COUNTRY: Norway
YEAR: 1995
STAND-OUT TRACK(S): Shairak Kinnummh, A Myth
STAND-OUT TRACK(S): Shairak Kinnummh, A Myth
but it wasn't until they considered that their material was strong enough that they chose their name. In May of the same year they entered the studio to record their eponymous demo: Black Seared Heart, the release of which made them a name on the lips of many in the underground scene. Not long after Sir Vereda left the band and was soon replaced by Dirge Rep on drums. Also at this time Svartalv joined the band as a permanent bass player, enabling the band to work on their material and forge the sound that is part of the mystery that is GEHENNA.
In February 1994 GEHENNA gave their first performance in public, and it was at this concert that Sarcana saw the band and contacted them with the view to becoming their keyboardist, to which the band duly agreed.
The band played their second gig at a Black Metal festival in Oslo, their performance gaining them great notoriety and favourable reviews in many magazines, notably the English publication Terrorizer.
The additional layer of emotion Sarcana's keyboards evoked in the music, gave the band further impetus in their songwriting, resulting in their entering the studio again to record First Spell, which was released on the Norwegian label Head Not Found. This recording was released as a compact disc, while the vinyl version was licensed to the Dutch label Damnation. In fact, it had been another Dutch label, Necromantic Gallery Productions, who had put out the first proper release by GEHENNA earlier in the year: That of a two-track 7" single consisting of songs taken from their debut demo. After this first release the band were signed by the cult English label Cacophonous Records, whose manager, Nihil, had seen their performance in Oslo and had been interested in them for some time. The band recorded their second album in the spring of 1995, which they chose to name Seen Through The Veils Of Darkness - The Second Spell, the vinyl version of which was licensed to the aforementioned Necromantic Gallery Productions, in a limited edition of 1000 copies.
The additional layer of emotion Sarcana's keyboards evoked in the music, gave the band further impetus in their songwriting, resulting in their entering the studio again to record First Spell, which was released on the Norwegian label Head Not Found. This recording was released as a compact disc, while the vinyl version was licensed to the Dutch label Damnation. In fact, it had been another Dutch label, Necromantic Gallery Productions, who had put out the first proper release by GEHENNA earlier in the year: That of a two-track 7" single consisting of songs taken from their debut demo. After this first release the band were signed by the cult English label Cacophonous Records, whose manager, Nihil, had seen their performance in Oslo and had been interested in them for some time. The band recorded their second album in the spring of 1995, which they chose to name Seen Through The Veils Of Darkness - The Second Spell, the vinyl version of which was licensed to the aforementioned Necromantic Gallery Productions, in a limited edition of 1000 copies.
/ The text above is from the amazing label, Darkness Shall Rise. Who have made fantastic vinyl reissues of 4 Gehenna releases.
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| Polish tape release from 1996 on Mystic Production |
The Gehenna is a historic valley that surrounds Jerusalem. The name originates from the Koine Greek transliteration (Γέεννα) found in the New Testament. It is first mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as part of the border between the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. Later, King Josiah made it a landfill, where a continuous fire burned; thus, in later rabbinic literature, Gehenna came to represent a place of punishment, where fire burns the sinners.
The album was recorded during February & March 1995. Produced & mixed at Soundsuite Studio. It was released in the autumn, on October 16, 1995.
OPINION: I love this album from start to finish, but for some reason it doesn’t get talked about as much as stuff released by Emperor, Satyricon, Immortal from this time period, and I have now idea why?! It’s violent, it’s has a ominous aura, it’s melancholic and beautifully dark.
