Midnattsol

Not to be confused withMidnattssol.

Midnattsol
Midnattsol at theRagnarök FestivalinLichtenfels, Bavariain 2013
Background information
Origin	Ludwigsburg,Baden-Württemberg,Germany
Genres	Gothic metal,folk metal,symphonic metal
Years active	2002–present
Labels	Napalm
Members	Carmen Elise Espenæs Alex Kautz Daniel Fischer Stephan Adolph Liv Kristine
Past members	Christian Fütterer Christian Hector Fabian "Fabz" Pospiech Daniel Droste Birgit Öllbrunner Matthias Schuler Chris Merzinsky

Midnattsolare agothic/folk metalband from Germany. The band was founded in 2002 by Norwegian vocalist Carmen Elise Espenæs and German guitarist Christian Hector. The band's name is a modified spelling of the Norwegian wordmidnattssol,which means 'midnight sun'.

History

Founding andWhere Twilight Dwells(2002–2007)

Lead singer Carmen Elise Espenæs (born on September 30, 1983, inStavanger,Norway) had some kind of musical training in her native hometown, and began singing in some local non-professional bands, with whom she began writing her first songs at the same time.

In 2002, at the age of 19, Espenæs moved toLudwigsburg,Germanyand sought to develop a musical project. She stayed with her older sisterLiv Kristinewho, at the time, was inTheatre of Tragedy(a metal band). While Kristine was married toAlexander Krull,Espenæs collaborated frequently with their later bandLeaves' Eyes.

Simultaneously, Espenæs met guitarist Christian Hector and together founded Midnattsol. They intended to start working on a new project once they found like-minded musicians to join their band.

The other members of the first Midnattsol lineup were three of Hector's former bandmates in Penetralia, a gothic/black metal band fromMosbach,disbanded in 2001: drummer Chris Merzinsky, keyboardist Daniel Fischer and guitaristDaniel Droste(who replaced Christian Fütterer in 2003), while the bassist Birgit Öllbrunner (ex- Commander) was added slightly later.

With this formation, the band recorded a demo financed by themselves in 2003 (self-titledMidnattsol,containing two original songs) and got a record contract withNapalm Recordsin 2004, with which they released all their albums to date.Espenæs wrote most of the band's lyrics, and contributed to the musical composition.

Their first full-length album,Where Twilight Dwells,was released on January 31, 2005, and was produced by Alexander Krull. This work contains nine previously unreleased tracks, and includes the two songs re-recorded and renamed that appear in their 2003demo,as well as the same ghostlycover artworkby illustrator Ingo Römling. The sound is essentiallysymphonic metalwith influences fromfolk metalandpower metal.The band prefers to call their style "Nordic folk metal" because of the folk elements in their music and occasional Norwegian lyrics.Their lyrics are largely based onNorwegian folk tales.

On December 9, 2005, ZYX Music released the split video on DVDFeuertanz Festival 2005,with Midnattdol as the first act of six German bands that performed live on that show.

Nordlys(2008–2010)

Their next album,Nordlys,was released on March 28, 2008. After three years of the release of their well-received debut album, Midnattsol decided change direction and to compose an album with dark atmospheres in a melodic and heavy sound, influenced more closely by traditionalgothic metal.In contrast,Nordlysis little inspired by Nordicfolk metaland it is less introspective that its predecessor.

Particularly noteworthy is the experimentation in thesopranovocals of their lead singer Carmen Ellise Espenæs, as well as the extensive dedication in the guitar solos ofDaniel Drosteand Christian Hector. However, Hector (a founding member), left the group shortly after the release of the album in order to concentrate on his other bandAhab,a Germanfuneral doom metalband founded in 2004 by Hector and Droste. Hector was briefly replaced by Fabian Pospiech in the three live performances that made Midnattsol in Europe to promote the album.

The band won the "Best Hope" award at theMetal Female Voices Fest2009 due to the majority of votes by the fans. In spring 2010 they announced their return to the studio to record their third album, with updates for fans via studio reports onYouTubeposted on their officialTwitter.

The Metamorphosis Melody(2011–2017)

The third albumThe Metamorphosis Melodywas released on April 22, 2011. It was recorded with Alex Kautz as the new Midnattsol guitarist, who joined the band shortly after the release of their previous albumNordlysin 2008, replacing to Fabian Pospiech.

Later, guitarist and composerDaniel Drosteleft the band after the recording sessions for the album that finished in 2010 to focus solely on his own bandAhab.To replace him, joined Matthias Schuler as official member for the respective European promotional tour, made between April and October 2011.

The Metamorphosis Melodygoes back to its symphonic Nordic sound and includes some themes inspired by Norwegian folk tales, with soothing vocals coming from the voice of Carmen Elise Espenæs, but less operatic.

After a year and a half of inactivity, in April 2013 Midnattsol was invited for second time since 2010 to theRagnarök Festival,held inLichtenfels, Bavaria.

In June 2013 it was announced that Espenæs, withThe Sins of Thy Belovedmembers Anders Thue and Stig Johansen, formed the band called Savn.That band released a self-titled album in 2014. Meanwhile, Midnattsol was on a long break between 2013 and 2017.

The Aftermath(2017–present)

In March 2017, guitarist Stephan Adolph joined as a new member. Adolph had already worked with Midnattsol on their debut albumWhere Twilight Dwells.Previously, bassist Birgit Öllbrunner, drummer Chris Merzinsky and guitarist Matthias Schuler left the band for personal reasons before the recording sessions for the new album began at the end of 2017.

On December 14, 2017, it was announced thatLiv Kristinehad become the official second vocalist for Midnattsol, she was originally announced to be a guest on their new album but after some discussions, the band added her as a permanent member. Their fourth studio album,The Aftermath,was released on May 25, 2018.

Lyrically, in comparison to all its distant predecessors,The Aftermathhas much moreNordic folkinfluences, including gothic metal songs with a somber social content.

Meanwhile, Chris Merzinsky and Birgit Öllbrunner also play in thethrash/groove metalbandR:I:P,among other German groups.

Members

Singer Carmen Elise Espenæs

Current line-up

• Carmen Elise Espenæs – vocals (2002–present)
• Daniel Fischer – keyboards (2002–present)
• Alex Kautz – guitars (2009–present)
• Stephan Adolph – guitars, bass (2017–present)
• Liv Kristine– vocals (2017–present)

Former members

• Christian Fütterer – guitars (2002)
• Christian Hector – guitars (2002–2008)
• Fabian "Fabz" Pospiech – guitars (2008–2009)
• Daniel Droste– guitars (2003–2010)
• Birgit Öllbrunner – bass (2002–2017)
• Chris Merzinsky – drums (2002–2017)
• Matthias Schuler – guitars (2011–2017)

Timeline

Discography

Demo albums

• Midnattsol(2003)

Studio albums

• Where Twilight Dwells(2005)
• Nordlys(2008)
• The Metamorphosis Melody(2011)
• The Aftermath(2018)

Videography

Live DVDs

• En natt i Wieze(included as bonus DVD inThe Metamorphosis Melodylimited edition, 2011)

Music videos

• "Kong Valemons kamp" (2011)
• "Herr Mannelig" (2018)
• "The Purple Sky" (2018)

External links

• Official website
• Midnattsol at Metal Archives