Morten Veland

Morten Veland
Morten Veland, 2010
Background information
Birth name	Morten Veland
Born	(1977-12-04) 4 December 1977
Origin	Stavanger, Norway [1]
Genres	Symphonic gothic metal, doom metal, death/doom metal
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, producer, composer
Instruments	Guitars, bass, keyboards, drums, vocals, programming
Years active	1992—present
Labels	Napalm, Nuclear Blast
Associated acts	Tristania, Sirenia, Mortemia

Morten Veland (born 4 December 1977) is a Norwegian multi-instrumentalist, composer, songwriter, and producer. He is one of the founding members of the Norwegian gothic metal band Tristania, and the founding member of Sirenia and Mortemia.

Up to date, he has released nine albums and two EP's.

Veland is considered as one of the best composers that has come out of the gothic metal genre up to date.^{[citation needed]}

Background

At the age of 14 or 15, Veland bought his first electric guitar. He would lock himself up and practice everyday and night.^[2]

Career

Early days

In 1992, Veland entered the music scene when he was just 15 years old.^[3] He and bandmate Kenneth Ølsson, who will later form Tristania, formed Uzi Suicide.^[2] They are described as a fusion of Rock and Metal. However, his interest grew more into the UK Gothic scene. It inspired his songwriting into a more darker and gloomy musical feel. Fragments of Uzi Suicide turned into Tristania.^[2]

1995-2001: With Tristania

In 1995, he co-founded Tristania and at 19 signed his first record deal. Veland released 2 albums and couple EP's with the band. Tristania became one of the leading acts in the genre at the time. They toured throughout the whole American continent and also in Europe. The band performed in some of the biggest music festivals in Europe.^[3] Whilst in Tristania, he was the main lyricist, songwriter and guitarist^[4] as well as being responsible for the growling vocals, until he left Tristania after the first two full length albums due to social and musical differences.^[5]

2001-present: With Sirenia

After Tristania, in 2001 he formed his own band Sirenia, composing the same genre of music, in which he contributes nearly all of the instruments as well as the growling vocals. The rest of the band are mostly used on live performances only.

Mortemia

While taking Sirenia on a more melodic direction, Veland began writing other types of music.^[2] He ended up with many great ideas but it didn't really fit his current band's musical concept. Since he felt the music was too good, he decided to form Mortemia. The music has a similar style to that of Tristania's second album Beyond the Veil. The band signed a contract with Napalm Records on 6 July 2009.^[6] Mortemia is a studio project only, but he is considering doing a live lineup in the future.^[2]

Influence

Throughout his career he has respected and admired: Guns N' Roses, Metallica, Leonard Cohen, The Sisters of Mercy, Fields of the Nephilim, The Mission, Tiamat, Nick Cave, and Paradise Lost.^[2]

Private Life

He keeps in contact with Kenneth Ølsson, the original Tristania drummer, who still lives in the Stavanger area. Besides making a living off his bands, he runs Audio Avenue studios and works as a producer and engineer.^[2]

Discography

With Tristania

• Tristania (EP, 1997)
• Widow's Weeds (1998)
• Beyond the Veil (1999)
• Angina (1999)

With Sirenia

• At Sixes and Sevens (2002)
• An Elixir For Existence (2004)
• Sirenian Shores (EP, 2004)
• My Mind's Eye (single, 2007)
• Nine Destinies and a Downfall (2007)
• The 13th Floor (2009)
• The Enigma of Life (2011)
• Perils of the Deep Blue (2013)

With Mortemia

• Misere Mortem (2010)

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Morten Veland.

• Sirenia' Official Website
• Mortemia' Official Website