Black Metal - Sweden
OTARGOS have honed their weapons. With “No God – No Satan” the Bordelais burn their mark deeply into the flesh of the French scene. Dissecting, slicing and recombining the musical DNA of Black Metal, OTARGOS take aim at the barbed wired crown of the dark genre with their fourth full-length. Spewing forth hate filled contempt, the French achieve exactly the right balance between industrial coldness, fierce attacks and torturously creeping malevolence. OTARGOS will make you stare into the pitch black abyss of cosmic finitude with a sardonic smile…
Spawned in the Black Metal underground of Bordeaux, the band is founded by singer and guitarist Dagoth and R. F. Lord Mysterium behind the drum kit during the heat blazed summer of 2001. Only a little later a bassist is found in the person of XxX. Always eager to attack the stage the band has several performances even before their first demo “Conquerors, Conqueros? Destroyers” is out in the year 2002. This 4-tracker contains pure Black Metal exclusively. With Kernuun a second guitarist is added to the line-up, which takes the sound possibilities and powerful drive of OTARGOS to new dimensions.
Quickly gaining a reputation as an excellent live act, OTARGOS are invited to open for established bands like BELENOS, ENTHRONED, MALLEUS MALEFICARUM, SETH and YATTERING already in 2003. During the same year the French record their second demo “Codex-666, Infernal Legions Strike”, which earns them a first record deal. In 2004 Lord Mysterium decides to leave, while OTARGOS prepare their debut album and Arkhamian takes over his drum stool. “Ten-Eyed Nemesis” appears in the year 2005. This first full-length remains true to essential Black Metal without trendy keyboards or fashionable female vocals. Despite the immediate success of their debut in the underground scene, Kernuun drops out and is replaced by Astaroth as new guitarist.
Due to high demand OTARGOS release the compilation “Spawn From The Abyss” including both by now sold out demos as well as bonus material in the year 2006. Not content to remain on trodden paths the Bordelais explore new musical horizons on their second full-length “Kinetic Zero” (2007). OTARGOS gain even more critical acclaim for these destructive sonic outbursts, which plunge into the total chaos of matter, time and space. Dagoth focuses his lyrical attention on cosmology and a dark vision of humanity facing the consequences of its own creation: religions. OTARGOS are determined to leave the classical Satanistic concept of Black Metal behind. At this time Arkamian bails out of the drum seat, but with Ranko (Artefact) a more than worthy replacement is soon found as the troupe continues to exist essentially as a live band.
With OTARGOS’ inspirational base firmly remaining within Black Metal it has never been and is still not the intention of Bordeaux’ finest to re-invent the genre not to become the fastest, hardest or most brutal exponents of this style. Yet OTARGOS beg to differ. Their intelligent lyrics are circling around a profound philosophy of cosmology and complete atheism, the inexistence of life or death in a quantum world, where humanity’s weakness is exposed in the fractal particularity of the “multiverse”.
Come summer 2008, OTARGOS enter the Cox in Hell and Stormlab studios to record their new masterpiece “Fuck God-Disease Process”, which takes their native France by storm. Taking their lyrical and musical concept to a new level, OTARGOS are now joining forces with Season of Mist Underground Activists to spread “Fuck God-Disease Process” to the world. To achieve their goals the band decides to change drummer again and recruits Thyr.
With a great response to their first internationally release album the French are quickly preparing for their next strike. Even the demo version of “No God – No Satan” is already so impressive that a new deal with Season of Mist gets inked before the album is finished. As it turns out “No God – No Satan” evokes a quantum leap on every level from songwriting via originality to sound. A dark and impressive clip in the shape of a short film for the song “Cloning the Divine” captures a lot of attention and the album receives much acclaim by critics and fans alike. Riding on a wave of success OTARGOS embark on a tour throughout Europe with label mates WATAIN and DESTRÖYER 666 in autumn 2010. To be continued…
This band is no longer active on Season of Mist.
French Black metallers OTARGOS present the video clip for “Worship Industrialized”, a song from last year’s “No God No Satan” album. The clip was directed by Federico Anastasi (Undeci | Decimi), who had already crafted the video for “Cloning the Divine”.
French black metallers OTARGOS just finished filming a new video clip for the “Worship Industrialized” song, taken from last year’s “No God No Satan” album.
In the wake of the release of their new album “No God No Satan” due next week, French black metallers OTARGOS will join fellow label mates WATAIN and DESTRÖYER 666 on the Reaping Death Tour 2010.
As previously announced, French black metallers OTARGOS will release their fourth album on August 30th (September 14th in North America) on Season of Mist Underground Activists. Download the “Cloning the Divine” song for free here!
As previously announced, French black metallers OTARGOS will release their fourth album on August 30th (September 14th in North America) on Season of Mist’s Underground Activists division. Here are the cover artwork and tracklisting of “No God, No Satan”:
