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THE KOVENANT
1998 - Nexus Polaris.
1999 - Animatronic.
more THE KOVENANT.
way more Helter Skelter.

March 24, 1998 - 2023: 25 years of: Nexus Polaris.

Blackmetal's ultimate supernova.

Gathered for a sacred rite in Norway. This unholy project started in 1993 and saw the light of night on silver-disc in '97 with the cold-blackmetal In Times Before The Light CD (recorded in '95). From misanthropic to trendsetter, ex-DIMMU BORGIR hyperactive Stian Hinderson AKA Nagash was fully in charge of this updated mega-project, the game was about to change, forever.

Following a long line of metal supergroups: S.O.D., TERRORIZER, DEATH, BRUJERIA ...the evil supergroup of COVENANT was about to break the bank. Those to blame:

Instant black-magic fills the room as this unique mixture of "The Sulphur Feast" takes us hostage. Beauty in darkness from above as Sarah sings on the opening notes of "Bizarre Cosmic Industries", where mid-paced blackmetal and piano clashes into a posh metal alloy.

Take a trip into the cosmic chaos of "Planetarium" and the ethereal land of "The Last Of Dragons". Powermetalled blackmetal with progressive undertones, this new signature has it all under one roof. More aggressive grit attacks on "Dragonheart", yet always supported by heavenly keyboards, while the rock influenced closer "Chariots Of Thunder" is a simple effective / addictive darkmetal tour-de-force.

Produced by Siggi Bemm, the space-metal Nexus Polaris CD led the way into a new branch of the blackmetal empire: symphonic-blackmetal. Winning a Norwegian Grammy in late-98, this would prove to be one of the highest event in Black-Metal's Third Wave, the explosive years: 1996 to 2000 approximately.

Initially named COVENANT, with the rise of their popularity, they had to alter their moniker due to another synthpop band from Sweden with rights to the name. They shall now be known to us Earthlings as: THE KOVENANT.

To global praise and success, in an unexpected twist of hate, the quintet-turned-trio shall shatter new sonic barriers and shatter the extreme-metal fashion status-quo, with 1999's maniacal mechanical mayhem Animatronic CD.

*
Nexus Polaris = full CD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xI20ku-29zs&list=OLAK5uy_lfGqNhKxqNHNBbtNmPVu2U8v0vgKuF07s
Live at Dynamo in 1998
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4V6ro4A6pU
Documentary in 1998
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFdjgXlsF_M
Receiving a Grammy Award in Norway in 1998
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOdZV60XseM

November 16, 1999 - 2024: 25 years of: Animatronic.

From symphonic ...to industrial !

How can these two genres remotely fit together ? ...listen and learn, Nagash has the answer. Still on cloud nine from 1998's majestic Nexus Polaris CD, the man is also a pivotal piece in DIMMU BORGIR's Enthrone Darkness Triumphant and 1999's epic Spiritual Black Dimensions CDs. And just before the end of the millennium, while some blackmetal acts where already toying with the industrial elements, THE KOVENANT went all the way into a full 666° make-over: both musically and visually.

An out of the box approach, taking hints from Marilyn Manson, NINE INCH NAILS and SLIPKNOT, as this modern sickness lays some serious industrial rhythmic-patterns and futuristic metal explorations. Moving far away from the grimy blackmetal pond, Animatronic is that drop of oil that just won't dissolve.

Evolution and revolution.

"Time is running out, for the planet Earth." is uttered as "Mirrors Paradise" kicks the beat into motion. Cold and calculated, the pace is set by MAYHEM's drum-legend Hellhammer. This ain't symphonic-blackmetal, yet in some twisted ways, it is. The new world is here, as the military-march of "New World Order" captures the audience and submits into total metal-worship. Eeriness reaches another level on "Mannequin" where haunting chants harmonizes evil to perfection.

Switching-gear into overdrive with "The Human Abstract" where the shouted: "We shape the future - We rape the world." rings aloud into rock / metal apocalypticness. The story-telling "Prophecies Of Fire", again featuring piano accompanied female-vocals is a clever metallic-lava. The closing-track "The Birth Of Tragedy" sums-up the album: EBM-beats, electronic-samples, dry-guitar riffing, keyboard-soundscapes and that menacing overhead dark cloud ...beautiful and monstrous.

The 1999 blackmetal scene was drawning it's last breath, before morphing with symphonicmetal, powermetal and other variations. Somewhere between musical-visionaries and commercial-suicide, the Animatronic CD remains light-years ahead of the trends. Victims of the saturated scene or mere black (metal) sheeps, THE KOVENANT did leave an indelible mark inside the extreme-metal history-books.

They proudly repeated their digital-metal fusion with 2003's cybertrash SETI CD ...to a once again stunned fan-base.

*
Animatronic = full CD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-9J6CphizY&list=OLAK5uy_lQ0jIpI58ykoik4OrWFhTjG8Zva6Sv7tU
Receiving a Spellemannprisen Award in Norway in 1999
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJH3MujoRT0
Live in Holland in 2000
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UU0Iho75u_0
some guy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CnY5wdIOTM

more THE KOVENANT:

DIMMU BORGIR
&

MAYHEM
&

Spécial M.V.P.