Mortem was originally known as the Norwegian cult band which preceded Arcturus.

Formed by Marius Vold & Steinar Sverd Johnsen in 1989, Mortem was one of the first black metal bands to crawl out of the woodwork in Norway, releasing the highly coveted & brutal 'Slow Death' demo, with Euronymous & Dead of Mayhem acting as producer & cover artist respectively (whilst also featuring Hellhammer on session drums). After the release of 'Slow Death', the band was laid to rest, with members going on to form & feature in acclaimed titans such as Arcturus & Thorns, both of which would become mainstays in the black metal scene & beyond. It wasn't until 2019, when Mortem's studio debut 'Ravnsvart' was released, & the magic of old undoubtedly returned with that same spirit & brutality of the original incarnation, whilst injecting new elements to form an opus of ferocious yet atmospheric horror. This was followed soon after by the fully re-recorded & re-worked 'Slow Death' tracks. And now Mortem returns with new ode to the dark, 'Morketid'. The album presents an expansion & marked progression over the debut, with brooding mid- paced monumental riffs interspersed with periods of hyperspeed black metal. The album presents eight tracks of savage yet eerie & also often epic Black Metal of the highest order, adorned with the indomitable keyboard textures of Sverd, along with Hellhammer's unmistakable percussive prowess, & the returning vicious snarls of vocalist Marius Vold.