Celestial Scourge have been releasing some of the best Norwegian death metal since Darkthrone’s Soulside Journey and next week their debut, Observers of the Inevitable, is coming via Time To Kill Records. Meaning February 28th is a day that should be marked in your calendar if you’re a fan of punishing technical death metal!
Having shared some members with Blood Red Throne for the past few years, who themselves have been paving the way for crushing Norwegian death metal for over the last two decades, it is only fitting that Celestial Scourge exploded onto the scene recently having released solid composition after solid composition, and with 2025 set to bring their debut album if you’ve not heard the name yet you’re definitely going to be hearing the name Celestial Scourge a lot more moving forward.
Few bands in the modern death metal landscape balance technical mastery with sheer musicality as seamlessly as Celestial Scourge. Rising from the frost-bitten beauty that is Norway, Celestial Scourge are building a reputation for their intricate compositions, lightning-fast riffs, and tech-infused melodies, setting them apart from their peers in the technical death metal scene, both at home and abroad.
Since their inception in 2021, the band has continuously pushed the boundaries of the genre, crafting music that is as complex as it is groove-laden and engaging. Their ability to blend brutality with intense technical elements has earned them a well-deserved devoted following, making them one of the most innovative acts in Norway’s death metal scene today.
Today we sit down with Eirik, to talk about the band’s origins, influences, and death metal in Norway.
(Eirik – Celestial Scourge Interview, February 2025 by D)
Let’s start at the beginning, in your own words. What is Celestial Scourge, and how did this project come together?
Celestial Scourge is a result of good friends coming together with a vision and ambition to bring brutal tech-death back to Norway and back on the map in Scandinavia. We wanted to create something we ourselves want to listen to and of course to perform and have fun with. It started with our founding father Stian having 5 demos ready during covid and reaching out to me and Kristoffer about starting this niche group. These 5 demos became the Dimensions Unfurled EP before we had our two current guitar players.
At the time of writing, we’re a few days away from the release of the debut, Observers of the Inevitable, and if the remaining 5 tracks have been as frantic and fun as the first 3 we’ve heard, it is going to be an incredible release. Let’s talk about the making of the album. Which studio and engineer helped bring this album to life? How was your experience recording and releasing this one?
This was the work of 16th Cellar Studio for mix and master. Recording wise we did bass and guitars at home and vocals in a rehearsal space, drums were recorded in the studio of Ivan Meathook Gujic. The process was very smooth and quick since we are all very time efficient and motivated as a group. And the results was something we did not expect to be this good for sure.
Who or what have been some of your inspirations and influences behind your music and the debut album?
To name a few: Cannibal Corpse, Cattle Decapitation, The Zenith Passage, Revocation, The Faceless, are crucial bands to build inspiration for us. We often get together and just blast these bands and others in our free time to get hyped for the next writing session.
Out of all the new songs, which one do you think is going to get the biggest reaction live when it’s played? And, out of all your songs so far, which is your favourite to play and why?
Assembling Deformities is the true crowd hype one, when that last breakdown hits, nobody gets to sit still, and it’s a jumpy fun song to have later in the set. For me, I really enjoy Exterminated but we haven’t played it live yet unfortunately. But Vessels is always a blast for me, but not for the others hehe..
And just because I’m a nosey cunt, I always like to know what equipment people are using, and what equipment would you like to add to your arsenal moving forward? What makes the sounds behind Celestial Scourge?
My mic is just a SE v7, just to keep things simple and nice for extreme vocals. We use a trigger pad for drums and no actual bass drums if we can. Guitars go through a Quad Cortex and bass is often a DI signal with a distortion pedal, but I think Stian is looking for a Darkglass pedal soon. We want to up our production and have a sample pad to play interludes and make the set more smooth as an experience. Like a Roland SPD thingy.
We quite like the weird, the esoteric, the occult, and generally shit that’s a bit ‘out there’ over here at MithraicHQ. With that pretext, what is a mystery about life that fascinates you? What is something people should Google that’ll leave them amazed, or will blow their mind?
Probably The Dark Forest theory, which much of the album is based upon. That there are forces out there that we don’t want to mess with and if we do, we will probably get annihilated. Certain aliens need to never be discovered because we just don’t really know what they are capable of.
Outside of Norway, who has been most receptive to Celestial Scourge’s music? Where is somewhere that’s top of your list to bring Celestial Scourge for a live show?
We really want to make a US tour happen in 2026, we have good friends over there and would love some weeks overseas. But a tour through Europe would be great too of course.
I feel like death metal in Norway is criminally overlooked due to the popularity of black metal. What are some of the local, smaller, or more obscure Norwegian death metal bands that should be getting more recognition?
Great question and I totally agree, that’s why Oslo Deathfest is a thing now. But Diskord is one of our absolute favorites, but you can’t overlook Blood Red Throne either for the history and amount of coverage that band has made for the Norwegian scene. All the members in Celestial Scourge play in other death metal bands which is silly, but necessary to keep that genre alive here haha. But Abhorration, Nithe, Execration, Sovereign and Obliteration has to be mentioned.
What literature or content would you recommend your listeners get into if they wanted to better understand your lyrical content?
Just a bunch of space theories and dumb sci fi movies haha. Like The Stargate, They Live and The Thing to name some.
Following on from that more generally, what does Celestial Scourge recommend we check out?
We are big nerds and do a bunch of different things from reading manga to playing Magic The Gathering. But Berserk and One Punch Man are good anime series. The Thing is a must watch if you haven’t already. And if you haven’t played Ghost of Tsushima you are missing out.
From that, got to ask, which Magic The Gathering card is a proper dick card? Which card do you see in someone’s deck and immediately lose respect for them because of it?
For me personally it has to be Winter Orb for sure. F**k that card haha.
Obviously, the album is just coming out next week, but I’m curious what does the rest of 2025 look like for Celestial Scourge? What’s in the plans?
We got some festivals coming and release shows in Oslo and Kristiansand. The festivals are Øland Rots, Satan (in Iceland) and Reykjavik Deathfest. But we are still working on maximizing our calendar for sure.
Thanks for your time today guys, is there anything you’d like to add before we finish?
Don’t be a dick, life is hard for everyone already as is. And listen to Observers of The Inevitable when its out!
Appreciate your time today, Eirik!
If you’ve not heard them already, Celestial Scourge are firmly establishing themselves as one of the most inventive and technically gifted bands in modern death metal. Their ability to weave intricate melodies, complex rhythms, and unrelenting aggression into a cohesive and dynamic sound sets them apart from their peers. With each track release, they continue to refine their craft, pushing the limits of musicianship while maintaining a sense of groove and accessibility. Whether through frantic riffing, machine gun drumming, or the overall unrelenting energy, Celestial Scourge is a force to be reckoned with.
Observers of the Inevitable is coming via Time To Kill Records on February 28th. Pick up a copy, spin it on streaming, just make sure you check this out if you’re into technical death metal because it’s going to frantic as fuck, guaranteed! You will not regret it.
BOSTKTB,
HTBLOF.
Links:
Mithraic Magazine 
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