Immortal is a Norwegian

black metal Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with tr ...

band from

Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...

. The group was founded in 1991 by frontman and guitarist

Abbath Doom Occulta Olve Eikemo (born 27 June 1973), better known by his stage name Abbath Doom Occulta or simply Abbath, is a Norwegian musician best known as a founding member of the black metal band Immortal. Before founding Immortal, Abbath performed with Old ...

(Olve Eikemo) and guitarist Demonaz Doom Occulta (Harald Nævdal). The pair worked with various drummers (including Grim, Armagedda and

Hellhammer Hellhammer was a Swiss extreme metal band from Nürensdorf, active from 1982 to 1984. Although the band's sound and style were heavily criticized and poorly reviewed during their active years, they have been widely praised in retrospect and are ...

), and were later joined by former drummer

Horgh Horgh (born Reidar Horghagen, 7 May 1971) is a Norwegian drummer, formerly for Norwegian black metal band Immortal from 1996 to 2022 and Swedish death metal band Hypocrisy from 2004 until April 2022. Career Horgh joined Immortal in 1996, bringi ...

(Reidar Horghagen) in 1996. In March 2015, long-serving member Abbath announced his departure from the group following a dispute with the other members of the band, and he went on to form a new band under his name called

Abbath Olve Eikemo (born 27 June 1973), better known by his stage name Abbath Doom Occulta or simply Abbath, is a Norwegian musician best known as a founding member of the black metal band Immortal. Before founding Immortal, Abbath performed with Old ...

. It was initially 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 would return to playing guitar with the band for the first time since 1997, and would do vocals as well. ''

Northern Chaos Gods ''Northern Chaos Gods'' is the ninth studio album by Norwegian black metal band Immortal. The album was released on 6 July 2018. This is the first album after the departure of Abbath from the band and their first studio album in almost nine years ...

'' was officially released on 6 July 2018 under

Nuclear Blast Records Nuclear Blast Records is a German record label with subsidiary, subsidiaries located in Germany, the United States and Brazil. It was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Donzdorf. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label moved on ...

. 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.

History

First three albums (1991–1996)

Immortal arose from two short-lived bands,

Old Funeral Old Funeral was a Norwegian death metal band from Bergen. History Old Funeral was one of the first bands to form in the Norwegian extreme metal scene, formed in 1988. By 1992, the band had already dissolved. Since the breakup, many members (su ...

and Amputation, in the late 1980s. Old Funeral was founded by Abbath and Tore (Tore Bratseth), then went through a string of guitarists (including Demonaz,

Varg Vikernes Louis Cachet (born Kristian Vikernes; 11 February 1973), better known as Varg Vikernes (), is a Norwegian musician and author best known for his early black metal albums and later for his crimes. His first five records, released under the name Bu ...

and

Jørn Inge Tunsberg Jørn Inge Tunsberg (born 4 December 1970) is a Norwegian death/black metal musician. He is best known as the founder and guitarist of Bergen-based band Hades Almighty, and a former member of Immortal, Dominanz, Old Funeral and Amputation. He f ...

) until disbanding in 1992. Demonaz and Jørn formed Amputation, which released two demos with Demonaz on guitar and vocals, Jørn on guitars, and Padden on drums, before disbanding in 1990. Members of Old Funeral and Amputation formed Immortal in 1991, with Abbath on bass and lead vocals, Demonaz on guitar, Jørn on guitar and Armagedda on drums. The music on their early demo recordings was

death metal Death metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep death growl, growling vocals; aggressive ...

, Michael Moynihan, Didrik Søderlind: '' Lords of Chaos'', First Edition, Feral House 1998, p. 39. with lyrics influenced by

Morbid Angel Morbid Angel is an American death metal band based in Tampa, Florida, formed in 1983 by guitarist, primary composer and sole remaining original member Trey Azagthoth, vocalist and bassist Dallas Ward, and drummer Mike Browning. Widely considere ...

and

Possessed Possessed may refer to: Possession * Possession (disambiguation), having some degree of control over something else ** Spirit possession, whereby gods, demons, animas, or other disincarnate entities may temporarily take control of a human body *** ...

.Brad Angle
''Immortal: The Brothers Grim''
In: ''

Guitar World ''Guitar World'' is a monthly music magazine for guitarists and fans of guitar-based music and trends. The magazine has been published since July 1980. ''Guitar World'', the best-selling guitar magazine in the United States, contains original a ...

''. 2007. The band then became influenced by

Mayhem Mayhem most commonly refers to: * Mayhem (crime), a type of crime Mayhem may also refer to: People * Monica Mayhem (born 1978), Australian pornographic actress * Jason "Mayhem" Miller, American mixed martial arts fighter * Mayhem Miller (dr ...

guitarist

Euronymous Øystein Aarseth (22 March 1968 – 10 August 1993), better known by his stage name Euronymous, was a Norwegian musician and a founder of and central figure in the early Norwegian black metal scene. He was a co-founder and guitarist of the No ...

and bands like Bathory and

Celtic Frost Celtic Frost () was a Swiss metal music, heavy metal band from Zürich. They are remembered for their strong influence on the development of several metal subgenres, particularly extreme metal,Bukszpan, Daniel. ''The Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal' ...

. They released their self-titled EP in 1991, which saw a stylistic change to black metal. This was followed by their debut album ''

Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism ''Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism'' is the debut studio album by Norwegian black metal band Immortal (band), Immortal. It was released on 1 July 1992 through Osmose Productions. It is the only album to feature Armagedda on drums. Release The alb ...

'' in 1992, which maintained the raw black metal sound developed the previous year. Their second full-length album ''

Pure Holocaust ''Pure Holocaust'' is the second album by Norwegian black metal band Immortal. It was released on November 1, 1993, on Osmose Productions. It is generally faster sounding than its predecessor ''Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism''. The lyrics focus mai ...

'' was released in 1993 and featured a relatively more polished production than their debut, with ambitious songs played at breakneck speeds, and grandiose lyrics based on evil and darkness. It continues to be held in high regard within the black metal genre. '' Battles in the North'', released in 1995, picks up where its predecessor left off, featuring more extreme tempos and lyrics about coldness and winter landscapes. In 1995, the band released two video clips directed by British artist David Palser, entitled ''Masters of Nebulah Frost'', through

Osmose Productions Osmose Productions () is a French independent record label created in 1991 by Hervé Herbaut, after he had spent three years running a small mail order company. They specialize mainly in death and black metal bands. Many of the groups who began ...

. They featured many bizarrely-shot images of frozen landscapes and vast forests with the band performing two songs from the album '' Battles in the North'', "Grim and Frostbitten Kingdoms" and "Blashyrkh (Mighty Ravendark)", on a Norwegian mountainside. The video for "Grim and Frostbitten Kingdoms" features

drummer,

(Jan Axel Blomberg). These clips have become the template for many other bands producing such works, similarly to how "The Call of the Wintermoon" is also highly influential.

''Blizzard Beasts'' and ''At the Heart of Winter'' (1996–1999)

Blizzard Beasts ''Blizzard Beasts'' is the fourth studio album by Norwegian black metal band Immortal. It was released on March 20, 1997, through Osmose Productions. It is the last Immortal album to feature the performance of founding member Demonaz Doom Occulta ...

'' released in 1997 introduced technical thrash elements with shorter more focused songs, though it contained the epic "Mountains of Might" and continued the lyrical themes of cold and winter. Apart from the two core members, Abbath and Demonaz, Immortal did not find a stable lineup until 1996 when drummer Horgh joined the band and is credited on the album ''

''. A major turning point for the band was in 1997 when Demonaz suffered acute

tendinitis Tendinopathy is a type of tendon disorder that results in pain, swelling, and impaired function. The pain is typically worse with movement. It most commonly occurs around the shoulder ( rotator cuff tendinitis, biceps tendinitis), elbow ( tenn ...

in his arm and was unable to continue playing, and Abbath took over for guitar. Despite this, Demonaz continued writing lyrics and has been a manager for the band, accompanying them on tour, releasing updates and giving interviews about how things are progressing with the band. Abbath and Horgh wrote and recorded the band's next album, ''

At the Heart of Winter ''At the Heart of Winter'' is the fifth studio album by Norwegian black metal band Immortal. It was released on February 22, 1999 through Osmose Productions. It is the first Immortal album not to feature Demonaz on guitar, as he suffered from acu ...

''. Immortal's early full-length releases were in traditional black metal style, but their most acclaimed album, ''

'', marks the period when the band began to experiment with a complex 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 Iscariah to stand in for bass duties, and made him a full-time member. Erik "Grim" Brødreskift committed suicide in 1999. Grim appeared on the on cover of ''

'' and is credited as the drummer (though he did not play on the album), and toured with Immortal as their drummer. The band frequently headlined the Hole in the Sky festival held in his memory.

''Damned in Black'' and ''Sons of Northern Darkness'' (2000–2003)

The next album, ''

Damned in Black ''Damned in Black'' is the sixth studio album by Norwegian black metal band Immortal. It was released on March 27, 2000, through Osmose Productions, making it their last album released through their long-time collaboration with the French record l ...

'' was more similar to their old style. It was well received, but is frequently overlooked as it came between two of their classic albums, ''At the Heart of Winter'' and ''

Sons of Northern Darkness ''Sons of Northern Darkness'' is the seventh album by Norwegian black metal band Immortal. Musically, it continues the blackened thrash metal style heard on the two previous releases '' At the Heart of Winter'' and '' Damned in Black''. This was ...

''. In 2000, the EP ''Immortal'' was repackaged as part of the ''True Kings of Norway'' compilation by

Spinefarm Records Spinefarm Records is an international record label. Founded in Finland in 1990, Spinefarm was acquired by Universal Music Group in 2002. History Spinefarm Records began as a mailorder distribution company, founded by Riku Pääkkönen. The c ...

. Also in 2000, Immortal signed a record contract with German label

Nuclear Blast Nuclear Blast Records is a German record label with subsidiary, subsidiaries located in Germany, the United States and Brazil. It was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Donzdorf. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label moved on ...

; this change to a more prominent record company didn't affect their style, a fact proven by their record ''Sons of Northern Darkness''. Two months after this, Iscariah announced his intention to leave the band and was replaced by Saroth for the next few months.

Split (2003–2007)

Immortal decided to split during the summer of 2003 for various personal reasons of the band members. Following the split, Abbath began working on new material during that same year. He enlisted Enslaved guitarist

Ice Dale Arve Isdal (born 28 August 1977, Bergen, Norway), also known as Ice Dale, is a Norwegian musician and producer, best known as lead guitarist for the extreme metal band Enslaved and the hard rock band Audrey Horne. He owns and runs Conclave & Ea ...

(Arve Isdal),

Gorgoroth Gorgoroth is a Norwegian black metal band based in Bergen. It was formed in 1992 by guitarist Infernus, who is the sole original member remaining, and has released nine studio albums. Gorgoroth are a Satanism, Satanic band and have drawn contro ...

bassist

King ov Hell Tom Cato Visnes (born 27 November 1974), The band released their debut album, '' Between Two Worlds'', released in November 2006. In early June 2006, German magazine ''

Rock Hard Rock Hard may refer to: * "Rock Hard" (song), a 1984 song by the Beastie Boys * ''Rock Hard'', a 1980 album by Suzi Quatro * ''Rock Hard'' (magazine), a German music magazine ** Rock Hard Festival, a heavy metal festival sponsored by the above maga ...

'' reported that Abbath, Demonaz and Horgh had decided to resurrect Immortal and start touring again in 2007. Abbath is quoted as saying:

Reunion and ''All Shall Fall'' (2007–2014)

In 2007, Immortal reunited for a string of summer shows. They headlined the

Inferno Festival Inferno Metal Festival is an annual extreme metal festival that takes place every year during Easter in Oslo, Norway. The festival was founded by Borknagar guitarist Jens F. Ryland in cooperation with Radar Booking in 2001 and takes place at R ...

in April, the

Tuska Open Air Tuska Festival, (previously Tuska Open Air Metal Festival), commonly shortened to Tuska (), is a Finnish Heavy metal music, heavy metal rock festival, festival taking place annually in Helsinki. The first Tuska took place in 1998 and the festival ...

festival in June/July,

Metal Camp MetalDays was a heavy metal music, heavy metal music festival held annually Slovenia. It saw increased popularity every year with more media coverage, and saw bands like Megadeth, Slayer, Amon Amarth, Volbeat and Sabaton (band), Sabaton and many ...

festival in July, and the

Wacken Open Air Wacken Open Air (, abbreviated as W:O:A) is a Heavy metal music, heavy metal music festival, held annually since 1990 on the first weekend of August in the village of Wacken, Schleswig-Holstein, Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Almost all ...

festival in August. They also performed twice in the United States in July 2007. Filling in as bassist for these dates was

Aura Noir Aura Noir is a Norwegian black metal, black/thrash metal band from Oslo. Aura Noir is heavily influenced by early thrash bands such as Voivod (band), Voivod, Slayer, Sodom (band), Sodom and Kreator, to the latter they have also dedicated some of ...

bassist

Apollyon The Hebrew term Abaddon ( , meaning "destruction", "doom") and its Greek equivalent Apollyon (, ''Apollúōn'' meaning "Destroyer") appear in the Bible as both a place of destruction and an angel of the abyss. In the Hebrew Bible, ''abaddon'' ...

. Immortal first toured Australia and New Zealand in March 2008. Immortal in 2010

After the reunion, Abbath and Horgh decided to reform the band on a permanent basis. This was confirmed by Demonaz in an interview with Eternal Terror. Apollyon was the permanent replacement for Iscariah, and the three began working with Demonaz on material for their next album '' All Shall Fall''. ''All Shall Fall'' was recorded in April–May 2009, and was released on 25 September 2009. According to ''Decibel'' magazine's interview, work had begun on Immortal's ninth album stating in the article "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 ''Until the Light Takes Us'' is a 2008 American documentary film about early Norwegian black metal, directed by Aaron Aites and Audrey Ewell. The film premiered at the AFI Film Festival in 2008, a year before it was released in theaters. Featu ...

''.

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

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 8 January 2018, the band posted via

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

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 Alf Peter Tägtgren (born 3 June 1970) is a Swedish musician and record producer. He is the founder, main songwriter, lead vocalist, and guitarist of death metal band Hypocrisy as well as the industrial metal band Pain in which he is the only m ...

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 ''

'' on 6 July 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 24 October 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 26 May.

Lyrical style

Immortal's lyrics are based on an overall theme, a realm called ''Blashyrkh'' which is said to be "

demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in folklore, mythology, religion, occultism, and literature; these beliefs are reflected in Media (communication), media including f ...

-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

. 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.

Members

Current members

* Demonaz Doom Occulta (Harald Nævdal) – lyrics (1991–present), guitars (1991–1997, 2015–present), vocals (2015–present)

Past members

(Olve Eikemo) – vocals (1991–2015), guitars (1998–2015), bass (1991–1998), studio drums (1993–1995) *

– guitars (1991) * Armagedda (Gerhard Herfindal) – drums (1991–1992) * Grim (Erik Brødreskift) – drums (1993–1994; died 1999) *

(Reidar Horghagen) – drums (1996–2022) * Iscariah (Stian Smørholm) – bass (1999–2002) *

(Ole Jørgen Moe) – bass (2006–2015)

Live members

* Kolgrim (a.k.a. Padden) (Jan Atle Åserød) – drums (1992–1993) *

(Jan Axel Blomberg) – drums (1995) *

Ares Ares (; , ''Árēs'' ) is the List of Greek deities, Greek god of war god, war and courage. He is one of the Twelve Olympians, and the son of Zeus and Hera. The Greeks were ambivalent towards him. He embodies the physical valor necessary for ...

(Ronny Hovland) – bass (1998) * Saroth (Yngve Liljebäck) – bass (2002–2003)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

* ''

'' (1992) * ''

'' (1993) * '' Battles in the North'' (1995) * ''

'' (1997) * ''

'' (1999) * ''

'' (2000) * ''

'' (2002) * '' All Shall Fall'' (2009) * ''

'' (2018) * '' War Against All'' (2023)

Other releases

* Untitled demo (1991) * ''Immortal'' (EP, 1991) * ''Masters of Nebulah Frost'' (VHS, 1995) * ''True Kings of Norway'' (5-way split, 2000) * ''Live at BB Kings Club New York'' (DVD, 2003) * ''Valley of the Damned / Hordes of War'' (2-way split, 2009) * '' The Seventh Date of Blashyrkh'' (DVD, 2010)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Immortal Norwegian black metal musical groups Musical groups established in 1990 Musical groups disestablished in 2003 Musical groups reestablished in 2006 1990 establishments in Norway Musical groups from Bergen Nuclear Blast artists