Empyrium is a German symphonic

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 Fol ...

doom metal Doom metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other heavy metal genres.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' ...

and (later)

neofolk Neofolk, also known as apocalyptic folk, is a form of experimental music blending elements of folk and industrial music, which emerged in punk rock circles in the 1980s. Neofolk may either be solely acoustic or combine acoustic folk instrumenta ...

/ dark folk band.

History

Empyrium was founded in 1994 by Markus Stock (mostly using the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

Ulf Theodor Schwadorf Ulf, or Ulv is a masculine name common in Scandinavia and Germany. It derives from the Old Norse word for "wolf" (''úlfr'', see Wulf). The oldest written record of the name's occurrence in Sweden is from a runestone of the 11th century. The fe ...

) and Andreas Bach, but later many other musicians participated. The band draws inspiration from

nature Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physics, physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomenon, phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. ...

. Empyrium are often referred to as a dark folk or

apocalyptic folk Neofolk, also known as apocalyptic folk, is a form of experimental music blending elements of folk and industrial music, which emerged in punk rock circles in the 1980s. Neofolk may either be solely acoustic or combine acoustic folk instrumenta ...

band, expressing in their music sentiments akin to those expressed by some other 'legislators' of the genre,

Forseti Forseti (Old Norse "the presiding one", "president" in modern Icelandic and Faroese) is the god of justice and reconciliation in Norse mythology. He is generally identified with Fosite, a god of the Frisians. Name Grimm took ''Forseti'', "''pr ...

, Orplid, and

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 ...

(

Kveldssanger ''Kveldssanger'' (translated as ''"Twilight Songs"'') is the second studio album by Norwegian band Ulver, issued in March 1996 via Head Not Found. The album was recorded at Endless Lydstudio, Oslo, Norway in the summer and autumn of 1995, with Kri ...

). Like the

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including the ...

black metal band

Burzum Burzum (; ) was a Norwegian music project founded by Varg Vikernes in 1991. Although Burzum never played live performances, it became a part of the early Norwegian black metal scene and is considered one of the most influential acts in black m ...

, Empyrium also used a

Theodor Kittelsen Theodor Severin Kittelsen (27 April 1857 – 21 January 1914) was a Norwegian artist. He is one of the most popular artists in Norway. Kittelsen became famous for his nature paintings, as well as for his illustrations of fairy tales and legend ...

drawing on one of their album covers ('' Where at Night the Wood Grouse Plays'').

Metal records

Their first two albums, ''A Wintersunset'' and ''Songs of Moors and Misty Fields'', following a demo entitled ''...Der wie ein Blitz vom Himmel fiel...'', are considered

(or

folk metal Folk metal is a fusion genre of heavy metal music and traditional folk music that developed in Europe during the 1990s. It is characterised by the widespread use of folk instruments and, to a lesser extent, traditional singing styles (for exampl ...

) with

and

symphonic A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning com ...

influences. They combine harsh and

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

tic male

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

, with deep slow

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 ...

parts and atmospheric sounds.

Acoustic records

The following two albums, '' Where at Night the Wood Grouse Plays'' and '' Weiland'' are acoustic, display a constantly heavier

influence. Instead of keyboards, the band switched to acoustic instruments such as

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...

s and the

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

. Operatic male vocals are still used, and in ''Weiland'' the band uses choir vocals and the piano. Though the music remains dark and melancholic, Empyrium's music has largely moved away from heavy metal.

Departure

After their 2002 album, ''Weiland'', the band decided to stop recording. As Schwadorf himself put it,

''Empyrium has explored nature-mystics since 1994, and after 8 years we feel to move on and made a glorious farewell to the concept with "Weiland"''

''A Retrospective''

In August 2006, Empyrium's label,

Prophecy Productions Prophecy Productions is an international record label, founded in Germany by Martin Koller in 1996. It proclaims promoting "transcendental ..captivating music".

, announced publicly for the first time that a new album was going to be released in late November the same year. Called ''A Retrospective'', it is a look back on the history of the band. Aside from ten remastered tracks from their previous albums, it contains a re-recorded version of ''The Franconian Woods In Winter's Silence'' from the album ''A Wintersunset'', as well as two new tracks in the

style of late Empyrium (''Der Weiher'' and ''Am Wolkenstieg''). The sixty-page

book A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical arr ...

let provides an extensive account of the musical influences of the band, and how Empyrium has changed over the years. The album leaked onto the

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

in early November 2006.

Comeback

On September 17, 2010,

Prophecy Productions Prophecy Productions is an international record label, founded in Germany by Martin Koller in 1996. It proclaims promoting "transcendental ..captivating music".

and Schwadorf personally announced that the band had reunited and revealed plans to release a new album soon, beside contributing to the label's upcoming v/a compilation ''

Whom The Moon A Nightsong Sings ''Whom the Moon a Nightsong Sings'' is a compilation album by various neofolk and metal artists. It was released through Prophecy Productions on October 29, 2010. Artists featured on the compilation album include Ulver, Nest, Syven, Les Disc ...

''.

We are incredibly happy to announce that Empyrium, the most renowned Prophecy act ever, has decided to reunite and to record new music! Here's the official statement of Schwadorf on the reunion: ''Since the rumours start to spread we think it's about time to make this official: Empyrium is alive again! Our first new sign of life will be the song 'The Days Before The Fall' on the Prophecy Prod. compilation 'Whom The Moon A Nightsong Sings' but we have plans for more! The spirit is back and it really feels right to us to start writing songs with Empyrium again. We are not in a rush though so don't expect a full length today or tomorrow but we have the patience and faith to make this new songs outstanding and unique. Just as Empyrium ever was...''

Discography

Demos * ''...Der wie ein Blitz vom Himmel fiel...'' (1995) Studio albums * '' A Wintersunset...'' (1996) * '' Songs of Moors and Misty Fields'' (1997) * '' Where at Night the Wood Grouse Plays'' (1999) * '' Weiland'' (2002) * ''The Turn of the Tides'' (2014) * ''Über den Sternen'' (2021) EPs * ''Drei Auszüge aus Weiland'' (2002) * ''Dead Winter Ways'' (2013) * ''The Mill'' (2015) Compilation albums * ''A Retrospective...'' (2006) * ''A Retrospective...'' (boxed set, 2006) * ''

Whom the Moon a Nightsong Sings ''Whom the Moon a Nightsong Sings'' is a compilation album by various neofolk and metal artists. It was released through Prophecy Productions on October 29, 2010. Artists featured on the compilation album include Ulver, Nest, Syven, Les Disc ...

'' (as a contributing artist to the compilation, 2010) * ''1994 - 2014'' (boxed set, 2014) Live albums * ''Into the Pantheon'' (2013) * ''Bochum , Christuskirche , 2012'' (2013)

Line-up

* Ulf Theodor Schwadorf (g, b, dr&p, v, etc.); Andreas Bach (k) * Ulf Theodor Schwadorf (g, b, dr&p, v, etc.); Andreas Bach (k); Nadine Moelter (flute) * Ulf Theodor Schwadorf (g, b, dr&p, v, etc.); Andreas Bach (k); Nadine Moelter (flute); Thomas Helm (bv) * Ulf Theodor Schwadorf (g, b, dr&p, v, etc.); Thomas Helm (bv); guests (''Weiland'')

References

External links

* * *
interview with Markus Stock 2007
{{Authority control German folk metal musical groups German black metal musical groups German doom metal musical groups Neofolk music groups Musical groups established in 1994 Musical groups disestablished in 2006 Musical groups reestablished in 2010 1994 establishments in Germany 2006 disestablishments in Germany 2010 establishments in Germany