Netherbird

Stockholm, Sweden's Netherbird have been blurring the boundaries between black, death, and other extreme metal strains (goth, symphonic, etc.) since 2004, when founders Nephente (vocals), Bizmark (guitars, keyboards), and Grim (guitars) first convened to record a promotional single entitled "Boulevard Black," made available the following year. This first step in due time paved the way to two separate EPs, Blood Orchid (Grim's final outing with the group) and Lighthouse Eternal (both 2007), that Netherbird distributed for free on the Internet, before landing a contract with Pulverised Records. At this point, it should probably be noted that, thus far, Netherbird had remained a strictly in-studio proposition, and a rotating cast of characters (including drummer Adrian Erlandsson of At the Gates and Cradle of Filth, Brice Leclercq of Nightrage and Dissection, Janne Saarenpää of the Crown, etc.) continued to lend a hand on a temporary basis during the production of 2008's debut full-length, The Ghost Collector. But the very next year, Netherbird announced a firm lineup of Nephente, Bizmark, guitarist Nord, and bassist Tobias Gustafsson (ex-Eucharist) during the recording of the next full-length album, Monument Black Colossal (2010), after which it was announced that Erik Röjås had also joined as a permanent drummer.