HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Elvenking is a heavy metal band from
Sacile Sacile (; vec, Sathìl ; Liventina: ; Western Friulian: ) is a town and '' comune'' in the province of Pordenone, in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region of northeastern Italy. It is known as the "Garden of the ''Serenissima''" after the many pala ...
,
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
. As of 2019, they have released one demo and ten full-length studio albums. Elvenking's music draws inspiration from different genres such as
metal A metal (from ancient Greek, Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, e ...
, folk,
hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest ha ...
,
pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' ( ...
, prog, and
classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" al ...
.


Biography


The origins (1997–2000)

Elvenking was formed in late October 1997 by two
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 string ...
ist friends, Aydan and Jarpen, both sharing a passion for
heavy metal music Heavy metal (or simply metal) is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and United States. With roots in blues rock, psychedelic rock and acid rock, heavy metal bands develope ...
and
folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, rangin ...
. They were soon joined by Sargon as bassist. The young band faced many issues with its line-up that prevented them from progressing. In March 1998, Damnagoras joined the band as a lead singer, and was followed by the arrival of the drummer Zender in September. It was only then that the band found stability. The members of Elvenking intended to create a fusion of power metal and folk music. After gaining experience through many shows, the band decided to record a promotional album, ''To Oak Woods Bestowed'', in 2000. Damnagoras performed both lead vocals and bass for the recording and subsequent concerts as Sargon previously left the band. The demo was successful enough to allow Elvenking to sign a contract with German label AFM Records. Soon after, Gorlan, a friend of Aydan and Jarpen, fully joined as a bassist. He had appeared before as a session player.


First six albums (2001–2010)

The first full-length album ''
Heathenreel Elvenking is a heavy metal band from Sacile, Italy. As of 2019, they have released one demo and ten full-length studio albums. Elvenking's music draws inspiration from different genres such as metal, folk, hard rock, pop, prog, and cl ...
'' was recorded at New Sin Audio Design by Luigi Stefanini and mixed at Fredman Studios by Fredrik Nordstrom. The cover artwork was created by Travis Smith and the band logo was designed by J.P. Fournier, who also designed covers for Avantasia and Immortal. The album was released on July 23, 2001 and received praise from metal critics around the world. Elvenking then toured around Europe at festivals with popular power metal acts including Blind Guardian,
Gamma Ray A gamma ray, also known as gamma radiation (symbol γ or \gamma), is a penetrating form of electromagnetic radiation arising from the radioactive decay of atomic nuclei. It consists of the shortest wavelength electromagnetic waves, typically ...
,
Edguy Edguy is a heavy metal band formed in Fulda, Germany in 1992. History Demos, AFM years (1992–2003) Edguy was founded in 1992 by 14-year-old students Tobias Sammet, Jens Ludwig, Dominik Storch and Dirk Sauer. The name "Edguy" was an affect ...
and Virgin Steele. In August 2002 singer Damnagoras took leave from the band due to health concerns. Elvenking then recruited a new vocalist, Kleid, who revitalized the spirit of folk music within the band. Elyghen, a violinist and keyboard player, joined soon after. The shift in the line-up led to their second album, '' Wyrd'', recorded at Gernhart studios in Siegburg with Martin Buchwalter, and mixed & mastered at House of music studios with Achim Kolher and released on April 19, 2004. In late 2004 Damnagoras returned, taking the place of Kleid, and Elvenking began working on their third album, '' The Winter Wake.'' On February 4, 2005, founding guitarist Jarpen left Elvenking. Aydan commented:
"Jarpen didn't feel comfortable playing Elvenking's music anymore having lost passion in this kind of stuff. It was a long time he was talking with us about and when Damna was back in, knowing the direction we wanted to go, he told us his willing to leave. We have tried to convince him to give it a try, but it did not work out. It's a really sad thing because Jarpen was one of the founding members and we have created all this from the beginning together, but on the other hand being friends before musicians we know that this is what Jarpen wanted and we totally respect his decision. We will miss you, friend!"
''The Winter Wake'' was released and premiered live on March 11, 2006 in
Pordenone Pordenone (; Venetian and fur, Pordenon) is the main ''comune'' of Pordenone province of northeast Italy in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region. The name comes from Latin ''Portus Naonis'', meaning 'port on the Noncello (Latin ''Naon'') River'. H ...
,
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
. On November 3, 2006, a new album was announced to be in the works according to the official website; The Scythe was released on September 14, 2007. On April 14, 2008, the band announced that they were beginning work on the next album and that it would be a "totally acoustic album". In a later post the band explained that while they viewed this new album as a chance to explore their folk influences it would also be a chance for them to experiment in new areas as well. It was also added that they already had some material written for a "heavy" album; however, this album would wait until after the acoustic album was released. On January 14, 2009, the band announced the addition of a new guitarist, Raffaello "Rafahel" Indri. Rafahel had played live with the band for two years before being added as a permanent member. On September 29, 2009 the band. announced Lethien to be their new live violin player. Lethien would also take Elyghen's place in the rehearsal room until the latter's return to Italy. On February 9, 2010 it was announced that Dennis Ward would be producing Elvenking's new album, with Mat Sinner taking the role of executive producer. The recordings started on March 20. The album, called '' Red Silent Tides'', was released on September 17 in Europe, and November 9 in North America. After the release of ''Red Silent Tides'', the band started a full European tour to support the album. Part of this tour was spent supporting German power metal band Primal Fear.


''Era'' and ''The Pagan Manifesto'' (2011–Present)

In early 2011, drummer Zender left the band and was replaced by Symohn. Recording for a new album began early the next year. '' Era'' was released in September 2012 and saw the band return more to their pagan roots with more prevalent folk elements meshing with their traditional heavy metal sound. Elvenking released their 8th studio album titled the '' Pagan Manifesto'' on May 9, 2014 in the U.K. and on May 27, 2014 in the U.S., with the same line-up intact from their previous effort. The first single, Elvenlegions, was released on Soundcloud and is a dedication to the fans. An accompanying music video for the song was released in late April. The album marks a return to the folk/power metal sound of the band's first two albums. The song "King of the Elves" contains a medley of "White Willow", a song from their first album, ''
Heathenreel Elvenking is a heavy metal band from Sacile, Italy. As of 2019, they have released one demo and ten full-length studio albums. Elvenking's music draws inspiration from different genres such as metal, folk, hard rock, pop, prog, and cl ...
'', as well as revisiting some familiar lyrical lines of the song. The track is roughly 13 minutes long, the longest in the Elvenking catalog. In September 2014, Elvenking's Website launched a fan poll asking fans to vote for songs for the band to perform live during the next leg of the band's "Pagan Manifestour". The top three most voted songs by the fans were "Chronicle of a Frozen Era", "Poison Tears", and "White Willow". The official lyric video for "Draugen's Maelstrom" on their upcoming album was released on October 5, 2017. On November 10, 2017, Elvenking released their 9th studio album titled '' Secrets of the Magick Grimoire'' with Symohn being replaced by Lancs on drums. On 30 August 2019, the band published their tenth studio album titled "Reader of the Runes – Divination". The concept album features eight different characters whose destiny is shaped by the Reader of the Runes.


Influences

Elvenking has declared itself to be a band highly influenced by folk music and dances from all over the world, but especially from all the metal scene and from "any other cool stuff may it be pop, punk or whatever". Amongst the most influential bands on Elvenking's style is Skyclad. Damna, the lead singer, lists his favorite bands and musicians as "Everything that’s cool to my ears from metal to pop music. Some of my favourite artists are
Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...
,
Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harr ...
, Guns N’ Roses,
Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
,
Mötley Crüe Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1981. The group was founded by bassist Nikki Sixx, drummer Tommy Lee, lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil. Mötley Crüe has sold over 100 million albu ...
,
Marilyn Manson Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He came to prominence as the lead singer of the band which shares his name, of which he remains the only constant member since it ...
,
Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whitford (guitar). Their style, which is rooted in blues ...
,
In Flames In Flames is a Swedish heavy metal band, formed by guitarist Jesper Strömblad in Gothenburg in 1990. Alongside At the Gates and Dark Tranquillity, In Flames pioneered the genres known as Swedish death metal and melodic death metal. During the ...
,
Hardcore Superstar Hardcore Superstar is a Swedish heavy metal band from Gothenburg, Sweden. The band was formed in 1997 and have released eleven studio albums. History The first ten years (1997–2007) 1997–2004 Hardcore Superstar was formed in Gothenburg, ...
,
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, ...
,
Rob Zombie Rob Zombie (born Robert Bartleh Cummings; January 12, 1965) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, filmmaker, and voice actor. His music and lyrics are notable for their horror and sci-fi themes, and his live shows have be ...
,
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the " King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over ...
,
Dissection Dissection (from Latin ' "to cut to pieces"; also called anatomization) is the dismembering of the body of a deceased animal or plant to study its anatomical structure. Autopsy is used in pathology and forensic medicine to determine the cause o ...
, Iced Earth,
Pantera Pantera () is an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas formed in 1981, and currently comprised of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, and touring musicians Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante. The group's best-known lineup cons ...
, Wednesday 13,
Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American rock band formed in 1983 in Sayreville, New Jersey. It consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarist Phil X, and bassist Hugh McDonald. Original bassist Alec John such qu ...
, Slipknot,
Nickelback Nickelback is a Canadian rock band formed in 1995 in Hanna, Alberta. It is composed of guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, guitarist, keyboardist and backing vocalist Ryan Peake, bassist Mike Kroeger, and drummer Daniel Adair. It wen ...
, Stone Sour,
Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...
,
Sixx AM Sixx:A.M. was an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2007 by Nikki Sixx, DJ Ashba, and James Michael, and was a side project of Sixx, who was also at the time bass guitarist for Mötley Crüe. The group is best known ...
,
Cannibal Corpse Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band formed in Buffalo, New York in 1988, now based out of Tampa, Florida. The band has released fifteen studio albums, two box sets, four video albums, and two live albums. The band has had little radi ...
,
Papa Roach Papa Roach is an American rock band from Vacaville, California, formed in 1993. The original lineup consisted of lead vocalist Jacoby Shaddix, guitarist Jerry Horton, drummer Dave Buckner, bassist Will James, and trombonist Ben Luther. After t ...
,
Buckcherry Buckcherry is an American rock band from Anaheim, California, formed in 1995. The band released two albums, '' Buckcherry'' (1999) and '' Time Bomb'' (2001), before dissolving in 2002. Buckcherry's first album ''Buckcherry'' was DreamWorks first ...
,
Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...
,
Cradle of Filth Cradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved originally from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic metal and other metal genres. Their ly ...
, King Diamond, Mercyful Fate, Skid Row, etc." Aydan, lists his favorite bands and musicians as "
Helloween Helloween is a German power metal band founded in 1984 in Hamburg by members of bands Iron Fist, Gentry, Second Hell and Powerfool. Its first lineup consisted of singer and guitarist Kai Hansen, bassist Markus Grosskopf, guitarist Michael Wei ...
, Skyclad,
Children of Bodom Children of Bodom was a Finnish melodic death metal band from Espoo. Formed in 1993 as Inearthed, the final line-up of the group upon their split in 2019 consisted of Alexi Laiho (lead guitar, lead vocals), Jaska Raatikainen (drums), Henkka Se ...
,
Nightwish Nightwish is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Kitee. The band was formed in 1996 by lead songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and former lead singer Tarja Turunen. The band soon picked up drummer Jukka N ...
,
Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harr ...
, Mercyful Fate, King Diamond,
Dark Tranquillity Dark Tranquillity is a Swedish melodic death metal band from Gothenburg. They are considered one of the pioneering acts of the Gothenburg metal scene, which also includes bands such as In Flames and At the Gates. Dark Tranquillity is regarde ...
,
Cradle of Filth Cradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved originally from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic metal and other metal genres. Their ly ...
, Candlemass, My Dying Bride,
Trans-Siberian Orchestra Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) is an American rock band founded in 1996 by producer, composer, and lyricist Paul O'Neill, who brought together Jon Oliva and Al Pitrelli (both members of Savatage) and keyboardist and co-producer Robert Kinkel ...
,
Simple Plan Simple Plan is a Canadian rock band from Montreal, Quebec, formed in 1999. The band's lineup consists of Pierre Bouvier (lead vocals, studio bass guitar), Chuck Comeau (drums), Jeff Stinco (lead guitar), and Sébastien Lefebvre (rhythm guit ...
,
Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
, Angels & Airwaves, etc."


Lineup


Current members

* Davide "
Damnagoras Davide "Damna" Moras (born 18 August 1981) is an Italian singer who is the lead vocalist of the Italian folk/ power metal band Elvenking and rock n' roll band Hell in the Club. Biography His musical career goes back to 1996, when he started ...
" Moras – vocals (1998–2002, 2004–present) * Federico "Aydan" Baston – guitars (1997–present) * Fabio "Lethien" Polo – violin (2009–present) * Simone "Symohn" Morettin – drums (2011–2017, live 2019-2022, 2022-present) * Alessandro "Jakob" Jacobi – bass (2012–present) * Mattia "Headmatt" Carli – guitars (live 2019–2022, 2022-present)


Former members

* Massimo "Kleid" Bottiglieri – vocals (2002–2004) * Jarpen – guitars, unclean vocals (2002–2004) * Sargon – bass (1997–2000) *Gorlan – bass (2000–2011) * Zender – drums (1998–2011) *Elyghen – violin (2002–2009) *Raffaello "Rafahel" Indri – guitars (2007–2022) Timeline


Discography


Studio albums

* ''Heathenreel'' (2001) * ''Wyrd'' (2004) * '' The Winter Wake'' (2006) * '' The Scythe'' (2007) * '' Two Tragedy Poets (...And a Caravan of Weird Figures)'' (2008) * '' Red Silent Tides'' (2010) * '' Era (2012) * '' Pagan Manifesto'' (2014) * ''Secrets of the Magick Grimoire'' (2017) * ''Reader of the Runes – Divination'' (2019)


Singles/music videos

* ''The Divided Heart'' – 2007 * ''The Cabal'' – 2010 * ''Your Heroes Are Dead'' – 2011 * ''Poor Little Baroness (Lyric Video)'' – 2012 * ''The Loser'' – 2012 * ''Elvenlegions'' – 2014 * ''The Solitare (Lyric Video)'' – 2015 * ''Draugen's Maelstrom (Lyric Video)'' – 2017 * ''Invoking the Woodland Spirit'' – 2017 * ''The One We Shall Follow'' – 2018 * ''Under the Sign of a Black Star'' – 2019 * ''Silverseal'' – 2019 * ''Divination'' – 2019 * ''Rapture'' - 2022


References


External links

*
Elvenking on Myspace

Elvenking on Encyclopaedia Metallum

Elvenking at Metal Storm
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elvenking Musical groups established in 1997 Italian power metal musical groups Italian folk metal musical groups