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Ancestral Legacy - Biography


Biography

1995:
The year it all begun. Eddie (Vox, guitars, programming) and Kjell-Ivar (Bass, vox) are thinking of starting a Black-metal band, and in the last days of the year the band was named Permafrost.

1996:
The first songs are created this winter and spring. "Where There's No Tomorrow" is one of them, and still one of our favourites, and appears on our first two demos.

1997:
More songs are being made, but nothing extraordinary happens.

1998:
Øyvind Rosseland joins the band as a keyboard player late this year.

1999:
The first songs composed on synth are seeing the light of day, "Dance Of The Undead" is the first one. The band changes the name from Permafrost to Ancestral Legacy.

2000:
Recording of our first demo is finished in august. 10 tracks of symphonic black metal. Stefan Hammer Knutsen joins on drums in December.

2001:
Thomas Bie joins on guitar in february. Both Thomas and Stefan leaves the band after few months, Thomas is moving to another town and Stefan is going to military service. Before the split the band records the track "Emptiness" which is released on the Norwegian BM-sampler "Svartmetall compilation", featuring bands like Vesen, 1349 and Lunaris.

2002:
A new demo, "Emptiness", is recorded and finished in March. Nine tracks this time, four of them are re-recordings from the last demo and the compilation-CD. Øyvind and Kjell-Ivar leaves the band shortly after. Eddie creates some new songs which marks a new direction for the band; almost no synth and a bit more progressive feel. Børre Iversen joins on drums. Elin Anita Omholt fills in on clean vocals this autumn and Tor Arvid Larsen joins on guitars in December. More regular rehearsals than ever. A lot new songs are being made this Autumn and Winter.

2003:
Recording of new demo started in February, but not finished until April, due to no time limits and the fact that not all songs were finished when we began recording. A new bassist, Anton Dead (also known as Atle Johansen), joined in April.
Ancestral Legacy finally got their debut concert in April, after more than 8 years of existence.
A new demo-EP was recorded early November. It was also called November, and contains one new song, one re-recorded as well as 3 bonus cover tracks to be found on a strictly limited edition of 30 CD-R's.
We played at Kjellerrock in Kristiansand in December and won 10 free hours at Lynor studios.

2004:
In March we visited Lynor studios for 3 days to record and mix a new demo. It was NOT mastered in Dub studios as we had planned, but at Lynor in August. Several new songs were made this year. A music video for an edit version of the song "Crash of silence" from our latest promo-CD was shot in mid November.

2005:
We played at by:Larm in Stavanger. This is the largest showcase/festival event in Norway, and this year a total of about 120 bands participated. Our music video was released this summer as a DVD with additional documentary footage included. Børre Iversen quits the band in November. In late December the band can look upon a ten year history since the creation of Permafrost, not bad at all!

2006:
A pretty quiet year for AL. Johan Råna joins on drums this spring, but is dismissed a few months later due to lack of interest. Christopher Vigre enters the spot the same Autumn. The band is rehearsing old and new tracks that will end up on the first proper full length album, due to be recorded the following year.

2007:
Some more preparations. Recording starts in July.

2008:
Recordings are finished in January. 14 songs are mixed and mastered at Mølla studios with Knut Magne Valle (Arcturus). An EP entitled "Trapped Within The Words", containing five of the tracks, is released in April. The rest of the songs are put aside to be featured on the album "Nightmare Diaries". The band is looking for a record deal. In the last days of December a deal with Femme Metal Records is inked. The song "Disclosed" from the EP is featured on the "Ferocity And Femininity" compilation album.

2009:
A heavy delay in the artwork process forces the album to be put on hold until 2010. Meanwhile the song "Chosen Destiny", taken from the album, is featured on the "A World Of Sirens" double compilation album, while the song "Separate Worlds", originally also from the album, but in a new version with re-recorded vocals by Isadora, is featured on the double compilation "Demonic And Divine".

2010:
The album "Nightmare Diaries" finally is out. Releaseparty is held in Arendal on February 26th. The band plays their first gigs abroad when concerts are held in Germany and France.

2011:
The band works on new songs for an upcoming album. Jarl Ivar "Jalla" Brynhildsvoll replaces Anton Dead on bass.

2014:
AL signed up with Whispering Voice Records and will be releasing their new album 'Terminal' 29th of september.