Peccatum

Peccatum is a Norwegian post-black metal project formed in 1998 by Emperor leader Ihsahn (real name: Vegard Tveitan) and his wife, Star of Ash's Ihriel (Heidi Tveitan), along with her brother, Lord PZ (Pål Solberg). Seeking to push beyond the stylistic restrictions of black metal, the trio of classically trained vocalists (Ihsahn also handling almost all instruments: guitar, bass, keyboards, etc.) combined elements of heavy metal, Gothic rock, industrial, new age, ambient, and especially classical music to conjure a highly unconventional debut in 1999's Strangling From Within. Yet this was merely the beginning, as their avant-garde vision was taken into even stranger realms of invention on subsequent efforts like 2000's Oh, My Regrets EP, 2001's Amor Fati album, and particularly, 2004's Lost in Reverie LP. Significantly, this last release was the first recorded after Emperor's demise and Lord PZ's departure.