The Sins of thy Beloved

by Viktoria Wed May 13, 2009 4:26 pm

TSOTB was formed in November 1996 by Stig, Glenn Morten and Arild in Norway. Soon after the band got in contact with Ola, Anita and Ingfrid. By this time the band was called Purgatory, but had to change name in front of the release of "All Alone". This was mainly because there are so many other bands called Purgatory (for instance three in the US). After three months of playing the band went into the studio in February 1997 to record some demo-songs. The recording was produced by Gulleiv Wee, the bassplayer from the famous Norwegian band September When. After the studio-rehearsal, TSOTB chose to release three of these on the "All Alone" MCD, through the Italian label Nocturnal Music. In September 1997 TSOTB got in contact with the second keyboardist, Anders.

In January 1998 TSOTB recorded "Silent Pain" in Sound Suite Studio, produced by Terje Refsnes. This was also the first time Pete was included on a recording. This was sent to several labels, among them Napalm Records, with whom the band signed a contract in March 1998. In August 1998 TSOTB went in Sound Suite Studio to record their debut-album, "Lake of Sorrow". The two songs taken from the "All Alone" MCD - "All Alone" and "Worthy of You" - were re-arranged in studio, with a better production than on the original recording. The pictures inside the cover were shot by the famous photographer Petter Hegre, while designer Tor Soreide arranged the layout.

The musical background to each member in the band is rather different. Almost every one of them has been playing in bands during their youth. Pete has been playing in many bands, such as an Irish folk-music band called The Tramps, Tristania, Morgul, Modesty Blaise and The Scarr, the latter two being his own projects.
When it comes to the name of the band, TSOTB is simply a product of the members own imagination. It is in other words 100% fictionary and has not been taken from any litterature, movies, etc. When composing this band-name back in March 1997, the members were simply trying to come up with a name that should suit the music as well as finding an original name to reflect the lyrics. This use of an ancient-English word in the name of the band also makes it easy for people to know what kind of music TSOTB plays.

The title of the album, "Lake of Sorrow", was figured out right in front of the recording of the album. The title in hand shouldn`t be too long, and it should also suit the gothic style of TSOTB as well as being a bit dark and romantic... The lyrics printed inside the cover are only extracts. This has been done with purpose from TSOTB's side. When it comes to lyrics, 99% of all bands, not only those playing goth-metal, but also those playing pop and rock, list the entire lyrics inside their covers. When listing extracts, the listener therefore has to pay more attention to the songs. The reason why some might find the lyrics alike, has to do with the fact that they all describe the areas of betrayal, hate, unattainable love and death. The same thing goes to the music; TSOTB wants to create an atmosphere, a story that is, and this consists of both joy, happiness, sorrow, death, pain, etc, etc.
The lyrics are written by Glenn Morten, Arild and Anders, and because of their personal contents, no lyrics are written together...

When it comes to the way TSOTB writes music, every member participates in the creative song-writing. When the cords have been composed by a band-member, for instance one of the guitarists, he then present these to other members of the band, and the band plays the song on the next rehearsal. Each member writes his/her parts, making TSOTB a very democratic band, as well as creating a good band-environment. This is also what makes every member of The Sins Of Thy Beloved indispensible...

Since the release of Perpetual Desolation in 2000 some members have left the band, probably because of a combination of different reasons and a concurrence of circumstances.

In 2002, a dark era dawned for the fans. The band seemed to have disappeared from the earth.
In November 2005, they played on a concert again, with replacement for Ingfrid and Anita, resp. Maiken Olaisen and Mona Wallin, the latter one only being a temporary replacement. Anders Thue will not act as a full time member of the band in the future, but will show up in live concerts.

The fans are hoping and screaming for a new production. However, no official statements have been made by the band.