Fenriz

Not to be confused with Fenris.
Gylve Fenris Nagell

Fenriz in 2005
Background information
Birth name Gylve Nagell
Also known as Fenriz
Hank Amarillo
Born (1971-11-28) 28 November 1971
Origin Kolbotn, Norway
Genres Black metal, death metal, speed metal, crust punk, doom metal, folk metal, ambient
Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter, postal industry employee, councilman
Instruments Drums, electric guitar, bass guitar, vocals, keyboards, synth
Years active 1986–present
Associated acts Darkthrone, Isengard, Neptune Towers, Valhall, Storm, Dødheimsgard

Gylve Fenris Nagell (born 28 November 1971), better known as Fenriz, is a Norwegian musician and politician who is best known as being one half of the metal duo Darkthrone.[1] Although primarily a drummer, he has also performed bass, guitar and vocals for Darkthrone and a number of other metal bands. Fenriz is known for his refusal to play live, his obsessiveness about music listening, supporting other underground bands and his lack of interest in the mainstream music business in general. Fenriz has had three solo projects: the folk metal project Isengard, the dark ambient project Neptune Towers and the doom metal project Red Planet.

Biography

Nagell's first exposure to heavy metal music came when he was three years old and received Uriah Heep's album Sweet Freedom from his uncle for his birthday. At the age of five, he would fashion belts for himself out of paper in an imitation of those worn by Mick Box. Other musical interests in his early years included rock and heavy metal groups such as The Doors, Grand Funk Railroad, Steppenwolf, The Byrds, Elvis, Kiss, AC/DC, Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath.

Darkthrone was created as a death metal band by the name of Black Death in 1986. In 1987 he got involved with the group Valhall, which practiced in his basement. Fenriz said he had a passive interest in Bathory by 1986, but claims that he did not understand the "darkness" of black metal until hearing a song by the Hungarian band Tormentor in 1989 (he gives similar credit to Mercyful Fate). The same year, Fenriz left Valhall to focus on Darkthrone, which became one of the key bands in the early Norwegian black metal scene. He also began a folk metal project called Isengard, for Darkthrone was at the time a band that opposed stylistic progression and change. Fenriz's solo ambient project Neptune Towers served as an example of his varied musical tastes. It was followed by another quintessential contribution to the folk metal scene with Storm.

Fenriz now claims to be apolitical, remaining non-partisan towards the events of early Norwegian black metal. In one interview, Fenriz said that he was against the book Lords of Chaos, comparing its hype to Oprah. Fenriz prefers to keep Darkthrone out of the spotlight. In late 2004, he turned down a nomination for a Norwegian Alarm Award. He claimed that Darkthrone had "no interest in being part of the glitter and showbiz side of the music industry". Fenriz is one of the main characters in the 2009 documentary film Until The Light Takes Us (filmed in the early 2000s).

Fenriz currently lives in the outskirts of Oslo, and had a record label with his Darkthrone bandmate Nocturno Culto called Tyrant Syndicate Productions, which was a sub-label of Peaceville Records (to which Darkthrone is signed). In late 2004, Fenriz released a compilation album through Peaceville, Fenriz Presents... The Best of Old-School Black Metal, which included selected tracks from such influential artists as Celtic Frost, Hellhammer, Burzum, and Bathory. He is a DJ and has made several online music compilations. He legally took the middle name Fenris in the early 1990s.

In 2016, it was reported internationally that Fenriz was elected as councilman of Kolbotn, Norway for four years after being called by the political party Venstre and agreeing to be placed on its list. "Basically, they called and asked if I wanted to be on the list [of backup representatives]", he tells CLRVYNT. "I said yeah, thinking I would be like eighteenth on the list and I wouldn't really have to do anything. They just need a list to be able to – well, it's hard to talk local politics in another language".[2] His "campaign" consisted of posting signs of him holding his cat with the caption "Please Don't Vote For Me".[3][4] While the story became popular in 2016, 2016 is not an election year in Norway, and Kolbotn doesn't have its own council. In reality, Fenriz became a vice-councilman in Oppegård council already in 2015.[5]

Musical projects

Discography

Year Title Band Instruments
1987Trash Core '87 (demo)Black Death (pre-Darkthrone)drums, vocals
1987Black is Beautiful (demo)Black Death (pre-Darkthrone)drums, vocals
1987Land of Frost (demo)Darkthronedrums, vocals
1987A New Dimension (demo)Darkthronedrums
1988The Castle of Death (demo)Valhalldrums
1989Thulcandra (demo)Darkthronedrums, vocals
1989Cromlech (demo)Darkthronedrums
1989Spectres Over Gorgoroth (demo)Isengardeverything
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 The Cult is Alive Darkthrone drums; additional vocals and guitar
2007 F.O.A.D. Darkthrone drums; additional vocals
2008 Dark Thrones and Black Flags Darkthrone drums; vocals and guitar (shared)
2009 Red Planet Valhall drums
2009 Engangsgrill (demo) Fenriz' Red Planet everything
2009 Fuck You All Fuck You All bass
2010 Circle the Wagons Darkthrone drums; vocals and guitar (shared)
2013 The Underground Resistance Darkthrone drums, vocals (shared), guitar solo on track 2, bass on track 4
2016 Arctic Thunder Darkthrone drums, bass guitar, electric guitar (additional)

Guest appearances

References

  1. ↑ "Darkthrone's Fenriz Discusses Upcoming Album". roadrunnerrecords.com. Retrieved 2010-01-30.
  2. ↑ Complete Music Update
  3. ↑ Metal Injection Accessed 12 September 2016
  4. ↑ Factmag Fans elect black metal legend Fenriz to town council, accessed 12 September 2016
  5. ↑ Oppegård kommunestyre 2015-2019 Accessed November 7 2016

External links

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