Roger Tiegs (born on June 18, 1972), better known by his stage name, Infernus, is a Norwegian black metal musician and Satanist. He is the sole founding member and original ideologist of the Norwegian black metal band Gorgoroth, which was formed in 1992, as well as the founder and head of Forces of Satan Records. He is mainly a guitarist, but has also participated as bassist, drummer and vocalist on several recordings released both by Gorgoroth and other bands. For the bulk of Gorgoroth's existence he has been the primary song-writer, and much of his compositional skills, though rooted deep in black metal, hearken a very classical feel (many songs off the albums Antichrist and Under the Sign of Hell showcase these musical traits).
Biography
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The formation of Gorgoroth
Infernus founded the black metal band Gorgoroth in Sunnfjord, Norway, in 1992, after making "a pact with the Devil".[1] The first Gorgoroth demo, A Sorcery Written in Blood, was released in 1993, and this demo landed the band a record deal with French label Embassy Productions. The first full-length Gorgoroth album, Pentagram, was released in 1994. The following years the band experienced several line-up changes, with Infernus being the only original member to continue in the band. Joining members of black metal bands such as Ulver, Immortal, Enslaved and Molested, he also participated as bassist on the first Borknagar album, Borknagar, which was released in 1996.[2] After signing a deal with German label Malicious Records, Gorgoroth released the albums Antichrist in 1996 and Under the Sign of Hell in 1997, with Infernus responsible for all the music and also the majority of the lyrics, as well as doing both guitar and bass duties on the albums. These three first albums resulted in Gorgoroth earning their reputation as one of the leading black metal bands in the Norwegian scene.
Gorgoroth tenure with Nuclear Blast
After the release of Under the Sign of Hell and a European headlining tour in 1997, Gorgoroth was signed by the major German metal label Nuclear Blast. Infernus wrote the majority of the first two Gorgoroth albums released on Nuclear Blast, Destroyer (1998) and Incipit Satan (2000). Guitarist Tormentor, who had joined the band in 1996, wrote the title tracks for these two albums, and Infernus and Tormentor also released an album and three limited edition 7" vinyls in 1998 as a black metal side project called Desekrator, which included members of Enslaved and Old Funeral. After performing live with Gorgoroth on several festivals and tours both in Europe and South America, Infernus became one of the founding members of the black metal band Orcustus in 2002, a band consisting of members and ex-members of Gorgoroth, Gehenna and Enslaved. Twilight of the Idols - In Conspiracy with Satan, which was Gorgoroth's third release on Nuclear Blast, came out in 2003.
Allegations of rape
In 2003, Infernus was accused of raping a woman at an after-party. Both persons along with a friend of Infernus had consumed a fair amount of alcohol before the incident, with the woman admitting she had smoked some hash a few hours earlier [3]. In the following trial, he was acquitted of rape, but was convicted of 'gross negligent rape' and served 4 months in prison in winter 2006/2007.[4]
Gorgoroth controversy in Krakow and transfer to Regain Records
On February 1, 2004, Infernus and Gorgoroth performed a controversial live gig in Kraków, Poland, which was meant to be released on DVD by Metal Mind Productions. Due to the satanic nature of the live show, the band and DVD producers were accused of breaking the Polish blasphemy laws. The tapes from the concert were confiscated by the Polish police for 4 years, but the concert was finally released on DVD in summer 2008, as Black Mass Krakow 2004.[5] In 2005, Infernus and Tormentor (who had quit Gorgoroth in 2002) released a cover version of Von's "Satanic Blood", under the name Norwegian Evil.[6] After leaving Nuclear Blast in 2004, Infernus and Gorgoroth signed on Swedish record label Regain Records, which released the next Gorgoroth album, Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam, in 2006.
Forces of Satan Records
On June 6th 2006, Infernus started his own record label, Forces of Satan Records, dedicated to only releasing albums by bands with a "clear-cut Satanic profile".[7][8] The label's first release was the Gorgoroth live EP Bergen 1996, followed by albums by the Italian black metal band Black Flame and the Brazilian death metal band Ophiolatry.
Gorgoroth band split controversy
In October 2007, Gorgoroth split into two opposing factions, with Infernus on one side and vocalist Gaahl and bassist King ov Hell on the other, with both sides claiming the rights to the band name - a feud which is yet to be settled. After the split, a 'live in studio' Gorgoroth album, True Norwegian Black Metal - Live in Grieghallen, was released in June 2008 by Regain Records, featuring Infernus on guitars and bass and Gaahl on vocals. The bulk of this 'live in studio' album had been recorded before the band split in two. Infernus is now working with drummer Tomas Asklund (Dissection), bassist Frank Watkins (Obituary) and guitarist Tormentor on the material for his next album, Quantos Possunt Ad Satanitatem Trahunt, which is likely to be released in 2009.
Beliefs
Unlike Gorgoroth's vocalist Gaahl - a practitioner of old Norse shamanism - Infernus is a bona fide Satanist and as a founding member of Gorgoroth, built the band on his philosophy and religion, proclaiming himself as 'Satan's Minister on Earth'.[9] A practitioner of Theistic Satanism, he has expressed opposition to the Church of Satan on the basis of commercial frivolity, much like Glen Benton of Deicide and Euronymous of Mayhem.[10]
Discography
Gorgoroth
Borknagar
Desekrator
- Demo (1997)[11]
- Metal for Demons (1998)
- Hot in the City/Overdose/Take Us to the Pub (3 x 7" picture vinyl) (1999)[12]
Orcustus
Norwegian Evil
- A Norwegian Hail to VON (Gatefold double 7" with Amok, Taake and Urgehal) (2005)
References
- ^ Gorgoroth - News
- ^ Encyclopaedia Metallum - Borknagar - Borknagar
- ^ Woman Claims GORGOROTH Guitarist And His Friend Repeatedly Raped Her
- ^ BLABBERMOUTH.NET - GORGOROTH Guitarist Released From Norwegian Prison
- ^ BLABBERMOUTH.NET - GORGOROTH: Controversial Krakow Concert To Be Released On DVD
- ^ von.htm
- ^ http://rateyourmusic.com/label/forces_of_satan_records
- ^ Blabbermouth.Net - Gorgoroth Guitarist Launches Forces Of Satan Records
- ^ "Bio/Manifesto". Gorgoroth official website. Retrieved on 2007-10-22. "Gorgoroth was founded by Infernus in 1992 as a strategy to perpetrate sonic and spiritual violence upon the world in order to bring forth change in peoples perception of being therein. Thus, through metal music, Satans minister on earth summoned an avatara of the forces of darkness and did let it manifestate through a variety of attempts on creating what was perceived as ultimate black metal taking form on stage as well as in a variety of studio recordings. [...] With the devoted presence of the new full time members Gaahl and King, as well as a not a day too early achieved social and mental fundament for future work, a deal was inked with the german label Nuclear Blast and the band to a bigger extent adopted the position as a live performance act taking upon them several tours worldwide bringing its sinister presence and the word of Satan to new territories..."
- ^ "Interview with Newsweek Poland, 2006". Gorgoroth official website. Retrieved on 2007-10-22. "No, Church of Satan is not for me. They had their thing in the late 60's and 70's rebelling and making it more or less accepted what they were up to, practising some easy to identify with and to defend kind of Satanism openly, bringing it into popular culture transcending music and film industry. What appears to me is that they have a lot of fun and circus going on, and thats good for them. Nevertheless, as a Christian have, I also have a concept of a God, and to me Satanism is not only about some 3 rd force psychological development approach, nor some more spicy humanist attempt to get to grips with things."
- ^ Encyclopaedia Metallum - Desekrator - Desekrator
- ^ Encyclopaedia Metallum - Desekrator - Overdose/Hot In The City/Take Us To The Pub
External links
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