Peccatum
Norway · formed 1998 · last active 2005
Norwegian avant-garde project (1998-2006) from Notodden founded by Ihsahn (Emperor), his wife Ihriel and her brother Lord PZ, on their own Mnemosyne Productions. It began as symphonic avant-garde extreme metal and drifted toward classical-tinged avant-garde rock full of twisted synths, electronics, operatic female vocals and Ihsahn's shrieks. Lost in Reverie (2004) is regarded as a landmark of the genre-transcending Norwegian avant-garde.
SCORE PROFILE
Accent numbers counted towards the index. Hover an axis — or hold it on a phone — for what it means.
WHY THOSE SCORES
- Black 5 — Avant-garde Extreme Metal (early); Ihsahn's black-metal shrieks and Emperor lineage anchor the early work.
- Technical 5 — Complex, through-composed progressive/avant compositions spanning classical and contemporary music.
- Glitch 3 — Industrial elements, electronics and programming feature throughout.
- Theatrical 3 — Symphonic, dramatic arrangements with operatic female vocals give a staged, grandiose feel.
- Ambient 4 — Later material is built on twisted synths, sound effects and atmospheric electronics.
MEMBERS
- Ihriel (Heidi Solberg Tveitan)Vocals (female), Keyboards, Electronics, Programming
- Ihsahn (Vegard Sverre Tveitan)Vocals, Guitars, Bass, Keyboards, Programming· also in Ihsahn
- Lord PZVocals (1998-2004)
CONNECTIONS
- Alfa Obscurapath →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by Trine + Kim Design Studio (Trine Paulsen and Kim Sølve, Oslo): Peccatum's "Lost In Reverie" (2004, Design) and Alfa Obscura's "Plutonian Shores" (2011, Design, Photography By). Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7) — Trine + Kim Design Studio is not an atlas band so there is no anchor band. source ↗
- Arcturuspath →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by Trine + Kim Design Studio (Trine Paulsen and Kim Sølve, Oslo): Arcturus's "Sideshow Symphonies" (2005, Design, Photography By [www.trineogkim.no]) and Peccatum's "Lost In Reverie" (2004, Design), same Discogs artist entity (id 1912469) on both releases. Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7) — Trine + Kim Design Studio is not an atlas band so there is no anchor band. source ↗
- Dødheimsgardpath →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by Trine + Kim Design Studio (Trine Paulsen + Kim Sølve, Oslo design duo, Discogs artist id 1912469): Dødheimsgard's "Supervillain Outcast" (2007, Artwork, Design) and Peccatum's "Lost In Reverie" (2004, Design [www.trineogkim.no]), same Discogs artist id confirmed on both releases. Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7) — Trine + Kim Design Studio is not an atlas band member so there is no anchor band. source ↗
- Fleuretypath →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by Trine + Kim Design Studio (Trine Paulsen and Kim Sølve, Oslo): Peccatum's "Lost In Reverie" (2004, Design) and Fleurety's "Ingentes Atque Decorii Vexilliferi Apokalypsis" (2009, Design). Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7) — Trine + Kim Design Studio is not an atlas band so there is no anchor band. source ↗
- Ihsahnpath →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by Trine + Kim Design Studio (Trine Paulsen and Kim Sølve, Oslo): Peccatum's "Lost In Reverie" (2004, Design) and Ihsahn's "The Adversary" (2006, Design). Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7) — Trine + Kim Design Studio is not an atlas band so there is no anchor band. source ↗
- In Lingua Mortuapath →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by Trine + Kim Design Studio (Trine Paulsen and Kim Sølve, Oslo; Discogs artist id 1912469): In Lingua Mortua's "Salon Des Refusés" (2022 Repose Records vinyl edition, Cover) and Peccatum's "Lost In Reverie" (2004, Design). Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7) — Trine + Kim Design Studio is not an atlas band so there is no anchor band. source ↗
- Manimalismpath →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by Trine + Kim Design Studio (Trine Paulsen and Kim Sølve, Oslo; Discogs artist id 1912469): Manimalism's "Demo Sessions 1996-1998" (2015, Design, Image Editor) and Peccatum's "Lost In Reverie" (2004, Design). Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7) — Trine + Kim Design Studio is not an atlas band so there is no anchor band. source ↗
- Mayhempath →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by Trine + Kim Design Studio (Trine Paulsen and Kim Sølve, Oslo): Peccatum's "Lost In Reverie" (2004, Design) and Mayhem's "Ordo Ad Chao" (2007, Artwork). Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7) — Trine + Kim Design Studio is not an atlas band so there is no anchor band. source ↗
- Shining (Sweden)path →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by Trine + Kim Design Studio (Trine Paulsen + Kim Sølve, Oslo design duo, Discogs artist id 1912469): Shining (Sweden)'s "Redefining Darkness" (2012, credited to both Kim Sølve [Art Direction] and Trine + Kim Design Studio [Artwork] on the same release) and Peccatum's "Lost In Reverie" (2004, Design [www.trineogkim.no]), same Discogs artist id confirmed on both releases. Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7) — Trine + Kim Design Studio is not an atlas band member so there is no anchor band. source ↗
- Solefaldpath →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by Trine + Kim Design Studio (Trine Paulsen and Kim Sølve, Oslo): Peccatum's "Lost In Reverie" (2004, Design) and Solefald's "Red For Fire - An Icelandic Odyssey Part I" (2005, Design, Photography By). Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7) — Trine + Kim Design Studio is not an atlas band so there is no anchor band. source ↗
- Sturmgeistsatellitepath →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by Trine + Kim Design Studio (Trine Paulsen and Kim Sølve, Oslo): Peccatum's "Lost In Reverie" (2004, Design) and Sturmgeist's "Manifesto Futurista" (2009, Cover, Design). Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7) — Trine + Kim Design Studio is not an atlas band so there is no anchor band. source ↗
- Ulver (electronic era)path →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by Trine + Kim Design Studio (Trine Paulsen and Kim Sølve, Oslo): Ulver (electronic era)'s "Svidd Neger (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)" (2003, Cover) and Peccatum's "Lost In Reverie" (2004, Design). Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7) — Trine + Kim Design Studio is not an atlas band so there is no anchor band. source ↗
- Yureipath →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by Trine + Kim Design Studio (Trine Paulsen and Kim Sølve, Oslo): Peccatum's "Lost In Reverie" (2004, Design) and Yurei's "Night Vision" (2012, Design). Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7) — Trine + Kim Design Studio is not an atlas band so there is no anchor band. source ↗
- Age of Silencepath →
Shared label roster: Candlelight Records, per MusicBrainz. source ↗
- Blut aus Nordpath →
Shared label roster: Spinefarm Records U.K., per MusicBrainz. source ↗
- Ihsahnpath →
Shared label roster: Mnemosyne Productions, per MusicBrainz. source ↗
FURTHER LISTENING
Nearest score profiles in the atlas.
- UnaffiliatedEI 13Hail Spirit NoirBlackTechnicalAmbient
Hail Spirit Noir is a Greek band from Thessaloniki (formed 2010) that welds 1970s psychedelic and progressive rock — vintage organ, synth and mellotron textures — onto a modern second-wave black metal frame. Founded by Haris and Theoharis, both veterans of the prog outfit Rex Mundi and the avant/symphonic project Transcending Bizarre?, the band cultivates an occult, horror-tinged atmosphere across concept albums, drifting further into synth-forward territory on Eden in Reverse. Frequently filed alongside Oranssi Pazuzu and Arcturus as psychedelic/avant-garde black metal.
- UnaffiliatedEI 14SmohallaBlackTechnicalAmbient
French duo led by multi-instrumentalist Slo (guitars/drums/vocals/keys) with bassist Camille Giraudeau, playing avant-garde/progressive post-black metal descended from Emperor, Ulver, Borknagar and Ved Buens Ende. After a 12-year gap between albums, 2025's Ruina Draconis (I, Voidhanger) piles on 'extremely layered', ambient-electronic interludes between bursts of blackened violence. Giraudeau's parallel work in Dødheimsgard's touring lineup, Doedsmaghird, Stagnant Waters and Void ties Smohalla directly into the same avant-black/noise diaspora.
- UnaffiliatedEI 13Echo ZeroBlackTechnicalAmbient
Echo Zero is a Kraków project that debuted in 2026 with "E0," a concept album about an antenna recovered from the Arctic Ocean floor — "the first rung of Jacob's Ladder" — released on Pest Productions. No Clean Singing folded the band into Poland's long tradition of weird black metal, praising its mind-warping ambient stretches, groove-heavy riffs, prowling bass, and "constantly-mutating" multi-tongued vocal performance that never lets the strangeness dull the aggression. The project is led by IHS (Patryk Rzeszutek, aka Faustyna IHS Moreau), also the mainman of atlas act Biesy.
- Blackgaze / avant-blackEI 19DødheimsgardBlackTechnicalGlitch
Dødheimsgard (DHG) are a Norwegian band formed in Oslo in 1994 that mutated from the raw black metal of Kronet Til Konge (1995) into the fractured avant-garde industrial black metal of 666 International (1999). Led throughout by Vicotnik, they became a touchstone of the experimental wing of Norwegian black metal. Kronet Til Konge's lineup featured Darkthrone's Fenriz on bass, and its closer 'When Heavens End' carries an additional-songwriting credit for Ulver founder Sigmund 'Grellmund' Løkken.
- Norwegian avant-blackEI 9Ram-ZetTechnicalBlackTheatrical
Ram-Zet is a Norwegian avant-garde metal band formed in Hamar in 1998 as the solo vehicle of vocalist/guitarist Zet (Henning Ramseth), later expanding into a full band. Their self-described 'schizo-metal' welds black/thrash foundations to industrial textures, prominent violin and rare time signatures, framed by concept albums about schizophrenia with dual harsh/clean vocals. Their experimentalism sits largely in the progressive, technical and black-metal dimensions rather than the exotic 'weird' axes.
- UnaffiliatedEI 16AbstruseBlackTechnicalAmbient
Abstruse is the one-man experimental black/thrash/industrial metal project of Athens, Greece-based musician Substant, active since 2002. Substant composes via an idiosyncratic 'order-based system' that treats intervals as numeric patterns rather than conventional scales, and has built custom software ('motion2sound') to translate movement into sound and multi-sensory staging elements. The project's 2019 album Submerge: Ritual is structured as a conceptual 'Pan Ritual' narrative; a 2010 demo, Ivory Tower, was ranked among the year's top albums by the Avantgarde Metal webzine.
- UnaffiliatedEI 19Void (UK)BlackTechnicalGlitch
Void is a UK avant-garde/fringe metal project active since 1999, built around founding member and guitarist/vocalist Matt Jarman. Press consistently bills the band as 'avant-garde metal pioneers,' fusing black, death and industrial metal with noise, electronica and post-metal songwriting, citing touchstones from Dødheimsgard and Emperor to Aphex Twin and Venetian Snares. The current lineup grew directly out of Dødheimsgard's 2019 'Void Dancers' tour, and features musicians who also play in Dødheimsgard and Doedsmaghird. Their fourth album, Jadjow (2023, Brucia Records), was co-written by that touring lineup.
- UnaffiliatedEI 13OpheBlackTechnicalTheatrical
Ophe is a one-man avant-garde/post-black metal project from Châtillon, France, created by Christophe "Bargnatt XIX" Denhez (also frontman of OMRÅDE and Demande à la Poussière), who handles all vocals, instruments and programming. Debut album Litteras Ad Tristia Maestrum Solitude arrived on My Kingdom Music in 2018, followed by Somnium Nocte Mendaciis (2022) on the same label. The project pairs primal black metal with dissonant, hermetic song structures and post-industrial, noise-inflected atmospheres, drawing comparisons to Dodecahedron, Ævangelist and Spektr.
- UnaffiliatedEI 13SaprovoreBlackTechnicalAmbient
Saprovore is the solo industrial black/death metal project of an Italian musician also known for the band Strigiform, released through I, Voidhanger Records. His album 'Numinous Abditory Deflagration' (2026) is described by the artist as exploring 'cosmic emptiness' with a more refined, symphonic-leaning songwriting approach than his debut 'Unuttered Aporetic Omen.' Cited influences include Gnaw Their Tongues, Jute Gyte, Blut Aus Nord, and Thantifaxath (stated influences, not collaborations).
- Blackgaze / avant-blackEI 13The SprawlcosmBlackTechnicalGlitch
The Sprawlcosm was a Vienna, Austria act active 1999-2005 (performing as Sprawl until 2001) that fused black metal's blast beats and shrieked vocals with industrial/EBM electronics, oriental-tinged scales, and jazz-adjacent touches. Their sole full-length, Cybionic Black Art (Silverhead Records, Dec 2000), juxtaposed programmed industrial textures and harsh black metal aggression with acoustic guitar and symphonic keyboard passages.