Strid (band)

Strid is a Norwegian black metal band. The group formed in 1991 as Malfeitor, and changed their name to Battle by 1992 before eventually settling on their current name the year following. Despite Strid's small discography and limited number of recordings, it has acquired a dedicated cult following and is commonly recognized as a major pioneer within the depressive black metal scene.

History

After releasing two demos, "Malfeitor" in 1991 and "Pandemonium" in 1992, ''Malfeitor'' changed its name to ''Battle'' and underwent several lineup changes. In 1992, ''Battle'' recorded its demo "End of Life," which contained only one song and spanned roughly 11 minutes. Its lineup then consisted of Espen 'Storm' Andersen on bass and vocals, Lars Fredrik Bergstrøm on guitars, and Jardar on drums. The band again renamed itself in 1993 to ''Strid'', Norwegian for "strife." That year, ''Strid'' released "End of Life" under its new name through the German label "Malicious Records". Lars Fredrik Bergstrøm departed afterward and was replaced by Ravn Harjar. From 1993 to 1994, the band wrote and recorded a self-titled EP, which was released through Malicious Records and contained only two songs: "Det hviskes blant sorte vinder""It is whispered amid the black winds" in Norwegian. and "Nattevandring.""Night-wandering" in Norwegian. This demo featured a more ambient sound, earning the band recognition as one of depressive black metal's first pioneers.

Since then, the band released no more official records until 2007, but numerous bootlegs of the band's material were released by publishers such as ''Ars Mysteriorum'' in a CD and LP in 2005, each featuring tracks from both "End of Life" and the eponymous EP. Founding member Espen 'Storm' Andersen committed suicide in 2001. Strid officially re-released all of its old material, including that which it released as ''Malfeitor,'' in a second eponymous record through Greek label ''Kyrck Productions & Armour'' in 2007. The band reunited at some point between 2009 and 2010, featuring Vicotnik (Dødheimsgard, ex-Aphrodisiac, ex-Ved Buens Ende, ex-Manes, ex-Code, ex-Naer Mataron, ex-Endwarfment) and Lars Fredrik Bergstrøm (the main composer of the "End of Life" track). Bergstrøm died in 2014 - by then the band was composed of Ravn Harjar on guitars and vocals, Vicotnik on bass, and Sigmund (ex-Inflabitan, ex-Dødheimsgard) on guitars. Citing Bergstrøm's death and internal conflict, Harjar announced the dissolution of Strid on its official facebook page in January 2015.The page was still active as of October 2017.

Members

Current lineup

* Yusaf "Vicotnik" Parvez – bass, guitars, vocals (2009–2015, 2019–present)
* Ravn Harjar – guitars, vocals (1991–2001, 2009–2015, 2019–present)
* Sigmund Hansen - guitars (2014–2015, 2019–present)
* Svein Egil Hatlevik - drums (2019–present)
* Christian "Clandestine" Eidskrem - guitars, bass (2019–present)

Former members

* Espen "Storm" AndersenNot to be confused with Gorgoroth's former bassist. (deceased 2001) – bass, vocals, keyboards (1991–2001)
* JardarNot to be confused with Old Man's Child's former guitarist, Jon Øyvind Andersen. – drums (1991–2001, 2009-?)
* Lars Fredrik Bergstrøm (deceased 2014) – guitars (1991–2001, 2009–2014)

Discography

* ''Malfeitor'' (1991, self-released, demo)
* ''Pandemonium'' (1992, self-released, demo)
* ''End of Life'' (1993, self-released, demo)
* ''Strid'' (1994, Malicious Records, EP)
* ''Strid'' (2007, Kyrck Productions & Armour, compilation)

References

{{reflist, group=note

External links

Strid on Facebook

Strid on Metal-Archives.com

Norwegian black metal musical groups
Musical groups established in 1991
1991 establishments in Norway