Thokkian Vortex is a Black Metal band fronted by Lord Kaiaphas, the former vocalist for the Norwegian black metal band, Ancient (95-98).
The band features guitarist Sabnock, bassist Sil, & drummer Asmodevs Draco Dvx (Azrath-11, Naer Mataron, Kurgaall, Ancient, Melechesh, etc.).
Lord Kaiaphas has played in Black Metal bands since 1992, but his role had always been mainly as a drummer, vocalist, and lyricist.
Over the years Kaiaphas has acquired the skills of a producer/audio engineer and has built a professional home recording studio, thus, enabling him to have full control over all music composition and production. Therefore, Thokkian Vortex is the first true Black Metal project from Lord Kaiaphas.
Without compromises, Lord Kaiaphas is able to present his pure vision of Black Metal art.
Musically, Thokkian Vortex is Nordic style Black Metal as it was played in the 90s by bands such as Mayhem, Emperor, Dark Funeral, Limbonic Art, Satyricon etc.
Thokkian Vortex is thematically inspired by all aspects of the occult and the black arts – from medieval Satanism and witchcraft to nagualism and odinism.
The definition of Thokkian Vortex is a crack or wormhole through which one’s astral body is sucked into a parallel dimension of unknown darkness.
Thokkian Vortex follows the traditional aesthetics of Black Metal, incorporating corpse paint, spikes, bullet belts, leather, blood, & ritualistic props in their live shows.
Lord Kaiaphas delivers a dramatic and expressive performance, captivating the audience as he did with Ancient in the 90s.
The debut album from Thokkian Vortex, “Into The Nagual” was released at the end of January 2016 by Unexploded records (Sweden).
A highly listenable album comprising many different styles, timbres, a variety of rhythms from blast beats to D-beats, shredding guitar solos, Kaiaphas’s signature vocal styling, atmospheric synthesizers, orchestral sections, and a solid production.
During this period the project consisted of guitarist Zed Destructive (Winterhorde) and bassist, Vitan. The album also featured guest musicians such as Lord Ahriman (Dark Funeral) and Scorpios (Crimson Moon) among others.
The video for the track, Huginn and Muninn in the Realms of Mist, was released in April 2018. This black & white video is a visual masterpiece surrealistically portraying the mood of the song. Russian filmmaker, Mark Inberg, who will continue to work with the band in future videos, directed the video.
Victoria Costa did the postproduction of the video.
In 2019 Thokkian Vortex completed the recordings for their second album, Thy Throne is Mine. The album has a more raw and Black n' Roll approach than Into the Nagual, although some symphonic elements are still present. The album features shredding guitar solos by Marcelo Vasco, a.k.a. Mantus (Patria, Mysteriis, Le Chant Noir) from Marcelo Vascoarts.
