Clemens "Ardek" Wijers (born 10 November 1983) is a Dutch keyboardist, pianist, and composer best known as the keyboardist of Dutch

symphonic black metal Symphonic black metal is a subgenre of black metal that emerged in the 1990s and incorporates symphonic and orchestral elements. Notable symphonic black metal bands include Cradle Of Filth, Dimmu Borgir, Emperor, and Carach Angren. History ...

band

Carach Angren Carach Angren is a Dutch symphonic black metal band, founded in 2003 by two members of the now-defunct bands Inger Indolia and Vaultage. Their style is characterized by prominent usage of orchestral arrangements, black (sometimes death) metal vo ...

. Before Carach Angren, Wijers played with Dark Mutation and then Vaultage where he met Dennis "Seregor" Droomers and they began Carach Angren as a

side project In popular music, a side project is a project undertaken by one or more people already known for their involvement in another band. It can also be an artist or a band temporarily switching to a different style. Usually these projects emphasize a ...

, when the two connected over a shared love of horror and storytelling. Later Vaultage disbanded when Carach Angren became increasingly successful.

Biography

Clemens is the older brother of Carach Angren's former drummer Ivo "Namtar" Wijers. He first started playing piano at the age of 7 and played with a local youth choir throughout his teen years. He grew interested in metal in his secondary school years and joined a band as a way of combining his new interest with his classical background. He also studied music at the Tilburg Conservatory in 2002 before forming Vaultage in 2003, and later co-forming Carach Angren. He has also completed a certificate in Cinematic Orchestration, taught by William Boston. Wijers has mentioned that he is a fan of orchestral soundtracks from

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

s and

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

s, and that he was a big gamer in the 1990s who loved video game soundtracks.

Musical Work

Alongside Carach Angren, Wijers has also released a solo album titled ''"Worlds"'' that is mainly a combination of

industrial Industrial may refer to: Industry * Industrial archaeology, the study of the history of the industry * Industrial engineering, engineering dealing with the optimization of complex industrial processes or systems * Industrial city, a city dominate ...

and classical music tracks. He has composed the soundtrack for a number of short films, including ''Firefly and the Coffee Machine'' by John Michael Wilyat; an animated short about a series of drawings by an eight-year-old girl coming to life. He also wrote music on

Lindemann Lindemann is a German surname. Persons Notable people with the surname include: Arts and entertainment * Elisabeth Lindemann, German textile designer and weaver * Jens Lindemann, trumpet player * Julie Lindemann, American photographer * Maggie ...

's album "''

Skills in Pills ''Skills in Pills'' is the debut studio album by the European supergroup Lindemann, featuring Rammstein frontman Till Lindemann and Peter Tägtgren, founder of Hypocrisy and Pain. It was released on 23 June 2015 through Warner Central Europe. It ...

,"'' and has written music for

Pain Pain is a distressing feeling often caused by intense or damaging stimuli. The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as "an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated with, ...

and

Ex Deo Ex Deo is a Canadian death metal band formed in Montreal, Quebec in 2008. The band is a side project of Kataklysm frontman Maurizio Iacono, and is based on the history of the Roman Empire. History Ex Deo was formed in 2008 as an artistic proje ...

. He also offers piano lessons through his website. Typically, Wijers writes the composition for

's music while bandmate Dennis "Seregor" Droomers writes the lyrics and stories.

Discography

Solo

* ''Worlds (2017)''

Carach Angren

* '' The Chase Vault Tragedy (2004)'' * '' Ethereal Veiled Existence (2005)'' * '' Lammendam (2008)'' * ''

Death Came Through a Phantom Ship ''Death Came Through a Phantom Ship'' is the second studio album by Dutch symphonic black metal band Carach Angren, It was released in 2010. This album tells the legend of a ghost ship (an interpretation of the ''Flying Dutchman'') from its begi ...

(2010)'' * ''

Where the Corpses Sink Forever ''Where the Corpses Sink Forever'' is the third studio album by Dutch symphonic black metal band Carach Angren. It was released on 18 May 2012 via Season of Mist. The concept of this album is not about a Dutch urban legend or ghost stories, lik ...

(2012)'' * ''

This is no Fairytale ''This Is No Fairytale'' is the fourth studio album by the Dutch symphonic black metal band Carach Angren. It was released on February 23, 2015 via Season of Mist. The witch's hand on the cover art of the album is actually the hand of Dennis "Ser ...

(2015)'' * ''

Dance and Laugh Amongst the Rotten ''Dance and Laugh Amongst the Rotten'' is the fifth studio album by Dutch symphonic black metal band Carach Angren. It was released on 16 June 2017 via Season of Mist. Although the album doesn't follow a linear story as their previous albums did, ...

(2017)'' * ''

Franckensteina Strataemontanus ''Franckensteina Strataemontanus'' is the sixth studio album by Dutch symphonic black metal band Carach Angren. Released on 26 June 2020 through Season of Mist, it is a concept album inspired by the life of late 17th-century/early 18th-century Ger ...

(2020)''

Other

* Vaultage: ''Hallucinate Beyond'' ''(2003, keyboard and lyrics)'' * Vredehammer : ''Pans skygge (2011, composition of first song on EP)'' * Bodyfarm : ''Battle Breed (2015, composition of eleventh song)'' *

: ''

'' ''(2015, orchestral composition and background vocals)'' *

: F & M (album) (2020, orchestral version of Ach so gern) *

: '' Coming Home'' ''(2016, composition)'' *

: ''The Immortal Wars'' ''(2017, composition)'' * Utbyrd : ''Varskrik (2017, composition)''

External links

Official Website

Solo Music
Available on

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online audio distribution platform founded in 2007 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with headquarters in Oakland, California, US. On March 2, 2022, Bandcamp ...

Carach Angren Website

Official Facebook

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wijers, Clemens 1983 births Dutch heavy metal keyboardists Dutch keyboardists Dutch pianists Dutch composers Dutch songwriters Black metal musicians Season of Mist artists Living people 21st-century pianists