Den Saakaldte

Starting in 2006, Mikael ?Sykelig? Siouzios brought together members of various Norwegian black metal bands to form a particularly ?sick and depressive? super-group project. Named ?Den Saakaldte? (?The So-Called?), after the 1995 track of the same name by experimental Norwegian band Ved Buens Ende, the original line-up featured Sykelig (of Naer Mataron and Paradigma) on vocals and guitars, Vicotnik (of Dødheimsgard, Ved Buens Ende, and Code) on bass...

Named ?Den Saakaldte? (?The So-Called?), after the 1995 track of the same name by experimental Norwegian band Ved Buens Ende, the original line-up featured Sykelig (of Naer Mataron and Paradigma) on vocals and guitars, Vicotnik (of Dødheimsgard, Ved Buens Ende, and Code) on bass, Jormundgand (also of Dødheimsgard) on keyboards, and the legendary Jan Axel ?Hellhammer? Blomberg (of Mayhem and numerous other bands) on drums.

Bass duties transferred from Vicotnik to Tor Risdal ?Seidemann? Stavenes (of 1349, Slavia, and others) at some point early in the recording of the first album.

The primary musical influences included seminal Norwegian bands Gorgoroth, Ulver, and Burzum, but Sykelig also named Thorns and My Dying Bride as somewhat inspirational to the sound. Undoubtedly Ved Buens Ende, the band that gave Den Saakaldte its name, also had some influence on the more experimental sounds.

While on tour with Dimmu Borgir, Hellhammer developed a crippling condition in his arm. The need for recovery (as well as numerous demands on his time) led to his replacement in Den Saakaldte by S. Winter (of Gehenna and Aeternus) who completed the unfinished drum tracks on the first album.

With the album nearly finished in the summer of 2007, Sykelig decided to concentrate on the guitars and recruited Niklas Kvarforth (from Shining) to take over on vocal duties.

On 14 April, 2008, the first album was released, Øl, Mørke Og Depresjon (Beer, Darkness And Depression).

At the Inferno Festival 2008 the band played their first gig to much acclaim, for the music as well as Kvarforth's freaky stage antics.

In January of 2009, the follow-up album All Hail Pessimism came out, immediately followed by another Inferno appearance on 7 February. The year saw increased touring and ended with preparations for a third album, as well as more lineup changes.

On 27 Mars, 2011, Niklas Kvarforth, vocalist and frontman of Den Saakaldte, announced that he would be quitting the band to focus on Shining.

The band has now introduced their new vocalist in the person of ?yvind ?Maztema? H?geland (Spiral Architect, ex-Arcturus, ex-Lunaris), as well as J. Folkedal (Koldbrann, ex-Sarkom) as their new drummer.