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Mikael Svanberg (born 13 November 1972), better known as Lord Ahriman, is a
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
musician and composer best known as the primary guitarist, songwriter and sole founding member of
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
Dark Funeral
Dark Funeral is a Swedish black metal band from Stockholm, founded by guitarists Blackmoon and Lord Ahriman in 1993. They emerged during the second wave of black metal.
Their lyrical themes have traditionally pertained to Satanism and anti-Chr ...
. He is also the rhythm guitarist in the band Wolfen Society. His name is derived from ''Ahriman'' ( fa, اهریمن), the evil equivalent of the deity
Angra Mainyu
Angra Mainyu (; Avestan: 𐬀𐬢𐬭𐬀⸱𐬨𐬀𐬌𐬥𐬌𐬌𐬎 ''Aŋra Mainiiu'') is the Avestan-language name of Zoroastrianism's hypostasis of the "destructive/evil spirit" and the main adversary in Zoroastrianism either of th ...
in
Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religions, Iranian religion and one of the world's History of religion, oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian peoples, Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a Dualism in cosmology, du ...
.
Biography
Originally from
Luleå
Luleå ( , , locally ; smj, Luleju; fi, Luulaja) is a city on the coast of northern Sweden, and the capital of Norrbotten County, the northernmost county in Sweden. Luleå has 48,728 inhabitants in its urban core (2018) and is the seat of Lu ...
a small town in the north of Sweden, Ahriman developed an interest in music from a very young age. Hailing from a somewhat musical family, he cited his grandmother, mother and younger sister as influences and he started songwriting himself between 1989 and 1990.
[Interview with Lord Ahriman](_blank)
Harbouring interests for
Satanism
Satanism is a group of ideological and philosophical beliefs based on Satan. Contemporary religious practice of Satanism began with the founding of the atheistic Church of Satan by Anton LaVey in the United States in 1966, although a few hi ...
(ostensibly
that of the LaVeyan variant) and
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 ...
as a teenager, he was introverted in his environment. When he was eighteen years old, he left for
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
, home to extreme metal acts such as
Entombed and
Dismember
Dismemberment is the act of cutting, ripping, tearing, pulling, wrenching or otherwise disconnecting the limbs from a living or dead being. It has been practiced upon human beings as a form of capital punishment, especially in connection with ...
, whom Ahriman already knew personally.
He has also been an active participant in
death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep growling vocals; aggressive, powerful drumming, feat ...
. Before he played in Dark Funeral he played in a
blackened death metal
Blackened death metal (also known as black death metal) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal that fuses elements of black metal and death metal.
The genre emerged in early 1990s when black metal bands began incorporating elements of death me ...
band called
Satan's Disciples, and he has a side-project called Wolfen Society, who released an MCD "Conquer Divine" in 2001, although difficulties with
No Fashion Records No Fashion Records was a Swedish record label (a sublabel of MNW Music) which focused on extreme metal. It was located in Stockholm and was active from 1992 to 2004. It was founded by the Swedish zine editor Tomas Nyqvist.
Bands
*A Canorous Quint ...
hindered its success.
Ahriman and other Dark Funeral members were forced to have side-jobs after No Fashion did not grant them royalties for their work on Dark Funeral's backcatalogue. Consequently Dark Funeral filed suit against No Fashion, and have since spearheaded a campaign against "corrupt" record labels.
In October 2008, it was announced that Ahriman and
succeeded in obtaining the rights to Dark Funeral's entire backcatalogue.
In 2013, Ahriman and Dark Funeral signed to Century Media Records for their upcoming new studio album.
Discography
Dark Funeral
Studio releases
* ''
The Secrets of the Black Arts
''The Secrets of the Black Arts'' is the debut studio album by Swedish black metal band Dark Funeral, released in January 1996, by No Fashion Records. It was re-released on 31 July 2007, with a bonus disc consisting of the album original recordi ...
'' (1996)
* ''
Vobiscum Satanas
''Vobiscum Satanas'' (Latin for "May Satan Be with You") is the second studio album by Swedish black metal band Dark Funeral. ''Vobiscum Satanas'' is the first album to feature longtime vocalist and lyricist Emperor Magus Caligula, and the only ...
'' (1998)
* ''
Diabolis Interium
''Diabolis Interium'' (grammatically incorrect Latin, intended to mean "Devil Within") is the third studio album by Swedish black metal band Dark Funeral, released on 24 September 2001. It was recorded and audio mixing (recorded music), mixed bet ...
'' (2001)
* ''
Attera Totus Sanctus
''Attera Totus Sanctus'' (intended Latin translation of "Destroy All the Holy") is the fourth studio album by Swedish black metal band Dark Funeral. It was released on October 24, 2005, in Europe through Regain Records, and on November 29, 2005, ...
'' (2005)
* ''
Angelus Exuro pro Eternus
''Angelus Exuro pro Eternus'' (grammatically incorrect Latin intended to mean "Angels Burned for Eternity") is the fifth studio album by Swedish black metal band Dark Funeral. The album was officially released on 18 November 2009 via Regain Recor ...
'' (2009)
* ''
Where Shadows Forever Reign
''Where Shadows Forever Reign'' is the sixth studio album by black metal band Dark Funeral. The album was released through Century Media Records on 3 June 2016. ''Where Shadows Forever Reign'' is the first album to feature vocalist Heljarmadr ...
'' (2016)
* ''
We Are the Apocalypse
''We Are the Apocalypse'' is the seventh studio album by Swedish black metal band Dark Funeral. The album was released through Century Media Records on 18 March 2022. The album is the first to feature the band's new drummer, Jalomaah, and bass p ...
'' (2022)
EPs
* ''
Dark Funeral
Dark Funeral is a Swedish black metal band from Stockholm, founded by guitarists Blackmoon and Lord Ahriman in 1993. They emerged during the second wave of black metal.
Their lyrical themes have traditionally pertained to Satanism and anti-Chr ...
'' (1994)
* ''Teach the Children to Worship Satan'' (2000)
Live releases
* ''De Profundis Clamavi ad Te Domine'' (2004)
Compilations
* ''In the Sign…'' (2000)
DVDs
* ''
Attera Orbis Terrarum - Part I'' (2007)
* ''
Attera Orbis Terrarum - Part II'' (2008)
Wolfen Society
EPs
* ''Conquer Divine'' (2001)
References
External links
Lord Ahriman's Facebook PageLord Ahriman's Myspace PageDark Funeral Official WebsiteDark Funeral Official Myspace PageInterview with Lord Ahriman
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahriman, Lord
Black metal musicians
Black metal guitarists
Living people
Swedish Satanists
Swedish heavy metal guitarists
1972 births
Dark Funeral members