The Kovenant
The Kovenant, the band known formerly as Covenant, has come a
long way since their early days.
As Covenant, this band released two albums, with the first
(
In Times Before The Night) a rather typical black metal affair,
and the latter
(
Nexus Polaris) widely regarded as a classic in the black metal
field, though by this time the band was broadening its style and
was already uncomfortable being labelled as black metal.
To avoid legal conflicts with a Swedish band also called Covenant,
the band decided to switch names to The Kovenant, but the change
did not end there.
Stripped to a trio, all of which took new stage names, the band
also made a stylistic change on the newer
Animatronic album,
taking a bit of the
Nexus sound
and combining it with a sort of spacey, industrial/techno blend.
Comparisons to bands such as
Marilyn Manson and
Rammstein
have been made (neither of which are completely valid, though one
can find some traces of both on
Animatronic) -- though
the new album is somewhat more accessible than its predecessor,
the shift isn't quite as drastic as others have claimed.
Not surprisingly, the change in image and sound sharply
divided fans, some of whom welcomed the new look and others who
wanted more of the
Nexus style.
Quiet for the next couple of years, The Kovenant decided on an
interesting move, opting to add modern effects (in keeping with
their current direction) to the In Times debut, essentially
releasing an updated, enhanced version of the album.
Finally, 2003 saw the release of their proper followup to
Animatronic,
in the form of S.E.T.I..
Their progression away from black metal is now complete, as the
band is now firmly in the techno/electronic metal arena, somewhat
like a cross between the recent albums of
Atrocity and
Theatre Of Tragedy.
Again, anyone expecting their recent material to sound anything
like Nexus Polaris might be disappointed, but their new
direction is intriguing, and S.E.T.I. is an interesting album
in a not so crowded field.
Discography
In Times Before The Light
1997
Mordgrimm
|
- Towards The Crown Of Nights
- Dragonstorms
- The Dark Conquest
- From The Storm Of Shadows
- Night Of The Blackwinds
- The Chasm
- Visions Of A Lost Kingdom
- Trough The Eyes Of The Raven
- In Times Before The Light
- Monarch Of The Mighty Darkness
|
|
|
Nexus Polaris
1998
Nuclear Blast
|
- The Sulphur Feast
- Bizarre Cosmic Industries
- Planetarium
- The Last of Dragons
- Bringer of the Sixth Sun
- Dragonheart
- Planetary Black Elements
- Chariots of Thunder
|
-
Lex Icon
-
Psy Coma
-
Astennu
-
Steinar Sverd Johnsen
-
Sara Jezebel Deva
-
Jan Axel Von Blomberg
|
|
Animatronic
1999
Nuclear Blast
|
- Mirror's paradise
- New world order
- Mannequin
- Sindrom
- Jihad
- The human abstract
- Prophecies of fire
- In the name of the future
- Spaceman
- The birth of tragedy
|
-
Lex Icon
-
Psy Coma
-
Jan Axel Von Blomberg
|
|
In Times Before The Light
2002
Hammerheart
|
- Towards The Crown Of Nights
- Dragonstorms
- The Dark Conquest
- From The Storm Of Shadows
- Night Of The Blackwinds
- The Chasm
- Visions Of A Lost Kingdom
- Through The Eyes Of The Raven
- In The Times Before Light
- Monarchs Of Mighty Darkness
|
|
|
S.E.T.I.
2003
Nuclear Blast
|
- Cybertrash
- Planet of the Apes
- Star by Star
- Via Negativa
- Stillborn Universe
- Acid Theatre
- Perfect End
- Neon
- Keepers of the Garden
- Pantomime
- Hollow Earth
- Industrial Twilight
|
-
Lex Icon
-
Psy Coma
-
Angel
-
Jan Axel Von Blomberg
|
|