Dødheimsgard (also known as DHG) is a Norwegian

extreme metal Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. It has been defined as a "cluster of metal subgenres characterized by sonic, verbal, and visual tran ...

band formed in 1994. Dødheimsgard originally played

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 ...

, but 1999's ''

666 International ''666 International'' is the third full-length album by Norwegian black metal band Dødheimsgard. It was released on June 11, 1999, by Moonfog Productions. With ''666 International'', Dødheimsgard abandoned the black metal style of their previ ...

'' saw them change their style into experimental and

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

industrial metal Industrial metal is the fusion of heavy metal and industrial music, typically employing repeating metal guitar riffs, sampling, synthesizer or sequencer lines, and distorted vocals. Prominent industrial metal acts include Ministry, Nine In ...

. In 2000, they shortened their name to DHG. Their name,"Dødheimsgard" is a contraction of three words: ''Død'' which means 'death', ''heim'' which means 'home' and ''gard'' which means (at least in this context) 'realm'. A natural translation into English would be "Realm of Death".

History

Founding of the band and ''Kronet til Konge'' (1994–1995)

The band was founded in 1994. At the time they consisted of three members: Vicotnik (drums, backing vocals),

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")

(bass, additional vocals) and Aldrahn (lead vocals and guitar) This line up recorded a promotional demo before releasing their debut album ''Kronet til Konge'' on Malicious Records in 1995. After the release of the album they recorded another promotional demo.

''Monumental Possession'', ''Satanic Art'' and ''666 International''; Aldrahn's first departure (1995–1999)

Some time after the release of their second promo Fenriz had left the band and was replaced by Alver (bass), and Apollyon (guitar and vocals). This line up recorded the album '' Monumental Possession'' in December 1995, and released it in 1996. For their follow up effort, an EP named ''

Satanic Art ''Satanic Art'' is an EP by Norwegian black metal band Dødheimsgard. It was released in May 1998, by Moonfog Productions. ''Satanic Art'' marks the beginning of Dødheimsgard's transition from black metal to a more industrial/avant-garde soun ...

'' was released in 1998. The band was joined by new members Galder (guitars), who at the time was a member of

Old Man's Child Old Man's Child is a Norwegian black metal band from the city of Oslo. The band is the brainchild of Galder (formerly known as Grusom; birth name: Thomas Rune Andersen) who is the only permanent member of the band. History Old Man's Child was ...

and would later go on to join

Dimmu Borgir Dimmu Borgir () is a Norwegian symphonic black metal band from Jessheim, formed in 1993. The name is derived from Dimmuborgir, a volcanic formation in Iceland, the name of which means "dark cities" or "dark castles/fortresses" in Icelandic, ...

, and Cerberus (bass), who replaced Alver, and Zweizz (keyboards and effects). On this release, Apollyon switched to playing the drums instead of guitar. Some time after the release of the EP, Galder and Cerberus would depart from the band. The following year Dødheimsgard recorded their next album entitled ''

'', which was released in 1999. For this album the band had a new member, Czral, on drums, as Apollyon once again switched instruments and played bass. Some time after the band had released their previous album, Aldrahn, Zweizz and Apollyon had departed from the band's ranks.

''Supervillain Outcast'' (2004–2011)

The band had been working on new material and featured new members Kvohst (vocals), Thrawn Hellspawn (guitars) and Clandestine (bass). When recording the new album the band featured Mort (samples), Czral (drums) and Bliss (programming). Aldrahn made a guest appearance on the album as well. In 2006, they completed the album ''

Supervillain Outcast ''Supervillain Outcast'' is the fourth full-length album by Norwegian black metal band Dødheimsgard, now under the moniker DHG. It was released on March 26, 2007, by Moonfog Productions. It was their only release to feature Kvohst on vocals, wh ...

'', which was released in April 2007 by Moonfog Productions and

The End Records The End Records is a record label in Manhattan that specializes in rock, heavy metal, indie, and electronic music. Early years (1998–2005) The End Records was founded by Andreas Katsambas in Pasadena, California, with the goal of helping ...

. On January 4, 2008, it was announced that vocalist

Kvohst Kvohst (born Mathew Joseph McNerney in 1978) is a British singer, guitarist, songwriter and producer. Life and music career Kvohst was born and grew up in Wimbledon, London. He has lived in numerous places including Norway and The Netherlands ...

had left the band. However, in October 2010, he had rejoined and new members Terghl (drums) and Blargh (guitars) had joined the band. Some time during 2011, the band announced that Kvhost had once again left. In the period following Kvhost's departure it appeared that members Blargh, Thrawn Hellspawn and Clandestine had also departed from the group.

Aldrahn's return and ''A Umbra Omega'' (2013–2016)

In 2013, original vocalist, Aldrahn, was announced to have made his return to the group and that the band were working on a new album. The band released their fifth studio album, '' A Umbra Omega'', on March 16, 2015. After the release of the album new members Thunberg (guitar) and L.E. Måløy (bass) had joined the group.

Aldrahn's second departure and recent activities (2016–present)

In June 2016 Vicotnik announced that Aldrahn had once again left the band due to strains on their personal relationship. The band continued to tour despite Aldrahn's absence with Vitcotnik performing lead vocals for the entirety of the shows during their arranged performance dates. They also have a new album in the works.

Members

Current line-up

*Vicotnik (Viper, Mr. Fixit, Yusaf Parvez) - Drums (1994-1996), Vocals (1996-1998, 2011-present)

Guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

(1997-present) (

Ved Buens Ende Ved Buens Ende is a Norway, Norwegian avant-garde metal band. Their sound is diverse with quiet instrumental jazz influenced sections and aggressive black metal blast beats and vocals. Ved Buens Ende means "By the end of the bow" referring to th ...

Code In communications and information processing, code is a system of rules to convert information—such as a letter, word, sound, image, or gesture—into another form, sometimes shortened or secret, for communication through a communication ...

, Naer Mataron) *Sekaran (Terghl) - Drums (2005-present) *Thunberg - Guitars (2013-present) *L.E. Måløy - Bass (2014-present)

Previous members

* Aldrahn (Bjørn Dencker Gjerde) - Guitar (1994-2004) Lead Vocals (1994-2004, 2013-2016) (

Thorns Thorn(s) or The Thorn(s) may refer to: Botany * Thorns, spines, and prickles, sharp structures on plants * ''Crataegus monogyna'', or common hawthorn, a plant species Comics and literature * Rose and Thorn, the two personalities of two DC Com ...

, Zyklon-B, Urarv) *Alver (Jonas Alver) - Bass (1996) (

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

) *

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, Vocals (1996), Drums (1996-1998), Bass (1999) ( Aura Noir,

Cadaver A cadaver or corpse is a dead human body that is used by medical students, physicians and other scientists to study anatomy, identify disease sites, determine causes of death, and provide tissue to repair a defect in a living human being. Stud ...

Immortal Immortality is the ability to live forever, or eternal life. Immortal or Immortality may also refer to: Film * ''The Immortals'' (1995 film), an American crime film * ''Immortality'', an alternate title for the 1998 British film '' The Wisdom of ...

) *Cerberus - Bass (1996-1998) *Czral (

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 ...

) - Drums (1999–2003) ( Aura Noir,

Virus A virus is a submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism. Viruses infect all life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea. Since Dmitri Ivanovsky's 1 ...

Satyricon The ''Satyricon'', ''Satyricon'' ''liber'' (''The Book of Satyrlike Adventures''), or ''Satyrica'', is a Latin work of fiction believed to have been written by Gaius Petronius, though the manuscript tradition identifies the author as Titus Petro ...

Ulver Ulver (Norwegian for "wolves") is a Norwegian experimental electronica band founded in 1993, by vocalist Kristoffer Rygg. Their early works, such as debut album '' Bergtatt'', were categorised as folklore-influenced black metal, but the band h ...

) *

(Gylve Nagell) - Vocals, Bass (1994-1995) (

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 ...

) *

Galder Tom Rune Andersen (born 18 October 1976), also known by his stage name Galder, is a Norwegian guitarist and vocalist. He is from the small town of Jessheim, north of Oslo. He is a founding member of the melodic black metal band Old Man's Child ...

(Thomas Rune Andersen) - Guitar (1998) (

) *

- Vocals (1998-2008, 2010-2011) (

Grave Pleasures Grave Pleasures is a Finnish post-punk band from Helsinki. Formed in 2010, Grave Pleasure's previous incarnation, Beastmilk, released a demo followed by an EP, and later debut full-length '' Climax''. Members Mat McNerney and Valtteri Arino conti ...

, Hexvessel, ex-

) *Mr. Magic Logic/Hologram/

Zweizz Zweizz is the primary performing alias of Norwegian musician and composer Svein Egil Hatlevik (born May 27, 1977). History Hatlevik started using the Zweizz alias in 2003 after leaving the Norwegian black metal group Dødheimsgard. Accordin ...

(Svein Egil Hatlevik) - Keyboards, Effects (1997-2003) (

Fleurety Fleurety is a Norwegian avant-garde metal band. The band was formed in 1991 by Svein Egil Hatlevik and Alexander Nordgaren. History The band released their first demo, ''Black Snow'' in 1993. After that came the 7-inch EP '' A Darker Shade of E ...

) *Thrawn Hellspawn (Tom Kvålsvoll) - Guitar (2005-2011) *Blargh - Guitar (2010-2015) ( Nidingr, Blargh, Clutchpedal vs. Starfat) *Clandestine (Christian Eidskrem) - Bass (2005-2011) *Jormundgand -

Synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

, Keyboards (2006-2011) *Void - Bass (2011-2015)

Session/live members

Session

* Czral (

) - Drums on ''Supervillain Outcast'' * Mort - Samples on ''Supervillain Outcast'' * Bliss - Programming on ''Supervillian Outcast''

Live

* Inflabitan - Guitar, Bass (1999) * Øyvind Myrvoll - Drums (2013)

Discography

*'' Kronet Til Konge'' (1995) *'' Monumental Possession'' (1996) *''

(MCD)'' (1998) *''

'' (1999) *''

'' (2007) *'' A Umbra Omega'' (2015)

References

External links

Dødheimsgard official website
(currently down but being built) *
DHG Interview 2007Interview with Bjørn Dencker aka ALDRAHN 2008 on avantgarde-metal.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dodheimsgard Norwegian avant-garde metal musical groups Norwegian black metal musical groups Musical groups established in 1994 1994 establishments in Norway Musical groups from Oslo