Emancer

History

Emancer originates from the small village of Luster, located along the longest fjord in the Norwegian wilderness. Starting out as a trio under the name Utumno, the band released two demos in 1997 and 1998, focusing on old-school black metal heavily rooted in the Norwegian scene. The line-up was Mithrin on bass and keyboards, X on guitars and Gorbag on drums and vocals.

Two years later the band recorded a full length album, 'Utopian Illusions', and before releasing it in 2001 the band changed names to Emancer. This debut album is a reflection of the underground demo years and can be described as grim black metal with occasional electronic and symphonic influences. Although not very representative of Emancer today, 'Utopian Illusions' is a solid piece of ice cold Northern darkness.

After the debut things changed. X left the band and with Mithrin in charge Emancer started walking a single-minded path. In 2003, a new album was released that sounded and felt totally unlike anything else. 'The Human Experiment' is an ice cold, mechanical beast... moving at light speed! Mithrin's music and lyrics combined with Gorbag's screaming vocals proved to be a killer combination.

Only a year later, album number three was released, and again Emancer surprised with a change of skin. 'Invisible' went in virtually every direction, from monotone electricity and acoustic sadness to the most violent musical paintings of personal hell! For the first time, Emancer was recognized not only from the deepest pits of the metal underground, but was also praised by the likes of Terrorizer and Rock Hard.

In 2004 Helstein joined the band, providing additional lyrics and clean vocals. May 2005 marks the highlight of Emancer so far. 'The Menace Within' is a display of creativity and true passion for music evolved into a complete package. With its edge and dynamic flow, this is progressive black metal without parallel anywhere. This is extreme metal art - exclusively! Emancer also released their first ever music video, 'Pallid Eyes'.

(source: the official Emancer website, October 2007)
(discography incomplete)