Black_socciety: Gorgoroth

30/4/12

Gorgoroth

After making a pact with the Devil in 1992, Infernus founded Gorgoroth, an early Norwegian black metal band whose contemporaries included Darkthrone, Mayhem, Immortal, Burzum and Emperor. Gorgoroth has released albums on labels such as Nuclear Blast, Century Media, Season of Mist and Malicious Records, and is now signed to Regain Records. Gorgoroth has toured extensively abroad, and the line-up has been subject to several changes - about 25 different musicians have been involved with the band since its inception, with Infernus being the only remaining member of the band's original line-up. After Gorgoroth's controversial gig in Poland in February 2004, massive media attention led to an increase in both notoriety and record sales for the already infamous band. The band also signed a record deal with Regain in the aftermath of this incident. Gorgoroth at present consists of Infernus and Tormentor on guitars, Pest on vocals, Tomas Asklund on drums, and Bøddel on bass. The band's latest album, "Under the Sign of Hell 2011", was released by Regain Records in late 2011.

Taken from The Complete Tolkien Companion by J.E.A. Tyler: "Gorgoroth 'Dreadful Horror' (The Sindarin or Grey-elven tongue) - A word in the Grey-elven tongue, used for two different locations, distinct in time and space.... the second instance is the name of the 'Haunted Plains' of Mordor; the great plateau which occupied the north-western area of that country, a desolate, arid land, pocked with craters and fuming pits and riven with many deep crevasses. In the centre of the plain rose the smouldering cone of the volcano Orodruin."

Diverse members of the band were involved in different crimes. Kjettar was convicted of church arson in the early 90's. Gaahl, in 2004 went to court on charges of "performing torture lasting for several hours" on a 41 year old man after beating him senselessly for hours. He was sentenced to four months in jail and pay $30,000 to the victim.

On January 4th, 2006, Infernus was taken to court on charges of kidnapping, participation in gang rape and illegal weapon possession. With exception of admitting some minor violations of Norwegian fire arm regulations he has declared himself not guilty. In May 2005, Infernus and a friend were sentenced to three years in prison for rape. Both of them appealed the verdict. Infernus won the appeal and was found not guilty in the rape case. He was however convicted of "gross negligent rape" (i.e. he should have known that the woman had been raped by his friend before he himself had sex with the woman - who had at this point surrendered mentally).

Under the Sign of Hell