Covenant is a band from Sweden that has composed electronic music. "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Electronic music is music that employs Electronic musical instruments and Electronic Music technology in its production They have been releasing their music since the early 1990s. The 1990s collectively refers to the years between and including 1990 and 1999

History

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, electronic music and several of its subgenres became a preferred musical style among European underground culture. This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989. Electronic music is music that employs Electronic musical instruments and Electronic Music technology in its production A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Underground culture, or just underground, is a term to describe various Alternative cultures which either consider themselves different from the Mainstream It gained favor initially within major cities and eventually trickled into the continent's more socially secluded regions. This new wave of music was discovered at different instances by a group of young friends living among the shadows of Helsingborg, a scenic municipality in southern Sweden. Helsingborg Municipality ( Helsingborgs kommun) is a municipality in Skåne County in Sweden. A municipality is an administrative entity composed of a clearly defined territory and its population and commonly denotes a City, Town, or Village, or Eskil Simonsson, Joakim Montelius, and Clas Nachmanson, three teenagers with mutual, youthful curiosities for science, philosophy, and matters of existence, were enthralled by the unique presentation and the emotional content offered through the music, specifically by that of bands such as Kraftwerk, The Human League, and by EBM pioneers Front 242 and Nitzer Ebb. Science (from the Latin scientia, meaning " Knowledge " or "knowing" is the effort to discover, and increase human understanding Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language In common usage existence is the world of which we are aware through our senses but in Philosophy the word has a more specialized meaning and is often contrasted with Kraftwerk (ˈkʁaftvɛɐk German for " power plant " or " Power station " is an influential Electronic music band from Front 242 is a pioneering Belgian Electronic music group that came into prominence during the 1980s Nitzer Ebb (pronounced night-zer or nit-zer &mdashthe band pronounces it both ways are a British music group formed in 1982 by Essex school friends

The friends carried this fascination with them to university life in Lund, a municipality lying approximately 50 kilometres (32 miles) southeast of Helsingborg. (lɵnd is a city in the province of Scania, southern Sweden. The town has 76188 inhabitants out of a muncipal total of 105000 The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand In between their academic endeavors and discussions of worldly affairs, they assembled a small recording studio in Nachmanson's bedroom and began to experiment with their own musical compositions. A recording studio is a facility for sound recording. Ideally the space is specially designed by an acoustician to achieve the desired acoustic properties (sound In 1989, the name "Covenant" was selected for the group—a name derived from the unspoken, spiritual bond the trio professes to share.

As Covenant, the three produced their first publicly-released track, "The Replicant", by invitation of Swedish record label Memento Materia. In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Memento Materia is a Swedish Record label focusing on synth-, electro- and Futurepop, although it also released some EBM "The Replicant" was released on a compilation album in 1992, and the track thrilled label executives, prompting them to ask for a full album. A compilation album is an Album ( Music or Spoken-word) featuring tracks from one or multiple Recording artists, often culled from a variety of In 1994, the group compiled enough songs to release the album, which became Dreams of a Cryotank. Dreams of a Cryotank is Covenant 's debut full-length Album. It was released in December 1994 by Memento Materia. Dreams was well received by critics and fans alike, and with its success, the boyhood friends decided to take their musical efforts more seriously. They upgraded and added more equipment, relocated their studio, and committed to tour. A concert is a live Performance, usually of Music, before an Audience.

In 1995, Covenant performed at a festival in Germany upon the request of Off-Beat Records. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The band impressed Off-Beat's attending A&R representative, who signed them to a record deal the following day. Artists and Repertoire ( A&R) is the division of a Record label that is responsible for talent scouting and artist development Excited by the prospect of broader exposure, the crew eased further away from their educational pursuits and devoted themselves to completing a new album, 1996's Sequencer. Sequencer, released in May 1996, is the second full-length album by the Swedish musical group Covenant.

With Sequencer, the band sought to improve upon the weaknesses they found in Dreams by combining sequencing, diverse melodies, and commanding lyrics. A music sequencer (also MIDI sequencer or just sequencer) is software or hardware designed to create and manage computer-generated music It became an instant classic among many observers, some of whom boldly declared it "the best electro album of the decade. Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary Electronic music designed for a wide range " ^[3] It would go on to be re-released a number of times throughout the world and remains a club favorite in many settings. A nightclub (or "night club" or "club" is a drinking, dancing, and entertainment venue which does its primary business after dark

Later in the year, San Francisco-based record label 21st Circuitry agreed to distribute Covenant's albums in the United States, expanding the band's reach in the process. The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city 21st Circuitry was a Record label based in San Francisco, United States that was founded in early 1991 and released Electro-industrial As results, the group created the Theremin EP in 1997 specifically for an American release and started to accept tour dates throughout the US and Canada.

The trio's third full-length album, Europa, debuted in 1998. Europa is Covenant 's third full length album It was released on May 26 1998 by 21st Circuitry. Europa carried Covenant's aggressive, often distorted brand of music into the beat-driven realm of synth pop, marking the beginning of a gradual evolution in the band's collective sound. Synthpop is a subgenre of New Wave and Pop music in which the Synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument Also in 1998, they sued the Norwegian black metal/Industrial Metal band The Kovenant (then known as Covenant) for the rights to the name "Covenant", arguing that they had the name first. Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It often employs fast tempos shrieked vocals highly distorted guitars played with Tremolo picking, Industrial metal is a Musical genre that draws from Industrial music and heavy metal. The Kovenant is a Norwegian band from Bergen which has evolved from Melodic black metal to an Industrial metal sound on more recent albums The Norwegian band changed their name, relenting and allowing both bands to go on with as few problems as necessary.

Covenant spent 1999 touring, changing record labels, and on the preparation of another album. Off-Beat Records went out of business, and Dependent Records was created by former Off Beat employees. Dependent Records is a German Independent record label that mainly focuses on Aggrotech, Electro-industrial and Futurepop music Together with a few selected former Off-Beat acts, Covenant joined Dependent. In addition, Covenant was signed with SubSpace Communications in Sweden, effectively ending their tenure with Memento Materia. Meanwhile, 21st Circuitry Records ceased operations, leading the three to find a new home in America with Metropolis Records (Metropolis had bought the rights to the 21st Circuitry back catalogue). Metropolis Records is a Philadelphia Pennsylvania based Record label, distributor, and mail-order store specializing in the Electro-industrial Shortly thereafter, the band's first three albums and the Theremin EP were re-issued in the US under the Metropolis label.

United States of Mind was released in 2000, and with it, Covenant's tendencies strayed further into synth pop. United States of Mind is Covenant 's fourth full-length Album, released in March 2000. A stand-alone single called Der Leiermann, sung to the tune of the album track Like Tears in Rain, was a version of the German Art song of the same name, sung entirely in German (every other Covenant song has English lyrics). An art song is a Vocal music composition, usually written for one Singer with Piano or Orchestral accompaniment The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. This song originally was a poem from Wilhelm Müller, which has been set to music by Franz Schubert as part of the poem cycle "Die Winterreise".

A live album, Synergy, was released later in the year; it featured tracks from the band's first four albums played in concert. A concert is a live Performance, usually of Music, before an Audience. The group continued with 2002's Northern Light, which they portrayed as having a more somber, colder sound in comparison to their earlier offerings. Northern Light is Covenant 's fifth full-length album released by Metropolis Records in October 2002. In another transition between labels, the European release of Northern Light was handled by Sony Music's Ka2 division rather than Dependent or Subspace. Sony Music Entertainment is a major global Record label controlled by the Sony Corporation of America, being one of the "big four" record companies

While they continue to produce music together, Montelius and Simonsson have since taken up residence in separate countries; Montelius resides in Barcelona, Spain, and Simonsson lives in Berlin, Germany. Barcelona ( Catalan bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish baɾθeˈlona is the capital and most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. Nachmanson remains in Helsingborg.

Covenant released its sixth studio album, Skyshaper, in March 2006 to an overall positive reception. A studio album is an original collection of new tracks by a recording artist Skyshaper is Covenant 's sixth studio album It was released in Europe by Synthetic Symphony / SPV on 2006 March 3 and in the United States Stories without links will be removed. News stories must be in English The band toured Europe prior to the album's release and now plans to tour the United States beginning in September 2006. September 2006 was marked by a controversy surrounding statements made by Pope Benedict XVI regarding Islam, during the same week as the fifth anniversary ^[4]

In March 2007, Covenant announced that Nachmanson would not be touring with the band in 2007. His replacement will be Daniel Myer of Haujobb. Haujobb is a German musical project whose output has ranged drastically within the electronic music spectrum from Electro-industrial to IDM and In an interview^[5] with Side-Line magazine Covenant's Joakim Montelius says he is not sure if Clas will still continue with Covenant.

In October 2007, Covenant released the road movie "In Transit" on DVD. It contains material from the world tour undertaken in support of the album "Skyshaper" and documents the band's travels in Europe, North America, South America and across Russia for a period of 18 months. The band confirmed Clas' departure on the DVD documentary. ^[6]

Personnel

Current members

• Eskil Simonsson – lead vocals, lead composition, engineering, lyrics, production, synths
• Joakim Montelius – lead lyrics, composition, production, synths, additional vocals
• Daniel Myer – engineering, production, synths, additional vocals (began touring in 2007, now writing and working in the studio)

Former members

• Clas Nachmanson – engineering, production, synths, additional vocals (left in 2007)

Discography

Full-length albums

Eskil Simonsson performing in 2004. Musical composition is an original piece of Music the structure of a musical piece the process of creating a new Audio engineering is a part of audio science dealing with the recording and reproduction of Sound through mechanical and electronic means Lyrics (in singular form Lyric) are a set of words that accompany music either by speaking or singing In the Music industry, a record producer or music producer has many roles among them controlling the recording sessions coaching and guiding the musicians organizing

• Dreams of a Cryotank (December 1994)
• Sequencer (May 1996; March 1997 - 2nd ed. Dreams of a Cryotank is Covenant 's debut full-length Album. It was released in December 1994 by Memento Materia. Sequencer, released in May 1996, is the second full-length album by the Swedish musical group Covenant. Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar ; July 1999 - US version)

At least three versions of the album have differing track lists (see Sequencer). July 1999 was a month with thirty-one days The following events also occurred during the month Sequencer, released in May 1996, is the second full-length album by the Swedish musical group Covenant.

• Europa (April 1998)
• United States of Mind (February 2000)
• Synergy (November 2000)

Live album. Europa is Covenant 's third full length album It was released on May 26 1998 by 21st Circuitry. United States of Mind is Covenant 's fourth full-length Album, released in March 2000. Synergy is the first Live album by Covenant, released as a stand alone CD in 2000 as well as a CD/VHS set by Dependent Records.

• Northern Light (August 2002)
• Skyshaper (March 2006)
• In Transit (October 2007) : Live Album

Singles and EPs

• Figurehead (October 1995)
• Stalker (December 1996)
• Theremin EP (1997)
• Final Man (February 1998)
• Euro EP (October 1998)
• It's Alright (November 1999)

A single which was released on vinyl record and limited to 500 copies. Northern Light is Covenant 's fifth full-length album released by Metropolis Records in October 2002. Skyshaper is Covenant 's sixth studio album It was released in Europe by Synthetic Symphony / SPV on 2006 March 3 and in the United States In Transit is Covenant 's second Live album, released fall 2007 Covenant is a band from Sweden that has composed Electronic music. Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) A gramophone

• Tour De Force (December 1999)
• Dead Stars (February 2000)
• Der Leiermann (February 2000)

Released simultaneously with the Dead Stars single in Germany.

• Travelogue (February 2000)

Included in the United States of Mind box set.

• Call The Ships To Port (August 2002)
• Bullet (January 2003)
• Ritual Noise (January 2006)
• Brave New World (September 2006)

Theremin

Theremin is an EP released by Covenant in 1997 by the American label 21st Circuitry. 21st Circuitry was a Record label based in San Francisco, United States that was founded in early 1991 and released Electro-industrial It compiled tracks which were, for the most part, previously unavailable in the US. It was re-released by Metropolis in July of 1999. Metropolis Records is a Philadelphia Pennsylvania based Record label, distributor, and mail-order store specializing in the Electro-industrial

Track listing

1. Theremin [club version] [4:31]
2. Figurehead [plain] [4:45]
3. Speed [club version] [5:47]
4. Voices [optocoded] [4:44]
5. Void [doac version] [4:34]
6. Theremin [us remix] [5:47]
7. Speed [optodecoded] [4:43]

• Track 1 was previously released on the German and American releases of Dreams of a Cryotank. Dreams of a Cryotank is Covenant 's debut full-length Album. It was released in December 1994 by Memento Materia.
• Tracks 2, 3, 4, and 7 were previously released on the Figurehead EP.
• Track 5 was previously released on the Swedish and German releases of Dreams of a Cryotank.
• Track 6 was new to this release.

Other releases

• United States of Mind Limited Box (February 2000)

A boxset which included United States of Mind and the Travelogue single. United States of Mind is Covenant 's fourth full-length Album, released in March 2000. February 2000: January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September

• Synergy Limited Box (November 2000)

A boxset which included Synergy, a booklet with live pictures and lyrics for every released Covenant song, a band interview on VHS cassette tape, a "Bloody Mary" recipe, and seven live recorded tracks; limited to 4000 copies. Synergy is the first Live album by Covenant, released as a stand alone CD in 2000 as well as a CD/VHS set by Dependent Records. November 2000: January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - A Bloody Mary is a popular Cocktail containing Vodka, Tomato juice, and usually other Spices or flavorings such as Worcestershire

• Bullet DVD (January 2003)

A DVD featuring a music video for the song "Bullet" along with making of footage. DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is A music video is a Short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music most commonly a Song with lyrics In cinema, a making-of is a Behind the scenes Documentary film look of the production of the show

• Project Gotham Racing 3 Soundtrack (November 2005)

The band contributed the Skyshaper track "20 Hz" to a compilation which included other rock and electronic artists (listed here). Project Gotham Racing 3 ( PGR3 for short is an arcade-style Racing game that was released with the launch of the Xbox 360 on Project Gotham Racing 3 ( PGR3 for short is an arcade-style Racing game that was released with the launch of the Xbox 360 on

• Festival Soundtrack (2001)

Playing at a concert visited by one of the main characters

References

1. ^ ^{a b} (Swedish) synth.nu - Covenant. Retrieved on 2006-12-23. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 962 - Byzantine-Arab Wars: Under the future Emperor Nicephorus Phocas, Byzantine troops stormed the city
2. ^ ^{a b} Covenant - Music at Last.fm. Retrieved on 2006-12-23. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 962 - Byzantine-Arab Wars: Under the future Emperor Nicephorus Phocas, Byzantine troops stormed the city
3. ^ Promomall SSC. Subspace Records biography, accessed 2005-08-16. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1384 - The Hongwu Emperor of Ming China, Emperor Dong hears a case of a couple who tore paper money bills while fighting
4. ^ C O V E N A N T - official web site. Official website news feature, accessed 2005-05-28. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 585 BC - A Solar eclipse occurs as predicted by Greek philosopher and scientist Thales, while Alyattes is battling
5. ^ Clas Nachmanson to leave Covenant?
6. ^ Covenant version 2 beta (Release Magazine)

External links

• Official Covenant Site
• International Covenant Fan Page (de/en)
• Official Covenant Forum (de/en)
• Spanish-speaking Covenant Forum (es)
• Covenant at Discogs
• Covenant at Last.fm
• Covenant discography at MusicBrainz
• Covenant at MySpace

See also

• Schaffel music