| Siebenbürgen | |
| Background: | group_or_band |
| Origin: | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Genre: | Melodic black metal, gothic metal |
| Years Active: | 1994–2006 2007–2009 |
| Label: | Massacre, Napalm |
| Associated Acts: | Raise Hell, Mystic Prophecy, A Canorous Quintet |
| Current Members: | Lisa Bohwalli Simonsson Marcus Ehlin Richard Bryngelsson Joakim Ohlsson Johnnie Gunther Dennis Ekdahl |
| Past Members: | (see below) |
Siebenbürgen was a melodic black metal band from Stockholm, Sweden, formed in 1994.
The band was formed in 1994 by Marcus Ehlin and Anders Rosdahl, who were joined within a few months by Fredrik Brockert. In February 1996 they recorded their first, self-titled, demo tape. After the demo's release, the band was joined by Linus Ekström. By this time, they had started playing gigs, supporting Swedish metal acts including Bewitched, Sacramentum and In Aeturnum.
During the Halloween weekend of 1996 Siebenbürgen recorded their second demo, Ungentum Pharelis. This demo led to a contract with Napalm Records, and their release of their first album, Loreia, in 1997. In October/November 1997, Siebenbürgen had three shows in Germany, with Forbidden Site and Menhir. During January/February 1998, Siebenbürgen recorded their second album, Grimjaur, which was released in May the same year, followed by another tour in July, this time with Atanatos and Ragnarök. After the release of Grimjaur, Lovisa Hallstedt, who had contributed female vocals and violin on all previous releases, left the band. She was replaced in 1999 with a new female vocalist, Kicki Höijertz.
On their next tour, Siebenbürgen were accompanied by Tristania, The Sins of Thy Beloved, Trail of Tears and Antichrisis. The tour consisted of 18 shows, performed in Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland. Beginning with the follow-up to Grimjaur, titled Delictum, Siebenbürgen made what many still consider to be a departure from their previous direction, choosing to write lyrics in English instead of Swedish (though some albums during the early to mid 2000s contain songs in Swedish). As the lyrics continued to depict creatures from old folklore, written in the style of dark poetic fairytales, some defend the position that Siebenbürgen merely opted to use a more widely spoken language for their lyrics, in order to be more inclusive to fans who do not understand their native language, whilst leaving the actual content of their output unchanged.
After a hiatus starting in 2006, they reformed in 2007 with a new lineup. In 2008, Revelation VI was released.[1] [2] [3]
Siebenbürgen disestablished again in 2009.