1349 – U.S. Shows Announced

Norwegian black metal act 1349 have announced a short trek of headlining U.S. dates. The shows will also feature Pulchra Morte and are listed below.

5/13 Greenville, SC @ The Radio Room
5/14 Nashville, TN @ Little Harpeth Brewing
5/15 Lexington, KY @ Cosmic Charlie’s
5/16 Munster, IN @ Dark Lord Day Festival (1349 only)

“1349 took their name from the year in which the black death epidemic arrived on Scandinavian shores. Born in 1997 from the remains of black metal quartet Alvheim, 1349 featured vocalist and drummer Olav “Ravn” Bergene, guitarist André “Tjalve” Kvebek, and bassist Tor Risdal “Seidemann” Stavenes. Second guitarist Idar “Archaon” Burheim would join two years later, in time to perform on 1349’s second demo (titled “Chaos Preferred”) in 2000, and the ensuing eponymous 2001 EP, which established the band’s sound as a single-minded throwback to the devastating style of black metal that made Norway the movement’s focal point in the early ’90s. 1349 made another connection to that seminal period when they recruited Satyricon drummer Kjetil Vidar “Frost” Haraldstad — to allow vocalist Ravn to roam free on-stage — which contributed to the band’s burgeoning reputation both as players and as performers, thanks to the usual black metal accoutrements. A trio of career-affirming albums followed, namely 2003’s Liberation, 2004’s Beyond the Apocalypse, and 2005’s Hellfire, paving the way for a U.S run (with a different drummer since Frost was denied entry due to a criminal record) supporting the reunited Celtic Frost, and a few years of dedicated touring and major European festival appearances. In 2006, Tjalve left the band to pursue other projects. After several years off, 1349 got back to the business of recording via 2009’s Revelations of the Black Flame album. It marked a radical departure in their sound. Produced in partnership with Celtic Frost icon Thomas Gabriel Fischer, he replaced much of the band’s old-school black metal with slower ambient and semi-industrial sounds, outraging most fans.” – All Music