Since the birth in 1997 The Norwegian Extreme metal band Celebratum has experienced more hardship than most bands in the scene.
With great reviews on both albums and concert performances it have been said that Celebratum is one of Norway’s best kept black metal secrets, being
compared with legendary acts like Mayhem and Dissection of Sweden due to their great twin guitar-work.
The constant lack of practice facilities and the coming and going of several members over the years haven’t made them give up. They are now finally back with a devastating concept album, telling the story about a world meeting its end. The music matching the lyrics, the theme and mood in a way that is very rare today.
The eight tracks featured pays heritage to their roots with all lyrics being in their native language. Musically it is faster more technical than ever before, raging from epic black metal moods to crushing technical death metal parts with great musicianship.
Celebratum have not been the most active on the live scene though they have shared the stage with acts such as the legendary band Windir and Norwegian black metal veterans Ancient. This is about to change and the band will be seen on several stages throughout Norway and later Europe.
For the last years the band has been based around the three remaining founding members: Romul, Wahrrl, Vargon (also in Cor Scorpii) and now established member; guitarist Nefast. They have managed to concentrate on making great music despite greedy and false labels.
That they have a strong believe and commitment to their music was already shown in 2000 when they spent a small fortune travelling to Sweden to record the promo CD “Spirits” at the infamous Abyss studios. 4 crushing Black/Death Metal assaults who basically received great response from everyone who had the Pain or pleasure of hearing it!
This lead to Celebratum signing with Us based label Arctic-music group. In November 2001 the band entered Abyss studios in Sweden again with producer Tommy Täktgren to record their debut album entitled “Mirrored Revelation”.
“Mirrored Revelation” was released in the end of 2002 and received good to great critiques almost all over. Some stating the band was renewing the genre and making black metal interesting again.
With members coming and going it was a great challenge to support the album by playing live, also the non existing promotion made in Norway and Europe by Arctic music made it so only a few concerts was performed.
By the end of 2003 Celebratum was done writing material to their second album.
In the meanwhile guitar player Scython decided to leave the band due to personal reasons. Also they had to fire bassist Telal because of his sudden disappearance.
A new Guitar player was found in Morchyon and a few months later Vlad Tepes joined on bass, making the line-up complete once again.
In the beginning of 2004 Arctic music wants to renegotiate the contract and gives the band an offer that literary means “pay to play”. But with the same conditions and benefits for the label as before!
Bearing the effort they put into promotion and support for the debut album in mind
Celebratum refuses the offer. After long negotiations they decide to end the contract and cooperation with Arctic music in the spring of 2004. This meaning that the recording and release of the second album is delayed even more.
The live video of a totally new song “Riders of storm” is released at the bands homepage in February. Recorded at a packed Rosendal scene in Trondheim during a support job for Windir.
In the meanwhile a 3 track pre-production is made to promote the new material towards labels. During the spring several offers are received and discarded. After some negotiation Celebratum decides to sign a one album deal with Slovakian label Metal Age.
In July the band enters Godt selskap studios in their hometown to record their second album entitled “Instinct”. A decision that soon would show crucial. After recording the album in just 10 days, the band starts the mixing process. The two first versions the band receives can in nice words be described as poor.
After five different more or less crappy mixes and tons of patience and waiting the band decides to make one last effort and then if it doesn’t work take the tapes to another location to remix or even re-record parts of the album.
The news they get are more than crushing: The studio have in some strange way managed to delete the master tape and tells that there is nothing else too do than be satisfied with one of the mixes they already have received.
The band does not have the founds or time to record everything all over again in a different studio so all that is possible to be done to get a decent sound on the album in the mastering process is done. But the vision for the album is not fulfilled.
The band holds back the last part of the fee to the studio because deleting the master tape is unforgivable!
Straight after the studio work was done, Celebratum starts on the making of their first music video. The track chosen is "Ecstasy of pain". The Video turns out to be really good. In spite of the low budget the video looks very professional, yet grim and cold.
So after all the problems “Instinct” is released in February 2005. Featuring eight neck breaking tracks. Including two video-clips the brand new "Ecstasy of pain" and live track “Riders of storm” in high quality. The album receives mixed critique. Some praise it as a black metal gem while others are to busy complaining about the somewhat “special” sound on the album.
As usual when it comes to release concerts the band decides to do everything regarding the release party for the album themselves with help from their old friends. Everything is planed to happened 06.05.05.
Only two days before the concert bass player Vlad Tepes is involved in a traffic accident and is injured badly in his left arm and ribs. The band is forced to cancel.
In the end of May Morchyon announces his resignation from the band. To complete his university degree he must move to another part of the country and therefore finds it better to give the job to someone else. Morchyon later forms death metal band “Open casket terror”.
Two months later they are offered to play a concert in their hometown, the band takes up the challenge and intensifies the hunt for a new guitar player. One week before the gig Nefast joins the band and the concert is performed for a full venue with great reviews.
After all the trouble with “Instinct” Celebratum decides to concentrate on writing material for a new album, they are also starting to build up their own recording rigs
And therefore a brand new song is recorded in October the same year as a test for the project.
In the middle of this they lose their practice facilities once again, something that has almost been a yearly annoying happening.
During the winter and spring of 2006 the band works on new material, they are heavily interrupted by one of the Celebratum curses and lose their practice space again.
Months are wasted trying to find new locations for practice. In the fall they can finally begin to put the new songs into order and make arrangements. The band is rehearsing again.
The new-year brings bad news Romul decides to leave the band after 11 years of service, due to personal reasons. It lays no problems between the remaining members underneath his decision and the era ends without battle. Celebratum are more than ready to record the follow up to “Instinct” but the plans are put on ice because of Romuls departure and issues with the label.
The rest of the year goes by while the band writes new material and tries to find a solution to the lineup change and recover. Some of the material is discarded because it doesn’t fit the bands musical direction any longer. In the middle of this Celebratum changes practice space again, this time they have some luck and are able to share locations with Nefast’s other band Olm. (Wahrrl later joins Olm on vocals and bass.)
…And believe it or not the band is once again without a practice space! But this time they soon find a new rock steady location. Celebratum then started to build their own recording facilities at their new practice space which when finished would allow them to use the time needed to create the utter perfection their music deserves. It is also decided that Wahrrl will do the vocal duties for now.
Bass player Vlad Tepes resigns from Celebratum due to personal reasons.
The remaining members decide that enough is enough and are booking studio time. March 01 2008, almost a year after Romuls departure Vargon enters Brygga studio in Trondheim to record the drum tracks. Two days and gallons of sweat later they leave satisfied.
Because of the members obligations to other bands and projects they decide to not rush the recording. The lack of a serious label is also an important factor. Wahrrl and Nefast are busy with Olm while Vargon does several live performances with Cor Scorpii and session studio work for others during the spring and summer.
In the autumn the remaining members gather on a cold November evening. After a short discussion they decide that things have been postponed long enough. Vargon also have the new concept and complete lyrics ready. The recording of the third album continues, a new bass player and vocalist are also close to being announced.
E¤pect a few surprises…
.. ..