Morgoth

Biography

Morgoth was a German death metal band formed in 1987 by Rüdiger Hennecke and Carsten Otterbach in Meschede.

History

The band used the name Cadaverous Smell and played grindcore / noise. When Harry Busse joined the band, they renamed themselves "Minas Morgul". In 1987, the band settled on Morgoth when singer and bass player Marc Grewe joined the band. The name derives from the epithet of the original Dark Lord Melkor in J.R.R Tolkien's Middle-earth Legendarium. They recorded the Pits of Utumno demo on four tracks in 1988, which led the band to sign with Century Media.
In 1989, Morgoth recorded their second demo, Resurrection Absurd, in a twenty-four-track studio, and it was released by Century Media in the same year as an EP. The band toured Germany in support of Pestilence and Autopsy. The Eternal Fall was recorded after the tour, which was followed by a second tour with Demolition Hammer and Obituary. Grewe stopped playing bass and Sebastian Swart joined as the bass player.
In February 1991, the first full-length album was recorded in the Woodhouse studios, titled Cursed×Cursed1991 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Cursed2:052Body Count3:363Exit to Temptation6:024Unreal Imagination3:305Isolated5:256Sold Baptism3:417Suffer Life4:268Opportunity Is Gone7:219Darkness3:55. To promote the album, the band supported Kreator and Biohazard on a US tour and another European tour with Immolation and Massacre. Most of the band relocated to Dortmund. Morgoth took a break and returned in 1993 with the album Odium×Odium25 May 1993 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracks1Resistance4:492The Art of Sinking3:343Submission5:144Under the Surface5:235Drowning Sun5:146War Inside4:407Golden Age7:148Odium6:16. More touring followed, with Tankard, Unleashed and Tiamat. Most of the band members lost interest in an active music career and ventured in other directions.
Eventually, a third album was recorded, Feel Sorry for the Fanatic×Feel Sorry for the Fanatic23 October 1996 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1This Fantastic Decade3:242Last Laugh4:233Cash...3:484...And Its Amazing Consequences2:255Curiosity4:226Forgotten Days4:507Souls on a Pleasuretrip4:188Graceland4:209Watch the Fortune Wheel5:3310A New Start5:17, on which they incorporated industrial influences. A tour followed the release of the album, with Die Krupps and Richthofen. The band broke up in 1998.
In 2010, they reformed to participate in the Death Feast Open Air and confirmed that a 2011 "Cursed" reunion tour would be played. They performed at the 2011 Wacken Open Air.
As of December 5, 2014 Morgoth parted ways with lead vocalist Marc Grewe, but continued with a new singer. The band released an album in the spring of 2015, titled Ungod×Ungod27 March 2015 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1House of Blood2:342Voice of Slumber4:523Snakestate4:454Black Enemy3:455Descent into Hell3:286Ungod6:137Nemesis4:208God Is Evil3:579Traitor3:5810Prison in Flesh3:3111The Dark Sleep5:0012Die as Deceiver3:5113Battalions of Strangers4:27.
On May 24, 2018, the band announced they would go on hiatus following their performance on June 8 at the Chronical Moshers Open Air in Germany. On December 17, 2020, Morgoth announced that they had broken up again.

Current members

Harald Busse – guitars (1987–1998, 2010–2020)
Sebastian Swart – guitars (2010–2020), bass (1990–1998)
Sotirios Kelekidis – bass (2010–2020)
Marc "Speedy" Reign – drums (2010–2020)
Karsten "Jagger" Jäger – vocals (2014–2020)

Former members

Carsten Otterbach – guitars (1987–1998; died 2018)
Rüdiger Hennecke – drums (1987–1998)
Marc Grewe – vocals (1987–1998, 2010–2014), bass (1987–1990)
Timeline