Artist description A Danish atmospheric melodic death/black metal band

Music Style Melodic death/black metal

Artist History Compos Mentis started playing in January 1996 and since then we have been experimenting with various kinds of metal. We started out as a Metallica jam band, with the line-up: Jesper on guitars and vocal, Ryan on guitars and Andreas on drums. Later Dan joined in on bass guitar. After a year or so we began listening to bands like Cradle of Filth, Dark Tranquillity, Withering Surface and Moonspell, so the style became more like melodic death/black. In the early spring 1999, after having recorded "Vulturous" and found out that keyboards sounded quite cool in our music, we were blessed with yet another member in our band: Bo joined in on keyboards. A few months later we were offered to participate on "Extremity Rising Vol. 4", a compilation disc from the Danish label Serious Entertainment (RIP). We recorded "Brave and Lonely" and "Extremity Rising Vol. 4" was released in the autumn of 1999. From the 14th till the 16th April 2000 we recorded a new four track-demo. This time in Aabenraa-Studiet with Jacob Hansen as producer. This demo-cd was released in the fall of 2000 under the name "Quadrology of Sorrow". So far "Quadrology of Sorrow" has been sent out to approximately 400 labels, magazines, and concert arrangers. We received good reviews and a couple of magazines interviewed us. Furthermore three labels have offered us a contract and we have now signed a two-album deal with Lost Disciple Records. During a period of eight days in the beginning of September we entered the Aabenraa-studie once again with Jacob Hansen and recorded our first full length album, "Fragments of a Withered Dream", which will be released on Lost Disciple Records in fall 2002.

Group Members Jesper Heinsvig - Vocal & Guitar, Ryan Kristensen - Guitar, Andreas Posselt - Drums, Bo Damgaard - Keyboard, Dan Damgaard - Bass

Instruments Guitar, Keyboard, Drums, Bass & Vocal

Albums Fragments of a Withered Dream, Quadrology of Sorrow

Press Reviews Compos Mentis was selected as demo of the year by the German magazine Ancient Spirit. This is what they wrote: The brilliant melodic - black - death does not have to come from Sweden, it might as well be from Denmark as it is proved by the young guys from COMPOS MENTIS on their unbelievable debut-cd. In the four tracks the Scandinavian quintet lights such a fire of feelings that I really do not know how to describe this hammer with words. The opening track "Divine Wrath" begins with a melodic riff before the great guttural vocals after only 5 seconds take care of the first exclamation mark. Apparently the good Jesper Heinsvig (g, v) puts his entire mental life into his screaming so that it gives the devoted listener the creeps. Luckily the brilliant music is not inferior to the vocals in any way and then double-barrelled harmony bursts connect with resolving accoustic guitars and discretely inserted keyboards that support the atmosphere even more. Brilliant! Not at all inferior, rather even more brilliant, "Beyond Salvation" follows, a track which beside tempo breaks arranges riffs like AMON AMARTH / EUCHARIST / HYPOCRITE and the familiar singing over the increased keyboard / piano background so that the band's own description "atmospheric melodic death metal" is perfectly translated. At this quality standard you might not even believe that this is only the band's second demo but so it is! The final "Visions Of Tragedy" deepens the present feeling even more and goes deeper into spherical worlds. Connected with the screaming, the accoustic guitars and the keyboard appear to be a uniform blend, which barely could be more beautiful and moving. Then wonderful piano and ecstatic melodic solos join the distorted part and raises COMPOS MENTIS into spheres which were reserved for only few bands until now. I cannot and will not accept the fact that this much too short demo ends with the incredibly relaxing piano piece "Till the End of Eternity" and therefore my finger is moved as if by a magic hand to the "repeat" button so that I am not already forced to leave this wonderful world again. Get yourselves this hammer for only 8 DM before it has been snapped up because with such songs and a demo sound which has been made perfectly by an expert like Jacob Hansen (ILLDISPOSED, AUTUMN LEAVES, WITHOUT GRIEF,...), it was necessary that the guys soon would pull a record deal through, which actually already has been done with the US label Lost Disciple Records. That's it!

Location Vojens, Jylland - Denmark

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