Carpathian Forest

Biography

Carpathian Forest is a Norwegian black metal band characterized by a raw and aggressive form of Norwegian black metal, combining early 1990s extreme metal with lyrics of decadence, nihilism, and morbidness. Their sound merges tremolo-driven guitar riffs, lo-fi production, and harsh, rasping vocals.

History

In late 1990, the band started as Enthrone with Nattefrost (then known as Lord Nosferatu) and Nordavind (known as Lord Karnstein). They produced the self-released demo Black Winds in 1991.
In 1992, Enthrone changed its name to Carpathian Forest, and Lord Blackmangler and Damnatus joined their line-up. They self-released the demo tapes Rehearsal Outtake, Bloodlust and Perversion (both in 1992) and Journey Through the Cold Moors of Svarttjern (in 1993). Damnatus and Lord Blackmangler left afterwards. Carpathian Forest reverted to a duo.
Carpathian Forest released their first studio work in 1995, the extended play Through Chasm, Caves and Titan Woods, via Avantgarde Music. It was the first of many releases via Avantgarde.
In 1998, the band released their first full-length album, Black Shining Leather×Black Shining Leather28 August 1998 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Black Shining Leather4:322The Swordsmen4:083Death Triumphant4:284Sadomasochistic4:025Lupus3:066Pierced Genitalia4:187In Silence I Observe3:438Lunar Nights6:349Third Attempt3:1810The Northern Hemisphere6:4311A Forest5:58, via Avantgarde Music. It was their only release to feature drummer Lazare, who later joined Borknagar. That year, they played their first concert at the Under the Black Sun Festival in Schönermark, Germany.
Lazare left Carpathian Forest in 1999, the same year Anders Kobro, Tchort and Daniel Vrangsinn joined permanently. The following year, their second full-length, Strange Old Brew, was released. It was their most experimental album thus far. By the end of the year, they released the single "He's Turning Blue×He's Turning Blue2000 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1He's Turning Blue2:482Ghoul3:35".
In 2001, founding member Nordavind left Carpathian Forest during the recording of their third studio album, Morbid Fascination of Death×Morbid Fascination of Death2001 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Fever, Flames and Hell2:312Doomed to Walk the Earth as Slaves of the Living Dead3:123Morbid Fascination of Death2:284Through Self-Mutilation2:585Knokkelmann3:426Warlord of Misanthropy2:437A World of Bones4:438Carpathian Forest2:069Cold Comfort5:0810Speechless3:2711Ghoul3:4112Nostalgia (demo)9:34, which retained the experimentation of their previous release. In the following year, the compilation album We're Going to Hell for This: Over a Decade of Perversions×We're Going to Hell for This: Over a Decade of Perversions1 October 2002 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 18 tracks1The Angel and the Sodomizer4:262I Am Possessed4:223Bloody Fucking Nekro Hell1:064Bloodlust and Perversion3:475Possibilities of Life's Destruction1:216In the Shadow of the Horns7:167In League With Satan5:238The Good Old Enema Treatment, Part II3:179Morbid Fascination of Death (live)2:4410Sadomasochistic (live)4:0411Mask of the Slave (live)4:2112Knokkelmann (live)3:4213Bloodcleansing (live)2:4314Return of the Freezing Winds (live)3:0415Doomed to Walk the Earth as Slaves of the Living Dead (live)3:1016He's Turning Blue (live)2:4717Carpathian Forest (live)2:5218Death Triumphant (demo version 1996)10:37 was released to celebrate the band's 10th anniversary. It was their last album released by Avantgarde Music before they switched to Season of Mist.
Their fourth full-length, Defending the Throne of Evil, was released in 2003 by Season of Mist. It was more melodic than Carpathian Forest's previous releases, reminiscent of symphonic black metal. In late 2003, Gøran "Blood Pervertor" Bomann joined the band.
They released the live DVD We're Going to Hollywood for This in 2004, as well as a compilation album featuring rarities and reworked versions of old songs, Skjend hans lik×Skjend hans lik28 June 2004 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Skjend hans lik (alternate mix)5:202Humiliation Chant (unreleased)2:483Spill the Blood of the Lamb (Rohypnol Pre-Prod - 666)5:234Martyr / Sacrificulum (Drunk and Alive)3:435Bloodlust and Perversion (demo)4:276Return of the Freezing Winds (demo)4:287Wings over the Mountain of Sighisoara (demo)3:438The Woods of Wallachia (demo)4:119Through the Black Veil of the Burgo Pass (demo)2:20 (Norwegian for "Desecrate His Body").
Carpathian Forest's latest studio album was the 2006 release Fuck You All!!!!×Fuck You All!!!!23 June 2006 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Vi åpner porten til helvete...6:372The Frostbitten Woodlands of Norway4:593Start Up the Incinerator (Here Comes Another Useless Fool)5:124Submit to Satan!!!4:075Diabolism (The Seed and the Sower)4:156Dypfryst / Dette er mitt helvete4:047Everyday I Must Suffer!4:178The First Cut Is the Deepest4:469Evil Egocentrical Existencialism3:4710Shut Up, There Is No Excuse to Live...4:14 Caput tuum in ano est, a throwback to their blackened thrash metal debut.

In an early 2008 issue of Terrorizer, Tchort spoke about the possibility of a new album, and the rumors regarding a "half-finished album". He was quoted as saying, "I met with Nattefrost a few weeks ago and we decided to focus on a new album, but we haven't even started writing it yet. The news that we had an album half-finished was based on the fact that we had material left over from the last album. Since we record in different studios, this meant that I had the basics for music that Nattefrost never heard". He also divulged that "[we] kind of decided on a slightly new direction for the band, compared to Fuck You All, at least".
The band co-headlined the Inferno Festival in 2009, and confirmed rumors of a new album.
The band entered on a relative hiatus after 2009. From 2012 onwards, they played on some festivals around Europe. The band was scheduled to play on the Maryland Deathfest on 26 May 2013, but their show was cancelled due to last-minute visa problems. The band's last known concert was at Incineration Fest, in London England in May 2019.
In the band's concerts in 2013–2014, Jonathan Perez from Green Carnation (and former Sirenia and Trail Of Tears) played drums.
The band went on hiatus in July 2014, after Tchort and Blood Pervertor announced they had left Carpathian Forest and would form The 3rd Attempt.
In 2017, the band returned and announced that they were working on the album Likskue, to be released in 2018.

Studio albums

Black Shining Leather (1998)
Strange Old Brew (2000)
Morbid Fascination of Death (2001)
Defending the Throne of Evil (2003)
Fuck You All!!!! Caput tuum in ano est (2006)

Extended plays

Through Chasm, Caves and Titan Woods (1995)

Compilations

Bloodlust and Perversion (1997)
We're Going to Hell for This: Over a Decade of Perversions (2002)
Skjend hans lik (2004)

Video releases

We're Going to Hollywood for This: Live Perversions (2004)

Demo tapes

Black Winds (1991 — as Enthrone)
Rehearsal Outtake (1992)
Bloodlust and Perversion (1992)
Journey Through the Cold Moors of Svarttjern (1993)

Singles

"He's Turning Blue×He's Turning Blue2000 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1He's Turning Blue2:482Ghoul3:35" (2000)
"Likeim×Likeim13 April 2018 · EPSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Likeim2:452All My Friends are Dead2:44" (2018)