The Kovenant
Encyclopedia
The Kovenant is a Norwegian black metal
band from Oslo
/Hamar
. The band originally formed as Covenant in 1993, but in 1999 were forced to change their name to The Kovenant due to a dispute with a Swedish
electronic
band of the same name
.
artists known as Nagash
and Blackheart
. They both met when Blackheart decided to help Nagash with his one-man project Troll
. No one seemed to pay attention to them after releasing a demo titled From the Storm of Shadows, but finally a record label, Mordgrimm, took notice of them and released their first album In Times Before the Light
in 1997. This album was recorded two years prior in 1995 and established them a fan base in Norway
. It sounds similar to Dimmu Borgir
's first opus For All Tid
. Indeed, Nagash is a long time friend to the lead vocalist of Dimmu Borgir, Shagrath
.
Covenant signed with Nuclear Blast
, a major German label dedicated to the hard rock scene, in 1998 and recruited four other members to form an actual band. These people were Astennu (of Dimmu Borgir, Carpe Tenebrum
), Sverd
(of Arcturus), Sarah Jezebel Deva
(of Cradle of Filth
and others), and Hellhammer
(of Mayhem
and others). With these new recruits, they released their second album, Nexus Polaris
, which was hugely successful (mainly thanks to Nuclear Blast
's promotions) and is largely considered their best album to date by fans. The album also resulted in the band getting a Norwegian
Grammy for Best Hard Rock Band and led to Nagash leaving Dimmu Borgir (for which he played bass) in order to concentrate fully on The Kovenant.
band of the same name
. The Swedish band argued that they owned the name "Covenant" as they had been known as Covenant before Nagash and Blackheart formed their band. Consequently, they were forced to change their name to The Covenant. Unfortunately, simply adding "The" in front of the name would not suffice, because a Dutch
heavy metal
band had been named The Covenant since 1988. So they added "The" and also replaced the "C" with a "K" to avoid any future confusions, leading to their permanent name "The Kovenant".
In 1999, The Kovenant recorded and released Animatronic
, which portrayed a stylistic change to more industrial
sound. Soon the band changed their individual stage names to suit their new direction: Nagash became "Lex Icon", Blackheart became "Psy Coma", and Hellhammer became "Von Blomberg". The new album also afforded them another Norwegian
Grammy and they gained a new member, Angel, while touring the USA. Although the new sound was frowned upon by some more traditional black metal listeners, the music also inspired other bands such as Black Nocturnal Darkness on their 2002 Xenobite-album.
After the Animatronic tour, Lex and Psy took a break and decided to re-record In Times Before the Light
. But Nuclear Blast
wanted nothing to do with the album, so they changed labels and released it through Hammerheart Records. A re-release of Nexus Polaris
took place as well during 2002.
, their fourth album. The full-length release was preceded by a promotional EP SETI Club, and both were issued in 2003. Von Blomberg decided to do more touring and left the band to handle other projects. Two new members were recruited: Küth (of Ram-Zet
) on drums and Brat (of Apoptygma Berzerk
) on keyboards. They then toured Europe
and the USA to promote the album.
Currently the band is working on a DVD and a new album titled Aria Galactica. Lex Icon announced recently that they have 14 pieces written so far. The album will come with a second disc consisting entirely of symphonic renditions of the tracks from the primary disc, which suggests a return to the more symphonic style exhibited by the band on their 1998 album Nexus Polaris.
The following announcement has once been seen at Lex's blog:
On July 31, 2006, Lex decided to stop his blogging due to fans being "know-it-alls" and telling him what he should do with his music. Therefore there will more than likely be no news from him about any Kovenant topics. Psy still maintains his blog, but it is unsure if he will continue blogging as well.
In an interview of August 2007, Psy Coma described Aria Galactica as "technical", with more guitar solos, "much stronger" and different from SETI. The estimated release date would be Christmas (2007). He also denied any relations between Aria Galactica and the DVD, which would be "completely megalomaniac project of making a documentary of [their] entire band history".
In 2007, the band re-released their debut album, entitled In Times before the Light 1995.
In October 2009, The Kovenant were confirmed to be performing their Nexus Polaris
album with the original members at the Inferno Festival in Norway
, spring of 2010. The Kovenant, along with Mayhem, Finntroll and Taake, were the first four bands to be on the Festival's bill.
In February 2010, Lex revealed on on his Myspace page: "Yes, we are working on the new album again. And No, The Kovenant is not disbanded. ... Going according to schedule. Just have to get the business side out of the way. (As in what record company it will be released on etc). And we might start having open try-outs for some new blood in the very near future."
In December 2010, Lex shared "So many things will happen next year... New Troll album, Razor Runner album++, and if the universe doesn't stab us in the back; there shall be a new The Kovenant album. Cold hails from Norway!", showing that the album (and band) have not yet been abandoned.
On October 29, 2011, Nagash did a one-time only performance of their debut album at the Aurora Infernalis III festival in Arnhem
, Netherlands
. Except for Nagash, no other members of the current incarnation of the band participated.
Former members
EPs
Demos
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
band from Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
/Hamar
Hamar
is a town and municipality in Hedmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Hedmarken. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Hamar. The municipality of Hamar was separated from Vang as a town and municipality of its own in 1849...
. The band originally formed as Covenant in 1993, but in 1999 were forced to change their name to The Kovenant due to a dispute with a Swedish
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....
electronic
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
band of the same name
Covenant (band)
Covenant is a band from Sweden whose music comprises a mixture between electropop and electronic dance music. The band is composed of Eskil Simonsson, Daniel Myer and Joakim Montelius...
.
The "Covenant" years (1993–1999)
The band was formed as Covenant in 1993 by two black metalBlack metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
artists known as Nagash
Stian Arnesen
Nagash or Lex Icon is a Norwegian black metal musician. He plays guitar, bass, drums, keyboards and does vocals....
and Blackheart
Amund Svensson
Amund Svensson is a Norwegian black metal musician. He founded the band Covenant together with Stian Hinderson in 1991....
. They both met when Blackheart decided to help Nagash with his one-man project Troll
Troll (band)
-Biography:It was founded in 1992, when 14-year-old Stian Arnesen aka "Nagash" started writing music with Glaurung and Fafnir. When Glaurung and Fafnir left the project, Nagash continued Troll as a solo project and released Trollstorm over Nidingjuv in 1995 and Drep de kristne in 1996.Following the...
. No one seemed to pay attention to them after releasing a demo titled From the Storm of Shadows, but finally a record label, Mordgrimm, took notice of them and released their first album In Times Before the Light
In Times Before the Light
In Times Before the Light is the first studio album from Norwegian black metal band, The Kovenant, and was released in 1997 through Mordgrimm.-Album History:...
in 1997. This album was recorded two years prior in 1995 and established them a fan base in 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...
. It sounds similar 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...
's first opus For All Tid
For All Tid
-Dimmu Borgir:* Silenoz – lead vocals, rhythm guitar* Tjodalv – lead guitar, drums on Glittertind* Stian Aarstad – synthesizers, keyboards, effects* Brynjard Tristan – bass* Shagrath – drums, backing vocals, lead guitar on "Glittertind"...
. Indeed, Nagash is a long time friend to the lead vocalist of Dimmu Borgir, Shagrath
Shagrath
Shagrath is a Norwegian musician best known as the vocalist of Dimmu Borgir.-Biography:Stian Thoresen was born on November 18, 1976 in Jessheim, outside of Oslo, Norway....
.
Covenant signed with Nuclear Blast
Nuclear 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...
, a major German label dedicated to the hard rock scene, in 1998 and recruited four other members to form an actual band. These people were Astennu (of Dimmu Borgir, Carpe Tenebrum
Carpe Tenebrum
Carpe Tenebrum is a black metal solo project of the former Dimmu Borgir and Covenant guitarist Jamie Stinson, better known as Astennu...
), Sverd
Sverd
Sverð is the Old Norse term for "sword". It may refer to*the Viking Sword.*the stage name of Steinar Sverd Johnsen...
(of Arcturus), Sarah Jezebel Deva
Sarah Jezebel Deva
Sarah Jane , better known by her stage name Sarah Jezebel Deva, is a British vocalist. She was the female vocalist in Cradle of Filth for 14 years and also fronts her own band, Angtoria. In 2009, Deva started her self-titled solo project. The debut album A Sign of Sublime was released in February...
(of Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band, formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic black metal, and other extreme metal styles, while their lyrical themes and imagery are heavily...
and others), and Hellhammer
Jan Axel Blomberg
Jan Axel "Hellhammer" Blomberg is a three time Spellemannprisen award-winning heavy metal drummer. He is most well known for his drumming with the band Mayhem, with which he began his career...
(of Mayhem
Mayhem (band)
Mayhem is a Norwegian black metal band formed in 1984 in Oslo, Norway and regarded as one of the pioneers of the influential Norwegian black metal scene...
and others). With these new recruits, they released their second album, Nexus Polaris
Nexus Polaris
Nexus Polaris is the second album recorded by Norwegian black metal band, The Kovenant, and was released in 1998 through Nuclear Blast.- Album history :...
, which was hugely successful (mainly thanks to Nuclear Blast
Nuclear 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...
's promotions) and is largely considered their best album to date by fans. The album also resulted in the band getting a 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...
Grammy for Best Hard Rock Band and led to Nagash leaving Dimmu Borgir (for which he played bass) in order to concentrate fully on The Kovenant.
Name change and Animatronic era (1999–2002)
After the release of Nexus Polaris, Sverd, Astennu, and Sarah were fired for what Nagash has said to be "various reasons" in several interviews. Only Nagash, Blackheart, and Hellhammer remained. The band then found themselves being sued by a SwedishSweden
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....
band of the same name
Covenant (band)
Covenant is a band from Sweden whose music comprises a mixture between electropop and electronic dance music. The band is composed of Eskil Simonsson, Daniel Myer and Joakim Montelius...
. The Swedish band argued that they owned the name "Covenant" as they had been known as Covenant before Nagash and Blackheart formed their band. Consequently, they were forced to change their name to The Covenant. Unfortunately, simply adding "The" in front of the name would not suffice, because a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
heavy metal
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...
band had been named The Covenant since 1988. So they added "The" and also replaced the "C" with a "K" to avoid any future confusions, leading to their permanent name "The Kovenant".
In 1999, The Kovenant recorded and released Animatronic
Animatronic (album)
Animatronic is the third album from Norwegian Industrial Metal band, The Kovenant, and was released in 1999 through Nuclear Blast.-Album History:...
, which portrayed a stylistic change to more industrial
Industrial metal
Industrial metal is a musical genre that draws from industrial music and many different types of heavy metal, using repeating metal guitar riffs, sampling, synthesizer or sequencer lines, and distorted vocals. Founding industrial metal acts include Ministry, Godflesh, and KMFDM.Industrial metal's...
sound. Soon the band changed their individual stage names to suit their new direction: Nagash became "Lex Icon", Blackheart became "Psy Coma", and Hellhammer became "Von Blomberg". The new album also afforded them another 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...
Grammy and they gained a new member, Angel, while touring the USA. Although the new sound was frowned upon by some more traditional black metal listeners, the music also inspired other bands such as Black Nocturnal Darkness on their 2002 Xenobite-album.
After the Animatronic tour, Lex and Psy took a break and decided to re-record In Times Before the Light
In Times Before the Light
In Times Before the Light is the first studio album from Norwegian black metal band, The Kovenant, and was released in 1997 through Mordgrimm.-Album History:...
. But Nuclear Blast
Nuclear 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...
wanted nothing to do with the album, so they changed labels and released it through Hammerheart Records. A re-release of Nexus Polaris
Nexus Polaris
Nexus Polaris is the second album recorded by Norwegian black metal band, The Kovenant, and was released in 1998 through Nuclear Blast.- Album history :...
took place as well during 2002.
SETI and the wait for Aria Galactica (2002—)
In 2002, the band found themselves back in the studio, recording SETISETI (The Kovenant album)
SETI is the fourth album by industrial metal band, The Kovenant, and was released in 2003 through Nuclear Blast.-Album history:With their second Norwegian Grammy, The Kovenant toured Europe and the USA to promote the album...
, their fourth album. The full-length release was preceded by a promotional EP SETI Club, and both were issued in 2003. Von Blomberg decided to do more touring and left the band to handle other projects. Two new members were recruited: Küth (of Ram-Zet
Ram-Zet
Ram-Zet is an extreme metal/avant-garde metal band formed in Norway in 1998. It began as a one-man project by singer and guitarist Zet, which later evolved into a full-grown band with the arrival of Küth and Solem , leading to the release of Ram-Zet's debut album Pure Therapy in September...
) on drums and Brat (of Apoptygma Berzerk
Apoptygma Berzerk
Apoptygma Berzerk is a Norwegian musical group. They have achieved success with a brand of synthpop, and ballads backed with electronic rhythms, commonly known within the scene and referring to themselves as "futurepop". Apop has won awards and top-10 spots in Germany and Scandinavia...
) on keyboards. They then toured Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the USA to promote the album.
Currently the band is working on a DVD and a new album titled Aria Galactica. Lex Icon announced recently that they have 14 pieces written so far. The album will come with a second disc consisting entirely of symphonic renditions of the tracks from the primary disc, which suggests a return to the more symphonic style exhibited by the band on their 1998 album Nexus Polaris.
The following announcement has once been seen at Lex's blog:
On July 31, 2006, Lex decided to stop his blogging due to fans being "know-it-alls" and telling him what he should do with his music. Therefore there will more than likely be no news from him about any Kovenant topics. Psy still maintains his blog, but it is unsure if he will continue blogging as well.
In an interview of August 2007, Psy Coma described Aria Galactica as "technical", with more guitar solos, "much stronger" and different from SETI. The estimated release date would be Christmas (2007). He also denied any relations between Aria Galactica and the DVD, which would be "completely megalomaniac project of making a documentary of [their] entire band history".
In 2007, the band re-released their debut album, entitled In Times before the Light 1995.
In October 2009, The Kovenant were confirmed to be performing their Nexus Polaris
Nexus Polaris
Nexus Polaris is the second album recorded by Norwegian black metal band, The Kovenant, and was released in 1998 through Nuclear Blast.- Album history :...
album with the original members at the Inferno Festival in 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...
, spring of 2010. The Kovenant, along with Mayhem, Finntroll and Taake, were the first four bands to be on the Festival's bill.
In February 2010, Lex revealed on on his Myspace page: "Yes, we are working on the new album again. And No, The Kovenant is not disbanded. ... Going according to schedule. Just have to get the business side out of the way. (As in what record company it will be released on etc). And we might start having open try-outs for some new blood in the very near future."
In December 2010, Lex shared "So many things will happen next year... New Troll album, Razor Runner album++, and if the universe doesn't stab us in the back; there shall be a new The Kovenant album. Cold hails from Norway!", showing that the album (and band) have not yet been abandoned.
On October 29, 2011, Nagash did a one-time only performance of their debut album at the Aurora Infernalis III festival in Arnhem
Arnhem
Arnhem is a city and municipality, situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland and located near the river Nederrijn as well as near the St. Jansbeek, which was the source of the city's development. Arnhem has 146,095 residents as one of the...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. Except for Nagash, no other members of the current incarnation of the band participated.
Band members
Current members- Stian ArnesenStian ArnesenNagash or Lex Icon is a Norwegian black metal musician. He plays guitar, bass, drums, keyboards and does vocals....
(Nagash/Lex Icon) − vocals, bass guitar (1991−present) - Amund SvenssonAmund SvenssonAmund Svensson is a Norwegian black metal musician. He founded the band Covenant together with Stian Hinderson in 1991....
(Blackheart/Psy Coma/Pzy-Clone) − guitar (1991−present) - Jan Axel BlombergJan Axel BlombergJan Axel "Hellhammer" Blomberg is a three time Spellemannprisen award-winning heavy metal drummer. He is most well known for his drumming with the band Mayhem, with which he began his career...
(Hellhammer/von Blomberg) - drums (1991–2003) (2009–present) - Audun Stengel (Angel) - guitar (2000–present)
- Steinar Sverd JohnsenSteinar Sverd JohnsenSteinar Sverd Johnsen is a Norwegian keyboardist and composer, born 1972. Sverd last played keyboards and synthesizers in Arcturus and was also the main composer for the band. He formed the band with Jan Axel Blomberg of Mayhem in 1987, originally under the moniker Mortem...
(Sverd) - keyboards (1998)(2009–present)
Former members
- Jamie StinsonAstennu (musician)Astennu is the professional name of Australian heavy metal musician Jamie Stinson. His name is derived from a creature in Egyptian mythology.-Biography:...
(Astennu) − guitar (1998−1999) - Sarah Jezebel DevaSarah Jezebel DevaSarah Jane , better known by her stage name Sarah Jezebel Deva, is a British vocalist. She was the female vocalist in Cradle of Filth for 14 years and also fronts her own band, Angtoria. In 2009, Deva started her self-titled solo project. The debut album A Sign of Sublime was released in February...
− female vocals (1998) - Eileen KüpperEileen KüpperEileen Küpper is a South Africa-born soprano singer, known for her work with metal bands Therion and The Kovenant.-With Therion:* Vovin * Crowning of Atlantis * Deggial -External links:*...
– female vocals (1999–2003) - Küth − Drums (2003−2009)
- Geir BratlandGeir BratlandGeir Bratland is the former keyboardist for the Norwegian band Apoptygma Berzerk and session keyboardist for The Kovenant and Satyricon. He is currently a touring keyboardist for Dimmu Borgir, under the stage name of Gerlioz.-External links:...
(Brat) − synth (2003−2009)
Discography
Studio albums- In Times Before the LightIn Times Before the LightIn Times Before the Light is the first studio album from Norwegian black metal band, The Kovenant, and was released in 1997 through Mordgrimm.-Album History:...
(1997) - Nexus PolarisNexus PolarisNexus Polaris is the second album recorded by Norwegian black metal band, The Kovenant, and was released in 1998 through Nuclear Blast.- Album history :...
(1998) - AnimatronicAnimatronic (album)Animatronic is the third album from Norwegian Industrial Metal band, The Kovenant, and was released in 1999 through Nuclear Blast.-Album History:...
(1999) - SETISETI (The Kovenant album)SETI is the fourth album by industrial metal band, The Kovenant, and was released in 2003 through Nuclear Blast.-Album history:With their second Norwegian Grammy, The Kovenant toured Europe and the USA to promote the album...
(2003)
EPs
- SETI Club (2003)
Demos
- From the Storm of Shadows (demo, 1994)