Bio

In 2006, the Lord Kaiaphas, the former singer for the Norwegian Black Metal band Ancient (1995-1998), created a solo project called Thokkian Vortex. He produced two songs and revealed the project online on 06/06/06, the day of the Beast.

Shortly afterwards, Kaiaphas secured a deal with Sleaszy Rider records for a split CD release called The Saturnine Alliance together with Hungarian band, Aetherius Obscuritas. That CD was released in 2007.

Pleased with the new project, Lord Kaiaphas wrote another song, Into The Nagual. Since Ancient and Dark Funeral had toured Europe together back in 1997 Lord Kaiaphas decided to send the song to Lord Ahriman (Dark Funeral/Wolfen Society) to see if he would be interested in recording the guitars for the track. Ahriman liked what he heard so he accepted and took things a step further by composing new riffs on top of Kaiaphas’s arrangement. The result was pleasing to both Lords.

As Thokkian Vortex was merely one of Kaiaphas’s many projects, it would not be until 2010 when he would complete another track, My Frostqueen, and reveal it online.

Two years later, Kaiaphas decided to work on some new songs for Thokkian Vortex. For guitar and bass duties he hired Scorpios(Crimson Moon/Melechesh/Zemial), who had also played bass for Ancient while on tour together with Kaiaphas in Europe 1998. That tour had been Ancient’s first headlining tour with Belphegor and Behemoth.

By 2013 the Lord Kaiaphas had decided to compose and produce a full length album. That year he met guitarist, Zed Destructive, the vocalist for Progressive Death/Black metallers, Winterhorde and invited him to record some guitars on the album. The bass parts would be recorded by Mantus(Patria/Mysteriis), Scorpios, and experienced bassist, Vitan, a friend of Zed’s. Additional guitar solos were provided by Mantus, Dmitri Alperovich (Seventh Station), and Vargblod (Draugul/Khaospath).

By the end of the year Kaiaphas had completed all the mixing for the debut album to be called Into The Nagual. A new version of the title track was created using Lord Ahriman’s original guitar parts with better mixing.

Upon Zed’s suggestion Thokkian Vortex had morphed from a studio project into a live band by 2014. Zed invited the beastly ex-drummer of Winterhorde, Hesperus, to join the ranks and on Halloween night of that year Thokkian Vortex played their first gig.

Soon after that gig Hesperus left the band and moved to Los Angeles. Zed invited Nothing Lies Beyond drummer, Uriel, to fill the position. Some rehearsals later Vitan left the band as well.

It would be a long time until a permanent bass player would be found.

Although Lord Kaiaphas had signed with Swedish label, Unexploded records, for the release of Into The Nagual in 2013, the label did not release the album until early 2016. By then Thokkian Vortex had been rehearsing with new bassist, Sil, and were ready to perform again, which they did in 2017.

The debut video for the song Huginn and Muninn in the Realms of Mist has been in production since the summer of 2016. After incredible delays and tremendous efforts, this masterpiece video will be revealed in January 2018. Unlike all the Ancient videos where Lord Kaiaphas appears, the Thokkian Vortex video is the first video fully approved by him.

During 2018-2019, while the new album was in the works, Thokkian Vortex lineup has changed. The new album, “Thy Throne is Mine” has Lord Sabnock (Major Arcana) on guitar and Asmodeus Draco Dux (Azrath-11, Naer Mataron, Kurgaal, Ancient, Melechesh, etc.) on drums. Thokkian Vortex signed with Non Serviam Records, who will release the second album in February 2020.