Gylve Fenris Nagell (born Leif Nagell; 28 November 1971), known professionally as Fenriz, is a Norwegian musician, part-time music journalist and online radio host (with the show "Radio Fenriz")[1] who is best known as being one half of the black metal duo Darkthrone, alongside Nocturno Culto. Although primarily a drummer and songwriter, he has also played bass and guitar and performed vocals for Darkthrone and several other metal bands. Fenriz is famed for his encyclopedic knowledge of metal music, his eager promotion of underground bands and the DIY ethic, and his rejection of the "showbiz side of the music industry".[1][2][3] Fenriz was also the studio drummer for doom metal band Valhall, and has had several solo projects, including the folk black metal project Isengard and the dark ambient project Neptune Towers.
Gylve Fenris Nagell | |
|---|---|
 Fenriz in 2005 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Leif Nagell |
| Also known as | Fenriz |
| Born | 28 November 1971 |
| Origin | Kolbotn, Norway |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Drums, guitar, bass, vocals, keyboards, synthesizer |
| Years active | 1986–present |
Biography
editFenriz's first exposure to heavy metal music came when he was a child and received Uriah Heep's album Sweet Freedom from his uncle for his birthday.[4] At age 16, Fenriz dropped out of school and began working full time to support his music. In 1986 he co-founded the death metal band Black Death with Ivar Enger and Anders Risberget. By 1988 they had been joined by Ted Skjellum (Nocturno Culto) and were renamed Darkthrone. After releasing their first death metal album in 1991, the band changed style and became one of the leading bands in the early Norwegian black metal scene. Fenriz said he had a passive interest in Bathory and Celtic Frost, but claims that he did not understand the "darkness" of black metal until hearing a song by the Hungarian band Tormentor. The second album released by Darkthrone, A Blaze in the Northern Sky, recorded in August 1991[5] at Creative Studios but not released until February 1992,[6] is regarded as one of the most important albums that defined the black metal genre.[6] Darkthrone were not involved in the church burnings and murders carried out by some other members of the scene,[7] and Fenriz has denounced the "hype" surrounding it.[4]
Since 1993, Darkthrone have been a duo of Fenriz and Nocturno Culto. Fenriz recorded all instruments on their albums Transilvanian Hunger (1994) and Panzerfaust (1995). From the late 1980s to the mid 1990s Fenriz also founded several solo projects, including the folk black metal project Isengard and the dark ambient project Neptune Towers. He was also the drummer for the band Valhall on their three studio albums. In the 1990s he co-founded the folk metal band Storm with Sigurd Wongraven, which released one album.
Both he and Nocturno have refused to play live since the 1990s.[7] In 2004, they turned down a nomination for a Norwegian Alarm Award for their album Sardonic Wrath. Fenriz said, "we have no interest in being part of the glitter and showbiz side of the music industry".[8] Fenriz (alongside Varg Vikernes) is the principal focus of the 2008 black metal documentary film Until The Light Takes Us.
In 2016, it was widely reported that Fenriz had been elected to his local municipal council, Oppegård. He was elected for a four-year term as a substitute councillor for the Liberal Party,[9] explaining that he would "have to step in when the usual people who go to the big meetings are sick or something". Fenriz said: "They called and asked if I wanted to be on the list [of backup representatives]. I said yeah, thinking I would be like 18th on the list and I wouldn't really have to do anything". His "campaign" was a photo of him holding his cat with the caption "Please Don't Vote For Me".[1][10][11][12]
Fenriz lives in his hometown of Kolbotn.[10] According to The Guardian, Fenriz "has long been a hero in the underground scene" and "has an obsession with unearthing new music and promoting it with rabid enthusiasm".[1] The heavy metal magazine Iron Fist noted he has a reputation as a "walking metal encyclopedia".[13] He is a part-time music journalist and hosts a monthly online radio show on NTS called "Radio Fenriz".[14] He created the "Band of the Week" blog from which the acts for the underground metal festival Live Evil are sourced.[2] Fenriz has famously been working part-time in the postal service since the late 1980s, which he says allows him to spend many hours each week listening to new music.[7][15] He has also appeared on a Norwegian television show about hiking in forests.[15]
Musical projects
edit- Darkthrone — drums, bass, rhythm guitar, vocals, lyrics (1986–present)
- Valhall — drums (1987–1989, 1993–?, 2007–present)
- Fenriz' Red Planet – everything (1993–?) (solo project)
- Isengard — everything (1989–1995) (solo project)
- Neptune Towers – everything (1993–1995) (solo project)
- Dødheimsgard — bass and additional vocals (1994–1995)
- Storm — drums, vocals (1995) (with Satyr from Satyricon and Kari Rueslåtten)
- Eibon — drums (1999) (with Satyr from Satyricon, Killjoy from Necrophagia, and Phil Anselmo from Pantera)
- Fuck You All — bass (2002)
- Regress FF — everything (1994) (solo project)
- Coffin Storm - vocals (2024-present)
Discography
edit| Year | Title | Band | Instruments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Trash Core '87 (demo) | Black Death (pre-Darkthrone) | drums, vocals |
| 1987 | Black is Beautiful (demo) | Black Death (pre-Darkthrone) | drums, vocals |
| 1987 | Land of Frost (demo) | Darkthrone | drums, vocals |
| 1987 | A New Dimension (demo) | Darkthrone | drums |
| 1988 | The Castle of Death (demo) | Valhall | drums |
| 1989 | Thulcandra (demo) | Darkthrone | drums, vocals |
| 1989 | Cromlech (demo) | Darkthrone | drums |
| 1989 | Spectres Over Gorgoroth (demo) | Isengard | everything |
| 1991 | Horizons (demo) | Isengard | everything |
| 1991 | Soulside Journey | Darkthrone | drums |
| 1991 | Goatlord (demo) | Darkthrone | drums, vocals |
| 1992 | A Blaze in the Northern Sky | Darkthrone | drums |
| 1993 | Under a Funeral Moon | Darkthrone | drums |
| 1993 | Vanderen (demo) | Isengard | everything |
| 1994 | Transilvanian Hunger | Darkthrone | drums, rhythm guitar, bass |
| 1994 | Caravans to Empire Algol | Neptune Towers | everything |
| 1994 | Promo 1994 (demo) | Dødheimsgard | bass |
| 1995 | Høstmørke | Isengard | everything |
| 1995 | Transmissions from Empire Algol | Neptune Towers | everything |
| 1995 | Panzerfaust | Darkthrone | drums, guitar, bass |
| 1995 | Nordavind | Storm | drums, additional vocals |
| 1995 | Kronet Til Konge | Dødheimsgard | bass, additional vocals |
| 1995 | Moonstoned | Valhall | drums |
| 1995 | Promo 1995 (demo) | Dødheimsgard | bass, additional vocals |
| 1996 | Total Death | Darkthrone | drums; additional guitar and bass |
| 1997 | Heading for Mars | Valhall | drums |
| 1999 | Ravishing Grimness | Darkthrone | drums |
| 2001 | Plaguewielder | Darkthrone | drums |
| 2003 | Hate Them | Darkthrone | drums |
| 2004 | Sardonic Wrath | Darkthrone | drums; additional vocals |
| 2006 | Too Old, Too Cold (single) | Darkthrone | drums; additional vocals and guitars |
| 2006 | The Cult is Alive | Darkthrone | drums; additional vocals and guitars |
| 2006 | Forebyggende krig (single) | Darkthrone | drums; additional vocals |
| 2007 | NWOBHM (EP) | Darkthrone | drums; additional vocals and guitars |
| 2007 | F.O.A.D. | Darkthrone | drums; additional vocals |
| 2008 | Dark Thrones and Black Flags | Darkthrone | drums; vocals and guitars (shared) |
| 2009 | Red Planet | Valhall | drums |
| 2009 | Engangsgrill (split) | Fenriz' Red Planet/Nattefrost | everything (tracks 1–3) (recorded in 1993) |
| 2009 | Fuck You All | Fuck You All | bass (recorded in 2002) |
| 2010 | Circle the Wagons | Darkthrone | drums; vocals and guitars (shared) |
| 2013 | The Underground Resistance | Darkthrone | drums, vocals (shared), guitar solo on track 2, bass on track 4 |
| 2015 | Regress FF | Regress FF | everything (recorded in 1994) |
| 2016 | Arctic Thunder | Darkthrone | drums; additional bass and guitars |
| 2016 | Traditional Doom Cult | Isengard | everything (recorded 1989–1990) |
| 2019 | Old Star | Darkthrone | Drums |
| 2021 | Eternal Hails...... | Darkthrone | Drums, bass, synthesizer, additional guitar and vocals |
| 2022 | Astral Fortress | Darkthrone | Drums, synthesizer and vocals |
| 2024 | It Beckons Us All......[16] | Darkthrone | drums |
| 2024 | Arcana Rising | Coffin Storm | vocals |
- Note: All Darkthrone lyrics are written by Fenriz, with the exception of Transilvanian Hunger tracks 5–8, Panzerfaust track 6, and the Total Death album. Songwriting is usually split between Fenriz and Nocturno Culto, but varies from album to album.
Guest appearances
edit- Ulver – vocals on "A Song of Liberty Plates 25–27" from the album Themes from William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1998)
- Satyricon – percussion (tracks 4–5) on Rebel Extravaganza (1999)
- Aura Noir – additional vocals on Dreams like Deserts (1995), Increased Damnation (2000) and The Merciless (2004)
- Thorns – vocals and drums (track 9) on Thorns vs. Emperor (2011) (recorded sometime between 1998 and 1999)
- Red Harvest – backing vocals on "Absolut Dunkel:heit" from the album Cold Dark Matter (2000)
- Cadaver Inc. – additional vocals on Discipline (2001)
- Audiopain – additional lyrics on Revel in Desecration (2002)
- Trashcan Darlings – additional vocals on "Dehumanizer" from the album Episode 1: The Lipstick Menace (2002)
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Meet Fenriz, the black metal hero who is now an Oslo councillor". The Guardian, 21 November 2016.
- ^ a b "Underground Attitude: Fenriz Of Darkthrone Interviewed". The Quietus, 19 March 2013.
- ^ Ruskell, Nick (25 June 2021). "The 10 greatest Fenriz moments". Kerrang!. London: Wasted Talent Ltd. ISSN 0262-6624. Archived from the original on 11 February 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
- ^ a b Fenriz interview. Voices from the Darkside.
- ^ Darkthrone – A Blaze in the Northern Sky CD cover Archived 11 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Fenriz (16 November 2020). The album that defined early Norwegian black metal – Interview with Fenriz with English subtitles (Videotape) (in English and Norwegian). Nasjonalbiblioteket. Retrieved 24 March 2022 – via YouTube.
- ^ a b c "Inside Darkthrone's 'Old Star' With No-Longer Norwegian Politician Fenriz". Loudwire, 29 May 2019.
- ^ "DARKTHRONE Refuse ALARM Award Nomination". Blabbermouth. 16 December 2004.
- ^ "Det nye kommunestyret – Oppegård kommune". 16 September 2015. Archived from the original on 8 November 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- ^ a b "Darkthrone Iconoclast Fenriz Is a Reluctant Politician". CLRVYNT, 6 September 2016.
- ^ Metal Injection Accessed 12 September 2016
- ^ Rosenberg, Axl (8 September 2016). "Fenriz from Darkthrone Accidentally Got Elected to His Town Council". Metal Sucks. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
- ^ Fenriz interview. Iron Fist, 16 January 2013.
- ^ Radio Fenriz. NTS Radio.
- ^ a b Norton, Justin (15 March 2013). "I Am The Working Class: The MetalSucks Interview with Fenriz". Metal Sucks. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
- ^ "Darkthrone - It Beckons Us All....... - Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives".
External links
edit
- Fenriz on Encyclopaedia Metallum
- Fenriz interviewed by Travis Jeppesen