Immortal

Immortal is a black metal band from Bergen ^{Bergen, Norway} , Norway. The band was formed by Abbath
and Demonaz Doom Occulta after their previous band, Amputation, did not take off.

  Immortal's beginnings can be traced to the death metal band Old Funeral, formed in 1988, of which both Abbath and Demonaz were members. The band's frontman Abbath also formed the band Amputation in 1989, releasing two demos before deciding to form Immortal. This new band consisted of band members from both Amputation and Old Funeral. Though remaining members of Old Funeral attempted to keep the band alive, they dissolved prior to Immortal's first demo releases.

Immortal's early full-length releases were of a traditional black metal style, but their acclaimed album At the Heart of Winter saw the band begin to experiment with a complex fusion of black metal and German ^Germany thrash metal. The resulting sound (which could be called melodic black metal) was a style which characterized Immortal's later works. Immortal has been influential to many modern metal artists. The band has arguably maintained the most occult-mysticism image and way of life traditionally credited to black metal. Conversely, unlike many black metal bands, Immortal does not espouse Satanism.

They are often noted as having created their own niche in black metal which has guaranteed them a spot on the list of the best bands in the history of the genre. Several classic albums such as Pure Holocaust, Battles In The North, At The Heart Of Winter and Sons Of Northern Darkness also help to solidify their status. With recent (2006) mid-price reissues of their classic back catalog in major markets, their music is now much more widely available. A defining feature of the band is their lyrics that focus on an imaginary world that is plagued by war and suffering, called Blashyrkh, ruled by the Mighty Ravendark, which is inspired by Demonaz's daily walks in the icy Norwegian forests that surround his home. Their over the top appearance with corpse paint and the cult status of their artwork (such as the album cover of Battles in the North and the cover and internal artwork of At The Heart Of Winter) has also contributed to their notability. The band has also distanced itself from the criminal activities and controversy that is usually associated with black metal. There have been a few minor controversies with members of Immortal after they have left the band, such as original rhythm guitarist Jørn's conviction of church burning, as well as Erik "Grim" Brødreskift's suicide in 1999.

Amputation recorded their first two demos in 1989 with Demonaz Doom Occulta on guitar and vocals, Jørn Inge Tunsberg ^{Hades Almighty} on guitars, and Padden on drums. Immortal have since announced the band's first tour of Australia and New Zealand in March 2008.

After the reunion, Abbath and Horgh decided to reform the band on a permanent basis. This was confirmed by Demonaz in an interview with Eternal Terror .. Apollyon ^{Apollyon (musician)} is the permanent replacement for Iscariah, and the three began working with Demonaz on material for their next album All Shall Fall.
All Shall Fall was recorded in April-May 2009, and was released on September 25, 2009.

According to Decibel Magazine's interview, work has begun on Immortal's ninth album stating in the article "four new songs already in the works for a follow-up to All Shall Fall,"

Immortal were one of the first bands to be confirmed for Wacken Open Air 2010.
Full-length albums

* Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism (1992)
* Pure Holocaust (1993)
* Battles in the North (1995)
* Blizzard Beasts (1997)
* At the Heart of Winter (1999)
* Damned in Black (2000)
* Sons of Northern Darkness (2002)
* All Shall Fall (2009)


EPs

* Immortal ^{Immortal (EP)} (1991)


Splits

* True Kings of Norway (2000)


Demos

* Achieve The Mutilation (as Amputation) (1989)
* Slaughter In The Arms Of God (as Amputation) (1990)
* The Northern Upins Death (1990)
* Promo '91 / Suffocate (1991)* Masters of Nebulah Frost VHS (1995)
* The Call of the Wintermoon
* Blashyrkh Mighty Ravendark
* Grim and Frostbitten Kingdoms
Current members

* Abbath Doom Occulta (Olve Eikemo) - vocals ^singer , bass guitar, guitar ^{electric guitar} , keyboards ^{keyboard instrument} , drums ^{drum kit} (1989–2003, 2006–present)
* Demonaz Doom Occulta (Harald Nævdal) - guitar (up to 1997), lyrics ^lyricist (switched to lyricist and band manager ^{music management} after his injury) (1989–2003, 2006–present)
* Horgh (Reidar Horghagen) - drums (1996–2003, 2006–present)
* Apollyon ^{Apollyon (musician)} (Ole Jørgen Moe) - bass guitar (2006–present)


Past members

* Iscariah (Stian Smørholm) - bass guitar (1999–2002)
* Saroth (Yngve Liljebäck) - bass guitar (live, 2002–2003)
* Ares - bass guitar (live, 1998; lead singer of Aeternus)
* Hellhammer (Jan Axel Blomberg) - drums (live, 1995)
* Grim (Erik Brødreskift) - drums (live, 1993–1994) (deceased)
* Kolgrim - drums (demo, 1992)
* Jörn Tonsberg ^{Hades Almighty} - guitar (demo, 1989–1991)
* Armagedda - drums (1990–1992)


Membership timeline