Ulver
Ulver is a Norwegian experimental electronic band founded in 1993, by vocalist Kristoffer Rygg. Their early works, such as debut album Bergtatt, were categorised as folklore-influenced black metal, but the band has since evolved a fluid and increasingly eclectic musical style, blending genres such as experimental rock, electronica, ambient, trip hop, symphonic and chamber traditions, noise, progressive and experimental music into their oeuvre. 1997 marked their international debut with the release of their third album Nattens madrigal through German label Century Media. However, following discord with the label, Rygg formed his own imprint, Jester Records, in 1998.
In 1997, Rygg invited composer and multi-instrumentalist Tore Ylwizaker into the band, and together they changed Ulver's musical direction. Their first musical endeavour together, Themes from William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, drew from a variety of non-metal sources, including classical and avant-garde, and the works of William Blake. Metamorphosis and Perdition City followed, showcasing further experimentation and explorations into electronic music. In 2000, author Jørn H. Sværen joined the band, and since then, the core of Ulver has been Rygg, Ylwizaker and Sværen. In 2009, Ulver expanded their line-up: British multi-instrumentalist Daniel O'Sullivan became the fourth core member, and several other musicians were enlisted as supporting and live members; of the latter, Norwegian musician and producer Ole Alexander Halstensgård has since established himself as another prominent member of the band.
Ulver has performed at several prestigious venues, including Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, Teatro Regio di Parma, Labirinto della Masone di Franco Maria Ricci and held artist residency at Henie Onstad Kunstsenter.
The band have sold in excess of half a million records, been three nominated for the Norwegian Grammy Awards, Spellemannsprisen, in different categories, won Album of the Year at the Oslo Awards for Shadows of the Sun in 2008, won the NATT&DAG award for Best Live Act in 2011, and earned a global reputation for stylistic unpredictability.
Author and musician Julian Cope has said, "Ulver are cataloguing the death of our culture two decades before anyone else has noticed its inevitable demise."
History
The Black Metal Trilogie (1993–1997)
The band was founded in 1993 in Oslo by vocalist Kristoffer Rygg together with Grellmund, Robin Malmberg, Carl-Michael Eide, Håvard Jørgensen, and A. Reza. Ulver issued their first demo cassette, Vargnatt, in November 1993. Their music and style was consistent with the Norwegian black metal subculture of the early 1990s. However some have noted the avant-garde, jazz, rock and gothic influences that would later shape the band's sound. The archaic Dano-Norwegian lyrics were greatly influenced by Scandinavian folktales and inspired by Baroque poets such as Ludvig Holberg and the hymn-writer Thomas Kingo.Their debut album, Bergtatt, the first part of what has become known as Ulver's "Black Metal Trilogie", was issued in February 1995 through Norwegian label Head Not Found. The album was met with critical acclaim, and was notable for blending black metal, harsh vocals and blurred, buzzing guitars with quiet, folk-like acoustic passages. It was praised for its unique atmosphere and was described as "mysterious, melancholic, eerie, and oddly tranquil."
Prior to their second album, founding member Grellmund committed suicide on New Year’s Day 1996 at the age of 19. Kveldssanger, issued March 1996 by Head Not Found, Ulver eschewed a typical black metal sound by incorporating classical guitars, cello and choral chamber chants overlaid with subtle orchestral landscapes. The album was a drastic contrast to Bergtatt, whilst still retaining the atmospheric and folk themes. Rygg has since remarked that Kveldssanger, despite strong content, was an "immature attempt at making a classical album". The album was praised for its atmosphere, evoking a feeling of quiet, eerie solitude.
Following the success of their first two albums, Ulver signed with German label Century Media for their third album Nattens madrigal, issued in March 1997, marking the band's international debut. The album showcases a black metal style similar to Bergtatt, abandoning the acoustic and atmospheric elements of Kveldssanger, with an intentionally underproduced sound. The album has been described as "raw and grim black metal at its blackest." A common myth about the album is that the band spent the recording budget on Armani suits, cocaine and a Corvette; and recorded the album outdoors in a Norwegian forest on an 8-track recorder. Rygg, however, has stated that this is not true, and possibly a rumour started by Century Media. The album has been described as "so fast and ferocious and the vocals so garbled that it's best just to take the sheer sonic force as reflecting the band's concept, rather than trying to piece it all together."
Metal Injection concluded "Kveldssanger had no electric instruments, Nattens madrigal had no acoustic instruments, but Bergtatt, has both acoustic and electric instruments; it's like they spliced the elements from Bergtatt into two separate albums. If that's the case, then Nattens madrigal really showcases the black metal prowess of the band. The album answers exactly why people were so angered by Ulver's transition away from black metal, and why people are still bitter at their direction today."
In 1997, Century Media issued The Trilogie – Three Journeyes Through the Norwegian Netherworlde, a limited edition collection, containing Bergtatt, Kveldssanger and Nattens madrigal in LP Picture Disc format, housed in a cardboard box, with a booklet and bonus posters.
Beyond black metal (1998–2002)
In 1997, Rygg invited composer and sound architect Tore Ylwizaker into the collective in order to expand their artistic and musical visions; and together they stepped over the boundaries of black metal aesthetics, creating a genre-defying work in Themes from William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, released in December 1998. The album was issued through Rygg's own imprint, Jester Records, a label born out of discord between Ulver and Century Media. Musically, the album blended electronics, industrial music elements, progressive metal and experimental rock, adding ambient passages. Lyrically, the album incorporates the entire text of William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, utilising guest vocalists on several songs. The album received widespread acclaim from critics within both the rock/metal and alternative music press - being awarded "album of the month" in several high-profile magazines such as Terrorizer, Metal Hammer, and Rock Hard and ranked highly in their end of year's best polls. However, the album's transitional nature perhaps alienated many fans of the band's first three albums — causing a backlash from the black metal scene.Ulver, now only consisting of Rygg and Ylwizaker, issued an EP, Metamorphosis, in September 1999. The music moving to the more heavily electronic approach, bridging the gap to the film-noir ambiance of 2000's full-length album Perdition City. In the sleeve notes to Metamorphosis, the group declared:
Perdition City, issued in March 2000, was described as moody, atmospheric electronica, cinematic in scope, evoking a soundtrack for an imaginary film. Kerrang! praised the album, ranking it top ten that year, noting "This ain't rock 'n roll. This is evolution on such a grand scale that most bands wouldn't even be able to wrap their tiny little minds around it." Musically, Ulver not only explores new genres, but also shift from extrovert, into more introverted moods, or interior music.
Later that year, Jørn H. Sværen joined the band. The band followed up Perdition City with two improv/minimalist/ambient/glitch companion EPs, called Silence Teaches You How to Sing and Silencing the Singing, in September and December 2001, respectively. The material featured here was loosely recorded during the sessions for the Perdition City album. The style is more experimental/atmospheric and less beat-oriented; rather mood pieces that revolve around the Perdition City theme. Due to the experimental nature of the music, both Silence EPs were limited to two thousand, and three thousand copies. However, both EPs were re-released as one disc, under the title Teachings in Silence, in November 2002.
Ulver, now with more confidence in their ambient sensibilities descent into the world of film soundtracks, producing scores for Lyckantropen, Svidd neger and a joint soundtrack with singer/songwriter Tom McRae for the multiple award-winning Uno. Ulver were praised for their soundtrack work, and their ability to adapt and providing a sense of continuity to each film. The song "Silence Teaches You How to Sing" was later used in the 2012 supernatural horror film Sinister.
Ulver celebrated their ten-year anniversary with a remix album, 1993–2003: 1st Decade in the Machines, issued in April 2003, featuring contributions from Third Eye Foundation, Bogdan Raczynski, Fennesz, V/Vm and Merzbow among others.
In 2002, the trio announced that they were working on a string remake of Nattens madrigal, but Rygg later stated that the project "is in a state of total dormancy."
''Blood Inside'' and ''Shadows of the Sun'' (2003–2008)
In August 2003, Ulver issued an EP, A Quick Fix of Melancholy, essentially a teaser for the forthcoming album, Blood Inside. A delicate marriage of orchestration and electronica the EP features text by Christian Bök and a remix of a song from Kveldssanger.In 2004, the group collaborated with Sámi vocalist Mari Boine and percussionist Marilyn Mazur to score Mona J. Hoel's film Salto, salmiakk og kaffe. The film premiered in August 2004, however, the soundtrack remains unreleased.
Ulver issued Blood Inside in June 2005, produced together with King Crimson collaborator Ronan Chris Murphy. The album returns to more classical arrangements and instrumentation, described as "a beautifully crafted album of both substance and style. Certainly, Blood Inside is still not for everyone, but those who choose to indulge in this will find themselves rewarded on every level." " is ambiguous and full of intricate layers and influences working to tell a story that is both haunting and mesmerising. Garm's beautiful distorted vocals act as outcries of a desperate man hidden, pushed in the background of the story that the instrumentation tells." Webzine Avantgarde-metal.com concludes: "the sound of the album is maybe their most extravagant, extrovert, dynamic and wild, ranging from swing band to danceable hard electronic pop, with a lot of peaceful moments in between so much energy."
Ulver and drone metal band Sunn O))) collaborated on the fifteen-minute track "CUT WOODeD" - a tribute to the deceased film director Ed Wood, which later appeared on Sunn O)))'s WHITEbox box set, issued in July 2006.
Shadows of the Sun was issued in October 2007 in Europe and the United States and would include collaborations with artists Pamelia Kurstin contributing theremin, Mathias Eick on trumpet and Christian Fennesz, adding supplemental shimmer. Rygg described it as "our most personal record to date." Described as "low-key, dark and tragic," the album received critical acclaim, and in February 2008 the album won the Oslo Awards for Album of the Year, in 2008. The album was also voted best album of 2007 at the website Sonic Frontiers.