Ulver (Norwegian for "wolves") is a Norwegian experimental electronic band founded in 1993 by vocalist Kristoffer Rygg. Their early material, such as debut album Bergtatt, was categorised as folklore-influenced black metal. The band has since developed a blend of experimental rock, electronica, ambient, trip hop, symphonic and chamber traditions, noise, progressive and experimental music into their music. In 1997, they release their third album, Nattens madrigal, internationally through German label Century Media. Following issues with the label, Rygg formed Jester Records in 1998.
In 1997, Rygg invited composer and multi-instrumentalist Tore Ylwizaker into the band, and they changed Ulver's direction. Their first album together, Themes from William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, drew from classical and avant-garde music and the works of William Blake. Metamorphosis (1999) and Perdition City (2000) experimented with electronic music. In 2000, Jørn H. Sværen joined the band. Since then, the core of Ulver has been Rygg, Ylwizaker and Sværen. In 2009, British multi-instrumentalist Daniel O'Sullivan became the fourth member. Several other musicians were enlisted as supporting and live members. Norwegian musician and producer Ole Alexander Halstensgård has been another prominent band member.
Ulver has performed at Queen Elizabeth Hall (2009), the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet (2010), Teatro Regio di Parma (2013), Labirinto della Masone di Franco Maria Ricci (2017). They held a residency at Henie Onstad Kunstsenter (2018).
The band have sold more than half a million records, been thrice nominated for the Norwegian Grammy Awards, Spellemannsprisen, in different categories, won Album of the Year at the Oslo Awards for Shadows of the Sun in 2008, won the NATT&DAG award for Best Live Act in 2011, and earned a global reputation.
Author and musician Julian Cope said that "Ulver are cataloguing the death of our culture two decades before anyone else has noticed its inevitable demise."
History
The Black Metal Trilogie (1993–1997) Vocalist Kristoffer Rygg, Grellmund, Robin Malmberg, Carl-Michael Eide, Håvard Jørgensen, and A. Reza founded the band in 1993 in Oslo. Ulver issued their first demo cassette, Vargnatt, in November 1993. Their style followed the Norwegian black metal subculture of the early 1990s. Some have noted the avant-garde, jazz, rock and gothic influences that would later shape the band's sound. The archaic Dano-Norwegian lyrics were influenced by Scandinavian folktales and inspired by Baroque poets such as Ludvig Holberg and hymn writer Thomas Kingo.
Their debut album, Bergtatt, the first part of Ulver's "Black Metal Trilogy", was issued in February 1995 through Norwegian label Head Not Found. The album met with critical acclaim, and was notable for blending black metal, harsh vocals and buzzing guitars with quiet, folk-like acoustic passages. It was praised for its atmosphere and described as "mysterious, melancholic, eerie, and oddly tranquil."
Prior to their second album, Grellmund committed suicide on New Year’s Day 1996. Kveldssanger, issued in March 1996 by Head Not Found, eschewed black metal and incorporated classical guitars, cello and choral chamber chants overlaid with orchestral landscapes. The album was a contrast to Bergtatt, whilst retaining the atmosphere and folk themes. Rygg has remarked that Kveldssanger was an "immature attempt at making a classical album". The album was praised for its atmosphere of quiet solitude.
Following their first two albums, Ulver signed with Century Media for their third album, Nattens madrigal, issued in March 1997 — the band's international debut. The album showcases a style similar to Bergtatt, abandoning acoustic and atmospheric elements with an intentionally underproduced sound. The album has been described as "raw and grim black metal at its blackest." A myth about the album is that the band spent the recording budget on Armani suits, cocaine, and a Corvette, and recorded the album outdoors in a Norwegian forest on an 8-track recorder. Rygg denied this rumour, possibly started by Century Media. The album has been described as "so fast and ferocious and the vocals so garbled that it's best just to take the sheer sonic force as reflecting the band's concept, rather than trying to piece it all together."
Metal Injection concluded, "Kveldssanger had no electric instruments, Nattens madrigal had no acoustic instruments, but Bergtatt, has both acoustic and electric instruments; it's like they spliced the elements from Bergtatt into two separate albums. If that's the case, then Nattens madrigal really showcases the black metal prowess of the band. The album answers exactly why people were so angered by Ulver's transition away from black metal, and why people are still bitter at their direction today."
In 1997, Century Media issued The Trilogie – Three Journeyes Through the Norwegian Netherworlde, a limited edition collection containing Bergtatt, Kveldssanger and Nattens madrigal in LP Picture Disc format, in a cardboard box, with a booklet and posters.
Beyond black metal (1998–2002) In 1997, Rygg invited composer Tore Ylwizaker to join the band to expand their vision. Together, they recorded Themes from William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, released in December 1998. The album was issued through Rygg's Jester Records, which he formed after Ulver left Century Media. The album blended electronics, industrial music, progressive metal and experimental rock with ambient passages. The lyrics incorporates the text of William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, with guest vocalists on several songs. The album received acclaim from critics in the rock/metal and alternative music press. It was named "album of the month" in several magazines, such as Terrorizer, Metal Hammer, and Rock Hard, and ranked high in their end of year's best polls. The album alienated fans of the band's first three albums.
Ulver, then consisting of Rygg and Ylwizaker, issued the EP Metamorphosis in September 1999. The electronic approach bridged the gap to the film-noir ambiance of 2000's Perdition City. In the sleeve notes to Metamorphosis, the group declared,
Perdition City, issued in March 2000, was described as moody, atmospheric electronica, cinematic in scope, evoking a soundtrack for an imaginary film. Kerrang! praised the album, ranking it top ten that year, noting "This ain't rock 'n roll. This is evolution on such a grand scale that most bands wouldn't even be able to wrap their tiny little minds around it." Musically, Ulver not only explores new genres, but also shift from extrovert, into more introverted moods, or interior music.
Later that year, Jørn H. Sværen joined the band. The band followed up Perdition City with two improv/minimalist/ambient/glitch companion EPs, called Silence Teaches You How to Sing and Silencing the Singing, in September and December 2001, respectively. The material featured here was loosely recorded during the sessions for the Perdition City album. The style is more experimental/atmospheric and less beat-oriented; rather mood pieces that revolve around the Perdition City theme. Due to the experimental nature of the music, both Silence EPs were limited to two thousand, and three thousand copies. However, both EPs were re-released as one disc, under the title Teachings in Silence, in November 2002.
Ulver, now with more confidence in their ambient sensibilities descent into the world of film soundtracks, producing scores for Lyckantropen (issued as Lyckantropen Themes, in November 2002), Svidd neger (issued as Svidd neger, in September 2003) and a joint soundtrack with singer/songwriter Tom McRae for the multiple award-winning Uno. Ulver were praised for their soundtrack work, and their ability to adapt and providing a sense of continuity to each film. The song "Silence Teaches You How to Sing" was later used in the 2012 supernatural horror film Sinister. Another song, "Not Saved", was used for the sequel Sinister 2.
Ulver celebrated their ten-year anniversary with a remix album, 1993–2003: 1st Decade in the Machines, issued in April 2003, featuring contributions from Third Eye Foundation, Bogdan Raczynski, Fennesz, V/Vm and Merzbow among others.
In 2002, the trio announced that they were working on a string remake of Nattens madrigal, but Rygg later stated that the project "is in a state of total dormancy."
Blood Inside and Shadows of the Sun (2003–2008)
In August 2003, Ulver issued an EP, A Quick Fix of Melancholy, essentially a teaser for the forthcoming album, Blood Inside. A delicate marriage of orchestration and electronica the EP features text by Christian Bök and a remix of a song from Kveldssanger.
In 2004, the group collaborated with Sámi vocalist Mari Boine and percussionist Marilyn Mazur to score Mona J. Hoel's film Salto, salmiakk og kaffe. The film premiered in August 2004, however, the soundtrack remains unreleased.
Ulver issued Blood Inside in June 2005, produced together with King Crimson collaborator Ronan Chris Murphy. The album returns to more classical arrangements and instrumentation, described as "a beautifully crafted album of both substance and style. Certainly, Blood Inside is still not for everyone, but those who choose to indulge in this will find themselves rewarded on every level." "[Blood Inside] is ambiguous and full of intricate layers and influences working to tell a story that is both haunting and mesmerising. Garm's beautiful distorted vocals act as outcries of a desperate man hidden, pushed in the background of the story that the instrumentation tells." Webzine Avantgarde-metal.com concludes: "the sound of the album is maybe their most extravagant, extrovert, dynamic and wild, ranging from swing band to danceable hard electronic pop, with a lot of peaceful moments in between so much energy."
Ulver and drone metal band Sunn O))) collaborated on the fifteen-minute track "CUT WOODeD" - a tribute to the deceased film director Ed Wood, which later appeared on Sunn O)))'s WHITEbox box set, issued in July 2006.
Shadows of the Sun was issued in October 2007 in Europe and the United States and would include collaborations with artists Pamelia Kurstin contributing theremin, Mathias Eick on trumpet and Christian Fennesz, adding supplemental shimmer. Rygg described it as "our most personal record to date." Described as "low-key, dark and tragic," the album received critical acclaim, and in February 2008 the album won the Oslo Awards for Album of the Year, in 2008. The album was also voted best album of 2007 at the website Sonic Frontiers.
Changes in personnel (2009–2012) In 2009, Ulver announced it would become a quartet. Its three extant members — Kristoffer Rygg, Tore Ylwizaker and Jørn H. Sværen — enlisted British composer and multi-instrumentalist Daniel O'Sullivan (Æthenor, Guapo, Mothlite) into the collective. Ole Alexander Halstensgård was another prominent musician to be included in the live-act.
The band accepted an invitation to appear at the Norwegian Festival of Literature, at Maihaugsalen (part of Maihaugen) in Lillehammer, Norway on 30 May 2009. The collective were accompanied by guest musicians Lars Pedersen (aka When) on drums, Pamelia Kurstin playing Theremin and Halstensgård (a founding member of Norwegian group Paperboys). The success of this performance lead to them embarking on a string of other live performances in 2009 and 2010, selling out prestigious venues, such as the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, Volksbühne in Berlin and La Cigale in Paris before they returned to their homeland for their performance at The Norwegian Opera House. Ulver were the first band outside the established Norwegian music scene to be invited to play at the Opera House.