Formed in 1992 and taking their name from Lord Of The Rings
(as have many other bands), Gorgoroth is a pretty typical Norwegian
black metal band in many respects.
They've got the standard corpsepaint visual,
they have suitably black-metal-like pseudonyms,
their present and past members have several ties to other black
metal bands, and most importantly, their music is firmly rooted in
old-school black metal, in the tradition of
Darkthrone,
Marduk,
and the like.
As a result, much of their work, particularly the early albums like
Antichrist, is on the generic side -- certainly they've nailed
the style to a T, but there isn't a lot that distinguishes them from
other similarly-styled bands.
On their 2000 Incipit Satan album, they are
more adventurous, as they are starting to spread their wings just
a bit without sacrificing any of their early evilness or intensity.
The band has had its share of notoriety over the years, with
vocalist Gaahl facing jail time on an assault charge and a
show in Poland potentially running afoul of local law for
"offending religious beliefs".
The band splintered in the fall of 2007,
with Gaahl and King on one side and Infernus on the other.
Both want to continue as Gorgoroth, and so the matter was tied up in
the courts for some time, until Infernus was awarded the rights to the
name in March 2009.
He recruited a new lineup, while King and Gaahl continued
for a time with a new band called God Seed, but that band lapsed after
a few months, with Gaahl retiring from the metal music
business.
King later formed his own band,
Ov Hell.