Morten Veland

Morten Veland
File:Sirenia at Global East Rock Festival 2010 (1).jpg Morten Veland, 2010
Background information
Birth name	Morten Veland
Born	(1977-12-04) 4 December 1977
Origin	Stavanger, Norway
Genres	Symphonic gothic metal, doom metal, death/doom metal
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter, producer, composer
Instruments	Guitars, bass, keyboards, drums, vocals, programming
Years active	1992—present
Labels	Napalm, Nuclear Blast
Associated acts	Tristania, Sirenia, Mortemia

Morten Veland (born 4 December 1977) is a Norwegian multi-instrumentalist, composer, songwriter, and producer. He is one of the founding members of the Norwegian gothic metal band Tristania, and the founding member of Sirenia and Mortemia.

Up to date, he has released nine albums and two EP's.

Background

At the age of 14, Veland began saving to buy his first electric guitar. He would lock himself up and practice everyday and night. Veland was inspired by Guns N' Roses's Appetite For Destruction and Alice Cooper's Trash to make a career out of music and afterwards by The Sisters of Mercy, Fields of the Nephilim, and The Mission amongst others .

Career

Early days

In 1992, Veland entered the music scene when he was just 15 years old. He and bandmate Kenneth Ølsson, who would later form Tristania, formed Uzi Suicide. They were described as a fusion of Rock and Metal. However, his interest grew more into the UK Gothic scene. It inspired his songwriting into a darker and gloomier musical feel. Fragments of Uzi Suicide turned into Tristania.

1995-2001: Tristania

In 1995, he co-founded Tristania and at 19 signed his first record deal. Veland released 2 albums and couple EP's with the band. Tristania became one of the leading acts in the genre at the time. They toured throughout the American continent and also in Europe. The band performed in some of the biggest music festivals in Europe. Whilst in Tristania, he was the main lyricist, songwriter and guitarist as well as being responsible for the growling vocals, until he left Tristania after the first two full-length albums due to social and musical differences.

2001-present: Sirenia

After Tristania, in 2001 he formed his own band Sirenia, composing the same genre of music, in which he contributes nearly all of the instruments as well as the growling vocals. The rest of the band are mostly used on live performances only.

Mortemia

While taking Sirenia on a more melodic direction, Veland began writing other types of music. He ended up with many great ideas but it didn't really fit his current band's musical concept. Since he felt the music was too good, he decided to form Mortemia. The music has a similar style to that of Tristania's second album Beyond the Veil. The band signed a contract with Napalm Records on 6 July 2009. Mortemia is a studio project only, but he is considering doing a live lineup in the future.

Influence

Throughout his career he has respected and admired: Guns N' Roses, Metallica, Leonard Cohen, The Sisters of Mercy, Fields of the Nephilim, The Mission, Tiamat, Nick Cave, and Paradise Lost.

Private Life

He keeps in contact with Kenneth Ølsson, the original Tristania drummer, who still lives in the Stavanger area. Besides making a living off his bands, he runs Audio Avenue studios and works as a producer and engineer. His top five Norwegian metal bands of all time are Dimmu Borgir, Emperor, The 3rd and the Mortal, Satyricon and Immortal. During his spare time he collects cognacs, red wines, and beers. He also enjoys playing chess and goes out fishing. Veland enjoys nature and loves walking through the forests and mountains.

He has a wife named Rozemarijn, who also goes by Rose. They were dating long before their marriage, and she ran Sirenia's MySpace page for some time. To the public's knowledge, the couple has no children.

Discography

Tristania

Demos

• Tristania (EP, 1997)

Albums

• Widow's Weeds (1998)
• Beyond the Veil (1999)

Singles

• Angina (1999)

Live Albums

• Widow's Tour (1999)
• Widow's Tour/Angina (1999)

Compilation albums

• Midwintertears / Angina (2001)
• Midwinter Tears (2005)

Music videos

• Evenfall (1998)

Sirenia

Demos

• Sirenian Shores (EP, 2004)

Albums

• At Sixes and Sevens (2002)
• An Elixir For Existence (2004)
• Nine Destinies and a Downfall (2007)
• The 13th Floor (2009)
• The Enigma of Life (2011)
• Perils of the Deep Blue (2013)
• The Seventh Life Path (2015)

Singles

• My Mind's Eye (2007)
• The Path to Decay (2009)
• The End of It All (2011)
• Seven Widows Weep (2013)

Music Videos

• My Mind's Eye (2007)
• The Other Side (2007)
• The Path to Decay (2009)
• The End of It All (2011)
• Seven Widows Weep (2013)

Mortemia

Albums

• Misere Mortem (2010)

Music Videos

• The One I Once Was (2010)

External links

• Sirenia' Official Website
• Mortemia' Official Website