Tristania was a Norwegian
gothic metal
Gothic metal (or goth metal) is a fusion genre combining the aggression of heavy metal with the dark atmospheres of gothic rock. The music of gothic metal is diverse with bands known to adopt the gothic approach to different styles of heavy met ...
band formed in 1996 by
Morten Veland, Einar Moen and Kenneth Olsson. Tristania's music is usually classified as
Gothic metal
Gothic metal (or goth metal) is a fusion genre combining the aggression of heavy metal with the dark atmospheres of gothic rock. The music of gothic metal is diverse with bands known to adopt the gothic approach to different styles of heavy met ...
with
death
Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...
influences, due to its strong tie and legacy within the
gothic metal
Gothic metal (or goth metal) is a fusion genre combining the aggression of heavy metal with the dark atmospheres of gothic rock. The music of gothic metal is diverse with bands known to adopt the gothic approach to different styles of heavy met ...
history. Their songs largely dealt with dark and sentimental topics, including depression, sadness, suicide, love, absence, and anger.
The band had not had any known activity from 2016 to October 2018, when they announced that they would perform at
70000 Tons of Metal in early 2019. In 2022, they announced they had disbanded.
History
Background
In 1992,
Morten Veland and Kenneth Olsson formed Uzi Suicide. Since Veland was getting more interested in the UK gothic scene, his songwriting began to take a darker feel.
Fragments of the band later became Tristania.
Founding and ''Widow's Weeds'', 1996–1998
Tristania was founded in Stavanger, Norway by Einar Moen (keyboards), Morten Veland (vocals/guitar), and Kenneth Olsson (drums) in 1996. A few weeks later Anders Høyvik Hidle (guitars/vocals) and Rune Østerhus (bass) joined the band.
Vibeke Stene was initially recruited as a guest singer for the demo recording in 1997, but she later joined as a regular member. According to Stene, she did not know she was in the band until she read an interview after ''Widow's Weeds'' was released.
In May 1997, the band entered the studio for the first time and recorded their demo in Klepp Lydstudio. During the summer of 1997 different labels showed interest in the demo. Tristania signed with Napalm Records and released the EP ''Tristania''.
Tristania's first full-length album, ''
Widow's Weeds'', was recorded at the end of 1997 and released early 1998. Two guest performers who were involved in ''Widow's Weeds'' would later get more prominent roles on Tristania's albums; singer Østen Bergøy (who would later become a full band member) and violinist
Pete Johansen. Tristania got to do their first shows outside of Norway as support act for
Lacrimosa
The ''Lacrimosa'' (Latin for " weeping/tearful"), also a name that derives from ''Our Lady of Sorrows'', a title given to The Virgin Mary, is part of the Dies Irae sequence in the Roman Catholic Requiem Mass. Its text comes from the Latin 18th an ...
in Belgium and at the Mind over Matter festival in Austria in August 1998. Later the same year Tristania went on their first European tour, with
Solefald and
Haggard.
''Beyond the Veil'', 1999–2000
The band's second full-length album ''
Beyond the Veil'' was released in 1999. As on the debut album, Moen and Veland wrote the majority of the music, but Moen and Hidle emerged as a songwriting team. Tristania went on their first headlining tour with
The Sins of Thy Beloved,
Trail of Tears and Antichrisis as support acts. The band also toured with
Tiamat and
Anathema
Anathema, in common usage, is something or someone detested or shunned. In its other main usage, it is a formal excommunication. The latter meaning, its ecclesiastical sense, is based on New Testament usage. In the Old Testament, anathema was a cr ...
in 1999. The band continued touring extensively in 2000. In December 2000 Veland and the rest of the band agreed on going separate ways, due to musical and personal differences.
''World of Glass'', 2001–2002
''
World of Glass'' was released in September 2001, with guest contributions from
Ronny Thorsen, Johansen, and Barkved. The album added
classical and
industrial elements to Tristania's sound, and included the band's only cover version: "The Modern End," originally by
Seigmen. Bergøy, now a permanent member of the band, also began to write lyrics on this album and became the band's main lyricist. Kjetil Ingebrethsen joined the band prior to the ''World of Glass'' tour on extreme vocals. On that tour Tristania was supported by
Rotting Christ
Rotting Christ is a Greek black metal band formed in 1987. They are noted for being one of the first black metal bands within this region, as well as a premier act within the European underground metal scene. They are also responsible for creat ...
,
Vintersorg, and
Madder Mortem. More touring of Europe and Latin America followed in 2002.
Break, 2003–2004
For over two years the band took a break from performing live to focus solely on songwriting from 2003 throughout 2004.
''Ashes'' 2005–2006
''
Ashes'' was released on
SPV/Steamhammer Records in February 2005 and featured a stripped-down sound that de-emphasized the classical and operatic elements of the previous albums.
The band then toured Europe and Latin America (sometimes without Moen, who chose to remain at home and focus on songwriting) along with
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 Ne ...
,
Gothminister, and
Kreator
Kreator is a German thrash metal band from Essen, formed in 1982. Their current lineup consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Miland "Mille" Petrozza, drummer Jürgen "Ventor" Reil, lead guitarist Sami Yli-Sirniö, and bassist Fréd� ...
. After the tours, Ingebrethsen decided to leave the band as he wanted to continue his musical career at a lower level. The band decided not to recruit a replacement, and Hidle took over the growling vocals.
''Illumination'' 2007
Tristania's fifth album, ''
Illumination'', was released in January 2007, with touring guitarist Svein Terje Solvang added as an official member.
Vorph of
Samael
Samael ( he, סַמָּאֵל, ''Sammāʾēl'', "Venom/Poison of God"; ar, سمسمائيل, ''Samsama'il'' or ar, سمائل, label=none, ''Samail''; alternatively Smal, Smil, Samil, or Samiel) is an archangel in Talmudic and post-Talmudic ...
appeared as a guest singer and a string quartet appeared on several songs. Shortly after the release of the album,
Vibeke Stene suddenly decided to quit her musical career in order to focus on family and her work as a teacher. As a result, all planned touring activities were put on hold. In spring 2007, a few months after Stene left Tristania, the Finnish
symphonic metal
Symphonic metal is a cross-generic style designation for the symphonic subsets of heavy metal music subgenres. It is used to denote any metal band that makes use of symphonic or orchestral elements. The style features the heavy drums and guitar ...
band
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 Ne ...
were going to announce the name of their new female vocalist. Due to Stene's recent departure from Tristania, it was widely discussed in the musical circles whether Vibeke would be inducted into Nightwish to replace
Tarja Turunen
Tarja Soile Susanna Turunen-Cabuli (born 17 August 1977), known professionally as Tarja Turunen or simply Tarja, is a Finnish heavy metal singer, best known as the former lead vocalist of Nightwish. She is a soprano with a three and a half oct ...
. The rumor was quickly denied, however, when Stene said in an interview, "I am not the new singer in Nightwish."
After holding auditions for a singer with a voice different than Stene's, Tristania recruited singer Mariangela Demurtas from
Sardinia
Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian language, Italian, Corsican language, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese dialect, Algherese and Catalan languag ...
, Italy, who officially joined the band in October 2007.
''Rubicon'' 2008–2012
Østerhus and Solvang both quit the band in 2008. Ole Vistnes joined as the new bassist and Gyri Losnegaard later joined as second guitarist. The new line-up featuring Demurtas on vocals debuted on 29 February 2008 at a festival appearance in Kiev, Ukraine. The next member to depart was drummer Kenneth Olsson, who was replaced by Tarald Lie; while singer Østen Bergøy scaled back to part-time status with the band due to family commitments.
Kjetil Nordhus was added to the lineup on clean vocals. The band's sixth album, ''
Rubicon
The Rubicon ( la, Rubico; it, Rubicone ; rgn, Rubicôn ) is a shallow river in northeastern Italy, just north of Rimini.
It was known as Fiumicino until 1933, when it was identified with the ancient river Rubicon, famously crossed by Julius C ...
'', was released on 25 August 2010.
After the Out of the Dark Festival on 2 October 2011, the Hungarian ''Lambda Team'' released a freeware PC game about Tristania, named ''Tristania 3D''.
On 15 December, the band confirmed a new full-length album on their website for late May 2013, which was going to be called ''Darkest White''.
''Darkest White'', inactivity, and disbandment 2013–2022
''
Darkest White'' was recorded in January 2013. The album was critically well received, and often considered the "real come back" for the band after former vocalist
Vibeke Stene left the band in 2007. ''Sputnikmusic'' stated that with ''Darkest White'' "they have actually outdone themselves," while "being the same band who released ''
Rubicon
The Rubicon ( la, Rubico; it, Rubicone ; rgn, Rubicôn ) is a shallow river in northeastern Italy, just north of Rimini.
It was known as Fiumicino until 1933, when it was identified with the ancient river Rubicon, famously crossed by Julius C ...
''."
The album was praised for its "exploration of dark, desolate beauty" mood and "emotional thread". Another aspect that was well received was the "flawlessly accomplished" three-vocalist style driven throughout the album with the
harsh vocals from Anders H. Hidle, the
clean vocals from the returning Kjetil Nordhus, and Mariangela Demurtas' female vocals. The combination of these three vocalists was considered "intelligent" and "diligent."
During their long hiatus between 2016 and 2018, the band not had any known activity, while some of their members joined other musical projects. Tristania returned to the stage in 2018 for some occasional shows, not including new songs.
Finally, on 17 September 2022, Tristania announced their official disbandment, due to an unspecified "medical situation in near family within the band" resulting in the scheduled tour of Latin America in December 2022 being cancelled.
Music
Tristania stood apart from the other bands of the genre with their use of three distinct vocal styles in the "operatic soprano
Vibeke Stene, clean-singing baritone
Østen Bergøy, and harsh, black metal-style shrieker
Morten Veland".
Their second album ''
Beyond the Veil'' in 1999 made use of a ten members choir and featured violin passages from Pete Johansen of
The Sins of Thy Beloved, earning "rave reviews" across Europe.
By then, the band had risen to "the top of the goth metal heap"
with their "lush, symphonically enhanced" approach.
They were "dealt a potentially crippling blow" when singer, guitarist and principal composer Veland left the group to form
Sirenia.
Tristania continued to prosper with subsequent releases
and has since been "regarded as one of the world's premiere goth metal bands".
Discography
Studio albums
*''
Widow's Weeds'' (1998)
*''
Beyond the Veil'' (1999)
*''
World of Glass'' (2001)
*''
Ashes'' (2005)
*''
Illumination'' (2007)
*''
Rubicon
The Rubicon ( la, Rubico; it, Rubicone ; rgn, Rubicôn ) is a shallow river in northeastern Italy, just north of Rimini.
It was known as Fiumicino until 1933, when it was identified with the ancient river Rubicon, famously crossed by Julius C ...
'' (2010)
*''
Darkest White'' (2013)
Band members
Last known lineup
*Einar Moen –
keyboards,
programming (1996–2022)
*Anders Høyvik Hidle –
lead guitar
Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...
(1996–2022),
harsh vocals (2006–2022)
*Mariangela Demurtas – female vocals
(2007–2022)
*Ole Vistnes –
bass,
backing vocals
A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...
(2009–2022, touring member 2008–2009)
*Gyri Smørdal Losnegaard –
rhythm guitar
In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...
(2009–2022)
*Tarald Lie Jr. –
drums (2010–2022, touring member 2005–2010)
*
Kjetil Nordhus –
clean vocals,
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, ...
(2010–2022, touring member 2009–2010)
Former members
*
Morten Veland – harsh vocals, rhythm guitar
(1996–2000)
*Rune Østerhus – bass
(1996–2009)
*Kenneth Olsson – drums, backing vocals
(1996–2010)
*
Vibeke Stene – female vocals
(1997–2007)
*Kjetil Ingebrethsen – harsh vocals, acoustic guitar
(2001–2005)
*Østen Bergøy – clean vocals
(2001–2010, session member 1998–2001)
*Svein Terje Solvang – rhythm guitar, harsh vocals
(2005–2008, touring member 2004–2005)
Touring members
*Kjell Rune Hagen – bass
(2005–2008)
*Jonathan A. Perez – drums
(2005–2006, 2010)
*Pete Johansen – violin
(2010–2011)
Timeline
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Period = from:01/01/1995 till:09/17/2022
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ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1995
Colors =
id:CVocals value:red legend:Clean_vocals
id:UVocals value:claret legend:Unclean_vocals
id:LGuitar value:teal legend:Lead_guitar
id:RGuitar value:brightgreen legend:Rhythm_guitar
id:Bass value:blue legend:Bass_guitar
id:Drums value:orange legend:Drums
id:Keyboard value:purple legend:Keyboards
id:BVocals value:pink legend:Backing_vocals
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at:03/09/1998 color:black layer:back
at:09/08/1999 color:black layer:back
at:09/25/2001 color:black layer:back
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at:01/22/2007 color:black layer:back
at:08/25/2010 color:black layer:back
at:05/31/2013 color:black layer:back
BarData =
bar:Stene text:"Vibeke Stene"
bar:Bergøy text:"Østen Bergøy"
bar:Demurtas text:"Mariangela Demurtas"
bar:Nordhus text:"Kjetil Nordhus"
bar:Kjetil text:"Kjetil Ingebrethsen"
bar:Hidle text:"Anders Høyvik Hidle"
bar:Veland text:"Morten Veland"
bar:Solvang text:"Svein Terje Solvang"
bar:Gyri text:"Gyri Smørdal Losnegaard"
bar:Østerhus text:"Rune Østerhus"
bar:Vistnes text:"Ole Vistnes"
bar:Olsson text:"Kenneth Olsson"
bar:Lie text:"Tarald Lie Jr."
bar:Moen text:"Einar Moen"
PlotData=
width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
bar:Hidle from:01/01/1995 till:end color:LGuitar
bar:Hidle from:01/01/2000 till:01/01/2002 color:RGuitar width:7
bar:Hidle from:01/01/2000 till:01/01/2002 color:UVocals width:3
bar:Hidle from:01/01/2006 till:end color:UVocals width:3
bar:Hidle from:01/01/2008 till:01/01/2009 color:RGuitar width:7
bar:Stene from:01/01/1996 till:02/27/2007 color:CVocals
bar:Bergøy from:01/01/2001 till:01/01/2010 color:CVocals
bar:Demurtas from:10/01/2007 till:end color:CVocals
bar:Kjetil from:01/01/2002 till:01/01/2006 color:UVocals
bar:Kjetil from:01/01/2002 till:01/01/2006 color:RGuitar width:3
bar:Veland from:01/01/1995 till:01/01/2000 color:RGuitar
bar:Veland from:01/01/1995 till:01/01/2000 color:UVocals width:3
bar:Veland from:01/01/1995 till:01/01/1996 color:CVocals width:7
bar:Solvang from:01/01/2006 till:01/01/2008 color:RGuitar
bar:Solvang from:01/01/2006 till:01/01/2008 color:UVocals width:3
bar:Gyri from:01/01/2009 till:end color:RGuitar
bar:Nordhus from:01/01/2010 till:end color:CVocals
bar:Nordhus from:01/01/2010 till:end color:RGuitar width:3
bar:Østerhus from:01/01/1995 till:01/01/2009 color:Bass
bar:Vistnes from:01/01/2009 till:end color:Bass
bar:Vistnes from:01/01/2009 till:end color:BVocals width:3
bar:Olsson from:01/01/1995 till:01/01/2010 color:Drums
bar:Olsson from:01/01/1995 till:01/01/2010 color:BVocals width:3
bar:Lie from:01/01/2010 till:end color:Drums
bar:Moen from:01/01/1995 till:end color:Keyboard
References
External links
Official website*
*
Tristaniaat
Encyclopaedia Metallum
Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives (commonly known as Metal Archives per the URL or abbreviated as MA) is an online encyclopedia based upon musical artists who predominantly perform heavy metal music along with its various sub-genres. En ...
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Norwegian gothic metal musical groups
Norwegian death metal musical groups
Norwegian doom metal musical groups
Norwegian symphonic metal musical groups
Musical groups established in 1996
1996 establishments in Norway
Musical groups from Stavanger
Napalm Records artists
Musical groups disestablished in 2022
2022 disestablishments in Norway