Tchort
Tchort (born Terje Vik Schei; June 7, 1974) is a Norwegian musician recognized for his contributions to the black metal and progressive metal genres, particularly as the bassist for Emperor's debut album In the Nightside Eclipse (1994) and as the founder of Green Carnation.[1][2] Born in Kristiansand, Norway, Schei adopted the stage name Tchort and began his career in the late 1980s with early death metal acts before forming Green Carnation in 1989, one of Norway's pioneering death metal bands.[1][3] His tenure with Emperor was brief but influential, providing bass for the album that helped define the second wave of black metal, after which he was imprisoned for two years in the 1990s due to an assault conviction.[1][4] Following his release, Tchort reformed Green Carnation, shifting its sound toward progressive and gothic metal elements, while also joining Carpathian Forest as guitarist and bassist from 1999 onward, contributing to albums like Strange Old Brew (2000).[1][5][6] In 2000, he founded the death metal band Blood Red Throne, further expanding his role in Norway's extreme metal scene.[7] Tchort co-manages Sublife Productions and, in 2014, departed Carpathian Forest to form The 3rd Attempt with former bandmate BloodPervertor.[1][8]Early Life
Upbringing in Kristiansand
Terje Vik Schei, better known by his stage name Tchort, was born in 1974 in Kristiansand, a coastal city in southern Norway's Agder region.[1] His early life unfolded in this locale, where the local music community would later influence his path into extreme metal.[9] By 1990, at age 16, Schei had formed Green Carnation as a death metal outfit in Kristiansand, recruiting local musicians including brothers Christopher and Anders Kobro (initially under the Botteri surname).[9][10] This early endeavor, which released a demo titled Hallucinations of Despair in 1991, reflected his nascent compositional drive amid the nascent Norwegian underground scene.[11] Schei's activities during this period were rooted in Kristiansand's regional metal circles, predating his relocation for broader opportunities.Initial Musical Interests
Terje Vik Schei, known professionally as Tchort, exhibited early enthusiasm for extreme metal during his teenage years in Kristiansand, gravitating toward the visceral intensity of death metal as it gained traction in the late 1980s underground scene.[12] This genre's emphasis on technical brutality and low-tuned aggression resonated with him, reflecting a preference for the "more brutal side" of metal.[13] Influences from American death metal pioneers shaped these interests, including bands like Suffocation and Deicide, whose complex riff structures and relentless ferocity informed the raw, technical sound Schei explored locally.[14] By the early 1990s, his dedication to death metal's foundational elements—characterized by blast beats, guttural vocals, and intricate guitar work—positioned him within Norway's nascent extreme metal community, distinct from the contemporaneous black metal developments in Oslo.[12][15]Entry into Extreme Metal
Formation of Green Carnation
Green Carnation was established in 1990 in Kristiansand, Norway, by guitarist Terje Vik Schei, professionally known as Tchort, who acted as the band's founder and primary creative force. The original lineup consisted of Tchort on guitar, Chris Botteri on bass, Kjetil "X"-Botteri on guitar, and Anders Kobro on drums, drawing from the local extreme metal community. Initially rooted in death metal, the group reflected the aggressive, riff-driven style prevalent in early Norwegian underground acts.[16][17] The band's formative output materialized with the self-released demo Hallucinations of Despair in February 1992, recorded over five days from February 3 to 7 at Midgards Studio in Norway. This cassette featured five tracks—"Laudate Dominum," "Deceased (Ashes to Ashes)," "Incubus," "Open the Gates," and "Path of Emotions"—characterized by guttural vocals, fast-paced drumming, and technical guitar work emblematic of mid-1990s death metal. Limited to pro-printed tapes with minimal circulation, the demo garnered attention within niche circles but did not lead to a full-length album at the time.[18][19] These early efforts positioned Green Carnation as a short-lived death metal entity amid Tchort's rising commitments elsewhere in the scene, though the project's inception foreshadowed its later stylistic expansions.[11]Joining Emperor and Black Metal Involvement
Terje Vik Schei, known professionally as Tchort, joined the Norwegian black metal band Emperor in late 1992 as bassist, replacing Mortiis following the latter's departure to embark on a solo career.[20] This move came shortly after Tchort had co-founded the death metal project Green Carnation in 1990, which he placed on indefinite hold to commit to Emperor's rising profile in the nascent second-wave black metal scene.[11] [16] Tchort's tenure with Emperor, spanning 1993 to 1994, centered on contributing to the band's foundational recordings that solidified their reputation for atmospheric and aggressive black metal. He performed bass duties on all tracks of Emperor's debut full-length album, In the Nightside Eclipse, recorded during July and August 1993 at HM Studio in Halmstad, Sweden, with production handled by the band alongside engineer Kaj Chmielowski.[21] The album, released on February 21, 1994, via Candlelight Records, featured Tchort alongside core members Ihsahn (guitars, vocals, keyboards), Samoth (guitars), and Faust (drums), marking a pivotal evolution toward symphonic black metal elements through layered keyboards and epic structures.[22] Through Emperor, Tchort immersed himself in the Norwegian black metal milieu, which emphasized anti-Christian imagery, raw sonic intensity, and a DIY ethos amid the early 1990s Bergen and Oslo scenes. His bass work provided a grounding foundation to the band's complex compositions, supporting riff-driven assaults and blast-beat rhythms that influenced subsequent acts in the genre.[23] Tchort also participated in promotional activities and interviews, such as a 1996 discussion with band members conducted by fellow musician Bård Guldvik Eithun (Faust), where Emperor reflected on their creative trajectory post-arrests in the scene.[24] His brief but impactful role underscored Emperor's shift from raw demo material to a more orchestrated sound, though external legal pressures curtailed further contributions.Imprisonment Period
Arrest, Charges, and Incarceration
Terje Vik Schei, professionally known as Tchort, was arrested in the mid-1990s shortly after contributing bass to Emperor's debut album In the Nightside Eclipse (1994).[4] [25] He faced charges of assault, with some reports specifying a knife assault, alongside burglary and grave desecration.[26] [27] [25] Schei was convicted and sentenced to a two-year term of imprisonment for these offenses, serving time in a Norwegian facility during a period when multiple Norwegian black metal figures encountered legal consequences for violent crimes.[28] [26] [27] His incarceration, which began around 1994–1995, isolated him from musical activities and contributed to lineup instability in Emperor amid concurrent arrests of bandmates Samoth and Faust for arson and murder, respectively.[29] [30]Impact on Career and Band Associations
Tchort's two-year imprisonment for assault, commencing shortly after Emperor's 1994 album In the Nightside Eclipse, forced his immediate exit from the band and halted any potential contributions to subsequent recordings or tours.[22][31] This conviction compounded Emperor's instability, as concurrent incarcerations of bassist Samoth for arson and drummer Faust for murder left vocalist/guitarist Ihsahn as the only free member, prompting an indefinite hiatus and lineup overhaul without Tchort.[22][31] His brief tenure with Satyricon, following his Emperor stint, similarly dissolved upon arrest, severing early black metal affiliations and precluding collaborative opportunities within the Norwegian scene during incarceration.[32] The period enforced a total cessation of musical output and networking, stalling career momentum gained from In the Nightside Eclipse's critical acclaim and limiting Tchort to isolated reflection rather than active production or performance.[31][32] These disruptions redirected post-release focus toward Green Carnation, originally formed in 1990 but dormant during his imprisonment, enabling a stylistic pivot away from black metal upon resumption in the late 1990s.[32] No formal band associations persisted through the incarceration, isolating Tchort from the evolving extreme metal landscape and underscoring the Norwegian black metal scene's vulnerability to legal repercussions on personnel stability.[22]Post-Release Career
Revival and Evolution of Green Carnation
Following his release from a two-year prison sentence in the mid-1990s for assault, Tchort reunited Green Carnation in 1998, leading to the recording and release of the band's debut album Journey to the End of the Night on May 2, 2000, via Prophecy Productions.[9] This effort marked a significant evolution from the band's original death metal roots in the early 1990s, incorporating gothic and progressive elements with extended song structures and atmospheric doom influences, as Tchort shifted focus toward more introspective and experimental compositions.[33] The band's sound further developed with Light of Day, Day of Darkness on October 23, 2001, a single 60-minute progressive epic blending doom, gothic, and metalcore passages, which solidified Green Carnation's reputation for ambitious, narrative-driven works.[34] This was followed by A Blessing in Disguise on February 3, 2003, through Season of Mist, featuring shorter, more varied tracks that retained progressive complexity while introducing cleaner vocals and melodic hooks, reflecting Tchort's growing emphasis on emotional depth over aggression.[35] By 2005's Quiet Offspring, the band had leaned further into progressive metal with symphonic and alternative rock infusions, but internal tensions, including a 2007 split after a disorganized U.S. tour, led to a hiatus.[36] Green Carnation reformed in the mid-2010s, culminating in the release of Leaves of Yesteryear on May 8, 2020, their first full-length in 15 years, which revisited gothic progressive metal with melancholic lyrics and intricate arrangements, earning acclaim for recapturing the band's early-2000s essence while incorporating modern production.[37] Tchort temporarily stepped away in 2022 due to personal commitments but rejoined on May 16, 2025, after a four-year absence, coinciding with the announcement of the album trilogy A Dark Poem.[38] The first installment, A Dark Poem, Part I: The Shores of Melancholia, was released on September 5, 2025, via Season of Mist, drawing inspiration from Arthur Rimbaud's poetry and emphasizing epic, gloomy progressive structures with atmospheric metal and occasional extreme elements.[39][40] This ongoing evolution underscores Tchort's vision of sincerity and emotional expression in progressive metal, prioritizing tortured, personal narratives over genre conventions.[41]Contributions to Blood Red Throne and Carpathian Forest
Tchort co-founded the Norwegian death metal band Blood Red Throne in 1998 with guitarist Daniel "Død" Olaisen, both of whom had prior ties to Satyricon.[1] As the band's primary guitarist from its inception until 2010, he shaped its sound by infusing black metal elements drawn from his Emperor tenure, emphasizing brutal riffs and thematic focus on gore and murder.[1] His contributions extended beyond performance to include lyrics on early releases such as the Deathmix 2000 demo and the A Taste for Blood EP (2002), where he also handled bass on select tracks.[1] Tchort participated in Blood Red Throne's core discography, providing guitars on albums including Monument of Death (2001), Affiliated with the Suffering (2003), Altered Genesis (2005), Come Death (2007), and Souls of Damnation (2009).[1] On the latter, he received explicit songwriting credits for tracks 4 and 9, contributing to the band's evolution toward more technical death metal structures while maintaining raw aggression.[1] Additional roles encompassed engineering, co-production, photography, and cover art concepts, underscoring his multifaceted involvement in the band's production process.[1] In parallel, Tchort joined Carpathian Forest in 1999 as bassist, transitioning to guitars from 2001 onward, with intermittent activity through 2009 and a return in 2012–2014.[1] His bass work appears on early 2000s releases like the He's Turning Blue / Ghoul single (2000) and Morbid Fascination of Death (2001), bolstering the band's raw black metal foundation amid its shift toward punk-infused chaos.[1] On guitar, he featured in live and studio efforts such as Live at Inferno '01 (2001, including backing vocals), Defending the Throne of Evil (2003), and Fuck You All!!!! (2006), where he co-wrote tracks 2, 3, 5, 7, and 10, helping integrate misanthropic themes with experimental edges.[1]Tchort's tenure with Carpathian Forest aligned with its prolific phase under Nattefrost's leadership, contributing to compilations like We're Going to Hell for This (2002) and video releases such as We're Going to Hollywood for This (2004 and 2009 editions).[1] These efforts reinforced the band's cult status in Norwegian black metal, blending Tchort's technical precision with the group's irreverent, anti-establishment ethos, though his role remained supportive rather than leading.[1]