Origin:	Bergen, Norway
Genres:	Gothic Metal
DISBANDED

Last update/review:	March 4, 2023

Octavia Sperati

Founded in 2000, the band first known as Octavia took their name from a figure from Roman times (the sister of an emperor), and then, having learned that Octavia was already taken as a band name, appended the name Sperati (apparently the name of a local actress once upon a time). They were generally referred to as all-female, and for a time they actually were, but they employed a male drummer for most of their career, (like, curiously, another "all-female" band, Astarte). Anyway, their style is dark, gothic metal, somewhat like a doomier Madder Mortem, lush and dramatic yet still keeping a dominant metal pulse, as well as some oddities such as the tribal drum intro and mean guitar riff that opens "Below Zero". After two releases they announced in July 2008 that they were taking an extended break, which, as is often the case, turned in to a breakup of the band. Vocalist Silje Wergelend later won the vacated vocalist spot for The Gathering.