Morningstar

I

n 1989, a skilled but primitive and angry young metal band named Testor embarked on their first rehearsals. In 1990 they would change their name to Thor's Hammer, but the final name change would be a full year later when Morningstar (not to be confused by both Canadian and USA. bands of the same name or the original name for Lifend) was chosen; shortly thereafter their first demos appeared.

1994's As The Wolves Howl was their first self-published recording that set them on the search for a label with no luck. In 1994 their first full length debut was also launched titled Rivendell, featuring the line-up of Ari Honkonen (guitar/vocals), Mikko Paavilainen (bass) and Pasi Pasanen (drums).

American label 'Wild Rage Records' offered a deal to release the Rivendell and As The Wolves Howl (with two remixed demo tracks added). After this, the German label 'Moonlight' signed them to two albums and a 7" single titled Before The Dawn in 1995. Only 1,000 copies of the single were pressed but it proved to be their most aggressive work yet, even if it was not considered their best work. It was when they were completing the Heretic Metal CD for 'Moonlight' that 'Wild Rage' came out of the blue and completed their promised release of the first two aforementioned recordings.

By the time they recorded their second CD for 'Moonlight', however, the company went out of business, leaving it unpublished. Unpublished, that is, until Chicago's 'R.I.P. Records' stepped in to complete the work and furnish them with the titles Hell (1999), and Weight Of The Hammer (2000). Weight Of The Hammer and Hell were aggressive but traditional late '80's style thrash metal albums with fanciful lyrics and dark overtones. Weight of The Hammer also featured a touch of comical flare in the lyrics as well as the standard anthems to heavy metal. A line-up change would commence with brother Peri Honkonen taking over on drums for the release of Kalevala Mysticism in 2002, an album of doom laden deep base riffing and folk stories based on battles, and other Nordic anthem subjects in a pentameter not unlike old Nordic verse.