed with acute tendinitis, and was consequently forced to quit as guitarist, but remained as lyricist and band manager. They released At the Heart of Winter
in 1999, this time with Abbath handling guitar and bass, with Horgh still on drums. This album marks a large shift in sound and style for the music of Immortal. In 2000 they released Damned in Black
, with Iscariah on bass. Sons of Northern Darkness
was released in 2002, with the same lineup.
Soon after the release of Sons of Northern Darkness, Immortal ceased to exist. The break-up was not caused by tensions or problems, but was rather a mutual one between all members, who claimed to do this for personal reasons.
In early June 2006, it was announced through a German Rock Hard magazine, that Abbath and Horgh would reunite as Immortal. They have begun practicing old material. In regard to when Immortal would start playing live again, Abbath is quoted saying:
They have begun to tour again, recently playing shows at the Wacken festival
in Germany
, and touring for the first time in Australia
and New Zealand
in March, 2008. The new Immortal album All Shall Fall
was released in September 2009 in Europe with a US release following a month later.
". Abbath is the frontman and guitarist
of "I" and is joined by former Immortal
drummer Armagedda on drums, Gorgoroth
bassist King ov Hell
on bass, Enslaved
guitarist Arve Isdal on guitars, and former Immortal guitarist Demonaz writing lyrics. The debut album called Between Two Worlds was released in 2006.
) is on Guitars, and Pez (Punishment Park) is on Drums. During the Inferno Metal Festival
2007, Abbath joined the German thrash metal
-band Sodom
on stage and performed a Motörhead-cover of "Ace of Spades".
He was also seen playing a Schecter Gary Holt
V-1, although it is unconfirmed if Abbath was the owner the guitar.
In an issue of Guitar World
which features an interview with him, it is mentioned that he has an endorsement deal with ESP.
Abbath uses Marshall
amps.
, from the Guitar Hero Series features much of the same clothing Abbath wears, and identical corpse paint
. The reference is more apparent in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
, as Ümlaüt's hair is jet black (rather than blond) just like Abbath.
Abbath, along with Horgh
, has become a minor internet meme after various promotional pictures became the subject of countless Photoshops and macros due to their over-the-top appearance.
Jester King Brewery in Austin, TX has a character similar to Abbath on the label of their Imperial Stout.
Unofficial websites:
|-
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, vocalist
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
, keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
, drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
, and one of the founding members of the 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 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...
. Before he founded Immortal, Abbath played in a band called Old Funeral
Old Funeral
Old Funeral was a black/death metal band from Bergen, Norway.Old Funeral was one of the first bands to form in the Norwegian extreme metal scene, getting its start in 1988...
, with future Immortal member Demonaz and Varg Vikernes
Varg Vikernes
Varg Vikernes is a Norwegian black metal musician, writer, philosopher, religious and political activist, arsonist and convicted murderer.Vikernes was born near Bergen, Norway. In 1991, he founded the one-man music project Burzum, which quickly became popular within the early Norwegian black metal...
of Burzum
Burzum
Burzum is a musical project by Varg Vikernes . It began during 1991 in Bergen, Norway and quickly became prominent within the early Norwegian black metal scene...
fame (though they were not all in the band at the same time). While working with Old Funeral, he also joined Demonaz's band Amputation which later became Immortal. He also plays bass in Demonaz's newly started project Demonaz.
Although he is primarily a guitarist, he is also proficient as a drummer, using techniques such as blast beats and double bass (as heard on the 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...
albums Pure Holocaust
Pure Holocaust
-Personnel:*Demonaz Doom Occulta – guitars*Abbath Doom Occulta – bass, drums, vocals*Grim is credited for drums on the album and appears on the cover, however drums were played by Abbath.-External links:* * *...
and Battles In The North
Battles in the North
- Misprint :On some editions of this album, most notably on iTunes, many tracks are mislabelled. The songs play in the order shown above, but the song titles are given as follows:# Battles in the North# At the Stormy Gates of Mist# Through the Halls of Eternity...
) which are highly present in 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....
.
Early life
Eikemo grew up in Lysefjorden in Os just outside Bergen in Norway. As a young boy he was a great fan of the band KissKISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
. He started his musical career with the band Old Funeral
Old Funeral
Old Funeral was a black/death metal band from Bergen, Norway.Old Funeral was one of the first bands to form in the Norwegian extreme metal scene, getting its start in 1988...
.
Immortal
Immortal's history begins in 1989 as death metal band Amputation. At various times throughout Immortal's existence, Abbath was lead vocalist, bassist, guitarist, keyboardist, drummer, and lyricist, mainly due to the inconsistent line-ups they were able to put together. For a long period of time, however, Abbath served the band as vocalist, bassist and (studio) drummer while Demonaz played lead guitar. It was not until HorghHorgh
Horgh is a Norwegian drummer, currently playing for Swedish death metal band Hypocrisy and Norwegian black metal band Immortal....
arrived that Immortal was able to secure a steady line-up, but problems continued. After the release of Blizzard Beasts
Blizzard Beasts
- Personnel :* Abbath Doom Occulta - bass, vocals* Demonaz Doom Occulta - guitar* Horgh - drums- Charts :- External links :* *...
in 1997, Demonaz was diagnosed with acute tendinitis, and was consequently forced to quit as guitarist, but remained as lyricist and band manager. They released At the Heart of Winter
At the Heart of Winter
- Personnel :* Abbath Doom Occulta – guitar, bass, synths, vocals* Horgh – drums* Demonaz Doom Occulta – lyrics- External links :* * *...
in 1999, this time with Abbath handling guitar and bass, with Horgh still on drums. This album marks a large shift in sound and style for the music of Immortal. In 2000 they released Damned in Black
Damned in Black
Damned in Black is the sixth album by the Norwegian black metal band, Immortal, and the first album where Iscariah plays the bass, the bassist/vocalist of the band Dead To This World...
, with Iscariah on bass. Sons of Northern Darkness
Sons of Northern Darkness
-Bonus DVD:Recorded with a handy cam by Achim Köhler, May 2, 2003 during the Metal Gods Tour, live at B.B. King's in New York.# "Wrath from Above"# "Damned in Black"# "One by One"# "Tyrants "# "Tyrants "# "Solarfall"# "Beyond the North Waves"...
was released in 2002, with the same lineup.
Soon after the release of Sons of Northern Darkness, Immortal ceased to exist. The break-up was not caused by tensions or problems, but was rather a mutual one between all members, who claimed to do this for personal reasons.
In early June 2006, it was announced through a German Rock Hard magazine, that Abbath and Horgh would reunite as Immortal. They have begun practicing old material. In regard to when Immortal would start playing live again, Abbath is quoted saying:
They have begun to tour again, recently playing shows at the Wacken festival
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 Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and touring for the first time in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in March, 2008. The new Immortal album All Shall Fall
All Shall Fall
- Personnel :* Abbath Doom Occulta – guitar, vocals* Apollyon – bass* Horgh – drums* Demonaz Doom Occulta – lyrics* Are Mundal – "Unearthly Kingdom" introAdditional personnel* Immortal – production* Peter Tägtgren – production, mixing* Pytten – engineering...
was released in September 2009 in Europe with a US release following a month later.
I
In 2006, Abbath started a new band called simply, "II (band)
I is a Norwegian heavy metal supergroup formed in 2006 in Norway. I contains members from various black metal bands; Immortal , Gorgoroth , and Enslaved...
". Abbath is the frontman and guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
of "I" and is joined by former 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...
drummer Armagedda on drums, Gorgoroth
Gorgoroth
Gorgoroth is a Norwegian black metal band based in Bergen. Formed in 1992 by Infernus , 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...
bassist King ov Hell
King ov Hell
Tom Cato Visnes , better known as King ov Hell or simply King, is a Norwegian musician and ex-teacher. He is best known as the former bassist of black metal band Gorgoroth, but he is also the co-founder of Ov Hell, God Seed, Jotunspor, Sahg and I...
on bass, 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...
guitarist Arve Isdal on guitars, and former Immortal guitarist Demonaz writing lyrics. The debut album called Between Two Worlds was released in 2006.
Bömbers
Bömbers is a Motörhead tribute band formed in 1996. Abbath provides the vocals and bass, Tore (ex-Old FuneralOld Funeral
Old Funeral was a black/death metal band from Bergen, Norway.Old Funeral was one of the first bands to form in the Norwegian extreme metal scene, getting its start in 1988...
) is on Guitars, and Pez (Punishment Park) is on Drums. During the Inferno Metal Festival
Inferno Metal Festival
Inferno Metal Festival is an annual extreme metal festival in Oslo, Norway. The festival was founded by Borknagar guitarist Jens F. Ryland in cooperation with Radar Booking in 2001 and take place at Rockefeller Music Hall.-2011:...
2007, Abbath joined the German thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
-band Sodom
Sodom (band)
Sodom is a German Thrash metal trio from Gelsenkirchen, formed in 1981.Along with the bands Kreator and Destruction, Sodom is considered one of the "big three" of Teutonic thrash metal...
on stage and performed a Motörhead-cover of "Ace of Spades".
Equipment
- ESP LTD V-401DX (with Seymour Duncan pickups)
- ESP LTD DV8-R (modified to accept a Floyd RoseFloyd RoseThe Floyd Rose Locking Tremolo, or simply Floyd Rose, is a type of locking vibrato arm for a guitar. The first of its kind, Floyd D. Rose invented the locking vibrato in 1977, and it is now manufactured by a company of the same name...
tremolo system) - GHL Jackson Randy RhoadsRandy RhoadsRandall William "Randy" Rhoads was an American heavy metal guitarist who played with Ozzy Osbourne and Quiet Riot. A devoted student of classical guitar, Rhoads often combined his classical music influences with his own heavy metal style. While on tour with Ozzy Osbourne, he would seek out...
copy
He was also seen playing a Schecter Gary Holt
Gary Holt (musician)
Gary Wayne Holt is an American guitarist from the San Francisco Bay Area. He is the lead guitarist of Exodus.-Biography:...
V-1, although it is unconfirmed if Abbath was the owner the guitar.
In an issue of Guitar World
Guitar World
Guitar World is a monthly music magazine devoted to guitarists. It contains original interviews, album and gear reviews and guitar and bass tablature of approximately five songs each month. The magazine is published 13 times per year...
which features an interview with him, it is mentioned that he has an endorsement deal with ESP.
Abbath uses Marshall
Marshall Amplification
Marshall Amplification is a British company, founded by drummer Jim Marshall, that designs and manufactures music amplifiers, brands personal headphones/earphones , and, after acquiring Natal Drums, drums and bongos. Marshall amplifiers, and specifically their guitar amplifiers, are among the most...
amps.
Cultural references
The character Lars ÜmlaütHeavy metal umlaut
A metal umlaut is a diaeresis that is sometimes used gratuitously or decoratively over letters in the names of hard rock or heavy metal bands—for example those of Mötley Crüe and Motörhead...
, from the Guitar Hero Series features much of the same clothing Abbath wears, and identical corpse paint
Corpse paint
Corpse paint or corpsepaint is a style of black-and-white makeup, used mainly by black metal bands during live concerts and photo shoots. The makeup is used to intensify the bands' imagery of evil, inhumanity, and corpse-like decay. It is most commonly used just on the face, but also on arms and...
. The reference is more apparent in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is a music video game, the third main installment in the Guitar Hero series, and the fourth title overall...
, as Ümlaüt's hair is jet black (rather than blond) just like Abbath.
Abbath, along with Horgh
Horgh
Horgh is a Norwegian drummer, currently playing for Swedish death metal band Hypocrisy and Norwegian black metal band Immortal....
, has become a minor internet meme after various promotional pictures became the subject of countless Photoshops and macros due to their over-the-top appearance.
Jester King Brewery in Austin, TX has a character similar to Abbath on the label of their Imperial Stout.
External links
Official websites:Unofficial websites:
|-