Naglfar (band)
Encyclopedia
Naglfar is a Swedish
melodic black metal band formed in 1992. The group was formed by Jens Rydén and Kristoffer Olivius, originally under the name Uninterred.
joined the band to play drums, and Morgan Hansson and Fredrik Degerström joined on guitar. With this new line-up Jens could concentrate on vocals. In March 1994, Fredrik left Naglfar due to personal issues with the band as well as musical differences. Soon afterward Ulf left the band as well so that he could concentrate on Nocturnal Rites. It was during this tumultuous period which the band was writing and recording their first demo in Garageland Studio, titled Stellae Trajectio. The demo was released in November 1994. Before it was publicly released, however, the band officially changed their name to Naglfar, the name deriving from a ship in Norse mythology
made from the nails of the dead.
In early 1995, the band was signed by Wrong Again Records, and that summer they released their debut full-length album, Vittra, which featured new drummer Mattias Holmgren. After the recording was over, drummer Holmgren left the band. Other than appearing on an Iron Maiden
tribute CD (they performed the song "The Evil That Men Do"), the band was relatively inactive for the next few years. Their second album was titled Diabolical and released in 1998, now with Mattias Grahn on drums. CMJ New Music Report described it as a "ferocious version of Swedish black/death metal...monumentally mindblowing". The band signed to Century Media in 2002. After more line-up changes, and a European tour with Deicide
, Naglfar recorded an EP
called Ex Inferis, which saw the band compared to Dimmu Borgir
, and a full-length called Sheol, which saw the New York Times describe the band as "one of the most compelling metal bands" and also "one of the most ridiculous", with the music described as "terrific". Rydén left the band after the album's release, with bassist Kristoffer Olivius taking over on lead vocals. Ryden went on to record under the name Profundi, recording the album The Omega Rising in 2006.
In 2005, the full-length album Pariah was released, with Allmusic commenting on its "shockingly profane lyrics". The album was followed by a highly successful tour together with Dark Funeral
across Europe, as well as several festival dates.
In December 2005, touring bassist Peter Morgan Lie was confirmed as the full bass player for the band. For their 2007 album Harvest, the band worked with director Roger Johansson on a video for the track "The Darkest Road". The band also toured the US in 2007.
In August 2009, the band announced on their myspace page that they were about to begin recording the new album, without mentioning any planned date for release.
In May 2010, tha band posted a message on their Facebook page stating that a new album on the way.
Compilations:
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
melodic black metal band formed in 1992. The group was formed by Jens Rydén and Kristoffer Olivius, originally under the name Uninterred.
Biography
Naglfar formed in 1992. The band was originally called Uninterred, and was founded by Jens Rydén on vocals and guitar, and Kristoffer Olivius on bass. The band had its first full line-up when Ulf Andersson from Nocturnal RitesNocturnal Rites
- Biography :The band started off under the name Necronomic playing heavy metal, as can be heard on their demo . This attracted some independent labels' attention, but they turned them down in the hope of a better opportunity...
joined the band to play drums, and Morgan Hansson and Fredrik Degerström joined on guitar. With this new line-up Jens could concentrate on vocals. In March 1994, Fredrik left Naglfar due to personal issues with the band as well as musical differences. Soon afterward Ulf left the band as well so that he could concentrate on Nocturnal Rites. It was during this tumultuous period which the band was writing and recording their first demo in Garageland Studio, titled Stellae Trajectio. The demo was released in November 1994. Before it was publicly released, however, the band officially changed their name to Naglfar, the name deriving from a ship in Norse mythology
Norse mythology
Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
made from the nails of the dead.
In early 1995, the band was signed by Wrong Again Records, and that summer they released their debut full-length album, Vittra, which featured new drummer Mattias Holmgren. After the recording was over, drummer Holmgren left the band. Other than appearing on an Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
tribute CD (they performed the song "The Evil That Men Do"), the band was relatively inactive for the next few years. Their second album was titled Diabolical and released in 1998, now with Mattias Grahn on drums. CMJ New Music Report described it as a "ferocious version of Swedish black/death metal...monumentally mindblowing". The band signed to Century Media in 2002. After more line-up changes, and a European tour with Deicide
Deicide (band)
Deicide is an American death metal band formed in 1987. Their first two albums, Deicide and Legion, are ranked second and third place in best-selling death metal albums of the SoundScan era.-As Amon/Carnage :...
, Naglfar recorded an EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
called Ex Inferis, which saw the band compared to Dimmu Borgir
Dimmu Borgir
Dimmu Borgir is a Norwegian black metal band from Oslo, Norway, formed in 1993. Dimmu borgir means "dark cities" or "dark castles/fortresses" in Icelandic, Faroese and Old Norse. The name is derived from a volcanic formation in Iceland, Dimmuborgir...
, and a full-length called Sheol, which saw the New York Times describe the band as "one of the most compelling metal bands" and also "one of the most ridiculous", with the music described as "terrific". Rydén left the band after the album's release, with bassist Kristoffer Olivius taking over on lead vocals. Ryden went on to record under the name Profundi, recording the album The Omega Rising in 2006.
In 2005, the full-length album Pariah was released, with Allmusic commenting on its "shockingly profane lyrics". The album was followed by a highly successful tour together with Dark Funeral
Dark Funeral
Dark Funeral is a black metal band from Stockholm, Sweden, founded by guitarists Blackmoon and Lord Ahriman in 1993. They are one of the bands to have emerged in Sweden during the Second wave of black metal....
across Europe, as well as several festival dates.
In December 2005, touring bassist Peter Morgan Lie was confirmed as the full bass player for the band. For their 2007 album Harvest, the band worked with director Roger Johansson on a video for the track "The Darkest Road". The band also toured the US in 2007.
In August 2009, the band announced on their myspace page that they were about to begin recording the new album, without mentioning any planned date for release.
In May 2010, tha band posted a message on their Facebook page stating that a new album on the way.
Studio albums
- Vittra (1995) - remastered edition (2002), RegainRegain RecordsRegain Records is a Swedish based independent record label. The label predominantly releases death metal and black metal albums. Regain Records was founded from what remained of the former label, Wrong Again Records, by Per Gyllenbäck in 1997...
- Diabolical (1998), Regain
- Sheol (2003), Century MediaCentury Media RecordsCentury Media Records is an Independent record label with offices in the United States, Germany, Australia, France, Italy, Sweden, Finland, and the United Kingdom.- Background :...
- Pariah (2005), Century Media/EMIEMIThe EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
- Harvest (2007), Century Media - limited edition with DVD (2011), Century Media/EMI
Compilations:
- Pariah + Harvest (2008), Century Media - box set
EPs
- When Autumn Storms Come (1998)
- Ex Inferis (2002), Century Media
Demos
- Stellae Trajectio (1994)
- We Are Naglfar - Fuck You! (1995)
- Maiden Slaughter (1996)
Current members
- Kristoffer "Wrath" Olivius – bass (1992–2005), lead vocals (2005–present)
- Andreas Nilsson – guitars (1993–present)
- Morgan Lie – drums, percussion (1995–1997), bass (2005–present)
- Mattias Grahn – drums, percussion (1997–present)
- Marcus "Vargher" Norman – guitars (2000–present)
Former members
- Ulf Andersson – drums, percussion (1992–1994)
- Fredrik Degerström – guitars (1993–1994)
- Mattias Holmgren – drums, percussion (1995)
- Morgan Hansson – guitar (1993–2000)
- Jens Rydén – lead vocals (1992–2005), guitars (1992–1993)