Dissection (band)

Dissection
Dissection live in 2005
Background information
Origin	Strömstad, Sweden
Genres	Black metal, melodic death metal
Years active	1989–1997, 2004–2006
Labels	The End
Associated acts	Ophthalamia, Watain, Soulreaper, Cardinal Sin, Deathstars
Website	http://www.dissection.se/
Past members
Jon Nödtveidt Set Teitan Tomas Asklund

Dissection was a black metal band from Strömstad, Sweden. The band was formed in 1989, by Jon Nödtveidt. The band released its first EP in 1991. They disbanded in 2006, after Nödtveidt's suicide.

Band overview

In 1988, a thrash metal band by the name of Siren's Yell was formed in the Swedish town of Strömstad. Its members were Jon Nödtveidt, Ole Öhman, Peter Palmdahl, and Mattias Johansson. The group recorded a single demo before breaking up in 1989.

Nödveidt and Öhman continued on to play in the band Rabbit's Carrot, in which they claim to have never felt quite at home. Nödveidt was increasingly leaning towards death metal and other forms of dark extreme music.

Dissection was officially formed in the autumn of 1989 by Nödveidt, who had left Rabbit's Carrot. Dissection's line-up was not complete until early the next year, when John Zwetsloot joined the band as lead guitarist.

The Grief Prophecy

In 1990, Dissection played their first live show with death metal act Entombed. In the same year, they also recorded and released a demo entitled, The Grief Prophecy. It contained three songs and featured illustrations by the artist known as Necrolord, who later created most Dissection album artworks. A special edition of The Grief Prophecy was later released in memory of Dead, the former vocalist for the notorious Norwegian black metal group Mayhem, who committed suicide in 1991. The special release featured album art drawn by Dead himself. Dissection also played a live show in his honour, at which they performed the Mayhem song "Freezing Moon". The Grief Prophecy was soon spread through the underground.

Into Infinite Obscurity

The French record label Corpsegrinder Records offered Dissection a deal to record an EP. Later that year, Dissection accepted the deal and recorded Into Infinite Obscurity. The band continued to tour.

The Somberlain

In 1992, Dissection began work on a full-length album, The Somberlain. In summer 1993, due to coordination problems among members, the entire band moved to Gothenburg, Sweden, where they shared a rehearsal space with At the Gates). The album was finished and released the following December. It was formally dedicated to Euronymous, the then-guitarist of Mayhem, who had been murdered earlier that year. The group also appeared on a Peaceville Records' compilation CD.

Storm Of The Light's Bane

In November 1994, the band signed a record deal with the German record label Nuclear Blast. The following year, the band's second full-length album, called Storm Of The Light's Bane, was released.

Where Dead Angels Lie

In 1996, Dissection also released a short EP entitled Where Dead Angels Lie. It was compiled from previous rare and import releases, and contained only cover songs and demo tracks.

Rebirth

In 1997, lead singer Nödtveidt was arrested and charged with being an accessory to murder for his involvement in the death of the 38-year-old homosexual Algerian Josef Ben Meddour. Nödtveidt spent seven years in prison. Upon his release in 2004, he restarted the band.

Nödtveidt formed a new band line-up for Dissection, replacing all the former members of the band with new individuals. Dissection recorded one, two-track EP entitled Maha Kali and toured heavily with the The Rebirth of Dissection tour.

In 2006, Dissection released their third full-length album Reinkaos through their own label, in association with The End Records. Some members of the band followed the teachings of the Swedish organisation known as the Misanthropic Luciferian Order (MLO), now known as Temple of the Black Light. The lyrics in the Reinkaos album contain magical formulae from the Misanthropic Luciferian Order book, and are based on the organisation's teachings.^[1]

Breakup

In May 2006, shortly after the release of Reinkaos, the band announced plans to split following a short tour. The tour was scheduled to include two appearances in the United States, but these were eventually canceled after Nödtveidt was denied an entry visa to the country, due to his previous incarceration. The band played its final European concert in Stockholm on Midsummer, 24 June 2006. Some former members of Dissection have gone on to form other bands, also influenced by their beliefs based on the MLO.^[2]

Nödtveidt's death

Sometime between 14 and 16 August 2006, frontman Jon Nödtveidt committed suicide. He was found dead in his apartment on 16 August 2006.^[3] Nödtveidt's death was confirmed by the Swedish distributor Sound Pollution, whose staff worked with Dissection throughout the band's career. Media reports reported that the man's body rested next to a copy of The Satanic Bible. It was later confirmed by band member Set Teitan to in fact be a Satanic grimoire, which is believed to be copy of the Liber Azerate written by Frater Nemidal, leader of the MLO.

A posting on the Sound Pollution website stated: "RIP Jon Nödtveidt 1975-2006. Condolences from Sound Pollution & Black Lodge."^[4] The band also made an official statement upon Dissection's official website.

Involvement in MLO

The lead vocalist of Dissection, Jon Nödtveidt, was a member of the Misanthropic Luciferian Order founded in 1995.^[5] Nödtveidt was introduced to the organisation by close friends at a quite early stage.^[6][7]

Some members of Dissection were very involved in the Misanthropic Luciferian Order. Former bassist, Haakon Forwald of Disiplin, pulled out of Dissection, saying it was partly in order to concentrate on his esoteric studies.^[8]

Band members

Final line-up

• Jon Nödtveidt – vocals, guitars (1989–2006)
• Set Teitan – guitars (2004–2006)
• Tomas Asklund – drums (2004–2006)

Former members

Guitar

• Mattias "Mäbe" Johansson – (1990) (session live)
• John Zwetsloot – (1991–1994)
• Johan Norman – (1994–1997)

Bass

• Peter Palmdahl – (1989–1997)
• Emil Nödtveidt – (1997) (session live)
• Brice LeClercq – (2004–2005)
• Hakon Forwald – (2005)
• Erik Danielsson – (2005–2006) (session live)

Drums

• Ole Öhman – (1990–1995)
• Tobias Kjellgren – (1995–1997)

Discography

Studio albums

• The Somberlain (1993)
• Storm of the Light's Bane (1995)
• Reinkaos (2006)

Live, EP, and compilation releases

• Into Infinite Obscurity (EP) (1991)
• Where Dead Angels Lie (EP) (1996)
• The Past Is Alive (The Early Mischief) (1997)
• Live Legacy (live) (2003)
• Maha Kali (EP) (2004)
• Live in Stockholm 2004 (live) (2009)
• Live Rebirth (live) 2010

Demos

• The Grief Prophecy (1990)

Videography

• Live & Plugged Vol. 2 (VHS) (1997)
• Rebirth of Dissection (DVD) (2006)

References

1. ^ "dissection.nu". dissection.nu. http://www.dissection.nu/disc/reinkaos.htm. Retrieved 2011-02-10. 
2. ^ "Shaarimoth interview @". Tartareandesire.com. http://www.tartareandesire.com/interviews/shaarimoth.html. Retrieved 2011-02-10. 
3. ^ "Encyclopaedia Metallum - Dissection (Swe)". Metal-archives.com. http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=183. Retrieved 2011-02-10. 
4. ^ "Soundpollution web-butik". Soundpollution.se. http://www.soundpollution.se. Retrieved 2011-02-10. 
5. ^ "interview_mlo". Angelfire.com. http://www.angelfire.com/extreme/slayermagazine/interview_mlo2.html. Retrieved 2011-02-10. 
6. ^ http://www.rockdetector.com/officialbio,2631.sm;jsessionid=5F5A8147F967FA47D6F665E0886AF683^{[dead link]}
7. ^ ataman Tolovy. "METAL CENTRE Mailorder & Webzine: Online Shopping for CDs, LPs, T-SHIRTs, DVDs & more + News, Reviews, Interviews, Gallery etc. - 02/10/2011". Metalcentre.com. http://www.metalcentre.com/webzine.php?p=interviews&lang=eng&nr=123. Retrieved 2011-02-10. 
8. ^ Alternatives Musikmagazin - Whiskey-Soda. "Dissection-Bassist Haakon Forwald ist raus | Musiknews/Aktuelle Musiknachrichten - whiskey-soda.de | Musikmagazin fuer Metal, Rock, Gothic, Indie, Punk, HC, EMO und Alternative Musik". whiskey-soda.de. http://www.whiskey-soda.de/news.php?id=12247. Retrieved 2011-02-10. 

Further reading

• Black Metal Foundations Top 20: The First Wave. (2005). Terrorizer, 128, 42-43.

External links

• Official website
• Temple of the Black Light