Morten Veland
| Morten Veland | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Morten Veland, 2010 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Morten Veland |
| Born | 4 December 1977 |
| Origin | Stavanger, Norway [1] |
| Genres | Symphonic gothic metal, doom metal, death/doom metal |
| Occupation(s) | 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.
Background
At the age of 14, Veland began saving to buy his first electric guitar.[2] He would lock himself up and practice everyday and night.[3] Veland was inspired by Guns N' Roses's Appetite For Destruction and Alice Cooper's Trash to make a career out of music and afterwards by The Sisters of Mercy, Fields of the Nephilim, and The Mission amongst others .[2]
Career
Early days
In 1992, Veland entered the music scene when he was just 15 years old.[4] He and bandmate Kenneth Ølsson, who will later form Tristania, formed Uzi Suicide.[3] They were described as a fusion of Rock and Metal. However, his interest grew more into the UK Gothic scene. It inspired his songwriting into a darker and gloomier musical feel. Fragments of Uzi Suicide turned into Tristania.[3]
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 American continent and also in Europe. The band performed in some of the biggest music festivals in Europe.[4] Whilst in Tristania, he was the main lyricist, songwriter and guitarist[5] 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.[6]
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.[3] 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.[7] Mortemia is a studio project only, but he is considering doing a live lineup in the future.[3]
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.[3]
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.[3] His top five Norwegian metal bands of all time are Dimmu Borgir, Emperor, The 3rd and the Mortal, Satyricon and Immortal.[3]
He has a wife named Rozemarijn, who also goes by Rose. They were dating long before their marriage, and she ran Sirenia's MySpace page for some time. To the public's knowledge, the couple has no children.
Discography
Tristania
Demos
- Tristania (EP, 1997)
Albums
- Widow's Weeds (1998)
- Beyond the Veil (1999)
Singles
- Angina (1999)
Live Albums
- Widow's Tour (1999)
- Widow's Tour/Angina (1999)
Compilation albums
- Midwintertears / Angina (2001)
- Midwinter Tears (2005)
Music videos
- Evenfall (1998)
Sirenia
Demos
- Sirenian Shores (EP, 2004)
Albums
- At Sixes and Sevens (2002)
- An Elixir For Existence (2004)
- Nine Destinies and a Downfall (2007)
- The 13th Floor (2009)
- The Enigma of Life (2011)
- Perils of the Deep Blue (2013)
- The Seventh Life Path (2015)
Singles
- My Mind's Eye (2007)
- The Path to Decay (2009)
- The End of It All (2011)
- Seven Widows Weep (2013)
Music Videos
- My Mind's Eye (2007)
- The Other Side (2007)
- The Path to Decay (2009)
- The End of It All (2011)
- Seven Widows Weep (2013)
Mortemia
Albums
- Misere Mortem (2010)
Music Videos
- The One I Once Was (2010)
References
- ↑ http://www.metal-archives.com/artists/Morten_Veland/884
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Sirenia Interview". about.com. Retrieved June 27, 2014.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 "Mortemia Interview- Morten Veland Interview- Interview with Morten Veland of Mortemia and Sirenia". Retrieved May 16, 2013.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Biography". mortemia.no. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
- ↑ "Sirenia homepage". Sirenia.no. Retrieved 2011-08-20.
- ↑ "gothmetal.net, tristania". Gothmetal.net. Retrieved 2011-08-20.
- ↑ "Sirenia mainman's Mortemia signs with Napalm Records". Blabbermouth.net. July 6, 2009. Retrieved July 7, 2009.
External links
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