Norwegian heavy metal band, from my hometown Sarpsborg. Artch started out when members from the two bands Oxygen and Artch teamed up, and began recording demos. This was back in 1983. Their name came about when a friend of them should design a logo. He misspelled their name ARCH, and put in a T. The band thought it was cool, and stuck with it. When things got serious their vocalist was killed in a motorcycle accident. He was soon replaced by Icelandic, former Drysill-vocalist, Eric Hawk (Eirikur Hauksson). They play straight heavy metal similar to Iron Maiden, Metal Church and a bit early Metallica. They disbanded in 1993, but reunited in 1999 for some live-events.

Another Return To Church Hill (1988, 2001) Metal blade (2CD)

This album was originally released in 1988, through Active Records. But I obtained this re-release, and sold my old copy. The title was at first just a joke as an acronym of the band-name, but once again the band thought it was kind of cool, and used it. Artch are one of best heavy metal bands to come out of Norway, ever. A reviewer in Kerrang said: 'If this is not metal, I don't know s**t!', giving it a KKKKK (top score). With great songs like "Metal Life", "Loaded",  "Another Return" & "Power To The Man", these guys meant business. They are just metal to the bone. But they also delivered stuff like "Reincarnation", which is more speed/thrash metal. The ballad "Where I Go" is one of the most beautiful metal-ballads ever. Eirikur's excellent voice lifts these songs to great levels. I've read reviews putting this album as high as classics as Iron Maiden's 'Piece Of Mind' and Dio's 'Holy Diver', and I have no problem with these comparisons. 'Another Return To Church Hill' is truly that good! Also worth mentioning: The original European release of this album had a slightly different title on the cover, as it only said 'Another Return'. The concert featured on the bonus-disc was the first real concert I ever attended! My CD is signed by all of Artch's members..

Killer tracks: All of them!!

FOR THE SAKE OF MANKIND (1991, 2001) METAL BLADE (2CD)

'For The Sake Of Mankind' was originally released in 1991, this time through Metal Blade/Warner. This album is bit more mature, if you can call music that. Gone are the thrash-like songs, but the CD is still a very good metal-record. These guys should have reached far, but due to lack of any real label-support, it all just faded away. "Razamanaz" is a Nazareth cover. "Daredevil" and "Jezebel" are new songs recorded for these re-releases. My CD is signed by all of Artch's members.

Killer tracks: When Angels Cry, Titanic, Appologia, Confrontation

ANOTHER RETURN: LIVE... AND BEYOND (2004) NOSTROMO (2DVD)

Let me just start by saying that this is one of the coolest DVD releases I've ever seen! Over 4 hours of excellent music, and a solid portion of humor. On the first DVD you get 2 full Artch concerts. One of them is from their gig at Bootleg in Oslo in 1989. The other one is from their "farewell" concert in Sarpsborg in 2002. The oldest gig is interesting as it includes material written for the not yet released second album. But many of these songs will later change titles, lyrics and/or arrangements. Like "When Nature Calls" ends up as "Paradox" on the album. The band sounds tight, and the picture and sound are good. The 2002 concert is visually even more impressive. We're talking 16:9 Widescreen format, with 5.1 Dolby Surround sound. Those of us that were present that January evening will also remember that Artch were on fire that night. It's weird to think about the fact that Eric had just finished his chemotherapy just 10 days or so prior to this concert! These concerts alone would more than justify this DVD release. But fortunately, that was not quite enough for Artch. 

On the second DVD we get the to hear, and see, the bands entire career. All of the members are interviewed, and in between their recollections we get sounds and pictures to show us what went down. It's really fascinating to see how the band members themselves look bat at what they've been through. Also lookout for clips from Break The Ice in Iceland, Wacken in Germany and Metalfest in the USA. In addition to this 60 minute + documentary, you also get to see a studio report on how the 2 new tracks for the reissues of their albums were recorded. And as if this was not enough, you can enjoy 2 video-clips with Artch, 1 with Oxygen (Jack and Gil's pre-Artch band) and an Artch-special from the local TV station.

Artch never got the recognition they deserved, even though they did sell about 60000 albums (that is not bad for heavy metal bands from Norway). But for the people who have been lucky enough to get to know this band, and enjoy their music, this double DVD is a treasured gift. From the band, to the fans. Rumor has it that if the band manages to sell all 2000 copies available of this DVD, then they might record another album. SO GO BUY!!!!!

Artch guest appearances:

WitchHammer - '1487'

Eric Hawk guest appearances:

Gardenian - 'Soulburner'

Wig Wam - '667 ...The Neighbour Of The Beast'

Wig Wam - 'Wig Wamania'

Related artists:

Matches For Maggie, MissLead, Wig Wam