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
Official Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/arcturusnorway
Radical Cut
Arcturus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The voice is mine
The skin of the slit
Cut cigarette size
The butt size head
Voluptuous white
Cum cigarette slit
The cigarette skin
White head in line
The voice is white
Erasing mine
Skin the white
The radical line
The cigarette butt
Head radical skin
The lyrics of Arcturus's song "Radical Cut" may seem cryptic and difficult to understand at first glance, but they can be interpreted to describe a act of rebellion against conformity and societal pressure to conform to certain expectations. The line "spit white speech" implies that the singer is rejecting the language and ideas of the dominant culture, opting to use their own voice to express themselves. "The skin of the slit/Cut cigarette size" could be a metaphor for the singer cutting away a part of themselves or their identity to fit into the narrow confines of societal norms. The following lines continue this theme, describing the pressure to conform and the singer's rebellion against it. The phrase "radical cut" suggests a drastic change or transformation, perhaps even a violent one, in order to break free from societal expectations.
Overall, the lyrics of "Radical Cut" can be interpreted as an exploration of the tension between individual expression and societal expectations. The singer is rejecting the dominant culture and carving out their own identity, even if it means taking radical measures to do so.
Line by Line Meaning
Spit white speech
I speak in a way that reflects a white perspective.
The voice is mine
However, this perspective is coming from me, and not necessarily shared by all people who are white.
The skin of the slit
I am focusing on a physical attribute of a cigarette, which is sliced open in this context.
Cut cigarette size
This sliced open cigarette is cut to a certain size.
The butt size head
The end of the cigarette is described as a head, with a size similar to that of a butt.
Voluptuous white
The color of the cigarette and of the white skin is described with an erotic term, implying attraction to white objects or people.
Cum cigarette slit
The slit in the cigarette is personified as something that ejaculates a white substance.
The spitting line
The act of speaking these words is described as spitting them out.
The cigarette skin
The exterior of the cigarette is once again brought up as being like skin.
White head in line
The end of the cigarette, referred to earlier as a head, is now associated with the white exterior of the cigarette.
The voice is white
The lyric once again emphasizes the whiteness of the singer's voice and perspective.
Erasing mine
This whiteness overshadows and erases other non-white perspectives.
Skin the white
A command to peel away the white exterior, perhaps in an effort to see what lies beneath.
The radical line
This act of peeling away is described as a radical step.
The cigarette butt
The end of the cigarette is once again referenced, this time as a butt, which is also a crude term for rear end.
Head radical skin
The emphasis is on the end of the cigarette and the radical act of peeling it away to reveal what lies beneath.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Richard Troupe
This is quite possibly the greatest ever vocal performance by Ihsahn.
Spectria Official
AGREED
Spectria Official
We're hopefully about to do a cover of this song haha
MrMarcodarko
Agreed. Like his voice is so unique
shrimpblackngold
Reminds me of Wordless Chamber by Emperor(Ihsahn)
Elizabeth
I feel like most everything from his solo works far outstrips this, but I know a lot of Emperor fans don’t care for the direction that takes.
Sotur
They set this song up perfect with star crossed. Vocals are perfect with this song. a true masterpiece
SalvoScycleTraveller
a masterpiece..one of my favourite track made by the Arcturus...there's everything...power, pathos, feelings, melody...it seems to free the soul from a kind of jail...this is the example of when music and lyrics flow in a unique stream...this is art...this is radical cut, this is Arcturus
snewso
3:54 pulls a tear out of me and makes my chest explode. perhaps the most beauty i've ever observed while listening to music.
Keith Cambra
Best black metal scream I have ever heard. \m/ Ihsahn \m/