The evil roots date back several years. Nattsvargr was formed under the name Nocturnal Abyss in the Autumn of 1999 by Noctir (vocals, bass, drums) and Sin (guitar). Their primary influences were 80s bands such as Venom, Slayer, Bathory, etc. They wrote several songs and then recruited a superior drummer, Magnus. Noctir and Sin wrote all the music and Noctir also penned all of the lyrics. A short time later, the At One With Evil E.P. was recorded and distributed in limited number, available as a cassette only. Several shows were played in the eastern half of the United States. Just as the band had begun to build a little momentum, Sin unexpectedly disappeared. Things were put on hold at that time. He finally returned the following summer. They then picked up from where they left off, with Sin also handling bass guitar duties. They continued playing a few shows and spent a great deal of time working on material for the Rites of the Black Moon full-length that they intended to release themselves. Sin had personal problems and lost his home. Halfway through the recording, he disappeared forever. Magnus grew tired of the music scene and left the band as well. The album was abandoned. Noctir went on to DJ a specialty radio show, "The Abyss", featuring mostly underground Metal.
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In late Autumn/early Winter 2002, Noctir was contacted through "The Abyss" by local musicians with a similar dedication to the old bands, such as Morbid. He was joined by Mutilator and Ghoul, on guitar and drums, respectively. The style had shifted to a much more Second Wave Black Metal sound, being very cold and minimalist, with Noctir and Mutilator writing all music. Material for a six song mini-album was written and rehearsed. The scheduled recording did not take place because the other members had a primary band that was monopolizing their time and Noctir abruptly left for Europe and would not return to the United States for some time. While in Sweden, he wrote and recorded a demo, titled The Freezing Darkness in complete solitude. The band was then put on ice, but not dead, while Noctir then focused on Blackmoon.
In late 2005, Noctir returned to the US and Nocturnal Abyss was resurrected, under the name Nattsvargr. The search for suitable musicians was long and difficult. In early 2006, Noctir was joined by Drakul and convinced Magnus to return. The material from the aborted 2003 E.P. was finally recorded but not released as Drakul left to focus on a Doom Metal project. An injury prevented Magnus from playing the style necessary for the music, so he left the scene for good. Finally, in the Winter months of 2007 Werewolf joined the fold and the writing process began. By midsummer, the Morbid Night of Melancholy demo was recorded and released.
By the end of summer and into the autumn months of 2008, recording began for the upcoming Nattsvargr L.P. Noctir and Werewolf were joined by Themgoroth (ex-Dark Funeral, ex-Infernal) on bass. By the end of winter, the Winds of Transilvania album was finally released. A number of problems plagued this recording and the band sought to re-renter the studio as soon as possible. The resulting tracks appeared on the Dawn of a New Age split release. By late 2009, the band began work on its sophomore effort.
In March 2010, Nattsvargr's second full-length album, Vinterblod, was released on Nocturnal Abyss Records. This L.P. witnessed the realization of the band's cold and minimalist sound and was the definitive statement from the Noctir and Werewolf.
The graves are soon to open....