Video: IMMORTAL Frontman's ABBATH Performs Live For First Time

ABBATH, the new band led by IMMORTAL frontman Olve Eikemo (a.k.a. Abbath), made its live debut last night at the Tuska open-air metal festival in Helsinki, Finland.

Bass duties for ABBATH are being handled by a man familiar to metal fans across the world — Tom Cato Visnes, more widely known as King Ov Hell and main composer for several GORGOROTH albums as well as his own bands OV HELL, with singer Shagrath from DIMMU BORGIR, and GOD SEED, with exceptional black metal vocalist Gaahl. His fellow GOD SEED member and BORKNAGAR percussionist, Baard Kolstad, has also joined ABBATH on drums.

At Tuska, ABBATH premiered a brand new song titled “Fenrir Hunts” alongside classic IMMORTAL material, including “One By One”. A handful of songs from Abbath and King‘s 2006 project I were performed live for the first time.

The group’s setlist was as follows:

01. Warriors (I cover)
02. Battalions (I cover)
03. Fenrir Hunts (new song)
04. One By One (IMMORTAL cover)
05. Tyrants (IMMORTAL cover)
06. Cursed We Are (I cover)
07. In My Kingdom Cold (IMMORTAL cover)
08. Hordes To War (IMMORTAL cover)
09. Withstand The Fall Of Time (IMMORTAL cover)

Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.

ABBATH is:

Abbath (vocals/ guitar)
King (bass)
Creature (drums)

ABBATH announced that he was moving forward under his own name earlier this year. The IMMORTAL frontman and songwriter will enter the studio this summer to record ABBATH‘s debut album, which will be released in early 2016 via Season Of Mist.

Abbath last year claimed that he rightfully attempted to secure exclusive rights to the IMMORTAL name and logo after lyricist/guitarist Demonaz (real name Harald Nævdal) and drummer Horgh (real name Reidar Horghagen) effectively quit the legendary Norwegian black metal group.

IMMORTAL‘s core trio consisting of Abbath, Demonaz and Horgh had been together since 1996 and has been responsible for crafting the band’s last five albums: “Blizzard Beasts” (1997), “At The Heart Of Winter” (1999), “Damned In Black” (2000), “Sons Of Northern Darkness” (2002) and the 2009 reunion album “All Shall Fall”.