Immortal is a well-known black metal band from Bergen, Norway. The group was formed in 1989 under the name "Amputation"; they originally played death metal music. Immortal broke up in 2003.

Statistics

• Genre: Black metal, death metal
• Country: Norway
• Status: Dissolved
• Time: 1989-2003

Biography

Beginning in 1989, founding members Demonaz on guitar, Abbath on bass and vocals, Armagedda on drums, and Jorn Tunsberg on guitar recorded two demos under the name "Amputation". The group changed its name to "Immortal" around 1991. Their third demo, Unholy Forces of Evil, witnessed a stylistic change to black metal and earned them a record contract.

Gradually, Immortal gained immense popularity in the underground, releasing several highly-acclaimed records on the French label Osmose. Unlike many other black metal bands, Immortal's lyrical theme was not based around Satanism, but rather dealt with an imaginary kingdom called Blashyrkh. Arguably, their best effort from this early period is Pure Holocaust, which served as a genre-defining milestone.

Apart from the two core members Abbath and Demonaz, Immortal didn't find a stable lineup until 1996 when Horgh joined the band on the drums. In 1997, an unfortunate event took place which had tremendous impact on the future of the band - main lyricist and guitarist Demonaz suffered an arm injury (acute tendonitis) and wasn't able to continue playing. Still, he continued writing new material, while bassist Abbath took over the guitar duty. The change proved to be only for the better, as Immortal released what many feel is their best album, At The Heart Of Winter. In 2000, Immortal signed a record contract with Germany-based Nuclear Blast; this change to an arguably more commercial label didn't affect their style, something which they proved on their latest output, Sons of Northern Darkness.

Immortal decided to split up during the summer of 2003 for personal reasons of the band members.

Discography

Studio Releases

• Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism - (1992)
• Pure Holocaust - (1993)
• Battles In The North - (1995)
• Blizzard Beasts - (1997)
• At The Heart Of Winter - (1999)
• Damned In Black - (2000)
• Sons Of Northern Darkness - (2002)

Demos And Bootlegs

• Suffocation [Demo] - (1989)
• The Northern Upins Death [Demo] - (1990)
• Unholy Forces Of Evil [Demo] - (1991)
• Live In Zaandam [Bootleg] - (1996)

Band Members

Former Members

• Abbath (Olve Eikemo) - Vocals, Guitar, Bass - (1989-2003)
• Demonaz (Harald Nævdal) - Guitar - (1989-1997)
• Jörn Tonsberg - Guitar - (1989-1991)
• Saroth (Yngve Liljebäck) - Bass - (2002-2003)
• Iscariah - Bass - (1999-2002)
• Horgh (Reidar Horghagen) - Drums - (1996-2003)
• Grim (Erik Brødreskift) - Drums - (1993-1994)
• Kolgrim - Drums - (1992)
• Armagedda - Drums - (1989-1992)

External links

• Osmose Productions (Record Label)
• Nuclear Blast (Record Label)