Arcturus was originally formed in 1987 as a death metal act, named Mortem. They released a demo tape in 1989, titled "Slow Death". The line-up consisted of Hellhammer (Jan Axel Blomberg) on drums, Sverd (Steinar Sverd Johnsen) on keyboards, and Marius Vold on bass/vocals.
In 1990, they changed their name to Arcturus, which is the name of a star, meaning Bear Guardian. "My Angel", their debut EP, was released on 8 July 1991.
In 1993 the original line-up was changed when bassist/vocalist Marius Vold was taken out of the band. Arcturus soon became labeled a black metal supergroup, consisting of Garm (Kristoffer Rygg of Ulver) on vocals, Carl August Tidemann on guitar, Skoll (Hugh Stephen James Mingay) on bass, and the two other original members, Hellhammer on drums, and Steinar Sverd Johnsen as main composer/keyboards player.
In 1995, Arcturus released "Aspera Hiems Symfonia". Acclaimed to be one of the most innovative black metal album ever, it is a mix of early 1990s Norwegian black metal, classical melodies and a refined touch of nordic coldness. The lyrics concentrate on the themes of winter and the darkness of night.
In 1997 Arcturus released the much acclaimed "La Masquerade Infernale" album. The theatrical, almost carnivalesque, style built around Sverd's keyboards was introduced by the large vocals range of Garm, becoming their trademark.
After a remix album "Disguised Masters", Arcturus offered their third major effort with "The Sham Mirrors", whose keyboards' dynamic melodies also received good reviews.
In 2004, after three full-length albums, Kristoffer Rygg left the band. He was initially replaced by Øyvind Hægeland from the band Spiral Architect. Øyvind performed live with the band, but did not appear on any recordings. In 2005 the band announced that Øyvind had moved too far away for his continued involvement to be practical and they had parted ways. In 2005 Simen Hestnæs (aka ICS Vortex of Dimmu Borgir), who had previously performed guest vocals on three Arcturus tracks ("Master of Disguise", "The Chaos Path", and "Painting My Horror") on "La Masquerade Infernale", became the new vocalist of the band.
With "Sideshow Symphonies", released in 2005, Arcturus moved towards more progressive tones and a strong lunar sound, leant on a space trip concept narrated by Simen's ethereal voice. A DVD, "Shipwrecked in Oslo" was released in June 2006.
The band split up after the successful tour of Australia in March 2007.
In early September of 2009, after being ejected from Dimmu Borgir, Simen released a statement on his blog with the following quote: "There is another meeting also planned with Arcturus members to discuss about the future of the band and a possible reunite.".
In 2011 ICS Vortex confirmed an Arcturus reunion show at ProgPower USA 2011 Festival. In addition, Vortex also said "Beloved freaks! ProgPower USA 2011 will host the first Arcturus concert in 5 years. This is our first performance in the United States, and since we're all retarded, probably the last.". The show was later cancelled due to "hibernation sickness" and "outdated parts".
Arcturus was supposed to play its first reunion show at Avant-Garde Night vol. 2 in Poland, but it was cancelled and they rescheduled show to January. They played a show September 9th, 2011 at the KICK Nattklubb & Scene in Kristiansand, Norway. When asked about it by a fan on his facebook, Vortex said "yes I can confirm once again that Arcturus is on" In an interview published by Lords of Metal webzine, ICS Vortex said Arcturus were working on a new album. The band's fifth album, Arcturian, was released in 2015.
Official Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/arcturusnorway
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Of Nails and Sinners
Arcturus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If I am destroyed He must give up the ghost."
[Angelus Silesius]
I beseech you, God to whom many sinners pray
From the depth of the dark abyss where my heart fell
Expelled I was from your tedious grace to the pits of hell
So can you please cease to deplore my opposite, nay only way
Till I saw the dreadful truth
of which man wouldn't know
I, degraded bearer of thy sacred light
- to which I never again will bow
When I rise to avenge myself with darkness
The anger of the damned shall flow
I was cast out by the retinue of angels weak
Shone to the few who me would seek
A rebel I was, radiant my glow, afar,
My wisdom fathomed by the morningstar
And O you fools, in herdlike fight, stampede
And when creation falls, you must build anew,
With nails that sting My hands - They grow passionate on a lie.
But You know the veracious one was I
These lyrics are from Arcturus's song Of Nails and Sinners. The first two lines are a quote from Angelus Silesius, a German poet and mystic from the 17th century. The quote speaks of the idea that without the singer (presumably a sinner), God cannot live a single moment and if the sinner is destroyed, God must also give up the ghost. This idea is quite profound and thought-provoking as it suggests that even the darkest and most depraved individuals still have a connection to a higher power, and that without them even God is powerless.
The remainder of the lyrics are a plea to God from the singer, who is in the depths of the dark abyss of hell. The singer acknowledges that they were expelled from God's grace and cast down into the pits of hell. The singer asks God not to deplore their opposite ways but to accept them as they are. The singer then goes on to describe their descent into hell and how they came to see the truth about the nature of man. The singer also describes how they were a rebel, shining brightly like a morning star and their wisdom was fathomed by others. The final lines of the song refer to the creation falling and being rebuilt with nails that sting God's hands. The implication is that this is done on a lie, and that the truth lies with the singer.
Line by Line Meaning
I know that without me God cannot live a moment;
I am the one who gives life to God and without me, he cannot exist even for a single moment.
If I am destroyed He must give up the ghost.
If I do not exist, God will cease to exist as well.
I beseech you, God to whom many sinners pray
I ask you, God, who many sinners pray to.
From the depth of the dark abyss where my heart fell
I am speaking from the deepest part of the dark abyss where my heart is currently located.
Expelled I was from your tedious grace to the pits of hell
You have expelled me from your grace and sent me to hell.
So can you please cease to deplore my opposite, nay only way
Please stop despising me for being different than you, despite me being the only way.
For aeons I descended down
I have been going down for centuries.
Till I saw the dreadful truth
I only realized the truth when I reached the bottom.
of which man wouldn't know
A truth that man could never comprehend.
I, degraded bearer of thy sacred light
I who once carried your sacred light, now feel humiliated and degraded.
- to which I never again will bow
I will never again bow to your sacred light.
When I rise to avenge myself with darkness
When I rise, I will take revenge with darkness.
The anger of the damned shall flow
The anger of the damned shall be unleashed upon you.
I was cast out by the retinue of angels weak
I was cast out by the weak followers of the angels.
Shone to the few who me would seek
Only a few who were searching for me saw my light.
A rebel I was, radiant my glow, afar,
I was a rebel with a powerful burning light that could be seen from afar.
My wisdom fathomed by the morningstar
Only those as wise as the morningstar could truly understand my wisdom.
And O you fools, in herdlike fight, stampede
Oh, you fools who fight blindly and follow each other like a herd.
And when creation falls, you must build anew,
And when creation falls, you will have to start over and build again.
With nails that sting My hands - They grow passionate on a lie.
They will use the nails that sting my hands, and they will passionately believe a lie.
But You know the veracious one was I
But you know that only I spoke the truth.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind