Aura Noir is a Norwegian
black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
/
thrash metal
Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...
band from
Oslo
Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
. Aura Noir is heavily influenced by early thrash bands such as
Voivod,
Slayer
Slayer was an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California. The band was formed in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style ...
,
Sodom and
Kreator
Kreator is a German thrash metal band from Essen, formed in 1982. Their current lineup consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Miland "Mille" Petrozza, drummer Jürgen "Ventor" Reil, lead guitarist Sami Yli-Sirniö, and bassist Frédér ...
, to the latter they have also dedicated some of their songs. The band's main lyrical themes focus on
blasphemy
Blasphemy is a speech crime and religious crime usually defined as an utterance that shows contempt, disrespects or insults a deity, an object considered sacred or something considered inviolable. Some religions regard blasphemy as a religiou ...
, death and aggression.
History
The band was formed in 1993 by Aggressor (
Carl-Michael Eide
Carl-Michael Eide (born 24 July 1974) is a Norway, Norwegian black metal musician, multi-instrumentalist, and vocalist. He is also known under stage names Aggressor, Czral and Exhurtum.
Biography
Carl-Michael Eide has played in various black met ...
) and
Apollyon
The Hebrew term Abaddon ( he, אֲבַדּוֹן ''’Ăḇaddōn'', meaning "destruction", "doom"), and its Greek equivalent Apollyon ( grc-koi, Ἀπολλύων, ''Apollúōn'' meaning "Destroyer") appear in the Bible as both a place of de ...
(Ole Jørgen Moe), who sent out a couple of demos before releasing the underground EP ''Dreams Like Deserts'' in 1995. In 1996, they were joined by
Mayhem guitarist Blasphemer (
Rune Eriksen
Rune Eriksen (born 13 January 1975) is a Norwegian Spellemann award-winning musician and composer. He is best known as the former guitarist in the black metal band Mayhem under the stage name Blasphemer, which he took from a Sodom song. He jo ...
), who contributed to the release of ''Black Thrash Attack'', their first CD.
In 2004, they were the first band to be signed to Tyrant Syndicate Productions, a sub-label of
Peaceville Records
Peaceville Records is a British independent heavy metal record label. The label was founded by Paul "Hammy" Halmshaw (of the bands Instigators and Civilised Society) in Dewsbury, England in 1987, who was also a one-time drummer of Sore Throat ...
, run by
Nocturno Culto
Ted Skjellum (born 4 March 1972), also known by the stage name Nocturno Culto, is a Norwegian musician best known as the vocalist, lead guitarist, and partial bassist (shared with Fenriz) of the influential black metal band Darkthrone. He has bee ...
and
Fenriz
Gylve Fenris Nagell (born Leif Nagell; 28 November 1971), known professionally as Fenriz, is a Norwegian musician, part-time music journalist and online radio host (with the show "Radio Fenriz") (both of
Darkthrone
Darkthrone is a Norwegian extreme metal band from Kolbotn, Akershus. Formed in 1986 as a death metal band named Black Death, in 1991 Darkthrone embraced a black metal style influenced by Bathory and Celtic Frost and became one of the leadin ...
). They released their next album ''The Merciless'', which featured
Nattefrost
Roger Rasmussen, better known by the stage name Nattefrost, is a Norwegian musician, best known for being the vocalist and a founding member of black metal band Carpathian Forest. He also fronts the side projects World Destroyer and Kreft, and s ...
of
Carpathian Forest
Carpathian Forest is a Norwegian black metal band formed by Nattefrost and Nordavind in 1992.
History
In late 1990, the band originally started under the name Enthrone by Nattefrost (then bearing the pseudonym Lord Nosferatu) and Nordavind ...
and Fenriz on guest vocals.
The band was put on hold after Aggressor was in an accident in late March 2005. It is alleged that he either jumped or fell out from a fourth floor window, and landed on his legs after falling ten metres. In May 2006, Aggressor appeared as a guest in the Norwegian radio programme Tinitus, where he confirmed he uses a wheelchair due to being paralyzed from the ankles down.
Despite this setback, the band continued to record new material, which resulted in a new full-length album, ''Hades Rise'', being released on 25 August 2008, and, as of 2010, has played several live gigs with a replacement drummer. At their 2011 gigs at
Inferno
Inferno may refer to:
* Hell, an afterlife place of suffering
* Conflagration, a large uncontrolled fire
Film
* ''L'Inferno'', a 1911 Italian film
* Inferno (1953 film), ''Inferno'' (1953 film), a film noir by Roy Ward Baker
* Inferno (1973 fi ...
and at the
Party.San festival in Germany, Aggressor, still on crutches, joined them as the vocalist for several songs. He has since rejoined the band as a full-time recording and touring member on guitar and vocals, sitting on a stool on stage as he is still unable to walk or play drums.
The band signed with Norway's
Indie Recordings
Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Gaming
* Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies
* Indie game, any game (boa ...
in 2012 and released their fifth studio album, ''
Out to Die'', on 23 March 2012.
Members
*
Aggressor (Carl-Michael Eide) – guitars, bass, drums (until 2005), vocals
*
Apollyon
The Hebrew term Abaddon ( he, אֲבַדּוֹן ''’Ăḇaddōn'', meaning "destruction", "doom"), and its Greek equivalent Apollyon ( grc-koi, Ἀπολλύων, ''Apollúōn'' meaning "Destroyer") appear in the Bible as both a place of de ...
(Ole Jørgen Moe) – guitars, bass, drums, vocals
*
Blasphemer (Rune Eriksen) – guitars
Haugesund
Haugesund () is a municipality on the North Sea in Rogaland county, Norway. While the population is greater in the neighboring Karmøy municipality, the main commercial and economic centre of the Haugaland region in northern Rogaland and southern ...
, Norway, 12 February 2012" widths="200" heights="200">
file:Aura Noir - Blasphemer.jpg, Blasphemer
file:Aura Noir - Apollyon 2.jpg, Apollyon
file:Aura Noir - Agressor.jpg, Aggressor
'' (2000)
*''Deep Dreams of Hell'' (2005)
Demos
*''Untitled'' (1993)
*''Two Voices, One King'' (1994)
Split albums
*''Überthrash'' (2004, 4-way split with Audiopain,
)
*''Überthrash II'' (2005, 4-way split with Audiopain, Infernö and Nocturnal Breed)