AURA NOIR - NORWAY

Deep Tracts Of Hell - 1997 - Malicious
Black Thrash Attack - 1998 - Malicious
The Merciless - 2004 - Tyrant Syndicate
Live Nightmare On Elm Street - 2006 - Oxidized Razor Rex
Hades Rise - 2008 - Tyrant Syndicate
Out To Die - 2012 - Indie
Aura Noire - 2018 - Indie

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Members
Vocals
Inferno, Dødheimsgard, Gorgoroth, Waklevören, Coffin Storm>>APOLLYON [OLE JØRGEN MOE]>>Inferno, Dødheimsgard, Gorgoroth, Waklevören, Coffin Storm

Guitar
Mayhem, Testimony>>BLASPHEMER [RUNE ERKSEN]>>Mayhem, Solo, Mezzerschmitt, Ava Inferi, Vltimas, Ruïm - Dimmu Borgir, Ved Buends Ende, Inferno, Cadaver Inc., Virus, Satyricon>>AGGRESSOR [CARL 'CZRAL' MICHAEL EIDE]>>Dimmu Borgir, Ved Buens Ende, Inferno, Cadaver Inc., Virus, Satyricon

Bass
Cadaver, Inferno, Dødheimsgard>>APOLLYON [OLE JØRGEN MOE]>>Inferno, Dødheimsgard

Drum
Emperor, Enslaved, 122 Stab Wounds, Gehenna, Orcustus>>Dirge Rep [Per Husebø]>>Orcustus, Gehenna, Craft, World Destroyer




History & Biography
The Norwegian thrashers were formed circa 1995 and didn't waste time talking to colleagues at Hot Records about releasing an EP called Dreams Like Deserts. 2001's Increased Damnation on Hammerheart Records is a mix of live, demo and tracks from an unfulfilled 1997 EP with the latter's tracks recorded with Fenriz of Darkthrone on vocals.

Apollyon and Aggressor toured North America with Cadaver Inc. in 2002.

Nocturno Culto and Fenriz of Darkthrone founded Tyrant Syndicate Records in collaboration with Peaceville Productions in 2004. The label's first release was Aura Noir's The Merciless. Live Nightmare On Elm Street was recorded live in 1996. Carl-Michael "Aggressor" Eide jumped, or fell, from the fourth floor of a building in Oslo while under the influence. The band had played the Inferno festival the day before. He was paralysed for several months and would lose the use of his feet. Drumming was a thing of the past obviously. The band released a new album, called Hades Rise, on August 25th of 2008.

Aura Noir was booked to tour the USA in 2011 with Marduk, HOD and others. Drummer Kristian Valbo (Black Magic) began drumming live for the band. He would leave in 2016, but rejoin in time for the regrouping 2022. Aura Noir released its next full-length album, Out To Die, on March 23rd, 2012 through Indie Recordings. The band again featured ex-Mayhem guitarist Rune Eriksen (a.k.a. Blasphemer). Shadowflag was performing at the Carpathian Alliance festival in Ukraine in mid-2017. Also playing were the likes of Shining, Aura Noir, Horna and Hate. The band ceased activities in 2020 only to return in 2022. here was to be the Nights Of The Possessed Festival at the end of 2023. The show saluted Hellish Crossfire’s bassist Sigi/Sick and featured groups like Cruel Force, Aura Noir, Die Hard, Mechanix and Desaster. Inculter was supporting Corroder and Aura Noir on the 20th anniversary for the last band's The Merciless release in 2024.

Apollyon and Aggressor have called their act "unholy black thrash" and alternated with even and odd number songs for instruments' duty.


Reviews

AURA NOIR - THE MERCILESS - TYRANT SYNDICATE
After a long absence Aura Noir are back for their third full-length with a line-up that again includes Mayhem's Blasphemer. The Merciless is the first release on Fenriz's new label and probably an obvious choice considering Fenriz had Aura Noir featured on his recent The Best Of Old-School Black Metal compilation. Unfortunately Blood Unity featured on the aforementioned Best Of sounded superior to anything found here. The songs on The Merciless are more basic and have less of the thrash metal influence than one might hope and expect. The opener Upon The Dark Throne reminds one of the earliest days of black metal, so do Condor, Black Metal Law, and Hell's Fire all the way to the penultimate song Sordid. Every song takes the listener back to the old days of Venom, Bathory and earliest works of Sodom. The only exception is the final and title track, Merciless which borrows and has more of the thrash metal sound and manages to raise the overall quality and speed of the album thus providing a highlight to end the CD. - Anna Tergel


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