The Forsaken (album)
Encyclopedia
The Forsaken is the third studio album
by the Christian black metal
band Antestor
released in 2005 on Endtime Productions
. The album features guest appearances of the established metal musicians Jan Axel Blomberg
(Hellhammer) and Ann-Mari Edvardsen
.
, Borknagar
, Mayhem
, and Extol
. The album was produced by Børge Finstad. Several songs from the recording sessions were dropped from the full-length and were published on an EP titled Det Tapte Liv. The line up on this recording session featured two former members of the dark metal band Vaakevandring
, namely vocalist Ronny Hansen and keyboardist Morten Sigmund Mageroy, as well as the female vocalist Ann-Mari Edvardsen
of the gothic metal group The 3rd and the Mortal
. Lars Stokstad is the only original Antestor member on this album.
The album is known to feature drumming by Jan Axel Blomberg
, also known as Hellhammer, one of the best-known drummers in extreme metal. His appearance on the recordings was somewhat disputed in the metal scene. In an interview with the Russian metal site Metal Library on January 7, 2007, Blomberg says:
The vocalist Ronny Hansen knew Hellhammer personally and asked him to play for the band. The members of Antestor gave Hellhammer the demos for the songs in person, but according to Blomberg, he never met the Antestor members in studio personally because the producer Børge Finstad wanted to work with each musician alone per time to achieve better and more productive results. The band also asked Hellhammer to play live for them, but Blomberg refused. It was not a question about their beliefs, as Hellhammer explains: "In my opinion, black metal today is just music. I will tell you that neither I nor other members of Mayhem never really were against religion or something else. We are primarily interested in music." Antestor vocalist Ronny Hansen commented on Blomberg's appearance:
A few songs that were recorded during the same session were left off from the full-length album. These songs include "Grief", "Last Season", "Med Hevede Sverd" and "Det Tapte Liv", which were released as a teaser on an EP titled Det Tapte Liv
in 2004. The EP also included the same song that is also on The Forsaken called "Rites of Death". The song was slightly remixed on the album, the main difference is that it includes an intro sang solely by Edvardsen. "Raade" and "Mitt Hjerte" instrumental pieces.
The lyrics on The Forsaken showcase dark, depressed, introspective and personal themes such as bitterness and longing. On this album, Antestor also deals with issues such as suicide
, doubts about the certainty of Salvation, and yearning for death, which is rare for a Christian band. An example of the lyrics of "Betrayed" from the album The Forsaken:
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by the Christian black metal
Unblack metal
Unblack metal is a term used to describe musically black metal sounding artists whose lyrics and imagery promote Christianity. Such artists are controversial, mainly because black metal's pioneers, especially those of the Second Wave, intended to encourage hostility towards Christianity...
band Antestor
Antestor
Antestor is an extreme metal band formed in 1990 in Jessheim, Norway. Credited for starting the whole northern European Christian extreme metal scene, Antestor is the only Christian band to have an album released by Cacophonous Records, which has also released records by bands such as Dimmu Borgir,...
released in 2005 on Endtime Productions
Endtime Productions
Endtime Productions is an independent record label based in Scandinavia. The label focuses on extreme metal music and helped notable groups such as Norway's Extol to gain fame and get a record deal with Century Media Records. Notable groups on the label's roster include Antestor, Drottnar and...
. The album features guest appearances of the established metal musicians Jan Axel Blomberg
Jan Axel Blomberg
Jan 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) and Ann-Mari Edvardsen
Ann-Mari Edvardsen
Ann-Mari Edvardsen is a Norwegian singer and keyboardist most notable for her stint as vocalist and keyboardist of The 3rd and the Mortal from 1995 to 1997. She has also been vocalist for Tactile Gemma and has been a guest vocalist for Novembre and session vocalist for Antestor. Along with a career...
.
Recording history
The Forsaken was recorded in 2004 at Top Room Studios, which has been used by groups such as TristaniaTristania (band)
Tristania is a band from Norway, formed in 1996 by Morten Veland, Einar Moen and Kenneth Olsson. Tristania's music is usually classified as symphonic gothic metal with doom/death metal influences , due to its strong ties with the goth metal's history...
, Borknagar
Borknagar
Borknagar is a progressive black metal band from Bergen, Norway, founded in 1995 by Øystein Garnes Brun. The band's style combines folk metal and black metal with progressive and melodic elements...
, Mayhem
Mayhem (band)
Mayhem is a Norwegian black metal band formed in 1984 in Oslo, Norway and regarded as one of the pioneers of the influential Norwegian black metal scene...
, and Extol
Extol
Extol is a Christian progressive extreme metal band from Bekkestua, Norway, that was formed in 1993. In 2007, they announced they were splitting up to work on separate projects. The band is known for playing a variety of different styles of metal which include progressive death metal, melodic death...
. The album was produced by Børge Finstad. Several songs from the recording sessions were dropped from the full-length and were published on an EP titled Det Tapte Liv. The line up on this recording session featured two former members of the dark metal band Vaakevandring
Vaakevandring
Vaakevandring is a Norwegian unblack metal band that was active from 1996 to 2001. The name in Norwegian is a reference to the resurrection of Jesus. Vaakevandring played atmospheric, epic unblack metal with keyboards and folk melodies. Their self-titled EP was produced by Stian Aarstad of Dimmu...
, namely vocalist Ronny Hansen and keyboardist Morten Sigmund Mageroy, as well as the female vocalist Ann-Mari Edvardsen
Ann-Mari Edvardsen
Ann-Mari Edvardsen is a Norwegian singer and keyboardist most notable for her stint as vocalist and keyboardist of The 3rd and the Mortal from 1995 to 1997. She has also been vocalist for Tactile Gemma and has been a guest vocalist for Novembre and session vocalist for Antestor. Along with a career...
of the gothic metal group The 3rd and the Mortal
The 3rd and the Mortal
The 3rd and the Mortal were a Norwegian experimental metal-band, founded in the city of Trondheim, Norway, in 1992 by Rune Hoemsnes, Finn Olav Holthe, Geir Nilssen, Trond Engum and singer Kari Rueslåtten...
. Lars Stokstad is the only original Antestor member on this album.
The album is known to feature drumming by Jan Axel Blomberg
Jan Axel Blomberg
Jan 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...
, also known as Hellhammer, one of the best-known drummers in extreme metal. His appearance on the recordings was somewhat disputed in the metal scene. In an interview with the Russian metal site Metal Library on January 7, 2007, Blomberg says:
The vocalist Ronny Hansen knew Hellhammer personally and asked him to play for the band. The members of Antestor gave Hellhammer the demos for the songs in person, but according to Blomberg, he never met the Antestor members in studio personally because the producer Børge Finstad wanted to work with each musician alone per time to achieve better and more productive results. The band also asked Hellhammer to play live for them, but Blomberg refused. It was not a question about their beliefs, as Hellhammer explains: "In my opinion, black metal today is just music. I will tell you that neither I nor other members of Mayhem never really were against religion or something else. We are primarily interested in music." Antestor vocalist Ronny Hansen commented on Blomberg's appearance:
Overview
The Forsaken 's reception in media was positive and several critics gave it good reviews. However, some fans of the band's old style were not too happy with the stylistical change on The Forsaken: the previous "sorrow metal" output changed to modern, fast, progressive and melodic dark metal. The album contains several guitar solos. This addition received some criticism, and for example Roel de Haan of the Dutch Lords of Metal webzine wrote that "the elaborate solos simply are not beautiful and [are] completely out of context." Lords of Metal gave The Forsaken 75/100, and Nocturnal Horde gave it 8/10, calling it "a very powerful album," and "an amalgamation of innovation, energy, and anger."A few songs that were recorded during the same session were left off from the full-length album. These songs include "Grief", "Last Season", "Med Hevede Sverd" and "Det Tapte Liv", which were released as a teaser on an EP titled Det Tapte Liv
Det Tapte Liv
Det Tapte Liv is an EP by the Norwegian unblack metal band Antestor, released in 2004.-Recording:The EP contains songs recorded at Antestor's studio sessions in 2004 at Top Room Studios. The band felt that these songs did not fit into the 2005's The Forsaken full-length and were released on this EP...
in 2004. The EP also included the same song that is also on The Forsaken called "Rites of Death". The song was slightly remixed on the album, the main difference is that it includes an intro sang solely by Edvardsen. "Raade" and "Mitt Hjerte" instrumental pieces.
The lyrics on The Forsaken showcase dark, depressed, introspective and personal themes such as bitterness and longing. On this album, Antestor also deals with issues such as suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
, doubts about the certainty of Salvation, and yearning for death, which is rare for a Christian band. An example of the lyrics of "Betrayed" from the album The Forsaken:
Track listing
- Rites of Death - 4:14
- Old Times Cruelty - 3:56
- Via Dolorosa - 5:09
- Raade - 3:28
- The Crown I Carry - 4:52
- Betrayed - 4:21
- Vale of Tears - 5:52
- The Return - 4:47
- As I Die - 4:51
- Mitt Hjerte - 3:18
External links
- The Forsaken at Metal Archives