Norway isn’t exactly known for death metal, especially not the bludgeoning American type. The deep guttural growls, the gurgling tuned down guitars, frantic vicious drumming and all the visceral chaos you’d expect from Florida…but this isn’t Florida is it? In fact, Norway is about as far removed from Florida that you can get…until now. Spawned from frozen north, where the stark red of splattered blood on the snow can be a slightly more extreme and shocking sight when you are kneeling in it praying for your life, comes Blood Red Throne. If you aren’t familiar with Blood Red Throne, get ready for the blunt force trauma and get AFFILIATED WITH THE SUFFERING. Blood Red Throne came about in 1998 when Død and Tchort (ex-Emperor) were performing together as part of Satyricon’s touring band. With their shared vision of morbidity and a twisted passion for brutal and extreme death metal the search for a drummer was on. Freddy “Fred the Shred” Bolsø joined the band and the three began rehearsing by playing songs by Deicide, Death and Obituary. When five stringer Erlend Caspersen joined, the band began writing their own material. Tchort had many meaty chunks of riffs written for the planned debut album of Green Carnation, (his first death metal band) which he brought to Blood Red Throne autopsy table, and Død contributed with new material written especially for the new experimental project. Like mad scientists bringing zombies to life from deformed body parts, Blood Red Throne’s debut, 'Monument Of Death', took frightening shape in the rehearsal room. And a monster of a debut it was to be. Their demo recording, 'DeathMix 2000' resulted in several offers from record labels and attention in the press. Blood Red Throne decided to sign with Hammerheart Records. Work began on completing the line up and continued writing of songs for the debut album. Long time friend and drummer, Mr. Hustler, was converted and persuaded into joining the bloody gang. He agreed just two weeks before recording was scheduled! 'Monument of Death' was the first ever metal album recorded in Dub Studios in Kristiansand with producer Endre Kirkesola. It was then mixed at Berno studios in Malmo, Sweden by Henrik Larsson (Amon Amarth, Vomitory). 'Monument of Death' saw the light of day in late 2001 included a limited edition package called 'The Suicide Kit', which not only contained the actual album, but also a printed razorblade and a poster. The kits were hand numbered in the band member’s own blood! In May 2002 the limited edition Mini 'Album A Taste For Blood' was released containing the often requested material from the 'Deathmix 2000' demo. It also included a cover song by Massacre, the very first release ever done by the band (for the 'Nordic Metal II' compilation) and a song from the debut album - all remastered in killer fashion! At this time, Freddy B, due to work commitments, had to quit the band. A replacement was found in Espen “Beist” Antonsen who come from the Norwegian black metal band, Slagmark. Blood Red Throne not only rehearsed new material but also was now ready to make ears bleed live. The band played at the highly acclaimed Inferno Festival with bands like Behemoth, Dimmu Borgir and Aeternus, supported Dimmu Borgir on their Norwegian tour, played the Smash Fest in Poland, and kicked ass with label mates Exmortem at the new Southern Discomfort festival, all the while working on the next album. A new era of blood is upon us. 'Affiliated With The Suffering' is the newest chapter of the eviscerating bloody tales of Blood Red Throne, a sickeningly precise dose of Death Metal damage that was released in 2002 and accompanied by a series of European shows and the ‘Generation Armageddon’ festival tour with bands such as Primordial and Dismember, which resumed in May 2003. Following the release of ‘Affiliated With The Suffering’ the band changed gears and shifted labels, joining forces with Earache in December 2003. In 2004 the band began working on their new studio album, entitled ‘Altered Genesis’, before completing a tour with Vader and Malevolent Creation in June 2004. The fresh direction that Blood Red Throne had taken a step towards was affirmed by the alteration in the band’s lineup, as Vald was recruited as a new vocalist and Anders Faret Haave of Apostasy and Ground Zero System was brought in to play drums for the band’s November gigs with Akercoke and Mortician. Blood Red Throne released the album ‘Altered Genesis’ in 2005, before Erl and Caspersen joined US band Vile for the ‘Gutting Europe’ tour in March and April 2006.