Old Man's Child

Old Man's Child is a Norwegian black metal band originating from the city of Oslo. The band was founded by Galder (formerly known as Grusom; birth name: Thomas Rune Andersen), who is the sole permanent member of the group.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

History

Old Man's Child was officially founded in 1993, but its roots trace back to 1989 when Galder, Jardar, and Tjodalv formed a death/thrash band called Requiem. They initially performed covers of songs by Slayer and Metallica, later releasing a demo album in 1990. "Requiem" dissolved in 1992.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 1996, after releasing their first full-length album, Born of the Flickering, they signed with Century Media. Following the releases of The Pagan Prosperity and Ill-Natured Spiritual Invasion through Century Media, the band embarked on one of their rare tours. Old Man's Child has infrequently toured due to constant line-up changes over the years.

In 2000, Galder joined Dimmu Borgir, but he continued to work with Old Man's Child. Over the years, the band has evolved into a one-man project, utilizing session musicians for their albums.

Between 2000 and 2005, Galder released three albums: Revelation 666 – The Curse of Damnation (2000), In Defiance of Existence (2003), and Vermin (2005). In July 2008, Old Man's Child announced that they were entering the studio to record their seventh album, Slaves of the World. It was released in 2009.

In an early 2011 interview, Galder stated that he was firmly focused on the current Dimmu Borgir tour.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> However, he mentioned that after the world tour, he would begin writing music for Old Man's Child, with the possibility of releasing an album in 2012.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> This did not materialize, and the band entered an extended period of silence during which Galder appeared to maintain his focus on Dimmu Borgir.

In December 2019, however, the group was reactivated, with Galder posting a video on the band's Facebook page showing him working on new Old Man's Child material—the first such work in over a decade. Galder parted ways with Dimmu Borgir in August 2024, announcing that he would finalize the new album and begin touring with Old Man's Child.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In March 2025, Galder announced Tjodalv will be returning to the band to tour in the summer.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Discography

Studio albums

• Born of the Flickering (1996)
• The Pagan Prosperity (1997)
• Ill-Natured Spiritual Invasion (1998)
• Revelation 666 – The Curse of Damnation (2000)
• In Defiance of Existence (2003)
• Vermin (2005)
• Slaves of the World (2009)

Compilations

• The Historical Plague (2003)

Demos

• In the Shades of Life (1994)

Splits

• Sons of Satan Gather for Attack (with Dimmu Borgir — also known as "Devil's Path / In the Shades of Life") (1999)

Band members

Current members

• Galder (Tom Rune Andersen) – vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards (1993–present)
• Kenneth "Tjodalv" Åkesson – drums (1993–1996, 1999–2001, 2025–present)

Former members

• Brynjard Tristan – bass (1994–1995)
• Frode "Gonde" Forsmo – bass (1995–1997)
• Jon Øyvind "Jardar" Andersen – guitars, backing vocals (1993–1997, 1999–2003)
• Tony Kirkemo – drums (1996–1997)
• Jan Roger "Grimar" Halvorsen – drums (1999–2000)

Former session musicians

• Bjørn "Aldrahn" Dencker Gjerde - vocals (1995–1996)
• Stian Aarstad – keyboards (1996–1999)
• Gene Hoglan – drums (1998)
• Håkon "Memnoch" Didriksen – bass (2000)
• Nick Barker – drums (2003)
• Reno Kiilerich – drums (2005)
• Peter Wildoer – drums (2008)

Timeline

<timeline> ImageSize =width:800 height:auto barincrement:25 PlotArea =left:130 bottom:100 top:0 right:5 Alignbars =justify DateFormat =mm/dd/yyyy Period =from:01/01/1993 till:{{#time:m/d/Y}} ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1993 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1993 TimeAxis =orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend =orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:3

Colors=

id:vocals   value:red        legend:Vocals
id:guitar   value:green      legend:Guitar
id:bass     value:blue       legend:Bass
id:keys     value:purple     legend:Keyboards
id:drums    value:orange    legend:Drums
id:backing value:pink     legend:Backing_vocals
id:session   value:yellow      legend:Session_member
id:studio   value:black      legend:Studio_albums
id:other     value:gray(0.5)  legend:Demos/split_albums
id:bars      value:gray(0.95)

LineData=

at:03/01/1996 color:other layer:back
at:06/01/1996 color:black layer:back
at:08/18/1997 color:black layer:back
at:06/23/1998 color:black layer:back
at:12/07/1999 color:other layer:back
at:03/13/2000 color:black layer:back
at:01/20/2003 color:black layer:back
at:10/17/2005 color:black layer:back
at:05/19/2009 color:black layer:back

BackgroundColors= bars:bars

BarData=

bar:Bjorn      text:"Bjørn Dencker"
bar:Galder    text:"Thomas Rune Andersen"
bar:Jon         text:"Jon Øyvind Andersen"
bar:Bryn       text:"Brynjard Tristan"
bar:Frode     text:"Frode Forsmo"
bar:Hakon    text:"Håkon Didriksen"
bar:Stian      text:"Stian Aarstad"
bar:Kenny    text:"Kenneth Åkesson"
bar:Tony      text:"Tony Kirkemo"
bar:Gene      text:"Gene Hoglan"
bar:Jan         text:"Jan Roger Halvorsen"
bar:Nick       text:"Nick Barker"
bar:Reno      text:"Reno Kiilerich"
bar:Peter      text:"Peter Wildoer"

PlotData =

width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
bar:Bjorn      from:01/01/1995 till:09/01/1996  color:vocals
bar:Bjorn      from:01/01/1995 till:09/01/1996  color:session width:3
bar:Galder    from:01/01/1993 till:end  color:guitar
bar:Galder    from:01/01/1993 till:end  color:vocals width:3
bar:Galder    from:01/01/1993 till:end  color:keys width:7
bar:Galder    from:01/01/1993 till:01/01/1994  color:bass width:5
bar:Galder    from:09/01/1997 till:01/01/2000  color:bass width:5
bar:Galder    from:04/01/2000 till:end  color:bass width:5
bar:Jon         from:01/01/1993 till:09/01/1997  color:guitar
bar:Jon         from:01/01/1993 till:09/01/1997  color:backing width:3
bar:Jon         from:06/01/1999 till:07/01/2003  color:guitar
bar:Jon         from:06/01/1999 till:07/01/2003  color:backing width:3
bar:Bryn       from:01/01/1994 till:06/01/1995  color:bass
bar:Frode     from:06/01/1995 till:09/01/1997  color:bass
bar:Hakon    from:01/01/2000 till:04/01/2000  color:bass
bar:Hakon    from:01/01/2000 till:04/01/2000  color:session width:3
bar:Stian      from:08/01/1996 till:07/01/1999  color:keys
bar:Stian      from:08/01/1996 till:07/01/1999  color:session width:3
bar:Kenny    from:01/01/1993 till:09/01/1996  color:drums
bar:Kenny    from:06/01/1999 till:06/01/2001  color:drums
bar:Kenny    from:03/23/2025 till:end  color:drums
bar:Tony      from:09/01/1996 till:10/01/1997  color:drums
bar:Gene      from:01/01/1998 till:07/20/1998  color:drums
bar:Gene      from:01/01/1998 till:07/20/1998  color:session width:3
bar:Jan         from:12/20/1999 till:06/01/2000  color:drums
bar:Nick       from:01/01/2003 till:02/20/2003  color:drums
bar:Nick       from:01/01/2003 till:02/20/2003  color:session width:3
bar:Reno      from:08/01/2005 till:11/01/2005  color:drums
bar:Reno      from:08/01/2005 till:11/01/2005  color:session width:3
bar:Peter      from:09/01/2008 till:12/01/2008  color:drums
bar:Peter      from:09/01/2008 till:12/01/2008  color:session width:3

</timeline>

External links

• Official Old Man's Child Myspace
• Official Old Man's Child Forum