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Samoth

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Samoth
Samoth with Emperor at Wacken Open Air 2017
Samoth with Emperor at Wacken Open Air 2017
Background information
Birth nameTomas Thormodsæter Haugen
Also known asSamoth, Samot (early)
Born (1974-06-09) 9 June 1974 (age 50)
Hammerfest, Norway
GenresBlack metal, death metal, thrash metal
OccupationMusician
Instrument(s)Guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, viola, violin, double bass, synthesizer

Samoth (born Tomas Thormodsæter Haugen, 9 June 1974) is a Norwegian guitarist and multi-instrumentalist in the country's black metal scene. He is well known for his distinct guitar work and drumming in the band Emperor, as well as his formation of the death metal band Zyklon. In very early Emperor releases, he was called Samot (his name "Tomas" backwards), and with the formation of Zyklon he became known as Zamoth. Samoth was the owner of the record label Nocturnal Art Productions and had a close relationship with Candlelight Records.

Biography

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Samoth was born on 9 June 1974 in Hammerfest. He is the son of Spoonful of Blues bass player Jens Haugen, who encouraged his son to play bass guitar. He grew up in Akkerhaugen, Norway. When Samoth was a young man, he met a fellow musician, who would later become known as Ihsahn, at a rock clinic in Bergen. The two soon became friends and started playing music together. They formed a band and moved through various names – they were called Dark Device, Xerasia, and finally Embryonic. The group eventually settled on the name Thou Shalt Suffer in 1991. They were playing an early form of black metal with keyboards strongly influenced by death metal, particularly vocally.

Samoth and Ihsahn's friendship proved to be strong, and the two eventually took their musicianship to a new level. Partially due to the influence of Euronymous of the band Mayhem, Samoth left Thou Shalt Suffer and with Ihsahn, began writing music for a new band called Emperor (in which he played drums). Ihsahn was the only member of Thou Shalt Suffer to remain, and soon bass player Mortiis and drummer Faust were recruited for Emperor; Samoth moved back to his more familiar position of guitar. At this point, the group was playing fully developed black metal. Emperor was quick to release several demos in 1992 and 1993, which gained them recognition and popularity in the underground. Mortiis did not stay in the band, and decided to form his own, more electronic-based solo band. He was succeeded by Tchort.

In 1994, Samoth was sentenced to 16 months in prison for burning Skjold Church in Vindafjord, together with Varg Vikernes.[1] The arson was committed during a pause in the recording of the Burzum EP Aske (Ashes),[2] where Samoth performed as a session bass player. As Tchort and Faust were also imprisoned at this time, Ihsahn was the only remaining band member outside prison, and Emperor did not release another album for three years. Tchort and Faust did not return to the band.

After years of playing in Emperor and being featured on various black metal side projects, Samoth, in conjunction with Ihsahn, decided to dissolve Emperor in 2001 due to their differing musical tastes. Although black metal was both Samoth and Ihsahn's biggest influence and favorite genre of music, Samoth was leaning toward a futuristic death metal sound, while Ihsahn was more influenced by progressive metal and symphonic metal. After Emperor's final release, Prometheus: The Discipline of Fire & Demise, composed entirely by Ihsahn, Emperor was no more. Samoth went on to play guitar with fellow drummer Trym in the death metal band Zyklon.

Emperor regrouped in 2006 with the core trio of Ihsahn, Samoth and Trym augmented by a bassist and a keyboardist, and played a few one-night-off gigs in Europe and US in 2006 and 2007.

Recently Samoth was involved in Norwegian-American supergroup Scum, which also featured Bård Faust, Cosmocrator of Mindgrinder, Chasey Chaos of Amen and Happy Tom from Turbonegro.

Samoth did voice work for 2007's Adult Swim cartoon Metalocalypse episode "Dethfashion".

In 2008, Samoth formed The Wretched End with Cosmo and went on to release 3 albums: Ominous (2010), Inroads (2012) and In These Woods, From These Mountains (2016).

Personal life

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Haugen was married to German musician Andrea Haugen (née Meyer), with whom he fathered a daughter. The couple later divorced. On 13 October 2021, Andrea was killed alongside four other people in the Kongsberg attack.[3]

After his divorce from Andrea, he married his second wife Erin, with whom he also has a daughter.[4]

Endorsements and equipment

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Discography

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Samoth performing in 2014
Year Title Band Role
1990 Rehearsals '90 [Demo] Xerasia guitar
1990 The Land Of The Lost Souls [Demo] Embryonic guitar,bass
1991 Into The Woods Of Belial [Demo] Thou Shalt Suffer guitar
1991 Open The Mysteries Of Your Creations [EP] Thou Shalt Suffer guitar
1992 Wrath of the Tyrant [Demo] Emperor drums
1992 Seven Harmonies of Unknown Truths [Demo] Ildjarn session vocals
1993 Emperor / Hordanes Land [Split w Enslaved] Emperor guitar
1993 Aske [EP] Burzum session bass
1994 As the Shadows Rise [EP] Emperor guitar
1994 In The Nightside Eclipse Emperor guitar
1994 Pentagram Gorgoroth bass
1994 The Shadowthrone Satyricon bass,guitar
1994 Constellation [EP] Arcturus guitar
1994 Blood Must be Shed [EP] Zyklon-B guitar
1997 Reverence [EP] Emperor guitar
1997 Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk Emperor guitar
1998 The Winds That Spoke of Midgard's Fate Hagalaz' Runedance war drums, violas, contrabass
1999 Thorns Vs. Emperor [Split w Thorns] Emperor bass, guitar
1999 IX Equilibrium Emperor guitar
2001 World ov Worms Zyklon bass, guitar
2001 Prometheus: The Discipline of Fire & Demise Emperor guitar
2003 Aeon Zyklon guitar
2004 Valfar, ein Windir Notodden All Stars guitar on cover of "Destroy"
2005 Gospels for the Sick Scum guitar
2006 Disintegrate Zyklon guitar
2010 Ominous The Wretched End guitar
2012 Inroads The Wretched End guitar
2016 In These Woods, from These Mountains The Wretched End guitar

References

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  1. ^ NTB. (29 June 1994). Ubetinget fengsel for kirkebrann. (Norwegian) Aftenposten (morning), p. 4.
  2. ^ Fragell, Geir. (28 June 1994). – Alle kirker skulle brennes. (Norwegian) VG, p. 11.
  3. ^ "EMPEROR Guitarist's Ex-Wife Among Five People Killed in Norway Bow-And-Arrow Attack". 16 October 2021.
  4. ^ "Zyklon/Emperor Guitarist Welcomes Addition To Family – May 4, 2008". 4 May 2008. Retrieved 2 December 2010.
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