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Djevel
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Key Information
Djevel (en.: Devil) is a Norwegian black metal band—initially a solo project by Trånn Ciekals—active from 2009–2025.
Biography
[edit]Djevel was founded in 2009 by Trånn Ciekals after he left his former band Ljå. Ciekals named the band after last song of Ljå's album Til avsky for livet (In loathing of life), titled "Gjort til Djevel" (Made a devil).[1] Originally intended to be a solo project, it became a full band after Erlend Hjelvik and Lloyd "Mannevond" Hektoen joining in 2011.[2][3][4]
Djevel released their first album Dødssanger (Songs of death) on 13 June 2011. Anders "Hjorth" Mosness played the drums on it as a session member.[5]
In 2012, Per "Dirge Rep" Håvarstein (Gehenna, Enslaved) joined the band as a full-time drummer. Djevel released Besatt av maane og natt (Possessed by moon and night) on 14 June 2013,[6] Saa raa og kald (So raw and cold) on 29 April 2015 and Norske ritualer (Norwegian rituals) on 11 November 2016. The third track of Norske ritualer included a guest appearance on vocals by Ørjan "Hoest" Stedjeberg and was recorded by Eirik "Pytten" Hundvin.
In 2017, vocalist Hjelvik and drummer Dirge Rep left the band. Bassist Mannevond started doing the vocals, and Bård "Faust" Eithun replaced Dirge Rep.
Djevel released their fifth album Blant svarte graner (Among the black spruces)—a concept album about Black Death—on 23 March 2018.[7][8] It was followed by the EP Vettehymner (Hymns of the wights), which included acoustic guitar versions of 5 early songs and one new song played by Ciekals, and the full-length album Ormer til armer, maane til hode (Arms of serpents, head of moon), which was released on 18 October 2019.
In 2020, vocalist and bass player Mannevond left the band to focus on Koldbrann, and was replaced by Eskil "Kvitrim" Blix. [9] Mannevond returned to the band following year as a live member on bass, and ultimately left in 2024.[10]
Djevel released Tanker som rir natten (Thoughts that haunt the night) on 14 May 2021, Naa skrider natten sort (Now the black night advances) on 23 November 2022 and Natt til ende (Night to the end) on 15 November 2024. These albums form a night-themed trilogy.[11][12]
Ciekals dies, band dissolves, a final album (2025)
[edit]Trånn Ciekals died on 7 February 2025 from unknown causes.[13][14] In March, the band announced they will perform the planned two gigs on 21 and 22 November in the Oslo venue Parkteatret, "as a tribute to the life and musical work of Trånn Ciekals", with Jan Even Åsli replacing Ciekals on guitar. [15] They later added a gig in Trondheim on 8 November.[16] Ciekals' wife, musician Alina "Lamia Vox" Antonova, played alongside Djevel on the two Oslo gigs, performing music made by her and Ciekals under the project name Høstkvæld (autumn evening).[17] Håvard Jørgensen, formative member of Ulver, performed on the second night.[18] The band stated "this will be the last chance to see Djevel ever".[19]
At the time of Ciekals' death, he had material for two more albums written but not recorded.[20] In August 2025, the remaining band members announced that there will be a tenth and final album with this material.[21] The release date is, as of Nov 2025, yet to be announced, but the band has posted updates from the recording process on social media.
Style
[edit]Stylistically, Djevel is close to the 1990s Norwegian wave of black metal, and reviewers often highlighted how the band succeeded in capturing that cold black metal sound.[22][23][24][25] Ciekals considered himself a purist when it came to black metal and was highly critical of bands that mixed in other genres or stylistic elements.[26][27]
— I haven’t incorporated new styles since I started in 1992. I have certain views on how our expression should be, which I adhere to quite strictly. I compose everything on classical guitar. (Ciekals, 2018) [28]
The lyrics are in Norwegian, with themes such as old Norwegian pagan and devilish rituals and the Black Death.[29] The song titles are written in an old Norwegian spelling style.
The albums' cover art is created by artists Truls Espedal and Danny Larsen, with input on the use of symbols from Ciekals and Dirge Rep.[29][7]
Awards and nominations
[edit]- 2021: Spellemannprisen win in the Metal category for Tanker som rir natten [30]
- 2023: Edvardprisen nomination for Trånn Ciekals for Naa skrider natten sort [31]
Members
[edit]- Trånn Ciekals: Guitars, vocals, songwriting, lyrics (2009–2025)
- Kvitrim: Vocals, bass (2020–present)
- Faust: Drums (2017–present)
Past members
[edit]- Erlend Hjelvik: Vocals (2011–2017)
- Mannevond: Bass (2011–2020), harsh vocals (2017–2020)
- Dirge Rep: Drums (2012–2017)
Live members
[edit]- Nosophoros: Guitars (2020–present)
- Jon Bakker: Bass (2024–present)
- Izare: Keyboards (2023–present)
Past live members
[edit]- Ruben Willem: Guitars (2012–2015)
- Pete Evil: Guitars (2016)
- Voidar: Guitars (2017–2020)
- Sindre Solem: Bass (2018–?)
- Eirik Renton: Drums (2018)
- John Grave: Bass (2019–2020)
- Mannevond: Bass (2021–2024)
Discography
[edit]- 2011: Dødssanger
- 2012: Besatt av maane og natt (EP)
- 2013: Besatt av maane og natt
- 2015: Saa raa og kald
- 2016: Norske ritualer
- 2018: Blant svarte graner
- 2018: Vettehymner (EP)
- 2019: Ormer til armer, maane til hode
- 2021: Tanker som rir natten
- 2022: Naa skrider natten sort
- 2024: Natt til ende
References
[edit]- ^ "DJEVEL – EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH GUITARIST TRÅNN CIEKALS". Allfather. 2024-11-15. Retrieved 2025-02-17.
- ^ A, Franco (2021-08-12). "Interview: Djevel". This is Black Metal. Retrieved 2025-02-17.
- ^ "Djevel Interview 2011". www.nocturnalcult.com. Retrieved 2025-02-17.
- ^ CrypticRock (2013-12-10). "Interview - Erlend Hjelvik of Kvelertak". Cryptic Rock. Retrieved 2025-02-17.
- ^ Djevel - Dødssanger, 2011, retrieved 2025-02-17
- ^ Djevel - Besatt Av Maane Og Natt, 2013, retrieved 2025-02-17
- ^ a b "Djevel – Blant Svarte Graner review – Aftermath Music – May 2018 AB". 2018-06-05. Retrieved 2025-02-17.
- ^ terraasymmetry (2018-07-07). "Djevel – Blant Svarte Graner (2018) REVIEW". Retrieved 2025-02-17.
- ^ T., Ciekals (2020-09-16). "Mannevond is stepping down from his duties in Djevel". Djevel on Facebook. Retrieved 2025-11-02.
- ^ Drachman, Jillian (2024-11-07). "Album Review: Djevel — 'Natt til ende' | Metal Insider". Retrieved 2025-11-02.
- ^ Inspire, Metal (2024-12-27). "Djevel - Natt til ende". Metalinspire. Retrieved 2025-02-17.
- ^ Drachman, Jillian (2022-11-22). "Album Review: DJEVEL Naa Skrider Natten Sort". Metal Injection. Retrieved 2025-02-17.
- ^ "Trånn Ciekals | Minneside". Minnesider (in Norwegian Bokmål). 2025-02-21. Retrieved 2025-02-17.
- ^ Kennelty, Greg (2025-02-08). "DJEVEL Mastermind TRÅNN CIEKALS Has Died". Metal Injection. Retrieved 2025-02-17.
- ^ "As much as the last three weeks have set us back both emotionally and practically we have also come to the conclusion that we will perform the two Oslo gigs already planned at Parkteateret on the 21. and 22. of November". Djevel on Facebook. 2025-03-02. Retrieved 2025-11-02.
- ^ "To completely ensure an fitting end to Djevel we have decided to do one final show in Trondheim at Havet on Saturday the 8th of november". Djevel on Facebook. 2025-08-29. Retrieved 2025-11-02.
- ^ "In the upcoming months I will work on the @hoestkvaeld material we started together, and it will be performed in two-parts memorial @djevel_norge gig 21-22 November 2025 in Oslo, Parkteatret". lamia_vox on Instagram. 2025-04-08. Retrieved 2025-11-02.
- ^ "We are proud to present the support artists for our forthcoming Oslo shows in November". Djevel on Facebook. 2025-09-10. Retrieved 2025-11-02.
- ^ https://bravewords.com/news/djevel-to-go-ahead-with-oslo-gigs-following-the-passing-of-mastermind-trann-ciekals-this-will-be-the-last-chance-to-see-djevel-ever/
- ^ "DJEVEL – EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH GUITARIST TRÅNN CIEKALS". allfathermetal.com. 15 November 2024. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
- ^ "Three months have passed since Trånn's tragic passing". Djevel on Facebook. 2025-05-07. Retrieved 2025-11-02.
- ^ "- Black metalen har sklidd helt ut. Nå er det blitt for mye vås". www.aftenbladet.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). 2015-04-27. Retrieved 2025-11-03.
- ^ Metalhead, The Elitist (2022-12-01). "Djevel - Naa skrider natten sort". Metal-Rules.com. Retrieved 2025-11-03.
- ^ "DJEVEL – Naa skrider natten sort – Queens of steel" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-11-03.
- ^ J. (2020-02-29). "Djevel from the dark past". Only Death Is Real. Retrieved 2025-11-03.
- ^ "DJEVEL – EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH GUITARIST TRÅNN CIEKALS". Allfather. 2024-11-15. Retrieved 2025-11-03.
- ^ "Machine Music's Albums of the Decade: An Interview with Djevel". Machine Music - מאשין מיוזיק (in Hebrew). 2023-03-08. Retrieved 2025-11-03.
- ^ Madsen Hestman, Ida (2018-03-28). "Djevelsk utilgjengelig". Dagsavisen (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 2022-02-19. Retrieved 2025-11-03.
- ^ a b "Interview with Djevel | Metal Invader". 2025-11-01. Retrieved 2025-11-03.
- ^ "Metal 2021, Djevel, Tanker som rir natten, Trånn Ciekals, Aftermath Music". spellemann.no. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
- ^ Dugstad, Kristian (2023-07-04). "Disse er nominert til EDVARD-prisen 2023". TONO (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 2025-02-17.