Communic
Encyclopedia
Communic is a progressive metal
band from Kristiansand
, Norway
. The band was founded in 2003 and has released four albums. The first two have received good reviews from magazines and critics.
, guitarist, and Tor Atle Andersen
, drummer, both from the band Scariot
. Soon after, they were joined by bassist Erik Mortensen, who had been a bandmate of Stensland in a band called Ingermanland. In January 2004, the band recorded its first three demo tracks at dUb Studios in Norway. While only 100 copies of the Conspiracy in Mind demo were printed, it would be selected as Demo of the Month by the magazine Rock Hard
in April. In March they signed with the Danish
management company Intromental Management. In April, Stensland left Scariot to concentrate full-time on Communic.
and in September began recording their debut album, Conspiracy in Mind
in the Denmark studios of producer Jacob Hansen. Danish keyboardist Peter Jensen (ex-Sinphonia) played keyboards for the album. It was released on February 21, 2005, and received good reviews, being voted as "Album of the Month" in the magazines Rock Hard and Heavy, Oder Was!?. Rock Hard subsequently selected Communic as Newcomer of the Year. Following the album's release, Communic toured Europe with Ensiferum
and Graveworm
, including an appearance at the Gelsenkirchen
Rock Hard Festival
. Jensen joined the band on the tour, but was not made a permanent member as he did not live in Norway.
, was released in May 2006 and, like its predecessor, also received good critical reviews, being selected as Album of the Month (or Week, or Issue, depending on the magazine) in Swiss
magazine Metal World,, Portuguese
magazine Metal Morfose, Norwegian
magazine Scream, German
magazines Rock Hard, Guitar Magazine, Metal Hammer, Metal Heart and Heavy, and the e-zine laut.de.
, was released on May 30, 2008.
" on July 22, 2011.
Progressive metal
Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal originating in the United Kingdom and North America in the late 1980s...
band from Kristiansand
Kristiansand
-History:As indicated by archeological findings in the city, the Kristiansand area has been settled at least since 400 AD. A royal farm is known to have been situated on Oddernes as early as 800, and the first church was built around 1040...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. The band was founded in 2003 and has released four albums. The first two have received good reviews from magazines and critics.
Beginning (March 2003–April 2004)
Communic was founded in March 2003 as a side project for Oddleif StenslandOddleif Stensland
Oddleif Stensland is the vocalist and guitarist of Norwegian progressive/power metal band Communic.Stensland appeared on the 2007 Nuclear Blast All-Stars album, which celebrated the 20th anniversary of Nuclear Blast Records....
, guitarist, and Tor Atle Andersen
Tor Atle Andersen
Tor Atle Andersen is the drummer for the Norwegian progressive metal/power metal band Communic.- References :...
, drummer, both from the band Scariot
Scariot
Scariot is a Norwegian progressive metal band founded by Daniel Olaisen in 1997. The band has been through several lineup changes, and Olaisen is the only original member still remaining....
. Soon after, they were joined by bassist Erik Mortensen, who had been a bandmate of Stensland in a band called Ingermanland. In January 2004, the band recorded its first three demo tracks at dUb Studios in Norway. While only 100 copies of the Conspiracy in Mind demo were printed, it would be selected as Demo of the Month by the magazine Rock Hard
Rock Hard (magazine)
Rock Hard is a heavy metal magazine originally released in Germany. It was founded in 1983 by Holger Stratmann and is dedicated to all styles of rock and heavy metal. The magazine has independent offspring with the same name in France, Greece, Italy and Spain....
in April. In March they signed with the Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
management company Intromental Management. In April, Stensland left Scariot to concentrate full-time on Communic.
Conspiracy in Mind (July 2004–2005)
In July 2004, Communic signed with the German label Nuclear BlastNuclear Blast
Nuclear Blast is an independent record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The record label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label moved on to releasing albums by melodic...
and in September began recording their debut album, Conspiracy in Mind
Conspiracy in Mind
- Personnel :Communic* Oddleif Stensland – lead vocals, lead guitar, rhythm guitar* Erik Mortensen – bass* Tor Atle Andersen – drumsAdditional musicians* Peter Jensen – keyboardsProduction...
in the Denmark studios of producer Jacob Hansen. Danish keyboardist Peter Jensen (ex-Sinphonia) played keyboards for the album. It was released on February 21, 2005, and received good reviews, being voted as "Album of the Month" in the magazines Rock Hard and Heavy, Oder Was!?. Rock Hard subsequently selected Communic as Newcomer of the Year. Following the album's release, Communic toured Europe with Ensiferum
Ensiferum
Ensiferum is a Finnish folk metal band from Helsinki. The members of the band label themselves as "heroic folk metal." Since their formation, Ensiferum has released four full-length albums, one EP, one compilation, three singles, and three demo albums and one unreleased album.-Musical...
and Graveworm
Graveworm
Graveworm is a symphonic black metal band from Bruneck, Italy with strong influences from gothic metal .-History:...
, including an appearance at the Gelsenkirchen
Gelsenkirchen
Gelsenkirchen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the Ruhr area. Its population in 2006 was c. 267,000....
Rock Hard Festival
Rock Hard Festival
Rock Hard Festival is a metal festival sponsored by the Rock Hard magazine. It is held annually in Gelsenkirchen, Germany since 2003. Its seventh edition will take place on June 10 – June 12, 2011....
. Jensen joined the band on the tour, but was not made a permanent member as he did not live in Norway.
Waves of Visual Decay (2006–2007)
In early 2006, the band flew once again to Denmark to record the follow-up to Conspiracy in Mind in Jacob Hansen's studios. This time, Norwegian Endre Kirkesola was brought in to record the keyboard parts in the album. Unlike Jensen, Kirkesola did not tour with the band to promote the album. The album, Waves of Visual DecayWaves of Visual Decay
Waves of Visual Decay is the second studio album by the Norwegian progressive/power metal band Communic.-Track listing:-Personnel:Communic* Oddleif Stensland – lead vocals, lead guitar, rhythm guitar* Erik Mortensen – bass...
, was released in May 2006 and, like its predecessor, also received good critical reviews, being selected as Album of the Month (or Week, or Issue, depending on the magazine) in Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
magazine Metal World,, Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
magazine Metal Morfose, Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
magazine Scream, German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
magazines Rock Hard, Guitar Magazine, Metal Hammer, Metal Heart and Heavy, and the e-zine laut.de.
Payment of Existence (2008–2011)
Communic's 3rd studio album, Payment of ExistencePayment of Existence
-Personnel:Communic* Oddleif Stensland – lead vocals, lead guitar, rhythm guitar* Erik Mortensen – bass* Tor Atle Andersen – drumsProduction* Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Jacob Hansen at Hansen Studios, Denmark.-External links:*...
, was released on May 30, 2008.
The Bottom Deep (2011–present)
Communic have released their fourth studio effort "The Bottom DeepThe Bottom Deep
The Bottom Deep is the fourth studio album recorded by progressive metal band Communic. It was released on July 22, 2011 through Nuclear Blast records.-Track listing:-Personnel:Communic*Oddleif Stensland - Lead vocals, Guitar...
" on July 22, 2011.
Members
- Oddleif StenslandOddleif StenslandOddleif Stensland is the vocalist and guitarist of Norwegian progressive/power metal band Communic.Stensland appeared on the 2007 Nuclear Blast All-Stars album, which celebrated the 20th anniversary of Nuclear Blast Records....
—vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
and guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s - Erik Mortensen—bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Tor Atle AndersenTor Atle AndersenTor Atle Andersen is the drummer for the Norwegian progressive metal/power metal band Communic.- References :...
—drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Discography
- Conspiracy in Mind (demo), 2004
- Conspiracy in MindConspiracy in Mind- Personnel :Communic* Oddleif Stensland – lead vocals, lead guitar, rhythm guitar* Erik Mortensen – bass* Tor Atle Andersen – drumsAdditional musicians* Peter Jensen – keyboardsProduction...
, 2005, Nuclear BlastNuclear BlastNuclear Blast is an independent record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The record label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label moved on to releasing albums by melodic... - Waves of Visual DecayWaves of Visual DecayWaves of Visual Decay is the second studio album by the Norwegian progressive/power metal band Communic.-Track listing:-Personnel:Communic* Oddleif Stensland – lead vocals, lead guitar, rhythm guitar* Erik Mortensen – bass...
, 2006, Nuclear BlastNuclear BlastNuclear Blast is an independent record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The record label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label moved on to releasing albums by melodic... - Payment of ExistencePayment of Existence-Personnel:Communic* Oddleif Stensland – lead vocals, lead guitar, rhythm guitar* Erik Mortensen – bass* Tor Atle Andersen – drumsProduction* Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Jacob Hansen at Hansen Studios, Denmark.-External links:*...
, 2008, Nuclear BlastNuclear BlastNuclear Blast is an independent record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The record label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label moved on to releasing albums by melodic... - The Bottom DeepThe Bottom DeepThe Bottom Deep is the fourth studio album recorded by progressive metal band Communic. It was released on July 22, 2011 through Nuclear Blast records.-Track listing:-Personnel:Communic*Oddleif Stensland - Lead vocals, Guitar...
, 2011, Nuclear BlastNuclear BlastNuclear Blast is an independent record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The record label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label moved on to releasing albums by melodic...
External links
- [ Communic] at Allmusic
- MySpace profile
- August 2007 interview with Oddleif