Aura Noir is the ultimate Black/Thrash band, featuring the best elements of Norwegian Black Metal +neo-80's styles, in an uncompromising attack! This is a band that gives a new definition to the word intense - pure aggression, a total Metal slaughter, no compromise, and only 100% pure steaming Thrash - that is Aura Noir... Prepare for attack!
Aura Noir was formed with the intent on creating music even stranger than it's founding member, Aggressor's main band Ved Buens Ende (an avantgarde band with melancholic Black metal tones.) Apollyon was asked to join the band in order to help him with guitar duties. They recorded the "Two Voices, One King" demo. After some time had passed they then decided to forego the strange direction they were headed in. They pulled a U-turn straight back to the Thrash metal hayday of the eighties.
In 1995 the band released "Dreams Like Deserts" on Hot Records, run by Shagrath of Dimmu Borgir. On this MCD the band performed six tracks of blackened Thrash metal. Aggressor and Apollyon mix things up by switching instrument duties between songs. They play guitar and take over vocals on the songs they write. Aggressor performing odd numbered tracks and Apollyon on the odd numbered tracks. On the songs they do not write, they play the drums. The material on "Dreams Like Deserts" calls to mind bands such as Slayer and Kreator, but with a modern Norwegian blackmetal twist. Aura Noir was one of the first bands to combine 90's Black metal with a thrash edge, thus coining the term "retro-thrash".
Down the road to hell, Blasphemer from Mayhem was asked to fill in for live shows since Aura Noir was a two-person band. Blasphemer then joined the band and they released their first fullength album "Black Thrash Attack" on the german label Malicious Records. "Black Thrash Attack"; retro blackened Thrash metal! "Black Thrash Attack"'s sound was not drastically different from their first release, but the material was more aggresive and played with much more originality and skill than the majority of the "retro-thrash" scene. With problems concerning tour support between the band and Malicious Records, Aura Noir left the label and then signed to Hammerheart Records. In 1998 they released "Deep Tracts of Hell". The songs showed that a band could be influenced by 80's Metal and still make an album that didn't stagnate in that decade. The songs on this album have more of a raw Black metal sound and are slightly more complex than from their previous releases. Apollyon and Aggressor again add more variety to the overall scope of the album by switching instrument and writing duties between the songs. Blasphemer did not perform with the band on "Deep Tracts..." as he left the band because of commitments with Mayhem on their US tour.
After the release of "Deep Tracts of Hell", Aura Noir embarked on a monster European tour with labelmates Nocturnal Breed and Aeternus. Following the tour, Apollyon and Aggressor performed with Dødheimsgard on "666 International" and also joined Cadaver Inc. The long rumoured "Increased Damnation" album saw the light of day in 2000 AD. "Increased Damnation" is a collection of demo, unreleased, hard to find, and live tracks. During 2001, the band planned on recording a new album with Dirge Rep (Enslaved) on drums, but circumstances prevented the band from playing at this capacity.
The years 2001-2002 were a very busy time for all the members of Aura Noir. Both Aggressor and Apollyon toured Europe and the United States with their other full time band Cadaver Inc. Aggressor (aka Czral, aka Carl Michael) also created Virus, "VIRUS is more of an eccentric rock band than a metal band. People have said it sounds like a mixture of TALKING HEADS and VOIVOD. VIRUS is linked musically to my old band VED BUENS ENDE, but should'nt be looked upon solely as its predecessor."
Apollyon has been started a yet unnamed band with Einar Sjurso of Beyond Dawn that plays a mix of experimental rock and a number of things. There are also talks of a Lamented Souls album, and even Infernö recording again! Blasphemer has rejoined Aura Noir as both a live and recording member. "Mezzershmitt", his solo project is under way, and should be unleased by the end of 2002. Between all the side-projects and tours, the unholy trinity of Aura Noir have performed a few live shows, and will definitely record a new album in the future...when this evil shall be unleashed is uncertain.
