Morgul

Morgul, the Norwegian black metal outfit, took shape in the Oslo suburb of Råde during the winter of 1990-1991. Its founding lineup featured drummer Hex alongside Jack D. Ripper, the latter handling guitar, bass, keyboards, and vocals; over time the multi-instrumentalist also performed under the names Charmock and J Maestro Discordia. Early demo recordings such as “Vargvinter” and “In Gowns Flowing Wide,” both issued in 1995, displayed a raw and misanthropic style that later gave way to a melodic yet still bombastic sound on the debut albums Lost in Shadows Grey (1997) and Parody of the Mass (1998). Hex departed around this period, after which Jack D. Ripper continued alone. The subsequent albums The Horror Grandeur (1999) and Sketch of the Supposed Murderer (2001), both issued by Century Media, ventured into eclectic post-black metal territory reminiscent of Ulver and Arcturus. That same spirit of independence carried into 2005’s All Dead Here…, which Jack D. Ripper tracked on his own before licensing the finished work to Season of Mist Records.