| Naglfar | |
| Landscape: | yes |
| Origin: | Umeå, Sweden |
| Years Active: | 1992–present |
| Label: | Century Media, Regain |
| Associated Acts: | Ancient Wisdom, Bewitched |
| Current Members: | Kristoffer "Wrath" Olivius Andreas Nilsson Marcus "Vargher" Norman |
| Past Members: | Morgan Hansson Fredrik Degerström Mattias Holmgren Ulf Andersson Jens Rydén Mattias Grahn Morgan Lie |
Naglfar is a Swedish melodic black metal band that was formed in 1992. The group was established by Jens Rydén and Kristoffer Olivius, originally under the name Uninterred.
Naglfar formed in 1992.[1] The band was originally called Uninterred and was founded by Jens Rydén on vocals and guitar, and Kristoffer Olivius on bass. The band achieved its first full line-up when Ulf Andersson from Nocturnal Rites joined to play drums, while Morgan Hansson and Fredrik Degerström joined on guitar. With this new line-up, Rydén could concentrate on vocals. In March 1994, Degerström left Naglfar due to personal issues with the band as well as musical differences. Soon afterward, Andersson left to focus on Nocturnal Rites. During this period, the band wrote and recorded their first demo at Garageland Studio, titled Stellae Trajectio. The demo was released in November 1994. Before its public release, however, the band officially changed their name to Naglfar, deriving from a ship in Norse mythology made from the nails of the dead.[2]
In early 1995, the band was signed by Wrong Again Records, and that summer, they released their debut album, Vittra, featuring new drummer Mattias Holmgren. After recording, Holmgren left the band. Apart from contributing to an Iron Maiden tribute CD (performing the song "The Evil That Men Do"), the band was relatively inactive for the next few years. Their second album, titled Diabolical, was released in 1998, now with Mattias Grahn on drums. CMJ New Music Report described it as a "ferocious version of Swedish black/death metal...monumentally mind-blowing".[3] The band signed with Century Media in 2002. Following more line-up changes and a European tour with Deicide, Naglfar recorded an EP called Ex Inferis, which drew comparisons to Dimmu Borgir[4] and an album, Sheol. The New York Times described the band as "one of the most compelling metal bands" and also "one of the most ridiculous," with their music described as "terrific".[5] Rydén left the band after the album's release, with bassist Olivius taking over as lead vocalist.[6] Rydén went on to record under the name Profundi, releasing the album The Omega Rising in 2006.[7]
In 2005, the album Pariah was released, with AllMusic commenting on its "shockingly profane lyrics". The album was followed by a successful tour with Dark Funeral across Europe, along with several festival dates. In December 2005, touring bassist Peter Morgan Lie was confirmed as the new permanent bass player for the band.[8] For their 2007 album Harvest, the band collaborated with director Roger Johansson on a video for the track "The Darkest Road".[9] The band also toured the US in 2007.[10]
In August 2009, the band announced on their Myspace page that they were about to begin recording a new album, without mentioning any planned release date.[11] In December 2011, Naglfar launched their official Facebook page.[12] On 22 December 2011, a new album entitled Téras was announced, which was released in March 2012.[13] Dirk Verbeuren appears on the album as a session musician. In 2013, Naglfar performed at Wacken Open Air, Europe's biggest open-air heavy metal festival.
The band began writing their seventh album in February 2014.[14] In 2020, the band confirmed that their album would be titled Cerecloth. The album was released on 8 May through Century Media.