| The
beginnings of KAMPFAR date back to 1994, as Dolk bid farewell
to his former band Mock. His desire to continue expressing himself
musically and to move ahead prompted him to seek new blood.
He recruited Thomas to take on the guitar responsibilities and
soon the duo began composing new material.
The two musicians, who possessed quite disparate musical backgrounds,
soon developed a unique sound that was first presented to the
public with the release of the MCD “Kampfar”. The
self-titled MCD was followed by the full-length album “Mellom
Skogkledde Aaser” in 1997. Although the album leaned heavily
on Thomas’ folk influences, it still espoused Dolk’s
Black Metal finesse.
With two releases under their belt, KAMPFAR continued to write
and to produce new material. In addition, the band explored
new lyrical territory and presented their fans with their first
English lyrics. The song was part of the MCD “Norse”.
The following year, 1999, Kampfar released their second full-length
entitled “Fra Underverdenen”.
This particular recording, being darker and more emotional than
its predecessors, saw KAMPFAR move away from some of the folk
aspects and concentrate more on Thomas’ fondness for classical
music. The result, however, was still very deeply rooted in
the Black Metal genre.
Following the release of “Fra Underverdenen”, KAMPFAR
almost disappeared from the face of the earth. It was the beginning
of a long period of inactivity due to personal issues. Once
resolved, KAMPFAR regained its momentum.
After bassplayer Jon and drummer II13 joined the band in the
summer of 2003, KAMPFAR focused on writing new material and
finally accepted one of the numerous offers to play live. The
band chose to premiere at the Moshfest festival in Halden, not
far from their native Fredrikstad. The show’s success
resulted in numerous Norwegian gigs and in the band’s
first mini tour of Germany, Belgium, and The Netherlands —
a tour that also included some festival gigs.
In between rehearsing for their live performances and the writing
of new songs, demos were recorded and in November 2005, KAMPFAR
was ready to enter Silvertone Studio in Gamle Fredrikstad to
record what would become their latest release “Kvass”.
Working with producer Rune Jørgensen, the band recorded
the album in 3 months time.
”Kvass” was well received by the metal press and
the band performed at numerous festivals including legendary
Wacken and With Full Force. Furthermore, a tour of Europe helped
the band reach a whole new level of notoriety, encouraging them
to quickly move forward with new material for the next release.
KAMPFAR once again remains true to the their primordial style
and delivers raw Pagan Folklore Metal as it is meant to be heard.
Piercing riffs, driving drums, and catchy melodies shape their
latest CD "Heimgang", but the sceptre can only fully
swing with the help of charismatic frontman Dolk, whose unmistakable
and unique vocal approach gives the songs the finishing touch.
The dark and yet majestic atmosphere, both clean and harsh,
is caught on tape by Rune Joergensen of Silvertone Studio, Norway.
Lyrically the album deals with crossing over into the underworld,
as told in Nordic myths and legends. "Heimgang" proves
that alongside Darkthrone and Satyricon, KAMPFAR remains a forerunner
and one of the last true originals of the scene.
Kampfar
is:
Dolk – Vocals
Thomas – Guitars
Jon – Bass
II13 – Drums |