Empyrium

Empyrium started as a symphonic folk doom metal band from Germany founded in 1994 by Markus Stock (mostly using the pseudonym Ulf Theodor Schwadorf) and Andreas Bach, but later Ulf T. Schwadorf separated from Andreas Bach and took Thomas Helm as his partner. Their first two albums, A Wintersunset and Songs of Moors and Misty Fields, can be considered doom metal with folk and symphonic influences. They combine harsh and operatic male vocals with deep slow guitar parts and atmospheric keys. Their music is heavy, dark and romantic. Two next albums, Where at Night the Wood Grouse Plays and Weiland, are acoustic, and aren't really related to metal. The genre of these albums can be defined as folk. Instead of keys they use acoustic instruments such as violin, cello, flute. The main theme is lead by monotonously repeated acoustic guitars. There are still operatic male vocals included, and in Weiland the band uses a choir. It still remains dark and melancholic, but Empyrium's music lost its metal heavyness. The band draws most, if not all of its inspiration, from nature, as some of the album titles reveal. The lyrics are mostly in English, though in Weiland only German is performed. In 2003, after their last album, Weiland, the band decided to stop recording. Empyrium has explored nature-mystics since 1994, and after 8 years we feel to move on and made a glorious farewell to the concept with "Weiland" Like the Norwegian black metal band Burzum, Empyrium also used Theodor Kittelsen's drawing on one of their album covers (Where at Night the Wood Grouse Plays). In August 2006 their label, Prophecy Productions, announced publicly for the first time that a new album was going to be released in late November the same year. Called A Retrospective, it is a look back on the history of the band. Aside from ten remastered tracks from their previous albums, it contains a re-recorded version of The Franconian Woods In Winter's Silence from the album A Wintersunset, as well as two new tracks in the neofolk style of late Empyrium (Der Weiher and Am Wolkenstieg). The sixty-page booklet provides an extensive account of the musical influences of the band, and how Empyrium has changed over the years. The album leaked onto the Internet in early November 2006. Discography ...Der wie ein Blitz vom Himmel fiel...[Demo 1995] A Wintersunset [CD/2LP 1996] Songs of Moors & Misty Fields [CD 1997] Where at Night the Wood Grouse Plays [CD/2LP 1999] Drei Auszüge aus Weiland [7"EP 2002] Weiland [CD/3CD/2LP 2002] A Retrospective... [CD/6CD 2006] Members (line up): Ulf Theodor Schwadorf (real name Markus Stock) - guitars, bass, drums and vocals (also in The Vision Bleak, Noekk) Thomas Helm - synthesizers, vocals (also in Noekk) Past members: Andreas Bach (synthesizers) Nadine Mölter (vocals, flute, cello)