Emancer

Did You Know?

• Jeff Wagner, in his 2010 book Mean Deviation: Four Decades of Progressive Heavy Metal, described Emancer's sound as reminiscent of fellow Norwegian band Enslaved.
• Emancer's music blends the speed and aggression of black metal with arrangements and elements from other genres.

History

Emancer came together in 1996, founded by guitarist and programmer Ole Hartvigsen (using the alias Mithrin), vocalist Kjell J. Heltne (known as Gorbag), and a guitarist who went only by the name X. The group first operated under the name Utumno, releasing two demos in 1997 and 1998. In 2000, they changed their name to Emancer and later signed with the American independent label Extremist Records. Their debut album, Utopian Illusions, arrived in late 2001 and delivered a cold, atmospheric black metal sound that grew directly from their earlier demo material. The following year saw the release of their second album, The Human Experiment (2003), on Black Owl Records, which expanded their style to include some industrial elements. Neither of these early records made a major splash, and founding guitarist X left the band after the debut.

Emancer shifted direction with their third album, Invisible, released in 2004 on Golden Lake Productions. This record became a turning point, bringing in progressive and experimental touches. Its songs mix fast black metal with brutal death metal, prog rock, electronic beats, and acoustic passages reminiscent of Opeth. The fourth album, The Menace Within, came out in 2005, also on Golden Lake, and pushed the band further into a genre-blending, avant-garde form of extreme metal. It features sharp shifts between aggressive black metal riffs and melodic or atmospheric sections, with more use of clean vocals and synthesizers.

After three years of writing and recording, Emancer issued their fifth studio album, Twilight and Randomness, in 2008 through the Czech label Naga Productions. Mastering was done by Tom Kvlsvoll, who had previously worked on albums by Windir and Emperor. In October 2010, the band set out on their first European tour, supporting Austrian black/death metal act Belphegor and fellow Norwegians Vreid on the Walpurgis Rites – Raid Europa 2010 tour. This run included 15 concerts across Germany, Eastern Europe, France, Spain, and Belgium. The live lineup for the tour consisted of vocalist Kjell Jomar Heltne (Gorbag, who by then also sang for the Norwegian band Cage of Torment), guitarist Ole Hartvigsen (Mithrin), bassist Bjarte Breilid, drummer Thomas Myklebust, and keyboardist Kristin Myklebust.