Aeternus

Aeternus
Aeternus at Party.San Open Air 2015
Background information
Origin	Bergen, Norway
Genre	Blackened death metal
Years active	1993 (1993)–present
Labels	Hammerheart Records, Nocturnal Art Prod., DARK ESSENCE RECORDS
Members	Ares Gorm Phobos Eld
Past members	Morrigan Vrolok Radek Stian S. Winter V'gandr
Website	www.aeternus.no

Aeternus is a Norwegian blackened death metal band from Bergen. It was formed in 1993 by Ronny Hovland, calling himself Ares, and Erik Heggernes, a.k.a. Vrolok. Later in 1996, Nicola Trier, a.k.a. Morrigan, joined the duo as a bass player, forming the core trio that recorded the band's first two albums. Morrigan created the logo picture of ravens and axes that remains one of the band's trademarks.

History

For the first two albums, the band called their style "dark metal". They released their debut album, Beyond the Wandering Moon, in 1997 on Hammerheart Records (now Karmageddon Media), and toured that year with black metal bands Emperor and Limbonic Art through Europe. Their second album, ...And So the Night Became, was released in 1998, accompanied by a tour supporting Deicide, and was later re-released in different formats.

In 1999, they added guitarist Radek and moved their sound from darkened black metal toward a faster and more aggressive death metal sound for 1999's Shadows of Old. Morrigan left the group in 2001 for personal reasons and was later replaced with V'gandr, head of Norwegian Viking metal band Helheim. Later that year, they released their fourth full-length album, Ascension of Terror, and played some live shows. They departed Hammerheart Records and split with guitarist Radek. Their next album, A Darker Monument, was released on the Nocturnal Art Productions label in 2003. After the release of their sixth full-length, HeXaeon, Vrolok left the band and was replaced with S. Winter on drums early in 2006. The group toured Europe later that year to support the album. In September 2007, S. Winter was no longer in the group.

The band entered a lull between 2008 and 2011. V'gandr left the band to concentrate on his band Helheim and continued to be a session member with Norwegian black metal band Taake. Ares reformed the band with Phobos on drums and new guitarist Specter. Soon, work on a new album began. In the current line-up they were back on stage in 2013 and released their seventh album, ...And the Seventh His Soul Detesteth.

Members

Current

• Ares – vocals, guitar (1993–present)
• Gorm – guitar (2018–present)
• Eld – bass (2012–present)
• Phobos – drums (2007–present)

Former

• Lava – guitar (1999–2004)
• Dreggen – guitar (2005–2010)
• Specter – guitar (2010–2017)
• Ørjan – bass (1993–1996)
• Morrigan – bass, keyboards (1996–2001)
• V'gandr – bass (2001–2012)
• Vrolok – drums (1993–2006)

Live

• Stanley – guitar (2004–2005)
• S. Winter – drums (2006–2007)

Timeline

Discography

• Walk My Path (Demo, 1994)
• Dark Sorcery (EP, View Beyond Records, 1995; re-released on Hammerheart Records, 1997)
• Beyond the Wandering Moon (Hammerheart, 1997)
• ...And So the Night Became (Hammerheart, 1998)
• Dark Rage (7-inch EP, 1998)
• Shadows of Old (Hammerheart, 2000)
• Burning the Shroud (EP, Martyr Records/Hammerheart, 2001)
• Ascension of Terror (Martyr, 2001)
• Demo 2002 (Demo, 2002)
• A Darker Monument (Candlelight Records, 2003)
• HeXaeon (Karisma Records/Dark Essence Records, 2006)
• ...And the Seventh His Soul Detesteth (Dark Essence Records) (2013)
• Heathen (Dark Essence Records, 2018)
• Philosopher (Agonia Records, 2023)

External links

• Official website