Abigor

Abigor emerged in 1993 as an Austrian black metal trio assembled by T.T., P.K., and Tharen. Following a string of early demos, Tharen departed and Silenius joined, after which the group completed another recording, “Hate & Sin,” shortly before securing a deal with Napalm Records. Their first album, Verwustung / Invoke the Dark Age, arrived in 1994. The record quickly marked Abigor as a committed and authentic presence in black metal, setting the band apart from the wave of acts that appeared worldwide in the shadow of Scandinavian publicity. Between 1994 and 2000 the group proved remarkably productive, issuing eight full-length releases. Among the strongest were the 1995 album Nachthymnen (From the Twilight Kingdom) and the 1996 two-part work Opus IV, whose sections “Horns Lurk Beyond the Stars” and “Blut Aus Aeonen” were tracked in late 1995 and early 1996. Personnel stayed constant until Channeling the Quintessence of Satan in 1999, when Thurisaz replaced Silenius—who later founded Summoning—on vocals. T.T. exited the following year after personal disagreements with his bandmates and was succeeded by Moritz Neuner. The new lineup then recorded the EP In Memory and the album Satanized (A Journey Through Cosmic Infinity), issued in March 2001.