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Thurisaz (band)

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Thurisaz
Also known asModiliuM
OriginWervik, Belgium
GenresBlack metal, doom metal, death metal
Years activeMay 1997−present
LabelsShiver Records
Sleaszy Rider Records
MembersPeter Theuwen, Mattias Theuwen, Pepijn De Raeymaecker, Kobe Cannière, Nick Meganck
Past membersLars Vereecke, Hannes Leroy, Bjorn "Bud" Vandewalle
Websitethurisaz.be

Thurisaz is a Belgian metal band from Wervik.[1] Their music is a combination of atmospheric death, doom and black metal.

History

The band had its beginnings in May 1997 as the quartet ModiliuM.[2][3] Peter and Mattias Theuwen, Lars Vereecke, and Pepijn De Raeymaecker were childhood friends who lived near each other.[4] They started out playing a mixture of death metal, doom metal, and metalcore. For about a year, the band sought a new member to play keyboards; Kobe Cannière joined the band in this role in 1999, and this addition led their sound to become less metalcore and instead more atmospheric death/black metal, with melodic elements.[2][3] At that time, since the band felt they had matured and reached their desired style, they changed their name to Thurisaz; one interpretation of this rune is "the fusion of different opinions" which the band saw as reflecting their perception of themselves and their music.[4]

Over the first five years of their existence, the band created three demos. Then, in 2002 and 2003[5] respectively, Thurisaz won the Belgian Metal Concours and the Mundo Metal Concours, giving them a boost of confidence that eventually lead to the creation of their first studio album.[2][3][6]

This album, Scent of a Dream, was originally released in March 6, 2004.[6] It was self-released, and so it was not widely distributed in physical stores, but was available online.[3] Lyrically, its songs focus on "dreams" and "moods".[7]

Thurisaz supported Novembers Doom as the opening act[3] during their headlining European tour in November 2006 with Agalloch and Saturnus.[8] It was Thurisaz's first touring experience, and it increased their exposure.[3] They also became "good friends" with the other bands; Thurisaz would repeatedly tour with and also collaborate with Novembers Doom and Saturnus in the future.[7][9]

Thurisaz's second album, Circadian Rhythm, was released April 28, 2007[10] through Shiver Records.[11] The band says the primary theme of the album comes from the titular idea of circadian rhythm, with the lyrics inspired by "the cycle of life and everything around it, from birth till death" and how people in different life stages "adapt their lives to the situations they are in."[7]

Thurisaz supported Oceans of Sadness during their CD presentation of their album Mirror Palace in the Spring of 2007 in Belgium and the Netherlands.[3][12][13] Thurisaz also performed at the Chicago Powerfest in the United States in April 2007,[3] and the Graspop Metal Meeting in Belgium in June 2007.[14]

Shiver Records released a remastered version of Scent of a Dream in April 2008. This re-release included a bonus acoustic live version of the song "Years of Silence".[11][15]

Thurisaz signed with Sleaszy Rider Records starting with their third studio album The Cimmerian Years, released in May 2011.[11][15] The title is a reference to the "dark period" the band had while developing the album, during which they were disrupted by changing their bassist (following the departure of Lars Vereecke in 2009, after having had a stable line-up for over ten years) and suffering from "writer's block", but the band sees the release of the album as an end to those years.[7][16] The album contains stronger doom metal elements, possibly influenced by Thurisaz's tours with Novembers Doom, Saturnus, Agalloch, and Mar de Grises.[7] It also includes guest vocals by Paul Kuhr (of Novembers Doom) and Thomas A.G. Jensen (of Saturnus).[9] The album art was created by Dutch artist Geert van Mook, who was chosen after Thurisaz was introduced to his work by members of Mar de Grises.[7][11]

Thurisaz accompanied Oceans of Sadness on their farewell tour in 2011.[7] In 2012[17] and 2013[18] respectively, Thurisaz had the opportunity to hold concerts in India and Turkey.[19]

On March 1, 2014, Thurisaz performed a concert in their hometown in Wervik, accompanied by a string quartet and vocals by Els Blieck, with former Thurisaz member Hannes Leroy filling in on bass.[1][19] The concert focused on Thurisaz's "softer" acoustic songs that contain mainly clean singing and "emotional lyrics", and which are not usually performed live along with their "heavier" music.[1] Thurisaz also used the concert as an opportunity to pay homage to other bands that have influenced them: they performed covers of Anathema's "A Natural Disaster", Amorphis's "My Kantele", and Woods Of Ypres's "Finality". This sold-out concert was recorded, originally as a souvenir for the band,[19] but later released as a CD/DVD Live & Acoustic on January 30, 2015.[20][21]

On March 5, 2015,[22] Thurisaz released a single, "Patterns Of Life" via their YouTube channel. It was the first song written for their next album, and the song was a work-in-progress for two years before being finalized.[19][21][23]

Thurisaz's fourth full-length studio album, The Pulse of Mourning, was released on March 31, 2015.[23][24] The band considers it both a "logical next step" from The Cimmerian Years and also a return to the "aggressive style and sound" of Circadian Rhythm. The title of the album was inspired by a the poem "On the Pulse of Morning" by Maya Angelou and conveys how the album's "songs have a depressive feel over them (mourning), but also a certain drive (a pulse)."[19] The cover artwork was created by the band's Mattias Theuwen and uses photography by Jeroen Mylle (of Amenra).[19][23][24] Mylle also directed and filmed the official music video for "One Final Step" from the album.[19][25]

Band members

All members of Thurisaz are involved in writing the lyrics of their songs.[3] While Peter and Mattias Theuwen are the primary musical composers, each song is a "band effort";[3] every member of Thurisaz contributes ideas, has a say, and eventually agrees on each note.[7] If anyone in the band is not satisfied with a song, it is not included in the album.[4]

Current members

Former members

  • Lars Vereecke − bass (1997-2009)[11][16]
  • Hannes Leroy − bass, screams (2009-2013)[11][15]
  • Bjorn "Bud" Vandewalle − bass (2013-2014)[15][19]

Timeline

Discography

Albums

  • Scent of a Dream (2004, self-released;[3] re-released in 2008 through Shiver Records)[11]
  • Circadian Rhythm (2007, released through Shiver Records)[11]
  • The Cimmerian Years (2011, released through Sleaszy Rider Records)[11]
  • Thurisaz: Live & Acoustic (2015, released through Sleaszy Rider Records)[20]
  • The Pulse Of Mourning (2015, released through Sleaszy Rider Records)[24]

Demos

  • Never To Return (1998, under the name ModiliuM)[3][6]
  • The Last Embrace (1999, under the name ModiliuM)[3]
  • Anno Viroviacum (2002)[3]

Singles

  • Patterns Of Life (2015)[23]

References

  1. ^ a b c "THURISAZ To Play All-Acoustic Set In Wervik In March". BraveWords. 12 November 2013. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d "Thurisaz-Belgium-Black". Rock Your Underground (in English and French). 2005. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Matthijssens, Vera (April 2007). "Thurisaz - I think the diversity of vocal use is where Thurisaz distinguish themselves from other bands". Lords of Metal ezine. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "Thurisaz". Let the Good Times Roll. March 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  5. ^ "Past Gigs". Mundo (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 31 October 2003. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  6. ^ a b c Matthijssens, Vera (May 2004). "Thurisaz - Scent Of A Dream". Lords of Metal ezine. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Matthijssens, Vera (Summer 2011). "Thurisaz - We found out that you don't need double bass drums and blast beats all the time in metal music. Acoustic arrangements and slower doom elements can also be very powerful". Lords of Metal ezine. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  8. ^ "NOVEMBERS DOOM Announces European Tour". Blabbermouth.net. 31 July 2006. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  9. ^ a b "NOVEMBERS DOOM, SATURNUS Members To Guest On New THURISAZ Album". Blabbermouth.net. 9 September 2010. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  10. ^ "Thurisaz". Extreminal Webzine & Distro. 19 March 2007. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i "THURISAZ Signs With SLEASZY RIDER RECORDS". Blabbermouth.net. 23 February 2011. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  12. ^ "OCEANS OF SADNESS: Mirror Palace". Metal-Nose. 28 April 2007. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  13. ^ Matthijssens, Vera (4 June 2007). "Oceans Of Sadness & Thurisaz". Lords of Metal ezine (in Dutch). Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  14. ^ "FASTWAY, STATIC-X, EPICA, JOE SATRIANI Confirmed For Belgium's GRASPOP METAL MEETING". Blabbermouth.net. 27 April 2007. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  15. ^ a b c d "THURISAZ Announces New Bassist". Blabbermouth.net. 3 February 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  16. ^ a b "THURISAZ Parts Ways With Bassist". Blabbermouth.net. 27 November 2008. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  17. ^ Panikker, Rohit (5 March 2012). "'Indian metal fans are craziest'". The Times of India. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  18. ^ "SATURNUS & THURISAZ & SHATTERED HOPE Night @ ASGARD - 22 Mart Cuma". Facebook. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h Matthijssens, Vera (Spring 2015). "Thurisaz - We have evolved a lot in the eighteen years we exist and each album is a logical next step". Lords of Metal ezine. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  20. ^ a b "Thurisaz - Announce Live Album/DVD". Metal Storm. 16 December 2014. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  21. ^ a b "THURISAZ Premier "Patterns Of Life" Track; Audio". BraveWords. 5 March 2015. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  22. ^ "Thurisaz - Patterns Of Life". YouTube. 5 March 2015. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  23. ^ a b c d "THURISAZ: 'Patterns Of Life' Video Released". Metal Temple. 6 March 2015. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  24. ^ a b c "Thurisaz - New Album Details Unveiled". Metal Storm. 12 February 2015. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  25. ^ "THURISAZ Premier "One Final Step" Music Video". BraveWords. 15 April 2015. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  26. ^ a b Scent of a Dream (Media notes). Shiver Records.
  27. ^ "Thurisaz anno 2014". Facebook. 2 September 2014. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
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