Ulver (
Norwegian for “
wolves”) is a musical group from
Norway. Since their first, folklore-influenced
black metal release entitled
Bergtatt - Et eeventyr i 5 capitler (1995), Ulver’s musical style has been fluid and increasingly eclectic, blending genres such as
rock,
electronica,
symphonic and
chamber traditions,
noise and
experimental music into their œuvre, but with a heavy reliance on
electronic recording techniques.
Musical overview
Black Metal Trilogy
Although Ulver’s first three albums are often called their “Black Metal Trilogie”, they are quite different in style, with only two of them belonging at all to the black metal genre. The archaic Dano-Norwegian lyrics were inspired by Baroque poets such as
Ludvig Holberg and the hymn-writer
Thomas Kingo. The themes of the lyrics were greatly influenced by
Scandinavian folktales.
The album Bergtatt - Et eeventyr i 5 capitler is placed in the folk-themed black metal genre for its occasionally fast tempo, distorted electric guitars and croaky screaming vocals intermitted with melodious acoustic passages with singing, and for having a fantasy storyline. The title Bergtatt translates as “taken by the mountains”; in Norwegian folklore the word refers to people who wander off into mountains, lured by trolls or other mythic creatures. The narrative of the album’s lyrics follows a maiden as she becomes so mountain-taken. The subtitle translates as “A Tale in 5 Chapters”. Bergtatt features a melancholic, fully acoustical song “Een stemme locker” (“A Voice Beckons”).
Kveldssanger, Ulver’s second album, contrasts with Bergtatt as it uses classical guitars, cello and chamber chants, completely eschewing the metal elements of Bergtatt, while still having a folk theme. Garm has since remarked that Kveldssanger was an “immature attempt at making a classical album”, later adding that the performance was immature, yet the content is strong when their youth at the time is taken into account.
The third album, Nattens madrigal (“Madrigal of the Night”), saw the band returning to a black metal style similar to Bergtatt. Unlike on Bergtatt, however, the only acoustic instruments appear in a brief interlude in the first track. The album is intentionally underproduced, akin to Darkthrone’s Transilvanian Hunger, with buzzing guitars and rather muffled drums. There are rumors surrounding this album and its recording, the most famous being that the band recorded this album in a forest. A lesser-known rumor is that the band purposely recorded the album on a four-track cassette recorder and used the money that Century Media gave them for other things, like Armani suits, haircuts, cocaine, beer, and/or a new car. When questioned on this matter, Garm only affirmed that the band has expensive tastes.
The band’s seventh album Shadows of the Sun was released on the 1st of October, 2007. Garm described it as “our most personal record to date.”
Changes in line-up
At 2009, on the official Ulver website it was announced that the core three members of Ulver have become four with the addition of British composer and multi-instrumentalist
Daniel O'Sullivan. With this line-up a new album album consisting of cover versions of psychedelic music from the 60's was recorded but remains unreleased.
Upcoming Album
On 24 November 2010 the band posted in its official website a note that read: «2011 is the future, a Critical Geography, the new album of Ulver. The anthological presentation we've been hiding behind since Lillehammer is history after Warsaw».
Discography
Full lengths
Bergtatt - Et eeventyr i 5 capitler (1995)
Kveldssanger (1996)
Nattens madrigal - Aatte hymne til ulven i manden (1996)
Themes from William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1998)
Perdition City (2000)
Blood Inside (2005)
Shadows of the Sun (2007)
Critical Geography (2011)
Other releases
''Rehearsal demo (1993)
Vargnatt demo (1993)
split EP with Mysticum (1994)
The Trilogie - Three Journeyes Through the Norwegian Netherworlde (1998)
Metamorphosis EP (1999)
Silence Teaches You How to Sing EP (2001)
Silencing the Singing EP (2001)
Teachings in Silence EP (includes both Silence EPs) (2002)
Lyckantropen Themes (2002)
(2003)
A Quick Fix of Melancholy EP (2003)
Svidd Neger soundtrack (2003)
tribute album (2007)
Psyche (Working Title) cover album (2011)
Contributions and guest appearances
Feuersturm – Century Media Records compilation (1997) – "Soelen gaaer bag aase need"
Souvenirs from Hell – compilation (1997) – "Synen"
Ablaze Compilation – Ablaze Magazine compilation (1998) – "Hymn VIII"
Lords of Chaos: The History of the Occult – Lords of Chaos compilation (2002) – often called "(untitled exclusive track)", but in fact it is a rehearsal of "Hymn VI" from Nattens madrigal
Frog Remixed and Revisited – Merzbow remix compilation (2003) – "Denki No Numa (Frog Voice mix)"
The Lotus Eaters – Dead Can Dance tribute compilation (2004) – "In the Kingdom of the Blind the One-Eyed Are Kings"
Uno – soundtrack (2004) – "Uno", "Avhør", "Brødre", "Brødre Rev.", "Flukt", "Gravferd", "David til ulvene"
Salto, salmiakk og kaffe – soundtrack (2004) – unreleased
Gods of Thunder – Kiss tribute compilation (2005) – "Strange Ways"
Sunn O))) – WHITEbox (2006) – "CUTWOODeD"
Shockadelica – Prince tribute compilation (2008) – "Thieves in the Temple" (feat. Siri Stranger)
Agony & Irony - Alkaline Trio (2008) - strings, programming, vocals on "Lost & Rendered" and "In My Stomach"
Pay For It (Single) – Mindless Self Indulgence - "Pay For It [RMX]"
Genghis Tron - Board Up The House Remixes Volume 3 - "I Won't Come Back Alive" (Ulver remix)
The Wall Re-Built! – Pink Floyd – Mojo (December 2009, issue 193) tribute compilation – "Another Brick in the Wall Pt.1"
Live appearances
At the Norwegian Festival of Literature
On May 30
th 2009 Ulver performed live for the first time in 15 years, at Maihaugsalen (part of
Maihaugen) in Lillehammer, Norway. The concert was a part of the
Norwegian Festival of Literature. The three band members were accompanied by guest musicians: Lars Pedersen (aka
When) on drums,
Daniel O’Sullivan (also in Æthenor,
Guapo, Mothlite) on guitar and bass,
Pamelia Kurstin playing
Theremin and Ole Aleksander Halstensgård (from
Paperboys).
Subsequent performances
Subsequently the only live appearances outside Norway were held at the Brutal Assault Festival in the Czech Republic on Aug 7
th and at the Gagarin205 club in Athens,Greece (November 16
th).
More festival appearances in Norway were announced:
Øyafestivalen at Middelalderparken, Oslo (Aug 11
th),
Møllafestivalen in Gjerstad (Aug 14
st),
Pstereo'09 at Marinen, Trondheim (Aug 21
st) and London's Queen Elizabeth Hall (October 9
th).
Ulver i Operaen
On July 31
th 2010 Ulver performed live at the
Norwegian National Opera and Ballet with
Christian Fennesz and the performance artist
Ian Johnstone.
Members
Current members
Kristoffer Rygg - vocals, additional programming
Jørn H. Sværen - miscellaneous
Tore Ylwizaker - programming, keyboards
Daniel O'Sullivan - guitar, bass, keyboards
Former Members
Grellmund – guitar on Vargnatt (committed suicide on 31 Dec 1997)
A. Reza – guitar on Vargnatt
Robin – bass guitar on Vargnatt
Carl-Michael Eide (aka Aggressor; Czral; Exhurtum) – drums on Vargnatt, guest drums on Blood Inside
Håvard Jørgensen – guitar (Vargnatt through Themes…), session guitars on Metamorphosis, Perdition City and Blood Inside
Hugh Steven James Mingay (aka Skoll) – bass guitar (Bergtatt through Themes…)
Erik Olivier Lancelot (aka AiwarikiaR) – drums, flute (Bergtatt through Themes…)
Torbjørn Pedersen (aka Aismal; Tykje) – guitar (Bergtatt through Nattens Madrigal)
Knut Magne Valle – guitar on Themes…
Session and guest musicians
Lill Katherine Stensrud – vocals on Vargnatt and Bergtatt, flute on Bergtatt
Steinar Sverd Johnsen (also known as Sverd) – piano on Vargnatt and Bergtatt
Alf Gaaskjønli – cello on Kveldssanger
Jan Axel Blomberg (aka Hellhammer) – drums (on the song "Synen", released on the Souvenirs from Hell compilation)
Stine Grytøyr (aka "her") – vocals on Themes…
Tomas Thormodsæter Haugen (aka Samoth) – vocals on Themes…
Vegard Sverre Tveitan (aka Ihsahn) – vocals on Themes…
Gylve Nagell (aka Fenriz) – vocals on Themes…
Rolf Erik Nyström – saxophone on Perdition City
Ivar H. Johansen – drums on Perdition City
Kåre J. Pedersen – drums on Perdition City
Bård G. Eithun – drums on Perdition City
Øystein Moe – bass on Perdition City
Bosse – guitar solo on Blood Inside
Jeff Gauthier – violin on Blood Inside
Mike Keneally – guitar on Blood Inside
Andreas Mjøs – vibraphone on Blood Inside
Maja S. K. Ratkje – choir on Blood Inside
Knut Aalefjær – drums and percussion on Blood Inside
Mathias Eick – trumpet on Shadows of the Sun
Christian Fennesz – supplemental shimmer on Shadows of the Sun
Espen Jørgensen – acoustic and electric guitar on Shadows of the Sun
Pamelia Kurstin – theremin on Shadows of the Sun
Hans Josef Groh – cello on Shadows of the Sun
Dorthe Dreier – viola on Shadows of the Sun
André Orvik – violin on Shadows of the Sun
Vegard Johnsen – violin on Shadows of the Sun
Related bands
Arcturus – Another project of Ulver members Garm and Skoll, as well as Ulver session members Sverd, Knut Magne Valle, and Hellhammer, 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.
Coil – Probably the band by which 2000-2002 era Ulver is most inspired by and analogous to.
Guapo - Guitarist/pianist Daniel O’Sullivan's progressive/art-rock band.
Head Control System – a duo of Garm and the Portuguese metal musician Daniel Cardoso.
Ved Buens Ende – Side project of Skoll and Carl-Michael Eide. Since disbanded, reunited and disbanded once more in early 2007.
References
External links
Ulver’s official page at Jester Records' website. Contains general information about the members, release history, and interviews.
The End Records, Ulver’s North American label.
"Authorised Ulver website", not updated since 2004.
"Interview with Jørn H. Sværen", from SonicFrontiers.net (Nov 2007)
Ulver international tribute website "My Own Wolf: A New Approach" (released Dec 2007)
Ulver's Official MySpace Started 10/25/2005 as an homage; turned official at the request of Mr. Rygg.
AVANTGARDE metal, interview with Ulver.
Category:Norwegian musical groups
Category:Norwegian heavy metal musical groups
Category:Norwegian black metal musical groups
Category:Avant-garde metal musical groups
Category:Musical groups established in 1993
Category:1990s music groups
Category:2000s music groups
Category:Black metal musical groups
Category:Post-metal musical groups
