Illdisposed

Biography

Illdisposed is a Danish death metal band from Aarhus, formed in 1991 by vocalist Bo Summer and guitarist Lasse Bak. As of 2020, the band consists of Summer, guitarists Jakob Batten and Rasmus Henriksen, bassist Kussen and drummer Rasmus Schmidt.
Since the beginning of the 1990s, Illdisposed have been a top band of the Nordic death metal scene and have released 15 albums and two EPs. Illdisposed have developed their own form of death metal with groovy rhythms, melodic but hard hitting riffs and a wall of sound with a subwoofer vocal in focus. Summer also used to front Danish white power Skinhead band Hvid Røvfuld

Four Depressive Seasons, Submit and There's Something Rotten… (1992–1997)

Illdisposed was formed in early 1991. Their first demo, The Winter of Our Discontempt, led to a deal with Nuclear Blast Records. In the end of 1992, the band contributed the track "Reversed" to the compilation Fuck You, We're from Denmark, released by Progress Red Labels. Their debut album, Four Depressive Seasons×Four Depressive Seasons1993 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Forbidden Summer Poetry3:562Reversed5:083Weeping Souls of Autumn Desires5:544Life Equals Zero (A Love Song)4:345A Deathwork Orange... The Winter of Our Discontempt7:426Wardance of the Technocracy5:367Never Ceasing Melancholic Spring5:058Inherit the Wind4:539With the Lost Souls on Our Side4:40, followed in 1993. In December of that year, they toured Europe supporting Wargasm and Sinister. In 1994, guitarist Hans Wagner was fired due to problems with alcoholism. He was temporarily replaced with Morten Gilsted. In 1994, the EP Return from Tomorrow×Return From Tomorrow1994 · EPSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracks1Depersonalisation5:162Return From Tomorrow5:113On Death and Dying5:044Darkness Weaves With Many Shades4:175Impact0:366Withering Teardrops5:107Instrumental (Outro)1:44 was released. In early 1995, drummer Lars Hald performed some live concerts. The second studio album, Submit×Submit1995 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Purity of Sadness4:402A Frame of Mind4:273Vesuvio1:364The Hidden Ache5:045Memories Expanded6:096Slow Death Factory4:327Submit3:378Flogging a Dead Horse2:489Die Kingdom5:11, was released with new drummer Rolf Rognvard-Hansen, previously the guitarist for Caustic from Esbjerg. During the tour in Germany to promote the album, guitarist Lasse Bak played several concerts naked. There's Something Rotten... In the State of Denmark, their third studio album, was released in 1997. Ex-roadie Tore Mogensen replaced guitarist Morten Gilsted on this album. While recording the album, the band was featured in the documentary "Headbang i Hovedlandet" alongside future member Jakob 'Batten' Hansen's band Infernal Torment in 1997.

Retro and Kokaiinum (1998–2002)

In 2000, Illdisposed released the tribute album Retro×Retro2000 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Cromlech4:252None Shall Defy7:023Reek of Putrefaction4:184Rapture5:225Nightmare3:316Gasping for Air3:047Open Casket4:578Killed by Death4:329Out of the Body4:4610Intoxicated5:2511Beating Around the Bush4:32, with covers of bands such as Carcass, Autopsy, Darkthrone, Venom, Motörhead, and AC/DC. It was the first album to feature guitarist Jakob "Batten" Hansen, who joined the band in 1999, after Lasse Bak's brother Ronnie Bak had left.
This was followed by their fourth album Kokaiinum×Kokaiinum2001 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1A Warm Welcome3:252Just Like a Clockwork3:283Richard Scarry3:374Illdisposed3:475Forever Young4:266Intellargent4:067Kokaiinum4:238A Girl and Her Boss2:539Fear Bill Gates5:00 in 2001, which featured original songs only. The song "Fear Bill Gates" was only one example of the band's sense of humor. Kokaiinum sometimes fused more melodic elements in the music, but still retained the groove/death metal style, that the band was known for.

From 1-800 Vindication to To Those Who Walk Behind Us (2003–2009)

The band went on short hiatus because Bo needed time to cure his alcoholism. In 2003, they went back together, to release the "Promo 2003×Promo 200329 November 2003 · EPSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Incisive Souls3:452Jeff3:273Call in the Boys3:564Dark4:03" CD, which already included some songs from the upcoming album 1-800 Vindication×1-800 Vindication4 October 2004 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1I Believe in Me4:332Dark4:053Now We’re History4:394When You Scream3:095Jeff3:596In Search of Souls3:267Still Sane3:278You Against the World3:249No More Time3:2510The Final Step1:55, those were "Jeff" and "Dark". The band had found new members in Thomas "Muskelbux" Jensen on drums and Jonas "Kloge" Mikkelsen on bass. Tore Mogensen left the band during that time and started working at TC Electronics, while Jakob "Batten" Hansen switched from bass to lead guitar.
In 2004, 1-800 Vindication was released. It was the band's most successful album, released on Roadrunner Records. The song "Still Sane×Still Sane2004 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Still Sane3:27" was released as a single and a video was shot for it by Lasse Hoile, who also designed the artwork for the album.
The release was followed by a tour and a DVD, shot in Arhus, entitled "We suck - live in Arhus". This DVD was during that time only available as a bootleg, but went on to be sold regularly, due to its high quality.
In 2005, guitarist and founding member Lasse Bak left the band to join his former Illdisposed band comrades Rolf Hansen and Morten Gilsted in Slow Death Factory.
A short-lived replacement was found in ex-roadie and Exmortem guitarist Martin Thim, who joined during the recording of the band's sixth studio album Burn Me Wicked×Burn Me Wicked10 April 2006 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Shine Crazy3:362Case of the Late Pig3:483Back to the Street3:514Our Heroin Recess4:225Throw Your Bolts3:536Burn Me Wicked3:457Fear the Gates2:418Slave4:289Nothing to Fear… Do It3:1910The Widow Black4:2811Ill'dispunk'd3:38, released in 2006 on Roadrunner Records. The music on Burn Me Wicked was written almost entirely by Jakob Hansen, who recorded demos of the songs on his computer at home and then passed it to the other members. The two Roadrunner albums are the most successful Illdisposed albums to date, with sales of 30,000 copies each (before the re-release on Massacre). After an extensive tour, the band went back in the studio again, to record their seventh album The Prestige×The Prestige28 March 2008 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1Let Go1:092The Tension3:563Weak Is Your God3:514Working Class Zero3:445A Song of Myself3:366Like Cancer3:497Love Is Tasted Bitter3:378She Knows3:149A Child Is Missing3:3110The Key to My Salvation3:1811... Your Devoted Slave3:3212Ich bin verloren in Berlin3:3613Purity of Sadness (live)3:2714Now We’re History (live)5:0315I Believe in Me (live)5:36. The Prestige took the band more back to their roots and sounded more straightforward and rawer than its predecessors. Before recording started, Martin Thim left the band to focus more on his day job; he was replaced by ex-Volbeat guitarist Franz "Hellboss" Gottschalk. One of their most successful gigs was the With Full Force festival in Germany, where the band presented The Prestige in front of over 70,000 people. A live video of the song "A Child Is Missing" can be found on the band's website.
Only one year later, the band hit the studio again with a new record deal on Massacre Records, after Roadrunner dissolved the contract to the band. In 2009, Massacre Records released the new album To Those Who Walk Behind Us×To Those Who Walk Behind Us28 August 2009 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Blood on Your Parade4:182For the Record3:153Just Come and Get Me4:114Seeking Truth - Telling Lies3:455Sale at the Misery Factory4:316Those Who Walk Behind Me4:057If All the World...4:238My Number Is Expired3:469Johnny4:1510This Unscheduled Moment3:4311Nu gik det lige så godt...3:5912When You Scream (re-mix)3:2513Throw Your Bolts (live)4:09 as well as re-releasing Illdisposed's Roadrunner albums 1-800 Vindication and Burn Me Wicked. This album was produced by Illdisposed's guitarist Jakob "Batten" Hansen and mixed by longtime friend Tue Madsen. To Those Who Walk Behind Us represented a mix between the band's more traditional death-metal sound and their use of synthesizers on albums like 1-800 Vindication and Burn Me Wicked.
On 23 June 2012, The original Illdisposed Line Up consisting of Bo Summer, Lasse Bak, Ronnie Bak, Morten Gilsted and Rolf Hansen, played a reunion show at Lasse Bak's 40th Birthday.

Studio albums

Four Depressive Seasons (1993), Progress Red Labels
Submit (1995), Progress Records
There's Something Rotten... In the State of Denmark (1997), Serious Entertainment
Retro (2000), Diehard Music
Kokaiinum (2001), Diehard Music
1-800 Vindication (2004), Roadrunner Records
Burn Me Wicked (2006), Roadrunner Records
The Prestige (2008), AFM Records
To Those Who Walk Behind Us (2009), Massacre Records
There Is Light (But It's Not for Me) (2011), Massacre Records
Sense the Darkness (2012), Massacre Records
With the Lost Souls on Our Side (2014), Massacre Records
Grey Sky Over Black Town (2016), Massacre Records
Reveal Your Soul for the Dead (2019)
In Chambers of Sonic Disgust (2024)

EPs

Return from Tomorrow (EP, 1994), Progress Red Labels
Demo 2003 (EP, 2003) Independent release

Compilations

Helvede (1995, RSS)
The Best of Illdisposed 2004–2011 (2012, Massacre Records)