Arcturus

I

t started as a side-project for Norwegian black metallers Sverd (Real Name: Steinar Sverd Johnsen; ex-Mayhem/of The Kovenant; keyboards) and Hellhammer (Real Name: Jan Axel Von Blomberg; ex-Mayhem/ex-Kovenant/ex-Thorns/ex-Winds; drums) who released several small pieces under the moniker Arcturus before forming a band proper with Garm (Real Name: Christofer Rygg; of Ulver; vocals), Dag F. Gravem (bass) and Samoth (of Emperor; guitar) joining.

This line-up lasted long enough to release only one EP titled Constellation (1994) before Samoth was forced to leave for his new home in prison (see Emperor for details) and was subsequently replaced with August (Real Name: Carl August Tidemann; ex-Winds/of Tritonus). Skoll (Real Name: Hugh Steven James Mingay; of Ved Buens Ende; bass) was soon added to the line-up, a line-up that would finally release their debut album Aspera Hiems Symfonia (1996) on the 'Century Media' label. The album had critics going gaga over it, being a complete effort, something few side-projects were afforded. The album was a complex set in both lyrics and music that was followed up with the sophomore La Masquerade Infernale (1997), an album that incorporated elements not normally seen in black metal, coming across as far more innovative than its contemporaries at the time. Incorporating elements of high classical music and folksy-pagan elements it received massive acclaim and extended the boundaries of black metal.