Biography
Octavia Sperati stand out as an uncommon all-female group whose sound some have placed in the doom metal category. Rather than functioning as any feminine counterpart to YOB, Grief, or Saint Vitus, the Norwegian unit actually occupies territory between goth metal and goth rock. Sabbath’s imprint surfaces primarily through the guitar and bass work, while lead vocalist Silje Wergeland draws closer parallels to the styles heard in Black Tape for a Blue Girl and Diva Destruction than to Ozzy Osbourne or the singers fronting Eyehategod, Orange Goblin, and Goatsnake. More fitting points of reference appear with Italy’s Lifend and Greece’s Astarte, both goth-tinged ensembles fronted by women, yet Octavia Sperati steer clear of death metal and black metal altogether and favor Wergeland’s airy delivery over the guttural extremes typical of those genres.
The band came together in Bergen, Norway, at the start of 2000 when bassist Trine Johansen joined forces with guitarists Bodil Myklebust and Gyri S. Losnegaard plus vocalist Wergeland, who shares the Scandinavian ease with singing in clear English. A drummer was still needed until Horgh, then of Hypocrisy and previously Immortal and Grimfist, pointed them toward his girlfriend Silje Royseth. Tone Midtgaard took over as primary keyboardist in 2001, relieving Wergeland of dual keyboard and vocal duties. Later that year Royseth exited and Hege Larsen, formerly of the Norwegian band Östblokk, stepped in.
A self-financed demo titled Guilty was tracked in 2002, followed by additional sessions in October 2003 that received Norwegian government backing. Further recording took place in 2004 after the group signed with Candlelight Records, and the accumulated material formed the debut album Winter Enclosure. Its production credits include Herbrand Larsen and Arve Isdal, both associated with the Norwegian black metal and death metal outfit Enslaved. Candlelight, the British label that maintains an office in the Philadelphia area, issued Winter Enclosure across Europe in May 2005 and in the United States the following month.
The band came together in Bergen, Norway, at the start of 2000 when bassist Trine Johansen joined forces with guitarists Bodil Myklebust and Gyri S. Losnegaard plus vocalist Wergeland, who shares the Scandinavian ease with singing in clear English. A drummer was still needed until Horgh, then of Hypocrisy and previously Immortal and Grimfist, pointed them toward his girlfriend Silje Royseth. Tone Midtgaard took over as primary keyboardist in 2001, relieving Wergeland of dual keyboard and vocal duties. Later that year Royseth exited and Hege Larsen, formerly of the Norwegian band Östblokk, stepped in.
A self-financed demo titled Guilty was tracked in 2002, followed by additional sessions in October 2003 that received Norwegian government backing. Further recording took place in 2004 after the group signed with Candlelight Records, and the accumulated material formed the debut album Winter Enclosure. Its production credits include Herbrand Larsen and Arve Isdal, both associated with the Norwegian black metal and death metal outfit Enslaved. Candlelight, the British label that maintains an office in the Philadelphia area, issued Winter Enclosure across Europe in May 2005 and in the United States the following month.
Albums