Celestial Bloodshed

Hailing from Trondheim, Norway. Celestial Bloodshed are one of the old school style of raw primitive aural bombardment. There are no keyboards to temper the rabid jaws of the satanic hunger, no palette of colour, just black and white, flesh crawling BM. The guitars rip into the air like sharpened battle horns impaling the splintered shields of angels. The sound has a thicker core than the more fuzzy Darkthrone primitivisms, and yet both caustic styles share the same corpse painted, forest dwelling panoramic visions. The music is a journey into Hell with fast and slow songs, both merging to form a chilling aural plague.

Celestial Bloodshed - Cursed, Scarred And Forever Possessed
(from the album 'Cursed, Scarred and Forever Possessed' Debemur-Morti 2008)


Celestial Bloodshed
Vocals: Steingrim Torson (R.I.P. 1983-2009) (Grenjar, Miseria X, Selvhat, Jammerskrik, Unbeing, Kaosritual, One tail, One Head)
Guitar: Danilex Hegror, Sarath (live)
Bass: Azazil (live) (Kaosritual, Mørkekunst, Mare (Nor), Grenjar, Black Majesty)

Discography
- Mitt Rike (Demo), self-financed 2001
- Celestial Bloodshed EP, Apocalyptic Empire Records 2006
- Cursed, Scarred and Forever Possessed, Debemur-Morti 2008

Celestial Bloodshed - Live, Holland
(Willemeen, 16.01.2009 Arnhem, Holland)


Celestial Bloodshed interview (taken from Ravishing Grimness Blog).

- Can you give some band history for those who haven't yet heard of Celestial Bloodshsed - when and where was the band formed, who are the members, and why was this band brought into being?

W: The shadows called out and Celestial Bloodshed was spawned at the dawn of the new millennium with the aim to perform the dark arts of Black Metal. After the recording of the demo in 01' we went through different problems such as dealing with undedicated people, imprisonment, finding a steady vocalist/rehearsal place, etc. The usual shit. In year four, we found a worthy throat to handle the vocals and around the same time a founding member decided to escape into the world of humanity as we continued to go deeper into darkness. That darkness that manifested itself in the form of a 7" EP in year six, and now in the form of a full-length album on Debemur-Morti Productions .

The cursed are: S.v.F: Serpent's tongue, W: Strings, T: Hellhammers and K: strings.

- You hail from Norway, black metal's storied homeland. What is it about the place that conjures up so many black metal, and extreme metal in general, bands? Is it the society, the natural world, or some unknown factor?

W: I have no idea. Bad taste maybe, because 98% of the bands from Norway are shit nowadays.

- How did you first come upon the perfect musical formula for this band - the one that made you say, "Yes, THIS is Celestial Bloodshed"?

W: It was a feeling, the surroundings got darker and we just knew...

- How did your recent partnership with Moribund come about?

W: Debemur-Morti Productions who released our album here in Europe set it up.

- Tell me about Cursed, Scarred, and Forever Possessed, your new album.

W: Cursed, Scarred and Forever Possessed contains 7 hymns that deals with Darkness, Death, Hate, Blasphemy, depression, madness, pain and worship. This is presented in the form of mostly cold and aggressive songs, but with some slower parts to bring forth the madness and frustration that surrounds us at times.

- What is your writing/recording process like? Who handled production duties on the record?

W: Ideas are born through experiences and thoughts and brought forth before the band and then we work from that in different ways, not very interesting to read about anyway. Same goes for the recording process. H.Dalen from Brygga studios helped us with the recording and Tore Stjerna mastered it.

- Production on Cursed... is definitely very raw and "orthodox"-sounding, by black metal standards at least. Why do you choose to record your music in such a manner when there are a variety of modern techniques available that some say render low-fi recording more or less obsolete? I personally prefer the more DIY approach, as do many fans of this style, but I'm curious as to your reasoning behind using it.

W: We wanted a sound that suited the songs and feelings behind them, to create a atmosphere of....darkness.

- What sort of topics do you discuss in your lyrics? What is the underlying shared philosophy of the band, be it Satanic, pagan, atheistic, or something else?

W: The lyrics deals with subjects as: Death, Hate, Blasphemy, depression, madness, pain and worship. We have chosen the left hand path and struggle onwards. Vi är en manifestasjon mot det kristna samhället och männskligheten i sin helhet!!

- With a name like 'Celestial Bloodshed, 'one would not be hesitant to assume that the band is anti-Christian. What turned you against Christianity and organized religion? If you could send one message to the "believers" of the world, what would it be?

W: Where to start…their lies and false morals? They make weak sheep out of proud lions? Slaves out of kings? They are blind people who refuse to seek further than to their "god", refuse to look into the abyss. They hide behind their "god", book and holiness! And I can see traces of them everywhere and it disgusts me! The message? "No matter how your paradise is shaped, there will always be a certain snake" (not my words but the best I could think of right now that didn't involve Fuck, Kill, Die, Perish, Flames, Hate or off.)

- Without whom would Celestial Bloodshed not exist i.e. which bands, artists, and elements have influenced you in terms of this project?

W: Us and the call to do this.

- Who would you consider to be your musical peers? Do you follow the modern black metal scene at all? If so, what are your thoughts on its progression and adaptation of other musical styles over the past few years?

W: I don't spend my time thinking about such things. The only scene I follow closely is within our own Nidrosian circle, as there are too many bands and releases nowadays and very few good ones.

- What's next for the band after the release of Cursed...?

W: We will release a 7"ep called The Serpent's Kiss through Apocalyptic Empire Records and Terratur Possessions in near future and we are now working on a mini lp that will be out when the time is right. Also we hope to do more live rituals in the future.

Celestial Bloodshed - Truth Is Truth, Beyond God
(from the album 'Cursed, Scarred and Forever Possessed' Debemur-Morti 2008)


CELESTIAL BLOODSHED Frontman Shot To Death
Steingrim Torson, the 25-year-old vocalist of the Norwegian black metal band Celestial Bloodshed, died late Thursday night (April 30-May 1) of a shotgun wound to the stomach. A 20-year-old male, who has been described by the Norwegian media as Torson's "best friend," has been indicted for murder but reportedly maintains that the shooting was an accident.
The 20-year-old suspect "has no explanation of how the gun went off," his attorney, Morten Aalberg, told VG Nett. He told the police that the shot was fired at close range and that Torson fell backwards, but he can't recall any other details of the fatal episode, which happened in the suspect's apartment in Byåsen, a district in the city of Trondheim, Norway.
The news of Torson's death has shocked black metal scene in Trondheim, where the singer also resided. Adresseavisen on Saturday described Torson as a talented vocalist — and a warm and loyal friend.

Celestial Bloodshed
Homepage: http://home.no/mittrike
Myspace (fan page): www.myspace.com/celestialbloodshed
Encyclopaedia Metallum: www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=8904