Gorgoroth

Gorgoroth is a Norwegian black metal band formed in Bergen in 1992 by guitarist Infernus, who has remained the band's sole constant member throughout its history. Named after the dark plateau of Mordor in J. R. R. Tolkien's «The Lord of the Rings», the band emerged from the second wave of Norwegian black metal alongside acts like Mayhem and Darkthrone, and became known for uncompromising, raw riffing and explicitly Satanic lyrical themes.

Over nine studio albums, Gorgoroth developed a reputation for intensity both musically and theatrically, with stage shows featuring extreme imagery, inverted crosses and, most notoriously, impaled animal heads and crucified nude models at a 2004 concert in Kraków, Poland, that drew international controversy and legal consequences. The band's lineup has been famously unstable, cycling through numerous vocalists, drummers and bassists over the decades, and it was also the subject of a bitter legal dispute over rights to the band name.

Despite the turmoil, Gorgoroth remains one of the defining names of Norwegian black metal, respected for its unrelenting sound and its role in shaping the genre's extreme aesthetic. Albums such as «Pentagram», «Antichrist» and «Twilight of the Idols» are frequently cited among the genre's essential releases, and Infernus's guitar work continues to anchor the band's identity through lineup changes.