Tiamat (band)
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Tiamat is a band that formed in Stockholm, Sweden in 1988. Their music has been the subject of debate, utilizing subgenres like black metal, progressive, doom/death and gothic, but more recently they have focused on what has been described as "atmospheric/gothic rock"[1] with ethnic, psychedelic and experimental elements.
Biography
Initially, the band played straightforward black metal under the name Treblinka.[2] They split up in 1989, leaving vocalist and guitarist Johan Edlund as the band's sole member. Edlund subsequently changed the name to Tiamat.
After the debut album Sumerian Cry (which was the first and last black metalCite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page). and King Crimson, with Sumerian lyrical themes. German guitarist Waldemar Sorychta would produce and contribute instrumentation to many of the band's albums, as well as those by Tiamat's own tour and labelmates, including Moonspell, Rotting Christ, Lacuna Coil and Samael.
1994's critically acclaimed Wildhoney mixed raw vocals, slow guitar riffs and synthesizer sounds which sounded different from other extreme metal bands active at that time. An almost continuous forty-minute piece of music, Wildhoney was considered to be a landmark release within the progressive/doom metal genres and would lead to the band's appearances at the Dynamo[3] and Wacken Open Air heavy metal festivals in 1995. The group would play a second gig at Dynamo two years later.
Upon the release of A Deeper Kind of Slumber (1997), Edlund relocated from Sweden to Germany and declared himself the only permanent member of the band; all albums that would follow would cement the band into a more gothic rock sound, quite different from the extreme music they did in the years before, with recent albums showing a Sisters of Mercy influence.[4]
The band signed to Nuclear Blast Records in June 2007.
According to their Myspace, Tiamat is currently recording a new album.
Line-up
- Johan Edlund - Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards, Theremin
- Thomas Wyreson - Guitar
- Anders Iwers - Bass
- Lars Sköld - Drums
- Martin Brändström - Keyboards
- Gustaf Karlöf - Keyboards
- Martin Powell - Keyboards
Discography
Full Length
- Sumerian Cry June 7, 1990 CMFT Productions
- The Astral Sleep September 1 1991 Century Media
- Clouds April 2, 1992 Century Media
- Wildhoney October 25, 1994 Century Media
- A Deeper Kind of Slumber August 12, 1997 Century Media
- Skeleton Skeletron August 11, 1999 Century Media
- Judas Christ April 30, 2002 Century Media
- Prey January 27, 2004 Century Media
Demos, singles, EP, Live and DVD
- A Winter Shadow (Demo) (1990)
- The Sleeping Beauty (Live in Israel) (Live) (1993)
- Gaia (EP) (1994)
- The Musical History of Tiamat (Live/Compilation(2 Disc)) (1995)
- Cold seed (single) (1997)
- For Her Pleasure (EP) (1999)
- Brighter than the sun (single) (1999)
- Vote For Love (single) (2002)
- Cain (single) (2003)
- The Church of Tiamat (DVD) (2006)
- Commandments (Best of/Compilation) (2007)
References
See also
- Lucyfire
- Toby Driver, former member of maudlin of the Well and Kayo Dot, spoke about Tiamat as one of his most important musical influences.
- Moonspell singer Fernando Ribeiro mentioned Tiamat several times in interviews as one of their major influences.