Niceland
Encyclopedia
Niceland, formerly Iceland, was a heavy metal
Iceland
ic group established in 1983 by Jaz Coleman
from Killing Joke
and the Icelandic band Þeyr
.
in pursuit of resurrecting the Icelandic rock scene. There, they contacted some musicians and started playing with Þeyr, which was an accomplished New Wave
group not only in Iceland, but in Scandinavia
as well.
By 1982 Þeyr's lineup consisted of singer Magnús Guðmundsson, guitarists Guðlaugur Kristinn Óttarsson
and Þorsteinn Magnússon, bassist Hilmar Örn Agnarsson, and drummer Sigtryggur Baldursson
.
However, Þorsteinn Magnússon left the band to begin his own solo project, Stanya, soon releasing an album titled Líf
. Singer Magnús took his place in the group.
Niceland rehearsed for a few weeks and after creating five songs they went to Hljóðriti studios and recorded only three. The group was dissolved after the recording sessions because Jaz had problems with alcohol and the band decided to write their own songs. Jaz joined guitarist Árni Kristjánsson and drummer Þórarinn Kristjánsson from the band Vonbrigði and played for a while until he reassembled Killing Joke with bassist Birgir Mogensen, and guitarists Guðlaugur and Geordie. They played for about two months, and then Jaz returned to Great Britain
to reestablish Killing Joke.
Þorsteinn Magnússon returned to Þeyr and toured Scandinavia, but Þeyr broke up in July 1983 and its members followed different paths. The three tracks recorded by Niceland have remained as unpublished material up to present times.
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
ic group established in 1983 by Jaz Coleman
Jaz Coleman
Jeremy "Jaz" Coleman is a musician, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer. He is notable for his vocal contributions to rock band Killing Joke...
from Killing Joke
Killing Joke
Killing Joke are an English post-punk band formed in October 1978 in Notting Hill, London, England; other sources report the band formed in early 1979.Related news articles: Founding members Jaz Coleman and Geordie Walker have been the only constant members.A key influence on industrial rock,...
and the Icelandic band Þeyr
Þeyr
Þeyr was a renowned Icelandic New Wave band from the early 1980s. Shrouded under a veil of mystery, their three-year existence was characterized by a deep interest in ancient wisdom...
.
Origins
In 1982 Jaz Coleman, the leading vocalist of Killing Joke, moved to Iceland next to his guitarist Kevin 'Geordie' WalkerGeordie Walker
Kevin "Geordie" Walker is a rock musician, best known as the guitarist from the post-punk group Killing Joke.-Life and career:...
in pursuit of resurrecting the Icelandic rock scene. There, they contacted some musicians and started playing with Þeyr, which was an accomplished New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
group not only in Iceland, but in Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
as well.
By 1982 Þeyr's lineup consisted of singer Magnús Guðmundsson, guitarists Guðlaugur Kristinn Óttarsson
Guðlaugur Kristinn Óttarsson
Guðlaugur Kristinn Óttarsson , guitar player and engineer. He is a mathematician, an inventor, a practising polytechnic engineer, lecturer and the author of several scientific papers....
and Þorsteinn Magnússon, bassist Hilmar Örn Agnarsson, and drummer Sigtryggur Baldursson
Sigtryggur Baldursson
Sigtryggur Baldursson is an Icelandic drummer and singer.Sigtryggur was born in Norway to Icelandic parents. He was a founding member of the Sugarcubes and has been a longtime fixture on the Icelandic punk and alternative music scene. Other bands he has played in have included Þeyr, KUKL,...
.
However, Þorsteinn Magnússon left the band to begin his own solo project, Stanya, soon releasing an album titled Líf
LIF
LIF, LiF or Lif may stand for:* Leukemia inhibitory factor, a cytokine that affects cell growth and development* Laser-induced fluorescence, a spectroscopic method* Low insertion force sockets* Leirvík ÍF a Faroese football club...
. Singer Magnús took his place in the group.
The establishment of Niceland
In 1983, Þeyr and Jaz Coleman formed a group called Iceland, but later the name was changed to Niceland by guitarist Guðlaugur Óttarsson.Niceland rehearsed for a few weeks and after creating five songs they went to Hljóðriti studios and recorded only three. The group was dissolved after the recording sessions because Jaz had problems with alcohol and the band decided to write their own songs. Jaz joined guitarist Árni Kristjánsson and drummer Þórarinn Kristjánsson from the band Vonbrigði and played for a while until he reassembled Killing Joke with bassist Birgir Mogensen, and guitarists Guðlaugur and Geordie. They played for about two months, and then Jaz returned to Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
to reestablish Killing Joke.
Þorsteinn Magnússon returned to Þeyr and toured Scandinavia, but Þeyr broke up in July 1983 and its members followed different paths. The three tracks recorded by Niceland have remained as unpublished material up to present times.
External links
- Official site of Guðlaugur Kristinn Óttarsson
- Page of G. K. Óttarsson at MySpace.com
- Official site of Sigtryggur Baldursson
- Page about Þeyr
- Page about Þeyr at Tónlist.com (in Icelandic)
- Intravenous.de, page about Icelandic music. It features a section about Þeyr
- Official site of Guðlaugur Kristinn Óttarsson
- Official website of Killing Joke