Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio (ORE) is a

neofolk Neofolk, also known as apocalyptic folk, is a form of experimental music blending elements of folk and industrial music, which emerged in punk rock circles in the 1980s. Neofolk may either be solely acoustic or combine acoustic folk instrumen ...

and

martial industrial Martial industrial is a syncretic offshoot of industrial music characterized by noise, dark ambient atmospheres, neofolk melodies, dark wave tunes and neoclassical orchestrations as well as the incorporation of audio from military marches, ...

music group from

Stockholm Stockholm () is the capital and largest city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 million in the metropo ...

. The band is composed of its founding member and vocalist Tomas Pettersson, and Rose-Marie Larsen, who replaced Chelsea Krook on backup vocals. In 2008 Fredrik Leijström and Ronnie Bäck joined the band on bass and guitar.

Biography

In 1993, following the discontinuation of Tomas Pettersson's previous band, Archon Satani, he decided to start a new project. This project was initially called ''Ordo Equilibrio'' and joined by Chelsea Krook, his then-girlfriend. Together they made three full-length releases and one 7". In 2001 the band had a change in line-up; Chelsea Krook was replaced by Rose-Marie Larsen. This also spawned a change in the bandname; the word ''Rosarius'' was added. The group has so far released eight albums, one 10" and a split album with Spiritual Front.

Style

The band's musical style has been described as " apocalyptic pop", a neofolk subgenre. The name ''Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio'' can be translated either as "Rose Order in Equilibrium" or "...for Equilibrium" or "...through Equilibrium" (due to the ambiguity of the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

form 'equilibrio'). The usage of Latin alludes to the naming conventions of various religious societies. In its strident, contemplative, or sombre lyrics, Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio combines seemingly incompatible polarities, such as "creation and destruction, dark and light, joy and sorrow, sex and war",. The

ontology In metaphysics, ontology is the philosophy, philosophical study of being, as well as related concepts such as existence, Becoming (philosophy), becoming, and reality. Ontology addresses questions like how entities are grouped into Category ...

of the pair could be accurately characterised as philosophically Luciferian or

Epicurean Epicureanism is a system of philosophy founded around 307 BC based upon the teachings of the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus. Epicureanism was originally a challenge to Platonism. Later its main opponent became Stoicism. Few writings by Ep ...

(often incorporating Christian/Catholic, or Thelemic themes but permuted idiosyncratically). Other areas of focus include the modern experience of present-day Europeans, kink/

BDSM BDSM is a variety of often erotic practices or roleplaying involving bondage, discipline, dominance and submission, sadomasochism, and other related interpersonal dynamics. Given the wide range of practices, some of which may be engaged ...

, parallels between cycles of nature and the human experience, and

anomie In sociology, anomie () is a social condition defined by an uprooting or breakdown of any moral values, standards or guidance for individuals to follow. Anomie is believed to possibly evolve from conflict of belief systems and causes breakdow ...

. For example, the album ''Cocktails, Carnage, Crucifixion And Pornography'' used the initials CCCP --

Latin characters The Latin script, also known as Roman script, is an alphabetic writing system based on the letters of the classical Latin alphabet, derived from a form of the Greek alphabet which was in use in the ancient Greek city of Cumae, in southern ...

that appear identical to the abbreviation in

Cyrillic The Cyrillic script ( ), Slavonic script or the Slavic script, is a writing system used for various languages across Eurasia. It is the designated national script in various Slavic, Turkic, Mongolic, Uralic, Caucasian and Iranic-speaking co ...

for the former Soviet Union—but modified n the band's analysis of 2003to indicate what Russia was becoming known for at that time (according to interviews from that period). Further sources of inspiration include

Aleister Crowley Aleister Crowley (; born Edward Alexander Crowley; 12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947) was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, painter, novelist, and mountaineer. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the pr ...

William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the Romantic poetry, poetry and visual art of t ...

, the bands

Depeche Mode Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in Basildon, Essex, in 1980. The band currently consists of Dave Gahan (lead vocals and co-songwriting) and Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, co-lead vocals and main songwriting). Depech ...

Laibach Laibach () is a Slovenian avant-garde music group associated with the industrial, martial, and neo-classical genres. Formed in the mining town of Trbovlje (at the time in Yugoslavia) in 1980, Laibach represents the musical wing of the Neue ...

, SPK,

Death In June Death in June are a neofolk group led by English musician Douglas P. (Douglas Pearce). The band was originally formed in the United Kingdom in 1981 as a trio, but after the other members left in 1984 and 1985 to work on other projects, the grou ...

Current 93 Current 93 are an English experimental music group, working since the early 1980s in folk-based musical forms. The band was founded in 1982 by David Tibet, who has been Current 93's only constant member. Background Tibet has been the only const ...

, Coil, writers

Daniil Kharms Daniil Ivanovich Kharms (russian: Дании́л Ива́нович Хармс; – 2 February 1942) was an early Soviet-era Russian avant-gardist and absurdist poet, writer and dramatist. Early years Kharms was born as Daniil Yuvach ...

and

Ayn Rand Alice O'Connor (born Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum;, . Most sources transliterate her given name as either ''Alisa'' or ''Alissa''. , 1905 – March 6, 1982), better known by her pen name Ayn Rand (), was a Russian-born American writer and p ...

and filmmakers

Tinto Brass Giovanni "Tinto" Brass (born 26 March 1933) is an Italian film director and screenwriter. In the 1960s and 1970s, he directed many critically acclaimed avant-garde films of various genres. Today, he is mainly known for his later work in the er ...

and Andrew Blake. In the initial years, the band incorporated

sadomasochism Sadomasochism ( ) is the giving and receiving of pleasure from acts involving the receipt or infliction of pain or humiliation. Practitioners of sadomasochism may seek sexual pleasure from their acts. While the terms sadist and masochist refe ...

live on stage as well.Interview with Tomas Petterson on ''Kogaionon'', by ''Metal Maniacs''
/ref> A wide range of instruments are used, including acoustic guitars, percussion and piano, together with various sound-aggregating devices combined with projected imagery. Lyrics are delivered, typically by Petterson himself, in a performance including

spoken word Spoken word refers to an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a late 20th century continuation of an ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetics o ...

and traditional song.

Discography

{, class="wikitable" ! Year !! Title !! Format !! Producer !! Catalog # , - , 1995 , , Reaping the Fallen, The First Harvest (As ''Ordo Equilibrio'') , , LP/CD , ,

Cold Meat Industry Cold Meat Industry was a Swedish independent record label established in 1987 by Roger Karmanik, which specialized in niche music genres such as dark ambient, death industrial, and neoclassical dark wave. History From its inception, Cold ...

, , CMI.32 , - , 1997 , , The Triumph of Light.... and Thy Thirteen Shadows of Love (As ''Ordo Equilibrio'') , , LP/CD , ,

, , CMI.44 , - , 1997 , , I4I (As ''Ordo Equilibrio'') , , 7" , ,

, , CMI.54 , - , 1998 , , Conquest, Love & Self Perseverance (As ''Ordo Equilibrio'') , , LP/CD , ,

, , CMI.64 , - , 2001 , , Make Love, And War; The Wedlock of Roses , , CD , ,

, , CMI.84 , - , 2001 , , Make Love, And War; The Wedlock of Equilibrium , , CD , ,

, , CMI.94 , - , 2001 , , Make Love, And War; The Wedlock of Roses, And Equilibrium , , Double-LP , ,

, , CMI.84/94 , - , 2003 , , Cocktails, Carnage, Crucifixion And Pornography , , LP/CD , ,

, , CMI.124 , - , 2005 , , Satyriasis - Somewhere Between Equilibrium And Nihilism (Split with Spiritual Front) , , CD , ,

, , CMI.144 , - , 2006 , , Apocalips , , Double-LP/CD , ,

, , CMI.141 , - , 2007 , , Four , , 10" , , Raubbau , , Raub 001 , - , 2009 , , O N A N I ractice Makes Perfect, , CD+DVD/CD/LP/Picturedisc , ,

, , CMI.191 , - , 2010 , , Do Angels Never Cry, And Heaven Never Fall? , , CD/Maxi-Single/Enhanced/Limited Edition , ,

Out Of Line Out Of Line Music is an independent record label located in Berlin, Germany. Out of Line is distributed by Rough Trade (Believe Digital) and exclusive partner to publishing giant BMG Rights Management, through sister company Edition Layer Cake. ...

, , OUT 425 , - , 2010 , , Songs 4 Hate & Devotion , , Double-LP/CD , ,

, , OUT 433 , - , 2013 , , 4Play , , CD/EP/Limited Edition/Numbered , ,

, , OUT 588 , - , 2016 , , Vision: Libertine - The Hangman's Triad, , Double-LP/CD , ,

, , OUT 786 , - , 2019 , , Let's Play (two girls and a goat) , , LP/CD , ,

, , LC 2947 , - , 2022 , , La Fleur Du Mal, , EP/CD , ,

, , OUT 1224 , - , 2022 , , Nihilist Notes {And The Perpetual Quest 4 Meaning In Nothing), , CD/LP , ,

, , OUT 1169

References

External links

Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio official web site
{{Authority control Swedish musical groups Musical groups established in 1993 1993 establishments in Sweden