Ram-Zet
Encyclopedia
Ram-Zet is an extreme metal
/avant-garde metal band
formed in Norway in 1998. It began as a one-man project by singer and guitarist Zet, which later evolved into a full-grown band with the arrival of Küth
(drums) and Solem (bass), leading to the release of Ram-Zet's debut album Pure Therapy in September 2000.
to thrash metal
. It has industrial
sounds, progressive
structures, and traditional instruments
forming a style which some people, including band mastermind Zet, have called "schizo-metal". Their music contains lots of rare time signature
s, unconventional harmonies
, and unusual violin
parts. They can be regarded as an avant-garde metal band, because of the wide range of genres
influencing them.
Ram-Zet's lyrics
are strongly linked to a schizophrenia
theme. The lyrics of Pure Therapy, Escape
, and Intra
all revolve around this mental disorder. Forming a story which runs through all three albums, they feature two main characters: a schizophrenic patient
in a dubious mental institution
(sung by Zet), and a nurse trying to help him evade (sung by Sfinx).
concert in their home town of Hamar
. Approximately 200 people got to see this one time event. The concert was filmed and is expected to be released on DVD
in February/March 2010.
as guest keyboardist/guitarist. According the band's official MySpace, recording of the new album began on March 1, 2008. It was also stated that the new album would be heavier and slower than previous albums, but still would retain some faster moments in their music.
Extreme metal
Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. The term usually refers to a more abrasive, harsher, underground, non-commercialized style or sound nearly always associated with genres like black metal,...
/avant-garde metal band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
formed in Norway in 1998. It began as a one-man project by singer and guitarist Zet, which later evolved into a full-grown band with the arrival of Küth
KUTH
KUTH-DT is a full-service television station in Provo, Utah, and serves as the Univision station for the Salt Lake City, Utah market. It broadcasts in digital on UHF channel 32. The station is network-owned, but was operated by Equity Media Holdings, with all programming and master control...
(drums) and Solem (bass), leading to the release of Ram-Zet's debut album Pure Therapy in September 2000.
Genre classification
Ram-Zet's music is very diverse ranging from black metalBlack metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
to thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
. It has industrial
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
sounds, progressive
Progressive metal
Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal originating in the United Kingdom and North America in the late 1980s...
structures, and traditional instruments
Folk instrument
A folk instrument is an instrument that developed among common people and usually doesn't have a known inventor. It can be made from wood, metal or other material. It is a part of folk music...
forming a style which some people, including band mastermind Zet, have called "schizo-metal". Their music contains lots of rare time signature
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
s, unconventional harmonies
Harmony
In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...
, and unusual violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
parts. They can be regarded as an avant-garde metal band, because of the wide range of genres
Music genre
A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other types of music...
influencing them.
Ram-Zet's lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
are strongly linked to a schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
theme. The lyrics of Pure Therapy, Escape
Escape (Ram-Zet album)
Escape is the second album by avant-garde metal band Ram-Zet released on April 30, 2002 in the US by Spinefarm Records and Century Media Records. The band produced the album themselves...
, and Intra
Intra
Intra is the third album by avant-garde metal band Ram-Zet released on September 6, 2005 in the US by Tabu Records. It was produced by the bands founder, vocalist, and guitarist, Zet and co-produced by Ram-Zet and Daniel Bergstrand, who also mixed the album...
all revolve around this mental disorder. Forming a story which runs through all three albums, they feature two main characters: a schizophrenic patient
Patient
A patient is any recipient of healthcare services. The patient is most often ill or injured and in need of treatment by a physician, advanced practice registered nurse, veterinarian, or other health care provider....
in a dubious mental institution
Psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals, are hospitals specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialise only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients...
(sung by Zet), and a nurse trying to help him evade (sung by Sfinx).
The Acoustic Version
In October 2008 the band took 10 of their songs and re-arranged them for an acousticAcoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
concert in their home town of Hamar
Hamar
is a town and municipality in Hedmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Hedmarken. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Hamar. The municipality of Hamar was separated from Vang as a town and municipality of its own in 1849...
. Approximately 200 people got to see this one time event. The concert was filmed and is expected to be released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in February/March 2010.
The Fourth Album
On March 17, 2007, in the official Ram-Zet forum, Sfinx stated that Ram-Zet is working on new material and would be performing live soon. Later that month it was confirmed further on the official news section of the Ram-Zet website. The news stated that the band has been rehearsing six new songs and working on many more. It was rumored that the album would be coming out sometime in late 2007 but was put on hold when Zet went on tour with Ride the SkyRide the Sky
Ride the Sky was a progressive power metal band formed by ex-Helloween, Gamma Ray, and Masterplan drummer Uli Kusch, and Tears of Anger members Bjørn Jansson and Benny Jansson.-History:...
as guest keyboardist/guitarist. According the band's official MySpace, recording of the new album began on March 1, 2008. It was also stated that the new album would be heavier and slower than previous albums, but still would retain some faster moments in their music.
Discography
- Pure Therapy CD (2000, SpikefarmSpinefarm RecordsSpinefarm Records is a Finland-based record label focusing mainly on heavy metal artists. In 1999, a sub-label titled Spikefarm Records was started by Sami Tenetz from Thy Serpent...
/Century Media RecordsCentury Media RecordsCentury Media Records is an Independent record label with offices in the United States, Germany, Australia, France, Italy, Sweden, Finland, and the United Kingdom.- Background :...
) - EscapeEscape (Ram-Zet album)Escape is the second album by avant-garde metal band Ram-Zet released on April 30, 2002 in the US by Spinefarm Records and Century Media Records. The band produced the album themselves...
CD (2002, Spikefarm) - IntraIntraIntra is the third album by avant-garde metal band Ram-Zet released on September 6, 2005 in the US by Tabu Records. It was produced by the bands founder, vocalist, and guitarist, Zet and co-produced by Ram-Zet and Daniel Bergstrand, who also mixed the album...
CD (2005, Tabu RecordsTabu RecordsTabu Productions was an American record label founded by Clarence Avant in 1975. The label focused on R&B and funk.-Founding:Avant founded the label after Sussex Records went out of business in June 1975. Tabu's flagship release, “Stormin'” by Brainstorm, was released in 1977...
) - NeutralizedNeutralized (Ram-Zet album)Neutralized is the fourth album by avant-garde metal band Ram-Zet released on October 12, 2009 in the US by Ascendance Records. The album was recorded from 2008 to early 2009...
(2009, Ascendance RecordsAscendance RecordsAscendance Records is an independent record label based in the UK founded by Lee Barrett and Sam Grant since June 2007.-Artists:Ascendance Records specialises in Female-fronted metal, having bands such as Amberian...
) - "5th (working title)" CD (TBA 2011)
Current members
- Zet - VocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, GuitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, (Ride the SkyRide the SkyRide the Sky was a progressive power metal band formed by ex-Helloween, Gamma Ray, and Masterplan drummer Uli Kusch, and Tears of Anger members Bjørn Jansson and Benny Jansson.-History:...
) - Sfinx - VocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
,(For My Pain, Eternal Tears of SorrowEternal Tears of SorrowEternal Tears of Sorrow is a Finnish symphonic death metal band formed in Pudasjärvi in Northern Ostrobothnia, Finland...
) - Küth - DrumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, Percussion, (The KovenantThe KovenantThe Kovenant is a Norwegian black metal band from Oslo/Hamar. The band originally formed as Covenant in 1993, but in 1999 were forced to change their name to The Kovenant due to a dispute with a Swedish electronic band of the same name....
) - Lanius - BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, DidgeridooDidgeridooThe didgeridoo is a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australians of northern Australia around 1,500 years ago and still in widespread usage today both in Australia and around the world. It is sometimes described as a natural wooden trumpet or "drone pipe"...
(joined during the post Intra period) - KA - KeyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, Backing vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
(joined during recording of Neutralized)
Former members
- Solem - bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(on Pure Therapy and Escape) 2000-2003 - Daniel - bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(on Intra) 2003-2006 - MagnusMagnusMagnus, meaning "Great" in Latin, was sometimes used as a first name among Romans but was not particularly common among them. The best-known Roman bearing the name was the third-century usurper. The name gained wider popularity in the Middle Ages, various European peoples, and their royal houses,...
- keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, (ReturnReturn (band)Return is a Norwegian rock band from Stange, Hedmark. The band started in 1980, and was in its prime in the late 1980- and early 1990-. In this period they had several singles on the Norwegian hit charts and were among the bestselling bands in the country. In 1993 the band took a break, but came...
) (left after Intra)2001-2008 - Sareeta - ViolinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, Backing vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
(ÁsmeginÁsmeginÁsmegin is a Norwegian folk/viking metal band formed in 1998. The name comes from Old Norse and means "by the might of the gods". Ásmegin's lyrics are written in Norwegian as well as some in Old Norse and older Norwegian...
, SolefaldSolefaldSolefald is a Norwegian avant-garde metal/black metal band that was formed by members Lars Are "Lazare" Nedland and Cornelius Jakhelln in August 1995, with Lars singing and playing keyboard/synthesizer/piano and drums, and Cornelius singing and playing guitar and bass. The meaning of the band's...
) 2001-2009
Related bands
- Zet went on tour with Ride the SkyRide the SkyRide the Sky was a progressive power metal band formed by ex-Helloween, Gamma Ray, and Masterplan drummer Uli Kusch, and Tears of Anger members Bjørn Jansson and Benny Jansson.-History:...
replacing Kaspar Dahlqvist on keyboard and rhythm guitar in 2007 - Küth is the current session drummer for black metal/industrial metal band The KovenantThe KovenantThe Kovenant is a Norwegian black metal band from Oslo/Hamar. The band originally formed as Covenant in 1993, but in 1999 were forced to change their name to The Kovenant due to a dispute with a Swedish electronic band of the same name....
,where he replaced Jan Axel BlombergJan Axel BlombergJan Axel "Hellhammer" Blomberg is a three time Spellemannprisen award-winning heavy metal drummer. He is most well known for his drumming with the band Mayhem, with which he began his career...
(Hellhammer/Von Blomberg) just after the release of the 4th album SETI in 2003 - Sareeta was also the violinist for folk metal band ÁsmeginÁsmeginÁsmegin is a Norwegian folk/viking metal band formed in 1998. The name comes from Old Norse and means "by the might of the gods". Ásmegin's lyrics are written in Norwegian as well as some in Old Norse and older Norwegian...
. - Sareeta played violin for black progressive metal band In Lingua MortuaIn Lingua MortuaIn Lingua Mortua is a norwegian band formed by Lars Fredrik Frøislie in 1999 at Hønefoss, Norway. The music could be described as a mixture of 1970s progressive rock and extreme metal, and vintage instruments like the Mellotron, Chamberlin, Minimoog, Clavinet, Hammond organ and prophet-5 is used...
and for avant-garde metal band SolefaldSolefaldSolefald is a Norwegian avant-garde metal/black metal band that was formed by members Lars Are "Lazare" Nedland and Cornelius Jakhelln in August 1995, with Lars singing and playing keyboard/synthesizer/piano and drums, and Cornelius singing and playing guitar and bass. The meaning of the band's...
on their albums Red for Fire and Black for Death. - Sfinx made some guest vocals for FallenFallen (For My Pain album)Fallen is the first album by the Finnish gothic metal band For My Pain.... The album features guest vocals from Sfinx from the avant-garde metal band Ram-Zet.-Track listing:# My Wound is Deeper than Yours - 3:45 # Dancer in the Dark - 3:46...
the album of the Finnish superband For My Pain and for the melodic death metalMelodic death metalMelodic death metal is a heavy metal music style that combines elements from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal with elements of death metal. The style was developed during the early and mid-1990s, primarily in England and Scandinavia...
band Eternal Tears of SorrowEternal Tears of SorrowEternal Tears of Sorrow is a Finnish symphonic death metal band formed in Pudasjärvi in Northern Ostrobothnia, Finland...
on their albums Before the Bleeding SunBefore the Bleeding SunBefore the Bleeding Sun is the fifth studio album released by the Finnish symphonic death metal band Eternal Tears of Sorrow. The album counts guest performances from Marco Hietala , Jarmo Kylmänen , Sfinx and Tony Kakko .According to the band, The album is damn heavy but still more diverse and...
and Children of the Dark WatersChildren of the Dark Waters-Charts:-Personnel:* Altti Veteläinen – lead vocals, bass guitar* Jarmo Kylmänen – clean vocal/backing vocals* Janne Tolsa – keyboards* Jarmo Puolakanaho – rhythm guitar* Risto Ruuth – lead guitar* Juho Raappana – drums...
.