Ulver
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Ulver (Norwegian for “Wolves”) is a musical ensemble from Norway who started out making folk-inspired black metal music, gradually moving to neo-classical folk and finally the avant-garde, experimental music they currently make. Ulver are considered vastly influential in the emerging genre of post-black metal
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Musical overview
Ulver's music on their first album, Bergtatt is considered black metal or forest metal for its fast tempo, dry electric guitar sound and unnatural screaming vocals, mixed with acoustic passages and a fantasy storyline. Kristofer Garm Rygg, the band's main contributor, has since said that he considered Bergtatt to be a "very traditional black metal album." This quote was taken from an interview with the band which can be found on the Lyckantropen (http://lyckantropen.com) Themes DVD (2002).
Kveldssanger, Ulver's second album, strongly contrasts with Bergtatt in that it has eliminated the electric guitar and screaming vocals and replaced them with folk and classical-inspired acoustics and chamber chants performed by Garm. The album can be described as neo-folk played like mid-ranged blackmetal. Garm has since said that this album was an "immature neo-classical album."
In the third album, Nattens Madrigal, the music is even more brutal and aggressive than in Bergtatt. The style is very raw and intentionally underproduced, similar to Darkthrone. The band has said that the album was a step back to the first-wave of Norwegian black metal, particularly to the sound and style of old Darkthrone. All lyrics in the first three albums are in archaic Danish.
Themes from William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, released in 1998, was completely different from what Ulver, and furthermore, any other band, had made before. Tore Ylwisaker, new member and a composer / sound architect, paired up rather nicely with Garms conceptual framework and together they stepped over the boundaries of black metal aesthetics, creating an original, genre-defying masterpiece. With this album, the band had left the traditional path, extensively using electronic sound. Lyrically, the album incorporates the entire text of the William Blake's poem The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, and features guest vocals. Despite confounding and perhaps alienating many fans of the band's first three albums, the album received great acclaim from critics within both the metal and alternative music press.
Ulver's next two releases, Metamorphosis and Perdition City, were even more experimental than the "Blake Album". The band had moved further away from rock and metal and into a more electronic genre, much like Coil. The use of electronics is much more extensive here than on previous albums.
The band followed up these two releases with the classic, no vocal, minimalist works, Silence Teaches you how to Sing and Silencing the Singing.
Because of their unique atmospheric sound, Ulver was invited to make theme music for cinema films: Lyckantropen (http://lyckantropen.com), Svidd Neger (http://sviddneger.no) and Uno (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0384639/).
As of July 2004 the band has recorded their next album, Blood Inside, which is to be released on June 6th 2005.
Discography
- Vargnatt demo (1993) – re-release 10" white vinyl, The end records (2003)
- Split EP with Mysticum (1994)
- Bergtatt - Et Eeventyr i 5 Capitler (1995)
- Kveldssanger (1996)
- Nattens Madrigal - Aatte Hymne Til Ulven I Manden (1997)
- The Trilogie (1998)
- Themes from William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1998)
- Metamorphosis EP (1999)
- Perdition City (2000)
- Silence Teaches You How To Sing EP(2001)
- Silencing The Singing EP (2001)
- Teachings In Silence EP Incl. both "Silence" EPs (2002)
- Lyckantropen (http://lyckantropen.com) Themes (2002)
- 1993 - 2003 1st Decade In The Machines [Compilation] (2003)
- A Quick Fix of Melancholy EP (2003)
- Svidd Neger (http://sviddneger.no) (2003)
- Blood Inside (2005)
Garm.jpg
Photo of Garm
Current Members:
(as of July 2004)- Kristoffer Garm Rygg (aka Garm, Trickster G., G. Wolf, Fiery G. Maelstrom)
- Jørn H. Sværen
- Tore Ylwizaker
Former members:
- Håvard Jørgensen (aka Haavard) - Guitar
- Torbjørn Pedersen (aka Aismal) - Guitar
- Grellmund - Guitar (R.I.P. died on New Year`s Eve 1997/98)
- A. Reza - Guitar
- Tykje - Guitar
- Knut Magne Valle - Guitar
- Erik Olivier Lancelot (aka AiwarikiaR) - Drums
- Carl Michael Eide (aka Aggressor aka Czral) - Drums
- Hugh Steven James Mingay (aka Skoll) - Bass
Session / guest members:
- Steinar Sverd Johnsen (aka Sverd) - Piano (on Vargnatt, Bergtatt)
- Alf Gaaskjønli - Cello (on Kveldssanger)
- Rolf Erik Nyström - Saxophone (on Perdition City)
- Jan Axel Blomberg (aka Hellhammer) - Drums
- Ivar H. Johansen - Drums (on Perdition City)
- Kåre J. Pedersen - Drums (on Perdition City(
- Bård G. Eithun (aka Faust) - Drums (on Perdition City)
- Mean Malmberg - Bass (on Vargnatt)
- Øystein Moe - Bass (on Perdition City)
- Stine Grytøyr - Vocals (on Themes...)
- Tomas Tormodseter Haugen (aka Samoth) - Vocals (on Themes...)
- Vegard Sverre Tveitan (aka Ihsahn) - Vocals (on Themes...)
- Gylve Nagell (aka Fenriz) - Vocals (on Themes...)
- Lill Katherine Stensrud - Vocals (on Vargnatt, Bergtatt), Flute (on Bergtatt)
Related bands
- Coil - Probably the band by which Ulver is most inspired and directly related to. This British-based experimental band has redefined the essence of electronic and minimalist music
- Arcturus - Another project of Ulver members Garm and Skoll, which started as symphonic black metal and transitioned into avant-garde metal. Garm left the band in 2003.
- Borknagar - Norwegian folk-inspired black metal band that featured Garm on vocals on their first two albums.
- Ved Buens Ende - Side project of Skoll. Since disbanded.
External links
- Ulver's official page (http://www.jester-records.com/ulver/ulver.html) at Jester Records' website (http://www.jester-records.com). Contains general information about the members, release history and interviews.
- "authorised Ulver website" (http://www.metal.ee/rain/b222/ulver/ulver.php3), not updated since October 2002.no:Ulver