Cor Scorpii ("Scorpion's Heart" in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

) is a

black metal Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with t ...

band from

Sogndal Sogndal is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located on the northern shore of the Sognefjorden in the traditional district of Sogn. The village of Hermansverk is the administrative center of Sogndal municipality. Other villages ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

, founded in 2004 by Gaute Refsnes, the former keyboardist of

Windir Windir ("Warrior" in English) was a black metal band from Sogndal, Norway. The band was formed in 1994 by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Terje "Valfar" Bakken, and released its debut album ''Sóknardalr'' in 1997. Windir combined black meta ...

. Cor Scorpii is an alternative name of

Antares Antares is the brightest star in the constellation of Scorpius. It has the Bayer designation α Scorpii, which is Latinised to Alpha Scorpii. Often referred to as "the heart of the scorpion", Antares is flanked by σ Scorpii and τ ...

, the 15th brightest star in the sky. The name was chosen because the band members felt that it conveyed a mysterious and atmospheric feeling, corresponding to the musical and lyrical content.

History

Cor Scorpii was formed in late 2004 after the death of

Terje Bakken Terje "Valfar" Bakken (3 September 1978 – 14 January 2004) was the lead singer and founder of the Norwegian black metal band Windir. Windir was started as a one-man project, but it was expanded into a full band with the release of their third a ...

, the lead singer and founder of Windir. Following a farewell concert, the band was dissolved. At that point, Gaute Refsnes implemented the long-standing idea of creating his own band. Two other former Windir members, Stian Bakketeig and Jørn Holen, joined the band. Holen, however had to leave in 2005 due to family reasons and his obligations to

Vreid Vreid is a Norwegian black metal band formed in 2004 after the breakup of Windir following the death of lead singer and founder Valfar. The remaining members along with new guitarist Ese formed Vreid. The band's name is an archaic Norwegian word ...

, another band created by the former Windir members. The line-up was competed by Thomas S. Øvstedal, Rune Sjøthun, and Inge Jonny Lomheim, who have all been involved in the local metal scene for years. The band's first

demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...

, ''Attergangar'', was released in 2005, receiving much praise from the musical critics and fans and winning the Demo of the Month award from the Metal Hammer Germany magazine. Shortly after, the band signed a record deal with the

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

label Descent Productions. A new drummer, Ole "Vargon" Nordsve, joined the band by the end of 2006. In July 2007, the band commenced to record its début full-length album, ''Monument'', which was released on March 26, 2008 to positive reviews. In 2009, Cor Scorpii was signed by the Norwegian label Dark Essence Records, which re-released the band's début album, as well as the earlier demo. The band's second album ''Ruin'' was released on June 15, 2018.

Musical style

Compared to Vreid, the legacy of Windir in Cor Scorpii's music, which is melodic and sombre, is apparent, even though no band member was actually involved in songwriting for Windir. There are notable differences as well, however. The

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fo ...

influences, characteristic of Windir, were replaced with classical influences. Such classical

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

s as

Sergei Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, p ...

Edvard Grieg Edvard Hagerup Grieg ( , ; 15 June 18434 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the foremost Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwide. His use of ...

, Sergei Rachmaninov, and

Erik Satie Eric Alfred Leslie Satie (, ; ; 17 May 18661 July 1925), who signed his name Erik Satie after 1884, was a French composer and pianist. He was the son of a French father and a British mother. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire, but was an und ...

are stated as sources of inspiration for the band.

Live performance

Cor Scorpii's first concert took place in their hometown in October 2007 during the Støy Festival; the band continued to tour Norway the following year, participating in larger events, such as the

Inferno Metal Festival Inferno Metal Festival is an annual extreme metal festival that takes place every year during Easter in Oslo, Norway. The festival was founded by Borknagar guitarist Jens F. Ryland in cooperation with Radar Booking in 2001 and takes place at Rocke ...

. In 2009, the band was able to perform outside their native country for the first time, playing in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and then at the

Ragnarök Festival Ragnarök Festival is a pagan metal festival held annually in Germany since 2004 founded by Ivo Raab. It started out as a small, one-night festival with only regional bands in the town hall of Hollfeld. In 2005 it was decided to go for a festiv ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Members

Current

* Thomas S. Øvstedal – vocals * Erlend Nybø – guitars * Rune Sjøthun – rhythm guitars * Inge Jonny Lomheim – bass * Gaute Refsnes – keyboards * Ole "Vargon" Nordsve – drums

Former

* Jørn Holen – drums * Stian Bakketeig – guitars

Discography

Albums

* ''Monument'' (2008) * ''Ruin'' (2018)

Demos

* ''Attergangar'' (2005)

References

External links

Official web-siteOfficial MySpaceCor Scorpii at Dark Essence Records
{{Authority control Norwegian black metal musical groups Musical groups established in 2004 2004 establishments in Norway Musical groups from Sogn og Fjordane Musicians from Sogndal