| Norway's Aura Noir was formed in 1993 by Aggressor & Apollyon in pursuit of a more thrash-based form of black metal than much of what was coming out at the time - particularly in their homeland - citing bands such as Slayer, Sodom & Kreator as inspirations along with purveyors of the scene such as Venom, for a dirtier, stripped down, violent black/thrash metal sound. Their first official release was the 'Dreams Like Deserts' EP on Hot Records in 1994, and from there-on the band has become a cult act. Deep Tracts of Hell was Aura Noir's second album, & was originally released in 1998, taking the ferocity displayed on their debut to greater heights, with Apollyon & Aggressor each sharing drums, guitars & vocal duties between tracks. The song 'Blood Unity' was even selected by Darkthrone's Fenriz for his 'The Best of Old-School Black Metal' compilation, alongside Bathory, Venom, Celtic Frost, Mayhem & others. This edition of 'Deep Tracts of Hell' has been newly re-mastered with the assistance of the band in Oslo, & also includes 2 tracks, Mirage & The Rape. All members of Aura Noir have had illustrious careers to date, with Carl-Michael Eide (Aggressor) currently heading the twisted prog band, Virus, Apollyon is the present bassist in Immortal, & having being Mayhem's guitarist & main writer for a long period, Blasphemer currently plays in atmospheric doom act, Ava Inferi. Aura Noir is considered the top black/thrash act in the scene, with continued live activity planned featuring the return of Aggressor to the live line-up, having been out of action for several years. |
