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Ereb Altor - Biography


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2016-

2008-2015

Biography

Growing up with Bathory's epicera in their hearts, it comes as no surprise that their music would somewhatflaunt the influence of their house gods. So with Bathory's anthems as theirspiritual foundation, they set out to find their creative and unique nichewithin the epic Viking metal genre. In early 2007 Mats and Ragnar heeded thecall of the one-eyed elder to enter Apocalypse Studio and record afull-length. I Hate Records jumped at the chance to release first-classHeavy Metal; i.e., epic, heavy, melodic, melancholic, and true to the stylecreated by such bands as Bathory, Scald, and DoomSword, as well as harboringelements from Candlemass and Isole. This debut album, entitled "By Honour",comprised 7 long and adventurous tracks to kill for, delivered in a beautifullylaid out 8-page booklet courtesy of Midark Media. Following its release, ErebAltor undertook a few festival appearances assisted by the inclusion ofsessionmusicians.

The response generated by "ByHonour" was overwhelming and inspiring Mats and Ragnar to soon release afollowup."The End", a slightly fasted album featuring more Scandinavianmelodies and lyrics focusing on Nordic mythology, was picked up by NapalmRecords. The title track is in fact 3 songs that are tied together to tell thestory of Ragnarök. The choirs and the atmosphere from the first album remainand once again it contains 7 hymns.

EREB ALTOR is the brainchildof Ragnar and Mats, the doom masters behind ISOLE's dark anthems. On theirsecond collaboration, the Swedish duo also pays homage to the hypnotic andsubstantial power inherent within this genre. The viscid and elegiac riffs, aswell as the doom metal foundation created by the dragging and purposelymonotonous drums, make way for perfectly placed folk elements and hauntingvocals. Ragnar plays with disparate vocal lines and coloring in order tocommunicate the oppression and hopelessness oozing out of the compositions. Thesongs in turn intensify into epic journeys that pull the listener inexorably intoEREB ALTOR's world. "The End" is a dark work of art, to which loversof doom will unequivocally succumb.

In 2012 there was time for achange of direction and pace. Viking Black Metal in the vein of early Bathory.Ragnar and Mats turn to a more aggressive musical direction when composing forEREB ALTOR. On the album "Gastrike", the Swedes present the listenerswith a matured sound, but at the same time with a higher level of brutality andaggressiveness than on the highly acclaimed predecessor "The End".Therefore, EREB ALTOR's sound also became closely tied to the legendary earlyworks of Bathory. The epic hymns were enriched with a good portion of BlackMetal elements, comprising of furious blast beats, thundering double-bass andaggressive vocal parts. "Gastrike" was a concept album and told tales, mythsand ghost stories quite dark and the change of sound was necessary to reflectthe lyrics in the right way.

However, the Swedes have notforgotten their traditional elements. Hypnotic melodies and sweeping parts willbe present again on the new Opus "Fire Meets Ice" that will see the light ofday the summer of 2013. On this new album which will be unleashed by CycloneEmpire EREB ALTOR will summon the norse Gods again and take the best parts fromeach sound of EREB ALTOR´s history to create a varied masterpiece.




(Source: official website)