Artist description The band orientated in the beginning to the traditional Black Metal style of the early nineties (like Marduk and Dark Funeral). Like these bands Orkus also used no keyboards for their songs and created their brutal music with the ?traditional? Metal cast. Gradually Orkus developed a style of their own. A melting of the aggression and speed of Black Metal with the grooves and riffs of Trash/Death Metal mixed together with the hymn-like refrains and melodies of Heavy Metal to an explosive Extreme Metal mixture. Orkus breaks this mixture up with some silent acoustic passages which also offers a short break for being able to take a breath.

Music Style Melodic Black Metal

Musical Influences Dark Funeral,Wald,Mephistopheles,Suidakra, In Flames, Soilwork, Dark Tarnquility,

Similar Artists Old stuff: Dark Funeral; New stuff: In Flames

Artist History Orkus was founded in winter 1996 by Jan, Mirco, Maik and Christoph. After furnished the rehearsal room the first rehearsals started in March 1997. In the beginning Mirco also took over the second guitar part besides doing vocals. After a short time he concentrated on doing vocals, because he was not able to arrange both and Orkus continued with one guitar. Soon the band remarked that a second guitar player had to strengthen the band. They found Christian who already did some lyrics for the band before. He also played bass at the Death Metal band Silence from Hennef (and also temporary for Endart). Since December 1997 the line-up was finally complete and the band started writing new songs intensively. In April 1998 Orkus did their first quite successful gig at the JZ in Hennef. In September 1998 Orkus recorded at the Endart rehearsal room their first demo ?At The Gate? conducted by Ingo Faust and Lars Schumacher. The 4-track demo contained 5 songs and was released in December 1998. Within a short period of time 200 copies were sold. Furthermore the band got their first record deal at the very young company Undercover records in Hessen. In 1999 several gigs followed. For example gigs together with Zarathustra and Alchera. They also wrote new songs and in December 1999 they recorded their debut album ?Thorns? at the Gernhart Studios in Siegburg. It was recorded within 6 days including 11 songs under direction of Kai Kneutgen and Martin Buchwalter. In additional 4 days Kai also did the mixing and mastering. After several problems in the year 2000 the album was finally released in February 2001. Furthermore they also did some gigs with Pagan Winter??.. At March 1st, 2001 the band separated from their guitarist Jan, because he was not able to play on the same level than the rest of the band members and he also did not brought in the band that much. Up to now Mirco is again taking over the second guitar in addition to his vocals part. After finishing the writing process for the second album Christoph left the band at September, 1st, 2001, because he needed too much time for his studies. He was replaced by Stephan Behr of Noctifer who is also responsible for the Internet site. In August 2001 the band was dropped by Undercover, because the label owner thought that the new material was ?too melodic and commercial?. In September they recorded a demo and they are still trying to get a new record deal.

Group Members Christian - Guitar Mirko - Guitar + Vocals Maik - Bass Stephan - Drums

Albums The Gate, Thorns

Press Reviews Rock Hard 12/2001 ORKUS `THORNS`: "Für meinen Geschmack sind Orkus so mit die besten Schwarzheimer, die Deutschland momentan zu bieten hat. Vor allen Dingen ist diese Platte verdammt abwechslungsreich: Zum einen gibt´s das genretypische Extrem-Gebretter, zum anderen arbeiten Orkus aber -ähnlich wie ihre Kollegen von Desaster- auch mit zahlreichen Elementen aus dem klassischen Metal-Bereich, verwursten einige richtig gute Thras-Riffs und haben im allgemeinen ein ziemlich gutes Melodiegespür. Das Songwriting hat jedenfalls Hand und Fuß, die Songaufbauten sind spannend, verlieren nie ihre Dynamik, und vor allem verstehen es Orkus, den von gesichtsloser Massenware geplagten Rock Hard Redakteur doch tatsächlich immer wieder zu überraschen. Vorhersehbar ist ihre Musik zu keinem Zeitpunkt. Klar über Image und Texte kann man streiten, aber insgesamt ist THORNS ein sehr gelungenes Debut. Hut ab und dafür ein donnerndes "Let s go orkus, let s go!" 8 von 10 Punkten Frank Albrecht

Location Hennef, NRW - Germany

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