Immortal is a Norwegian black metal band from Bergen. The group was founded in 1991 by frontman and guitarist (originally bassist) Abbath Doom Occulta (Olve Eikemo) and guitarist Demonaz Doom Occulta (Harald Nævdal). The pair worked with various drummers (including Grim, Armagedda and Hellhammer), and were joined by former drummer Horgh (Reidar Horghagen) in 1996. In March 2015, Abbath announced his departure from the group following a dispute with the other members. He formed a new band, also called Abbath. It was reported that following Abbath's departure, the band would split up. However, in August 2015, Demonaz and Horgh said that the band would continue without Abbath. Demonaz returned to playing guitar with the band for the first time since 1997, and would sing as well. Northern Chaos Gods was officially released on July 6, 2018 through Nuclear Blast Records. Although the band has been a trio for most of its history, several albums have been recorded as a duo, with varying combinations of Abbath, Demonaz, and Horgh. In 2016, the staff of Loudwire named them the 44th-best metal band of all time.
Top Tracks
Releases in the Catalogue
- Immortal - Live at Wacken 2007 The Seventh Date Of Blashyrkh -
NB-2511-9(2010)
Members
Current
Former
- Olve Eikemo - Guitars, Vocals
- Reidar Horghagen - Drums
- Erik Brødreskift
- Gerhard Herfindal
- Iscariah
- Jørn Inge Tunsberg
- Ole Moe
History
From the en.wikipedia article Immortal (band) (CC BY-SA 4.0), revision 1377350736.
Blizzard Beasts and At the Heart of Winter (1996–1999)
Blizzard Beasts, released in 1997, introduced technical thrash with shorter, tighter songs, though it contained the lengthy "Mountains of Might" and continued the themes of cold and winter. Apart from Abbath and Demonaz, Immortal did not find a stable lineup until 1996, when drummer Horgh joined. He is credited on the album Blizzard Beasts. In 1997, Demonaz suffered acute tendinitis in his arm and was unable to play. Abbath took over guitar. Demonaz continued writing lyrics and has been a manager for the band, accompanying them on tour, releasing updates, and giving interviews. Abbath and Horgh wrote and recorded At the Heart of Winter. Immortal's early full-length releases were traditional black metal. At the Heart of Winter marks the period when the band began to experiment with a fusion of black metal and German thrash metal, resulting in the sound of Immortal's later works. During the tours for this album, the band recruited bassist Iscariah and made him a full-time member. Erik "Grim" Brødreskift committed suicide in 1999. Grim appeared on the cover of Pure Holocaust and is credited as the drummer (though he did not play on the album), and toured with Immortal. The band frequently headlined the Hole in the Sky festival in his memory.
Damned in Black and Sons of Northern Darkness (2000–2003)
The next album, Damned in Black, resembled their old style. It was well received, but is frequently overlooked for coming between At the Heart of Winter and Sons of Northern Darkness. In 2000, the EP Immortal was repackaged as part of the True Kings of Norway compilation by Spinefarm Records. That year, Immortal signed with Nuclear Blast, which didn't affect their style, as evidenced by Sons of Northern Darkness. Two months later, Iscariah left the band and was replaced with Saroth for the next few months. They appeared at Wacken Open Air in August of 2002.
Split (2003–2007)
Immortal split during the summer of 2003 for personal reasons. Following the split, Abbath worked on new material that same year. He enlisted Enslaved guitarist Ice Dale (Arve Isdal), Gorgoroth bassist King ov Hell, and original Immortal drummer Armagedda for a new band named I, while Demonaz wrote the lyrics. The band released Between Two Worlds in November 2006. In early June 2006, German magazine Rock Hard reported that Abbath, Demonaz and Horgh would reform Immortal and start touring in 2007. Abbath was quoted as saying,
I didn't really want to say it, but I don't give a shit. We will come back, stronger than ever. I've met with Horgh for the first time in over a year. He's built his new house here, right around the corner. In the next few days we will begin to rehearse our old 'Blizzard Beasts' classics. I'm already really hot on the idea. Immortal are timeless frost. One year more or less doesn't make a difference. We have all the time in the world.
Reunion and All Shall Fall (2007–2014)
In 2007, Immortal reunited for a string of summer shows. They headlined the Inferno Festival in April, the Tuska Open Air festival in June/July, Metal Camp festival in July, and the Wacken Open Air festival in August. They performed twice in the United States in July 2007. Filling in as bassist for these dates was Aura Noir bassist Apollyon. Immortal toured Australia and New Zealand in March 2008.
After the reunion, Abbath and Horgh reformed the band permanently. Demonaz confirmed this in an interview with Eternal Terror. Apollyon was the permanent replacement for Iscariah, and the three began working with Demonaz on All Shall Fall, recorded in April–May 2009 and released on September 25, 2009. According to a Decibel magazine interview, work had begun on Immortal's ninth album, stating in the article that "four new songs already in the works for a follow-up to All Shall Fall". Abbath and Demonaz were interviewed in the 2009 American documentary by Aaron Aites and Audrey Ewell, Until the Light Takes Us.
Legal Battle, Abbath's Exit, and Northern Chaos Gods (2014–2020)
The members of Immortal were involved in a legal battle with each other over the rights to the Immortal trademark. They were also due to submit a new album to the Nuclear Blast label, though little information regarding the album and its release had been disclosed. It is confirmed, however, by Abbath that the album had been completed with the aid of various musicians. In March 2015, Abbath left Immortal as a result of this conflict and an inability to move forward. Abbath has continued to record and perform as a solo act under his name. On January 8, 2018, the band posted via Facebook an update on Immortal's upcoming ninth full-length, stating "We have put a massive amount of energy into this, and wanted to deliver our absolutely best. It has been a pleasure to finish the studio process and most of all being stoked about the final result. Peter Tägtgren has done an outstanding job in producing and mixing it. We now look forward to have it released, and are excited to share our 9th full length with you all." The album was released under Nuclear Blast Records as Northern Chaos Gods on July 6, 2018. The album features original member Demonaz on vocals and guitar. Tägtgren played bass on the album, with the exact timing of Apollyon's departure being unclear.
Legal Battle, Horgh's Exit, and War Against All (2020–present)
In August 2020, it was announced that Demonaz and Horgh were involved with a legal dispute over the rights to the band's name. Demonaz had registered the name with the Norwegian Patent Office as his exclusive trademark in July 2019, which was approved; however, Horgh chose to appeal the registration, and the matter was ruled in his favor, meaning that Demonaz no longer has the exclusive right to the Immortal name. Horgh was unaware of the initial sole registration made by Demonaz. On October 24, 2022, the band announced that their tenth studio album, War Against All, would be released in 2023. It was also revealed that Demonaz was listed as the only member of the band, indicating that he won the dispute of the rights to the band's name against Horgh. In March 2023, the band released the title track to the album, which was revealed to be coming out on May 26.
Lyrical Style
Immortal's lyrics are based on an overall theme, a realm called Blashyrkh which is said to be "demon-and-battle-filled" and a "fusion of gothic, Nordic, and heroic themes." The idea for Blashyrkh came about from Demonaz and Abbath's feelings of isolation living in Bergen. They created Blashyrkh to mirror those feelings, basing it on Norway, including "winter landscapes", "the woods, the mountains, the darkness, the fog", and "glacial valleys". When writing lyrics, the band's lyricist Demonaz often takes long walks in the Norwegian countryside near his hometown of Bergen for inspiration. Unlike many early black metal bands, Immortal does not have satanic-themed lyrics, opting instead for basing the genre's inherent concepts of darkness and evil in the fantasy setting of Blashyrkh. However, on the band's first album, there were a few satanic references but without any lyrics attacking religion.
Current
Demonaz Doom Occulta (Harald Nævdal) – lyrics (1991–present), guitars (1991–1997, 2015–present), vocals (2015–present)
Former
Abbath Doom Occulta (Olve Eikemo) – vocals (1991–2003, 2006–2015), guitars (1998–2003, 2006–2015), bass (1991–1998), studio drums (1993–1995) Jørn Inge Tunsberg – guitars (1991) Armagedda (Gerhard Herfindal) – drums (1991–1992) Grim (Erik Brødreskift) – drums (1993–1994; died 1999) Horgh (Reidar Horghagen) – drums (1996–2003, 2006–2022) Iscariah (Stian Smørholm) – bass (1999–2002) Apollyon (Ole Jørgen Moe) – bass (2007–2015)
Live
Kolgrim (a.k.a. Padden) (Jan Atle Åserød) – drums (1992–1993) Hellhammer (Jan Axel Blomberg) – drums (1995) Ares (Ronny Hovland) – bass (1998) Saroth (Yngve Liljebäck) – bass (2002–2003)
Sources
- Wikidata entity Q208417.
- en.wikipedia, Immortal (band) (revision 1377350736), CC BY-SA 4.0.
- ja.wikipedia, イモータル (バンド) (revision 100069888), CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photograph: Immortal.jpg - Press shot via Deezer (artist 7702).