Densaakaldte

Welcome to my totally unofficial fansite for the Black Metal supergroup Den Saakaldte.

Den Saakaldte means “The So-Called” and is the name of one of my favorite songs from the mid-1990s. “Den Saakaldte” the song came off of the Ved Buens Ende album “Written in Waters” and at the time I thought it was one of the freakiest things ever.

Now, I’ve heard freakier things since then, such as Shining. If you don’t know them, they’re a Norwegian band that mixes jazz, classical, and (of course) extreme metal in a way that is totally different from whatever you’re assuming that they sound like. When I saw them doing “21st Century Schizoid Man” with Enslaved for like a half hour or so straight, I think I may have wet myself.

Well, when I found out that members of Shining AND Ved Buens Ende were getting together, I was quite interested. When I heard that they were working with none other than Hellhammer himself, I made a note to check them out at all costs.

And when I read Sykelig’s ‘manifesto’ of sorts dedicating the band to “the paranoia, depression and alkohol influenced thoughts of the individual…as a meaning, stands for every person that is not or doesn’t feel a part of the ‘normal’ society”…well, I knew that I would forge a path through the ten thousand bitter powers and principalities of hell itself to experience the band for myself.

Okay, so there are a few links sprinkled around this site with things that I like on them. If you like this site, please click on them. They won’t hurt you or your computer, and they’ll give you info on things, which you might actually want to know. Either way, it just another way to get in the know!

Bio

Starting in 2006, Mikael Sykelig brought together members of various Norwegian Black Metal bands to form a particularly “sick and depressive” supergroup 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 Dodheimsgard, Ved Buen Ende, and Code) on bass, Jormundgand (also of Dodheimsgard) on keyboards, and the legendary Hellhammer (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. No online casino USA connection that I know of.

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 and online slots (no, not really).

On 14 April, 2008, the first album was released. Øl, mørke og depresjon (Beer, Darkness and Depression).

At the 2008 Inferno Festival 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. See our “News” page for more recent info.