Nifelheim was a Swedish

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. The band was formed in 1990 by the twin brothers Erik and Per Gustavsson, under the

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

s Tyrant and Hellbutcher and is known for their "old school" style of black metal.

History

Nifelheim was founded in 1990 and recorded the demo tape ''Unholy Death'' between 1992 and 1993. The band signed to

Necropolis Records Necropolis Records (located in Fremont, California) was a record label founded by Paul Thind in 1993, mainly providing an American home for extreme black metal.

and recorded the debut album '' Nifelheim'' at

Studio Fredman Studio Fredman is a well-known recording studio in Gothenburg, Sweden, owned and operated by producer Fredrik Nordström. It is popular among Swedish metal bands, with artists such as At the Gates, Deathstars, Nightrage, Norwegian band Dimmu Borg ...

. During this period the band fired their first guitarist "Morbid Slaughter" for having a girlfriend.Sean F
''Nifelheim''
retrieved 12 October 2012. After this they were joined by John Zweetsloot and

Jon Nödtveidt Jon Andreas Nödtveidt (28 June 1975 – 13 August 2006) was a Swedish musician best known as the lead guitarist and vocalist of the Swedish black metal band Dissection. He co-founded the band in 1989 with bassist Peter Palmdahl. Career As th ...

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 ...

on guitars. The band was banned from the studio.''Gallery''
In 1996, the band recorded the

Vulcano Vulcano ( scn, Vurcanu) or Vulcan is a small volcanic island belonging to Italy in the Tyrrhenian Sea, about north of Sicily and located at the southernmost end of the seven Aeolian Islands. The island is known for its volcanic activity and c ...

cover "Witches Sabbat" with guest vocalist Goat (ex-Satanized) for the second ''Headbangers Against Disco'' split EP which also featured Usurper ( de) and Unpure, and the song "Hellish Blasphemy" for the ''Gummo'' soundtrack; the latter was re-recorded for the band's second album, ''

Devil's Force ''Devil's Force'' is the second album of Swedish black metal band Nifelheim Nifelheim was a Swedish black metal band. The band was formed in 1990 by the twin brothers Erik and Per Gustavsson, under the stage names Tyrant and Hellbutcher and ...

'', which featured Zweetsloot and Nödtveidt again. After a documentary about heavy metal fans which aired in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

in 1998, Tyrant and Hellbutcher were given a nickname "Bröderna Hårdrock" which translates to 'The Heavy Metal Brothers' in English. In 1998, Nifelheim contributed "Die in Fire" to the Bathory tribute album '' In Conspiracy with Satan – A Tribute to Bathory'' ( de). The band left Necropolis Records and recorded ''

Servants of Darkness ''Servants of Darkness'' is the third album by Swedish black metal band Nifelheim Nifelheim was a Swedish black metal band. The band was formed in 1990 by the twin brothers Erik and Per Gustavsson, under the stage names Tyrant and Hellbutche ...

'' in March 2000, which was released through Black Sun Records. In 2001, the band played their first concert as headliner at the 2heavy4you festival in Sweden, followed by other concerts in Europe.

Musical style and ideology

Nifelheim plays old-school black metal inspired by bands like

Venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...

,Paulo, Metalion: ''Nifelheim''. In:

Jon Kristiansen Head Not Found is a Norwegian record label, a sublabel of Voices Music & Entertainment, specializing in various heavy metal subgenres. They describe the genres as Black, Death, Doom, Thrash, Gothic, Viking Metal and Ambient. Their parent label is ...

: ''Metalion: The Slayer Mag Diaries''. Brooklyn, New York:

Bazillion Points Bazillion Points is a book publishing company owned and operated by author Ian Christe. It was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Brooklyn, New York. Books * ''Swedish Death Metal'', by Daniel Ekeroth () Released July 29, 2008. * ''Once upon ...

2011, pp. 459-461. Bathory,''Nifelheim''. In: Jon Kristiansen: ''Jon Kristiansen: Metalion: The Slayer Mag Diaries''. Brooklyn, New York: Bazillion Points 2011, p. 348.

Brazilian thrash metal Brazilian thrash metal is a musical movement that originated in the 1980s. Though not as large or well known as the North American or European thrash metal movements, it bridged the gap of the mid-1980s and the death metal scene later in the dec ...

bands

, Holocausto and

Sarcófago Sarcófago was a Brazilian extreme metal band formed in 1985. They were fronted by Sepultura's original singer, Wagner Lamounier, and Geraldo Minelli. The front cover of the band's debut album, ''I.N.R.I. (Sarcófago album), I.N.R.I.'', is reg ...

and Czech

Master's Hammer Master's Hammer are a black metal band from the Czech Republic. The band has remained active with several lineup changes between 1987 and 1995, with a reunion from 2009 to the present. It is considered one of the most representative groups of i ...

. The influence of

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 Harri ...

is also evident in some arrangements. The band's lyrics treat

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 ...

and other topics typical for black metal. Eduardo Rivadavia of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

claimed that "While many of the Norwegian black metal bands of the early 1990s were taking themselves so seriously that heinous acts of murder, church burnings, and the like wound up stealing more headlines than their actual music, Sweden's Nifelheim were shrewdly still treating the genre's Satanic silliness with the appropriate tongue-in-cheek tone. On the surface, this was illustrated by their cartoonish album covers and traditional black metal 'uniform,' consisting of the necessary leather and spikes, bullet belts, pentagrams, and inverted crucifixes." Nifelheim rejected this characterization and cited it as a reason for ceasing to give interviews anymore.''Nifelheim''. In: ''

Slayer Slayer was an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California. The band was formed in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style ...

'', No. 20, ''Blood Fire Death'', 2010, p. 90. (Reprinted in: Kristiansen, Jon (2011). ''Metalion: The Slayer Mag Diaries''. Bazillion Points. , p. 710.)

Controversy

In a 2008 interview with ''

Sweden Rock The Sweden Rock Festival is an annual rock/metal festival held in Sweden since 6 June 1992. While having a clear rock/metal focus, the festival is noted for its diversity across these genres, from southern rock bands such as Molly Hatchet to dea ...

'' magazine, members of the band were quoted as making derogatory remarks about deceased

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

bassist

Cliff Burton Clifford Lee Burton (February 10, 1962 – September 27, 1986) was an American musician who was the bassist for heavy metal band Metallica from 1982 until his death in 1986. He performed on ''Kill 'Em All'' (1983), '' Ride the Lightning'' (1984 ...

as well as deceased

Pantera Pantera () is an American heavy metal music, 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-kn ...

guitarist

Dimebag Darrell Darrell Lance Abbott (August 20, 1966 – December 8, 2004), best known by his stage name Dimebag Darrell, was an American musician. He was the guitarist of the heavy metal bands Pantera and Damageplan, both of which he co-founded alongside his ...

; stating "I laughed and pissed on a photo of him" and "Too bad

Phil Anselmo Philip Hansen Anselmo (born June 30, 1968) is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal vocalist best known as the lead singer for Pantera, Down (band), Down, and Superjoint, amongst other musical projects. He is the owner of Housecore Records ...

didn't die too; that was probably the only time I wished Pantera had actually played", about Burton and Abbott respectively. In a statement released to

Blabbermouth.net Blabbermouth.net is a website dedicated to heavy metal and hard rock news, as well as album and music DVD reviews. Blabbermouth.net was founded and is run by Borivoj Krgin. The first version of the website was launched in March 2001; in Octob ...

, the band later verified that they had made and approved the statements before the issue was published.''NIFELHEIM: We 'Approved' Anti-CLIFF BURTON, -DIMEBAG Comments Before They Were Published''
. In a 2010 interview published in Metalion's ''

'' ( de)

fanzine A fanzine (blend word, blend of ''fan (person), fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''-zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by fan (person), enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) ...

, Tyrant stated that "this 'Dimebag/Burton' fuss that was spammed out as some 'statement' on the internet", and that it disturbed him "more then ever". Further, he stated that he is "not hating either of these musicians", nor did he intend to "put any disgrace upon their memory". It is unclear if Tyrant was saying the statement was taken out of context, or denying that the statement was ever made. Apparently due to the controversy, that interview has been their last to date. They also mentioned people labeling them as "non-serious" as another reason to not give interviews anymore.

Members

* Hellbutcher (Per "Pelle" Gustavsson) -

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

* Tyrant (Erik Gustavsson) - bass * Blackosh -

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 stri ...

* Savage Aggressor (Felipe Plaza Kutzbach) -

* Disintegrator (Eric Ljung) -

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

Discography

* 1993 - ''Unholy Death'' (demo) * 1995 - '' Nifelheim'' * 1998 - ''

'' * 1997 - ''Headbangers Against Disco Vol. 2'' (split EP with Usurper de.html" ;"title="/nowiki> de">/nowiki> de/nowiki> and Unpure) * 1997 - "Hellish Blasphemy" on ''

Gummo ''Gummo'' is a 1997 American experimental drama film written and directed by Harmony Korine, starring Jacob Reynolds, Nick Sutton, Jacob Sewell, and Chloë Sevigny. The film is set (but was not filmed) in Xenia, Ohio, a Midwestern American tow ...

'' * 1998 - "Die in Fire" on '' In Conspiracy with Satan – A Tribute to Bathory'' ( de) * 2000 - ''

'' * 2000 - ''Unholy Death'' (EP) * 2003 - ''13 Years'' (compilation) * 2006 - ''Tribute to Slayer Magazine'' (split EP with

Sadistik Exekution Sadistik Exekution was an Australian extreme metal band from Sydney. The band formed in 1985, although their main active period was from 1986 until 2004. Known for their outrageous live show antics, notorious behaviour and non conformist att ...

) * 2006 - ''Thunder Metal'' (split EP with

) * 2007 - '' Envoy of Lucifer'' * 2014 - ''Satanatas'' (Vinyl EP) * 2019 - ''The Burning Warpath to Hell'' (Vinyl EP)

References

{{Authority control Swedish black metal musical groups Musical groups established in 1990