VITNE
Inspired by Japanese and Celtic music, VITNE's Nordic mixture of anthemic heavy metal and rock (AOR) has been nicknamed "Zen Metal" by fans.
26
songs
324
plays
Serenity
Vitne - Endless Blue - EP - 06 The Ocean
Vitne - Endless Blue - EP - 02 Endless Blue 715266
Vitne - Endless Blue - EP - 05 Misery
Show all (26)
Albums
Within the Melodic Hard Rock/AOR landscape, Norway's VITNE (meaning "witness" in Norwegian) stands out not only with his Japanese and Celtic influences, but also his gothic leanings, smooth vocals and addition of flute. His tendency to move from heavy power metal-esque songs into tranquil, ambient pieces has led to his style being endearingly named "Zen Metal" by fans.
Fireworks Magazine described his sound as "a sort of laid-back, toned-down power metal style," with an "operatic-style about the singing in the way he soars cleanly above the music." Metal-Temple noted that VITNE's music has a "chilly and vibrant Gothic experience" and described him as a "multi-talented musician with a voice of an angel."
VITNE is one of Norway's first artists to be closely associated with the visual kei movement originating from Japan as a result of his noted influence from artists like X Japan and Gackt. He has been included on multiple volumes of Broken Rose Records' visual kei omnibus series "Decadent Society," received press from notable genre-related publications including VKH-Press (Visual Kei Heaven), various magazine and music portals in Japan, as well as inclusion in an extensive syndicated article on China's SOHU featuring his music alongside X Japan and Silver Ash.
'Jupiter,' VITNE's most recent album, took the melodic rock/metal world by surprise in 2017 with dozens of glowing reviews as well as spots in multiple "best albums of the year" lists. Two songs from the album were nominated for various awards, with 'Make Believe' picking up 'Best Rock Song' by the 2017 Indie Music Channel Awards. As with his past records, VITNE's music features the lead guitar work of virtuosic German guitarist Julian Angel, with 'Jupiter' receiving mixing and mastering from Rolf Munkes (Empire, Crematory).
With an inspirational, triumphant quality about his songs, his music has touched fans around the globe and been featured in publications from Brazil and Chile to Russia, China and Japan.
Band/artist history
5th March (bass guitar): 2001-2003
Golden Palace (guitar/songwriting): 2004-current
SEKS (vocals/songwriting): 2009-2012
HART (vocals/songwriting): 2012
VITNE: 2013-current
Have you performed in front of an audience?
Back in high school, in my punk band 5th March, we played with a bunch of cool punk and ska bands. Bands like The Berlin Project, Punchline, East Arcadia, The Busdrivers and Sloppy Meateaters, among others. Punk is a huge part of my background and absolutely seeps into my current music.
Your musical influences
Gackt, Yasunori Mitsuda, X Japan, Billy Idol, Motley Crue, Poison, RATT, Sum 41, Hoobastank
What equipment do you use?
Oktava microphones
Anything else?
Life is beautiful. Don't ever forget that.
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