ALBUM REVIEW: Gaahls Wyrd – The Humming Mountain


Having been involved in making underground music for nigh on thirty years, vocalist Gaahl has amassed a body of work ranging from high voltage Black Metal with Gorgoroth and the less polished Trelldom, to the traditional folk stylings of Wardruna, ramping up his progressive blackened leanings with God Seed, before releasing GastiR – Ghosts Invited (Indie Recordings), the debut offering of current vehicle Gaahls Wyrd, in 2019.

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Gaahls Wyrd Q & A, Listening Party Recap, “From The Spear” Video Released


Ghost Cult’s Tilburg, NL correspondent Susanne A. Maathuis attended a listening part for Gaahl’s Wyrd’s debut album Gastir, due out on Season of Mist on May 31st. Check out her report and the new video for ‘From The Spear’!

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Gaahl To Curate Wine Symposium In London Next Month


Black metal legend Gaahl (a.k.a. Kristian Espedal) will host a wine symposium next month. Gaahl will lead “An Introduction To Natural Wine With Kristian ‘GAAHL’ Espedal” presented by Sponfest & Old Empire at TT Liquor in London. Best known as the lead singer of legendary Norwegian band Gorgoroth, God Seed, Gaahl’s Wyrd, and a member of Wardruna, will lead a discussion and tasting born from his passion for wine. Continue reading


Nidingr – The High Heat Licks Against Heaven


Nidingr heartbeat Morten “Teloch” Iversen is a guitarist of note in the Norwegian Black Metal scene, as not only has he racked up time in acts such as Myrkur, God Seed and Gorgoroth, he is the main songwriter for Mayhem. With such a prestigious career to dateContinue reading


Abbath Officially Announce Debut Album Due This January


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Abbath, the namesake band led by the iconic ex-Immortal front man of the same name (Olve Eikemo (a.k.a. Abbath) will see its début album release this coming January from Season of Mist. Abbath made its live début this past June at the Tuska Festival in Helsinki, FI. At that concert Abbath played two new songs, some Immortal classic and even some black metal covers. The band has already been named as one of the headliners of the all Norwegian lineup of Blastfest 2016.

Abbath’s current line-up

Abbath – Vocals/ Guitar

King Ov Hell (Tom Cato Visnes) Bass

Baar Kolstad (God Seed/Borknagar) Drums

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This July Abbath unsuccessfully bid to secure the rights to the Immortal Band name in Norwegian court but lost to his former bands mates; lyricist/guitarist Demonaz (real name Harald Nævdal) and drummer Horgh (real name Reidar Horghagen). Abbath recently gave an interview to Metal Hammer about the split and going solo:

“I didn’t want to go solo in the first place. I wanted the best for Immortal. I didn’t want it to end this way. First of all, I just wanted my music out. I wanted to record the [next] album [because] it’s been so many years since ‘All Shall Fall’. And both Demonaz and Horgh, they have kids and families now, and it just hit that point where I couldn’t work the way they wanted to work any more. I wanted things on my terms and they wanted things on their terms, and it was very difficult.”

“I wanted to rehearse at least three times a week, but often it was only once a week and things went so slow. I sat there with all this material, I kept the rehearsal space and recorded the stuff on click track, but it was a very strained atmosphere and the Last time we worked together was in early June last year.”

Asked if the decision to part ways and seek out new band members was inevitable, Abbath said: “I was forced to do it this way. I wanted Immortal to continue, but not the way it was. The dialogue has not been there and it’s also my mistake. I should have brought up this shit a long time ago, but Immortal, after Demonaz‘s problems with his arms, it never became a band after that.”

He continued: “Immortal is a very special situation. [Demonaz] hasn’t been in the band, but then I always wanted to do the best for everybody, to have the band spirit, and that’s why when we decided to start Immortal again, we tried to get the spirit back, and bring him on tour, and just share our thing and be a band and have a kick-ass time. But it never worked out. The chemistry wasn’t there with the Immortal guys and hadn’t been for a while.”

“I believe in my music and I believe in my expression, but time flies and we grow apart. Maybe in the future we can go back again, I don’t know, but right now I just want to do my thing and just be Abbath and have people around me who support that.”


Video: Abbath Plays First Show At Tuska Festival


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Former Immortal front man and international black metal icon Abbath (Olve Eikemo) debuted his new band with his namesake, Abbath, this past weekend at the Tuska Festival in Helsinki, FI. Video from their set can be seen at this link and below:

Abbath is joined by King Ov Hell (Tom Cato Visnes from Ov Hell, Gorgoroth, God Seed) on bass, and Baard Kolstad (Borknagar) on drums. The band played a set of mostly covers, all of which Abbath had a hand in writing and a new song ‘Fenrir Hunts’, likely to see release on the new Abbath album due out in 2016 from Season of Mist. The band is already planning a busy 2016 to support the release, and has been named a headliner of the the 2016 Blastfest in Oslo, NO

Abbath’s set list from Tuska Festival

01. Warriors (I cover)
02. Battalions (I cover)
03. Fenrir Hunts (new song)
04. One By One (Immortal cover)
05. Tyrants (Immortal cover)
06. Cursed We Are (I cover)
07. In My Kingdom Cold (Immortal cover)
08. Hordes To War (Immortal cover)
09. Withstand The Fall Of Time (Immortal cover)


Wardruna – Yggdrasil


Wardruna - YggdrasilWardruna, despite having released only two albums, enjoy esteem within the world of folk music for their use of traditional, handmade instruments and themes of Norse spirituality. Yggdrasil is the second instalment of their rune triology Runaljod. The album picks up where first record Gap Var Ginunnga left off, exploring the individual runes of the elder futhark.Continue reading