Trond Bråthen (28 May 1977 – 13 May 2012), also known by the stage names Trondr Nefas and Alastor Nefas, or simply as Nefas, was a Norwegian singer-songwriter, guitarist and bassist. Despite being primarily known for his work as the vocalist and lead guitarist 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 ...

group

Urgehal Urgehal () is a black metal band from Norway. It was formed in Hønefoss in 1992 by lead guitarist/vocalist Trond Bråthen ('Trondr Nefas') and rhythm guitarist 'Enzifer'. Before their split up in 2016, they released seven full-length albums, four ...

, which he founded in 1992 alongside Thomas "Enzifer" Søberg, he had numerous other projects as well, such as Beastcraft (in which he performed as "Alastor Nefas"),

In Lingua Mortua In Lingua Mortua is a Norwegian band formed by Lars Fredrik Frøislie in 1999 at Hønefoss, Norway. The music can be described as a mixture of 1970s progressive rock and black metal, and vintage instruments like the Mellotron, Chamberlin, Minimoog ...

, Endezzma (formerly known as Dim Nagel) and Angst Skvadron. In all of those side projects he collaborated with fellow musician and former

Ásmegin Ásmegin is a Norwegian folk/viking metal band formed in 1998. The name comes from Old Norse and means "Might of the Æsir" or "Might of the Gods". Ásmegin's lyrics are written in Norwegian as well as some in Old Norse and older Norwegian. Some ...

member Lars Fredrik Frøislie. On 13 May 2012 (nearly two weeks before his 35th birthday), Bråthen was found dead at his home. According to his Urgehal bandmates, he most probably died of

natural causes In many legal jurisdictions, the manner of death is a determination, typically made by the coroner, medical examiner, police, or similar officials, and recorded as a vital statistic. Within the United States and the United Kingdom, a distinct ...

in his sleep. On the following day they released a statement via their record label,

Season of Mist Season of Mist is an independent record label and record distributor with subsidiaries in France and the United States. The record label was founded in 1996 by Michael S. Berberian in Marseille, France. From the start releasing black metal, pag ...

: Prior to his death Bråthen was working on a documentary about the Norwegian black metal scene, entitled ''A Black Metal Year in Norway''. Originally slated to a 2012 release, his death prevented it from being finished and released. (A very rough cut of the film is available at

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

though.A Black Metal Year in Norway
/ref>) Around the same time Urgehal began work on their seventh studio album, ''

Aeons in Sodom The word aeon , also spelled eon (in American and Australian English), originally meant "life", "vital force" or "being", "generation" or "a period of time", though it tended to be translated as "age" in the sense of "ages", "forever", "timele ...

'', which remained unfinished until 2016 – it was eventually finished with the help of numerous guest musicians and released on 12 February. He is survived by his brother, Thomas Bråthen, and by fiancée Octavia.

Discography

With Kvist

* 1994: ''Demo''

With Urgehal

: ''For a more comprehensive list, see '' * 1997: ''

Arma Christi Arma Christi ("weapons of Christ"), or the Instruments of the Passion, are the objects associated with the Passion of Jesus Christ in Christian symbolism and art. They are seen as arms in the sense of heraldry, and also as the weapons Christ ...

'' * 1998: '' Massive Terrestrial Strike'' * 2001: '' Atomkinder'' * 2003: '' Through Thick Fog Till Death'' * 2006: '' Goatcraft Torment'' * 2009: '' Ikonoklast'' * 2016: ''

'' (posthumous)

With Beastcraft

* 2005: ''Into the Burning Pit of Hell'' * 2007: ''Baptised in Blood and Goatsemen''

With In Lingua Mortua

* 2007: ''Bellowing Sea – Racked by Tempest'' * 2010: ''Salon des Refusés''

With Angst Skvadron

* 2008: ''Flukt'' * 2010: ''Sweet Poison''

With Endezzma

* 2012: ''Erotik Nekrosis''

References

External links

* 1977 births 2012 deaths Black metal singers Norwegian black metal musicians Norwegian rock bass guitarists Norwegian male bass guitarists Norwegian rock guitarists Norwegian rock singers Norwegian male singers Norwegian documentary filmmakers Norwegian singer-songwriters Musicians from Buskerud {{norway-musician-stub