Empyrium

Empyrium is a German symphonic folk metal band from Hendungen>. The group, formed by Markus Stock aka Ulf Theodor Schwadorf, is active between 1994 and 2002, and since 2010. The band is initially influenced by some subgenres of heavy metal like melodic black metal, and makes use of lyrics sung in English. and in German.

Empyrium was founded in 1994 by Markus Stock, most often using the pseudonym Ulf T. Schwadorf, and Andreas Bach. The band starts playing symphony / folk doom metal>. Their first two albums A Wintersunset and Songs of Moors and Misty Fields can be considered as doom metal with symphonic and folk influences. They mix clear voices and grunts, with slow guitars and ambient sounds.

The following two albums Where at Night the Wood Grouse Plays and Weiland are more acoustic, with a very strong neofolk influence. Instead of keyboards, the group uses acoustic instruments such as violins, cellos, flutes. The song is always in clear voice. In Weiland , the band also uses choirs and some black metal vocals. The group draws inspiration from nature, as the titles of their albums reveal. The texts are mostly in English, except on Weiland , the group decides to stop the recordings. In August 2006 their label Prophecy Productions announced that a new album will be made for October of the same year. Called A Retrospective , this is a return on the group's history. The album features ten remastered tracks, as well as a re-recorded version of The Franconian Woods In Winter's Silence (on the album A Wintersunset ), and two new unreleased tracks, in the neofolk style of the last albums>.

September 17, 2010, Prophecy Productions announces the reformation of the band, marked by the release of the title The Days Before the Fall included in the compilation Whom the Moon a Nightsong Sings (en) . On Sunday, June 19, 2016, the group plays Hellfest on the stage The Temple.