User:Detoxdetox/Black comedy (band)

BLACK COMEDY is the industrial/cyber/death metal band from Norway. Marius Strand (guitars, vocals) and Christian Svendsen (drums) gave birth to the band back in 1996. The band won the national Rock championship in 1998 and from then on, with some line-up changes, BLACK COMEDY has gone through many development stages and musical phases. The Oslo based band has shown continuous progress towards the more technical and mature sound that can be found on their full-length debut album "Instigator" (2008). Regarding their greatest asset to be the musical diversity of its members, each one has individual attributes and is capable of contributing something distinctive to integrate into the BLACK COMEDY “soundscape”.

Their musical style is closer to the bands like Fear Factory, Pain, In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, Strapping Young Lad and also Orgy, Spineshank, Static-X, Powerman 5000, Zeromancer. But it doesn’t mean that the band uses typical futuristic attitude like “the war against the machines, or the fight man vs machine etc.” (for example, Fear Factory is based all the musical and lyrical material right on this idea). No, BLACK COMEDY has never lost the connection with our present life, our reality, our history and common civilization.

In 2000 the band released its first full-length demo album dubbed "Crawl to Exceed" which immediately generated interest within Oslo's metal audience. This demo was released by “BC Productions” label and includes 12 tracks. Two years later in October 08-th 2002 the first label release came with the "Synthesis" EP that garnered great reviews. This EP was released by “Angel Productions” record label and includes 6 tracks mastered by Norwegian producer Stig Erik Antonsen. Live shows followed further solidifying BLACK COMEDY's position within the Norwegian metal scene. After several changes to the initial line-up, the band withdrew to its studio to focus on producing new material and integrating its newfound distinguished members into the musical corpus.

By that time the line-up was completely formed by the following members: Marius Strand a.k.a. Cyprien - guitars, clean vocals, mixing, engineering, producing Jon E. Bergen – lead vocals Bjorn Marius Borg a.k.a. Bariuz – keyboards, synthesizer, programming, co-producing Hеkon Didriksen a.k.a. Memnock (ex-Old Man’s Child, Susperia) – bass Kenneth Еkesson a.k.a. Tjodalv (ex- Dimmu Borgir, Old Man’s Child) - drums Stefano Bardellotto a.k.a. Nucleon - guitars, backing vocals, tracking

Renown for its intensely physical and tight musicianship, BLACK COMEDY's name and reputation have caught significant attention in Norway's music underground – attracting fans of various musical preferences and genres from the more extreme forms of metal to the electronic and modern metal scenes. Throughout its evolution, BLACK COMEDY have striven to craft a sound that is unique to its contemporaries, seeking to break down traditional conventions or rules within genres to form its own distinctive style. In today's stagnating music scenes, where terms like “old school” and “retro like” are incorporated and taken as new trends, BLACK COMEDY have sought to bring their listeners the exact opposite: a hard hitting and crushing sound, maximum effective pulse generation of drums, uncompromising rhythmic, amazing collaboration of growling and clean choruses vocals parts, and cutting edge metal combined with massive electronic music and samples. The result is an eclectic approach to metal, where the extreme is perfectly combined and attuned with the catchy and deep atmospheric music.

In 2007 BLACK COMEDY signed with the legendary French metal label “Season of Mist” for the release of their debut full-length album. The band has been working tirelessly on the album, which has been given the title "Instigator" and is set for worldwide release. “Instigator” was recorded at “Strand Studio” (owner by Marius Strand) Oslo, Norway and synths was recorded at “Homeworld Production” studio, Oslo, Norway. And it was mastered, produced by Marius Strand, co-produced by Bjorn M. Borg.

The debut album contains 12 smashing tracks from the opening instrumental alarming intro “The Emergence” through the logical continue about our life like “Favourite Hateobject” (with the beautiful guitar solo in the end) and “War incognito”. And by the mass media critical song like “Sum of all shit”, “Prime specimen”, “At one with decadence”. The main album philosophical message songs like “Civil paranoia”, “Inhale the sulphur”. And the epic closing the whole album masterpieces “Subtle conversion” and “Story of the God, the beast and the fools between”.

Lyrically BLACK COMEDY’s “Instigator” album revel in the contradictions of human behavior through a sarcastic, yet equally self-ironic lens, scrutinizing the human comedy / tragedy through wide-ranging themes such as the failure of high politics, ineptitude of mainstream media, religious fanaticism to more personal subjects that explore the bands own psychology. The critical content of the lyrics is multi-angled, intended to bring the listener with moments of both seriousness and witticism. That is why this album still has very actual themes and still it has deep connection with our reality. The title “Instigator” has the main message to everyone – if you want to change the realty that surrounds us all, than you have to start it from yourself, if you won’t do anything at all, then everything will be the same. What a brilliant self-ironical and a little bit pessimistic/sarcastic aspect – that is the comedy, “black” comedy!

BLACK COMEDY’s “Instigator” was released in early 2008 in Europe by “Season of Mist” record label as a limited metal tin edition and in Russia by “CD-Maximum” record label (which is un-active now) as a standard jewel case edition. It has shown very good sells results, fans feedbacks and has got very positive reviews by many musical critics. And the whole musical industry was waiting for the next album of this industrial metal band from Oslo.

But after some time period and the line-up changes the one of the band-founders Marius Strand decided to proceed with the new band-name and a new style. And after 2012 the band has changed the name to “SPHERE”.

Black Comedy’s official homepage:

www.blackcomedy.net www.facebook.com/blackcomedymetal/