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Tiamat (band)

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Tiamat
Tiamat performing at Kavarna Rock Fest 2011
Tiamat performing at Kavarna Rock Fest 2011
Background information
Also known asTreblinka (1987–1989)
OriginTäby, Stockholm, Sweden
Genres
Years active1987–present
LabelsCentury Media, Nuclear Blast, Napalm
MembersJohan Edlund
Lars Sköld
Anders Iwers
Roger Öjersson
Past membersJörgen "Juck" Thullberg
Anders Holmberg
Stefan Lagergren
Niklas Ekstrand
Thomas Petersson
Johnny Hagel
Kenneth Roos
P.A. Danielsson

Tiamat is a Swedish metal band that formed in Stockholm in 1987 and led by Johan Edlund. The band went through a number of stylistic changes in their earlier releases before settling on gothic metal.

History

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Initially, the band had the name Treblinka and a style of black/death metal. After having recorded the album Sumerian Cry in 1989, guitarist/vocalist Johan Edlund and bassist Jörgen Thullberg parted ways with the other two founding members, and subsequently changed the name to Tiamat, after the Babylonian goddess representing the primordial sea and forebear to other gods. The Sumerian Cry album included re-recorded Treblinka songs and was released in June 1990. AllMusic refers to early Tiamat as "one of the leading lights in symphonic black metal."[3]

After the debut, Edlund's leadership would modify the band's style with influences ranging from Black Sabbath, Mercyful Fate, Candlemass, Pink Floyd and King Crimson, with Sumerian lyrical themes. H. P. Lovecraft's writings also appear to have influenced Tiamat's thematology, a development consistent with a broader trend in death metal culture.[4] Polish guitarist Waldemar Sorychta would produce and contribute instrumentation to many of the band's albums, as well as those by Tiamat's own tour and labelmates, including Moonspell, Rotting Christ, Lacuna Coil and Samael.

1994's critically acclaimed Wildhoney mixed raw vocals, slow guitar riffs and synthesizer sounds which sounded different from other extreme metal bands active at that time. An almost continuous forty-minute piece of music, Wildhoney led to the band's appearances at the Dynamo[5] and Wacken Open Air heavy metal festivals in 1995. The group would play a second gig at Dynamo two years later.

Tiamat performing in Krasnodar, Russia, May 2013

Upon the release of A Deeper Kind of Slumber in 1997, Edlund relocated from Sweden to Germany and declared himself the only permanent member of the band; all albums that would follow would cement the band into a more gothic rock sound, quite different from the extreme music they did in the years before, with recent albums showing a Sisters of Mercy and Pink Floyd influence.[6]

The band signed to Nuclear Blast in June 2007, and released their ninth album Amanethes on 18 April 2008.

On 10 August 2008, Thomas Wyreson announced that he was quitting the band, stating that "it's just kinda hard to make everything work with the family etc."[7]

Their song "Cain" was also featured in the 2004 video game Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines.

The band's tenth full-length studio album, The Scarred People, was released on 2 November 2012 through Napalm Records.

Members

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Timeline

Discography

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Studio albums

[edit]
Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales
SWE
[11] 		GER
[12] 		AUT
[13] 		BEL
[14]
Sumerian Cry
  • Released: 7 June 1990
  • Label: CMFT Productions
  • Formats: CD, LP, CS, DL
 — — — —
The Astral Sleep
  • Released: 1 September 1991
  • Label: Century Media
  • Formats: CD, LP, CS, DL
 — — — —
Clouds
  • Released: 2 December 1992
  • Label: Century Media
  • Formats: CD, LP, CS, DL
 — — — —
Wildhoney
  • Released: 25 October 1994
  • Label: Century Media
  • Formats: CD, LP, CS, DL
 — 29 — —
A Deeper Kind of Slumber
  • Released: 12 August 1997
  • Label: Century Media
  • Formats: CD, LP, CS, DL
 39 29 22 —
Skeleton Skeletron
  • Released: 11 August 1999
  • Label: Century Media
  • Formats: CD, LP, CS, DL
 56 19 47 —
Judas Christ
  • Released: 30 April 2002
  • Label: Century Media
  • Formats: CD, LP, CS, DL
 52 28 — —
Prey
  • Released: 27 October 2003
  • Label: Century Media
  • Formats: CD, LP, CS, DL
 — 83 — —
Amanethes
  • Released: 27 May 2008[16]
  • Label: Nuclear Blast
  • Formats: CD, LP, DL
 13 69 — —
The Scarred People
  • Released: 2 November 2012[17]
  • Label: Napalm
  • Formats: CD, LP, DL
 11 62 — 154
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Singles

[edit]
Title Year Album
"A Winter Shadow" 1990 The Astral Sleep
"Cold Seed" 1997 A Deeper Kind of Slumber
"Brighter Than the Sun" 1999 Skeleton Skeletron
"Vote for Love" 2002 Judas Christ
"Cain" 2003 Prey
"The Temple of the Crescent Moon" 2008 Amanethes
"Born to Die" 2013 The Scarred People

EPs

[edit]
Title EP details
Gaia
  • Released: 28 November 1994
  • Label: Century Media
  • Formats: CD
For Her Pleasure
  • Released: 8 November 1999
  • Label: Century Media
  • Formats: CD, DL

Live albums

[edit]
Title Album details
The Sleeping Beauty (Live in Israel)
  • Released: 5 April 1994
  • Label: Century Media
  • Formats: CD

Compilation albums

[edit]
Title Album details
The Musical History of Tiamat
  • Released: February 1995
  • Label: Century Media
  • Formats: CD
Commandments
  • Released: 26 February 2007
  • Label: Century Media
  • Formats: CD, DL
The Ark of the Covenant - The Complete Century Media Years
  • Released: 18 August 2008
  • Label: Century Media
  • Formats: CD

Video albums

[edit]
Title Video details Peak chart positions
SWE
[18]
The Church of Tiamat
  • Released: 24 April 2006
  • Label: Metal Mind Productions
  • Formats: DVD
 5
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Music videos

[edit]
Year Title Directed Album
1992 "Sleeping Beauty"
—
 Clouds
1995 "Whatever That Hurts"
Tamara Jordan
 Wildhoney
"Gaia"
Tamara Jordan
1997 "Cold Seed"
Tamara Jordan
 A Deeper Kind of Slumber
1999 "Brighter Than the Sun"
Doro Film
 Skeleton Skeletron
2002 "Vote for Love"
Alexander Detig (Sound & Vision Film, Video & Media GmbH)
 Judas Christ
2003 "Cain"
Patric Ullaeus (Revolver Film)
 Prey
2003 "Do You Dream of Me?"
Eugen Erhan
 Wildhoney
2012 "The Scarred People"[19]
angst-im-wald
 The Scarred People
2013 "384"
Ioanna Lampropoulou[20]
"Love Terrorists"
Johan Edlund, Ioanna Lampropoulou[21][22]
"The Red of the Morning Sun"

References

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  1. ^ Hickman, Langdon. "A Pocket-Sized Sun: Tiamat's "Wildhoney" Turns 25". Invisible Oranges. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  2. ^ Henderson, Alex. "Amanethes:Overivew". Allmusic. Retrieved 5 October 2009.
  3. ^ Huey, Steve. "Tiamat - Music Biography, Credits and Discography : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 September 2012. Over the course of the 1990s, Sweden's Tiamat evolved from a typical death metal outfit into one of the leading lights in 'symphonic' black metal.
  4. ^ "H.P.Lovecraft and Death Metal (4th update) | overground scene". Overgroundscene.wordpress.com. 26 January 2009. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  5. ^ "MusicMight - Unique, Detailed Biography MusicMight". Archived from the original on 26 June 2009. Retrieved 26 December 2008.
  6. ^ Huey, Steve. "allmusic ((( Tiamat > Biography )))". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 26 December 2008.
  7. ^ bravewords.com. "Guitarist Thomas Wyreson Leaves TIAMAT". Bravewords.com. Archived from the original on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 26 December 2008.
  8. ^ a b "Tiamat: Dark Tranquillity Keyboardist, Talisman Guitarist To Join Touring Lineup". Blabbermouth.net. 2 November 2004. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  9. ^ "Dark Tranquillity's Martin BrÄndstrÖm To Tour With Tiamat". Blabbermouth.net. 19 January 2009. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  10. ^ "Tiamat, Pain To Embark On European Tour". Blabbermouth.net. 20 July 2002. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  11. ^ Steffen Hung. "Swedish Charts Portal". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  12. ^ "Die ganze Musik im Internet: Charts, Neuerscheinungen, Tickets, Genres, Genresuche, Genrelexikon, Künstler-Suche, Musik-Suche, Track-Suche, Ticket-Suche". musicline.de. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  13. ^ Steffen Hung. "Austria Top 40 - Hitparade Österreich". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  14. ^ "Ultratop Belgian Charts". ultratop.be. 24 November 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  15. ^ "Sludge Scan For March 2000 | Metal Sludge". Metalsludge.tv. Archived from the original on 11 August 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  16. ^ Alex Henderson (27 May 2008). "Amanethes - Tiamat | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  17. ^ "The Scarred People - Tiamat | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  18. ^ "Sverigetopplistan - Sveriges Officiella Topplista". Sverigetopplistan.se. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  19. ^ "Tiamat: 'The Scarred People' Video Released". Blabbermouth.net. 12 October 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  20. ^ "Tiamat: '384' Video Released". Blabbermouth.net. 28 February 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  21. ^ "Tiamat: 'Love Terrorists' Video Released". Blabbermouth.net. 28 April 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  22. ^ "Tiamat - Release New Video". Metal Storm. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
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