Susperia is a Norwegian

black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...

band formed in October 1998 by

Tjodalv Tjodalv (born Ian Kenneth Åkesson in 1976) is a Norwegian drummer. He is a founding member of both Dimmu Borgir and Old Man's Child. He now plays in Black Comedy and Susperia. Tjodalv played guitar on the first Dimmu Borgir albums ''Inn i evig ...

and

Cyrus Cyrus (Persian: کوروش) is a male given name. It is the given name of a number of Persian kings. Most notably it refers to Cyrus the Great ( BC). Cyrus is also the name of Cyrus I of Anshan ( BC), King of Persia and the grandfather of Cyrus t ...

.Allmusic Biography
/ref> The band was originally named Seven Sins, but since there was another band with that name they changed it to the title of the horror film ''

Suspiria ''Suspiria'' () is a 1977 Italian supernatural horror film directed by Dario Argento, who co-wrote the screenplay with Daria Nicolodi, partially based on Thomas De Quincey's 1845 essay ''Suspiria de Profundis''. The film stars Jessica Harper as ...

'', changing the spelling to avoid a clash with

, a gothic rock band that also took its name from the film.

History

Susperia was started by Tjodalv (

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, ...

, Old Man's Child) and Cyrus ( Satyricon, Old Man's Child) in October 1998. After Tjodalv left

in the middle of March 1999, he started to concentrate fully on Susperia together with old-time friend Cyrus. At

Wacken Open Air Wacken Open Air (, abbreviated as W:O:A) is a rock music, rock music festival, held annually since 1990 on the first weekend of August in the village of Wacken, Schleswig-Holstein, Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Almost all styles and su ...

Festival in 1999, Tjodalv met with singer Athera (Vanaheim), who joined the band subsequently, followed by bass player

Memnock Håkon Didriksen (born 2 February 1974), known professionally as Memnock, is a Norwegian bassist best known for playing in the extreme metal band Susperia. He has been playing bass since early 1990 and started with a cheap Cort. He then bought a ...

(Old Man's Child, Vanaheim) and guitarist Elvorn. They recorded a demo, ''

Illusions of Evil An illusion is a distortion of the senses, which can reveal how the mind normally organizes and interprets sensory stimulation. Although illusions distort the human perception of reality, they are generally shared by most people. Illusions may oc ...

'', in December 1999 at Pitfire Studio outside

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

, which was mixed and mastered by L. Argedick. Synthesizer and piano parts were played by

Mustis Mustis is the pseudonym of Øyvind Johan Mustaparta (born 10 September 1979),https://www.metal-archives.com/artists/Mustis/9297 a Norwegian keyboardist best known for his work in the symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir, as well as the black ...

(Dimmu Borgir). He was briefly an official member of the band before he left to fully concentrate on

. Mustis returned to the band in 2010, after being fired from Dimmu Borgir. Susperia

The demo was sent out to different record companies and gained some positive feedback. They received a few offers from mainly major record labels and signed in early 2000 with

Nuclear Blast Nuclear Blast is a record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label mov ...

for four records. Susperia played their first live gig at John Dee in Oslo, following Ragnarok and Alsvartr; just a few months later, they played at the Scream Magazine 10-year anniversary party. Susperia is not a Satanic band, though their lyrics tend to criticise and question the views and morals of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

. On 9 March 2009, it was reported that vocalist Athera (real name Pål Mathisen) had suffered a heart attack. It was later confirmed that he had been rushed into hospital in Lørenskog, suffering from acute stomach pain and heavy bleeding. He was expected to remain hospitalised for some time. It was later announced that he would undergo a triple bypass operation on 16 March 2009. Susperia joined Melodi Grand Prix in 2011, but lost before the semi final. Cyrus is currently the touring bassist for Dimmu Borgir. In 2015, founding vocalist Athera left the band.

Band members

Current members * Terje "Cyrus" Andersen – guitars (1998–present) * Christian "Elvorn" Hagen – guitars (1998–present) * Ian Kenneth "Tjodalv" Åkesson – drums (1998–present) Former members * Øyvind Johan "Mustis" Mustaparta – keyboards (1998–2000; touring musician: 2010–2011) * Håkon "Memnock" Didriksen – bass (1998–2019) * Pål "Athera" Mathiesen – vocals (1998–2015; touring musician: 2019) * Bernt "Dagon" Fjellstad – vocals (2015–2019; touring musician: 2009, 2014–2015) Live musicians * Lars "Tristhan" Fredriksen – bass (2019) Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

*''

Predominance ''Predominance'' is the debut album by the Norwegian thrash metal band Susperia. Produced at the Abyss Studios, it combines thrash metal with black metal. Track listing #"I Am Pain" – 4:34 #"Vainglory" – 4:35 #"Illusions of Evil" – 5 ...

'' (2001) *'' Vindication'' (2002) *'' Unlimited'' (2004) *''

Cut from Stone ''Cut from Stone'' is the fourth studio album by the Norwegian thrash metal band Susperia. As with their other albums, there is an extreme Testament influence in their music. Track listing Credits Susperia * Athera – vocals *Cyrus – ...

'' (2007) *''

Attitude Attitude may refer to: Philosophy and psychology * Attitude (psychology), an individual's predisposed state of mind regarding a value * Metaphysics of presence * Propositional attitude, a relational mental state connecting a person to a pro ...

'' (2009) *''The Lyricist'' (2018)

EPs/singles

*''Devil May Care'' (2005) *'' Nothing Remains'' (single, 2011) *'' We Are the Ones'' (2011)

Demos

*''Illusions of Evil'' (2000)

References

External links

Official website
(archived) *
Susperia interview
(German and English) {{Authority control Norwegian heavy metal musical groups Norwegian thrash metal musical groups Norwegian black metal musical groups Groove metal musical groups Musical groups established in 1998 1998 establishments in Norway Musical groups from Bærum Nuclear Blast artists