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Fenriz Name: Gylve Nagell Darkthrone: Drums Bands: Storm, Isengard, Valhall, Neptun Towers, Black Death (former Darkthrone) Sessions: Ulver |
Nocturno Culto Name: Ted Skjellum Darkthrone: Vocals, guitars Bands: Black Death (former Darkthrone) Sessions: Satyricon, Mactätus |
| BIOGRAPHY Back in 1986, a band was formed in Oslo, Norway. The band existed of four members, Gylve Nagell, Ted Skjellum, Ivar Enger and Dag Nilsen. The band they had formed, called Black Death played death metal, with allot of satanic lyrics. It took until 1988 for them to release a demo, and by then they had renamed the band to Darkthrone, the name which they still go by. Anyway, the first demo they released was called 'Land of Frost'. Later the same year, they also released a promo with only 2 songs, which they called 'A New Dimension'. Well, they didn't land a record deal on any of those two releases, so in 1989 they entered the studio to record another demo. The result was 'Thulcandra', which was another 2 tracks release. Later that year they released yet another demo, 'Cromlech'. They sent that demo and a recording of a recent rehearsal to the english label Peaceville. After some weeks, Peaceville wrote back and said that they wanted Darkthrone to sign for them. Fenriz has stated that signing for Peaceville was a dream come true for him, and at just 18 years of age. In 1990 Darkthrone entered Sunlight Studios in Stockholm, Sweden to record their first album, which was to be called 'Soulside Journey'. Fenriz called the studio "Morris-sound of Scandinavia", due to the fact that most of the great Swedish band recorded their albums there. This album featured all the songs from the 'Cromlech' demo and one song from the 'Thulcandra' demo, and also 6 new songs. The result was a pretty good technical death metal album, with quite good sound quality. Gylve called himself Hank Amarillo on this release, due to the fact that he didn't believe that anyone could pronounce his name as it should be pronounced. The album was dedicated to the entire death metal scene. After releasing 'Soulside Journey', Darkthrone started to write material to another death metal album, but during the time they were still rehearsing/writing these songs, Ted and Ivar came to the conclusion that the death metal scene had become to trendy, and that they should change the musical direction of the band to black metal, that had newly been rediscovered by Euronymous's band Mayhem. There were of course also other sources of inspiration, like Celtic Frost, old Bathory and others. So the material they had been writing was never used. Not until 1994, when they realized that the material they had been writing was to good to be left aside. So they just added some vocals. Satyr visited on that album with screams on 'Rex' and 'Sadomasochistic Rites'. There is also a female voice on that album, but I have no information on who it might be that are doing them. On the 'Total Death' website you can read that some people believe that it's actually Fenriz singing falsetto. I believe that it's a female though... The album was called 'Goatlord', and was released on Moonfog in 1996. Most of the lyrics on this album, can also be found on Darkthrone's third album, 'Under a Funeral Moon', but some of them were written exclusively for this piece of art. After changing their musical direction from technical death metal to black metal, Darkthrone didn't wait long to release their second album, called 'A Blaze in the Northern Sky' which was released in 1991. Now nothing was the same. The cover was all black and white, the members now used corpse paint on the pictures, and they had also gotten themselves aliases. Gylve Nagell had become Fenriz, Ted Skjellum now was Nocturno Culto and Ivar Enger was Zephyrous. Dag Nilsen, who didn't like the way the band was going now, left the band after doing session-bass on this album. I read in an interview with Fenriz that Nilsen actually showed up with his new, fancy Marshall amp and stuff and thought they would let him play on it. But they just told him that he wasn't gonna play on that fancy crap, as this was black metal they were recording... According to Fenriz, Nilsen was very disappointed by this. Hehe. Fenriz has many times stated that this is actually Darkthrone's first album, as there are two Darkthrone's. One that was born in 1986 and died after 'Soulside Journey', and one that was born in 1991, and that this was the first album released by the 'new' Darkthrone. This album was eternally dedicated to Euronymous of Mayhem. The entire death metal scene, that the first album had been dedicated too, they no longer wanted part of, and they often stated how much they hated that particular scene. Many of their old fans from their death metal days now become frightened by their new sound, which was cold, grim and ugly, but others came to like their change of style. A new era was born... It took 2 years until Darkthrone released their next album, 'Under a Funeral Moon'. This album followed in the same path as 'A Blaze in the Northern Sky', but with an even grimmer production. Dag Nilsen had now left the band for good, and Nocturno Culto took over the bass guitar. Again, many were frightened by this release. Most people could just not understand why they would want to have such bad sound quality on their albums, or why all the riffs have to be so repetive. But of course, this was just what Darkthrone wanted. They didn't want the regular metal head to like their music. This music was only dedicated to those who really deserved it. You can't just listen to a Darkthrone album, don't like it, and think that you'll like it after a couple of times. This is not the way Darkthrone's music works... If you don't like it at the first listen, don't bother. It was also on this album Darkthrone for the first time made the statement "True Norwegian Black Metal" to describe their music, and as this album was the first one for Darkthrone that didn't include one single death metal riff, as 'A Blaze in the Northern Sky' actually did, this was the first true norwegian black metal release. In the booklet you can read, "Thanks to the Brazilian Deathsquadrones. Keep up the Maliciousness!!! This album is for the Norwegian Black Metal Mafia." In 1994 it was time again. This time the title was 'Transilvanain Hunger'. On the 'Total Death' website you can read that the title for this album may be a reference to the death of the former vocalist in Mayhem, Dead. He wore an I Love Transilvania shirt while blowing his brains out. There we have the Transilvania part. Euronymous of Mayhem also said that he actually ate parts of Dead's brain when he had killed himself. Thus, hunger for Transilvania... 'Transilvanian Hunger'... You get the point. The lyrics on this album are mostly in Norwegian, and half of them are written by Varg Vikernes (a.k.a Count Grishnackh) of Burzum. At the end of the song 'As Flittermice As Satans Spys' the famous "In the name of God, let the churches burn" backwards message can be found. This album has an even worse production than any of their earlier releases. I always thought that they recorded this album on a 4-track portastudio, but Vermin of the 'Total Death' website informed recently that if you listen closely you will hear that they actually use 5 tracks... guitars in left and right speakers + bass, drums and vocals. Darkthrone had to face a lot of problems when this album was to be released. First, the back cover of this album says "Norwegian Aryan Black Metal" (or rather, Norsk Arisk Black Metal) And on top of that, Peaceville, the english label that Darkthrone was still on at the moment, at first didn't want to release this album, because of the statement "We would like to state that 'Transilvanian Hunger' stands beyond any criticism. If any man should attempt to criticize this LP, he should be thorougly patronized for his obviously jewish behavior" by Fenriz, that he wanted Peaceville to add on the sleeve to the album. After Peaceville refused to release the album because of the statement, Darkthrone came out with a press release to defend themselves, saying that the word "jew" is commonly used in Norway as another word for idiot etc. Later in 1994, it was time for the next album to be released, called 'Panzerfaust'. Darkthrone had now left Peaceville for norwegian label Moonfog, which is run by Sigurd Wongraven (a.k.a Satyr) of Satyricon. The reason for this, I am not entirely sure of. Perhaps it was because their contract with Peaceville had gone out after 4 albums, or perhaps it was as some people say, that they only wanted to work with Norwegians. And as Fenriz and Satyr are good friends, and as Moonfog has quite a good reputation in the black metal scene, of course they choose to sign them. This album was also dedicated to Satyr. This album is very inspired by Celtic Frost. Some of the songs even sound like if they were Celtic Frost rip-offs. But of course, some songs are in the same good old Darkthrone style. Varg Vikernes of Burzum, helped with the lyrics on this album as well, but only for one song called 'Quintessence'. The riffs in this song is also featured on Storm's album 'Nordavind', on the song 'Noresgard'. I don't know if it was Darkthrone that took it from Storm, or the other way around, as both albums were released in 1994, and it doesn't say anywhere. A Panzerfaust is in fact an anti-tank weapon, used by the germans in WWII. If you translate the word from german to english it means "Tank-fist". Thanks to the 'Total Death' website for that information. The statements by Darkthrone on the back cover are this time not only "True Norwegian Black Metal" and "Unholy Black Metal", but also "The Most Hated Band In The World" which may well have been true with all the bullshit floating around after Fenriz' statement on 'Transilvanian Hunger' about them being a nazi-band. In the booklet though, they state that they are CERTAINLY not a nazi-band, and that those who might still think so can lick mother Mary's asshole in eternity. After the release of 'Panzerfaust', Zephyrous left the band under very mystical circumstances. It is not known if he played at all on that album, as the album itself says nothing about who did what, as on 'Transilvanian Hunger'. Some people thought he was dead, some that he had moved from Norway etc. Many rumours were going. Nocturno Culto has said that he did not want to talk about this because of it it's cruel nature... For those who thinks he's dead though, Fenriz has said he's alive, and that he actually came to see the last Darkthrone gig ever, in Oslo on the 6th of April 1996. Why he left the band though, I don't think anyone except Fenriz and Nocturno Culto will ever know... In 1995 Fenriz and Nocturno Culto recorded their to this day last album (as Goatlord really isn't a new album), called 'Total Death'. The style of this album is more like their earlier releases, but with a little more 'trashy' sound. Many people that are new to Darkthrone like this album best, as it has better sound quality than the old releases, and more variety in the music. But many of the older fans, didn't like it as much... Keep in mind, that Zephyrous was no longer part of the band, and thus Darkthrone couldn't rehearse as much as a band may need. It is not easy with only two members. For the lyrics on this album, Darkthrone gathered people from the black metal scene in Norway. Together with Nocturno Culto, "famous" artists as Ihsahn of Emperor, Satyr of Satyricon and Garm of Ulver wrote the lyrics. (These were not the only ones that wrote for this album though). In 1996 the 'Goatlord' album was released. I have already told you about this album earlier in this biography, and I don't think I have anything more to add about it. Fenriz, that's always been the front person in Darkthrone, has said that it's now Nocturno Culto that runs things, as he was the one that got them together again. Their new album 'Ravishing Grimness' was recorded in 4 days. Darkthrone once again showed who are the true kings of Black Metal.... ÆRE VÆRE DARKTHRONE!!!!!! |