GONE … NEVER FORGOTTEN: TERJE ’VALFAR’ BAKKE (WINDIR) (SEPTEMBER 3, 1978 - JANUARY 14, 2004)

Terje "Valfar" Bakken (3 September 1978 – 14 January 2004) was the lead singer and founder of the Norwegian black metal band Windir. Windir was started as a one-man project, but it was expanded into a full band with the release of their third album, 1184. Valfar originally sang his lyrics in Sognamål, a dialect of Norwegian, but eventually switched to English.

On January 14, 2004 Valfar was caught in a snowstorm on his way to his family’s cabin. His body was found on January 17, at Reppastølen in the Sogndal valley. He had died of Hypothermia.

He was buried on January27, at Stedje church in Norway. After Valfar’s death the band broke up. Following his death the remaining band members went out to form number of new bands including Vreid, Mistur, Cor scorpii.

A compilation album containing Windir outtakes and B-sides, Valfar, ein windir, was released in 2004 as a tribute to Valfar.

On September 3, 2004. In Oslo, Windir’s remaining members performed their last concert to go back to their roots and keep base with what they thought was real.