Konkhra

Konkhra is a Danish death metal/extreme metal band formed in Køge in 1989. Initially named Vicious Circle, they changed their name to Konkhra in 1990.^[1]

Konkhra
Also known as	Vicious Circle
Origin	Denmark
Genres	Death metal, thrash metal, extreme metal
Years active	1989–present
Labels	Hammerheart Records
Members	Anders Lundemark Martin R. Patterson Johnny Nielsen Kim 'Hakim' Mathiesen
Past members	See below
Website	konkhra.com

Konkhra's back catalog blends death metal, groove metal, mid-tempo, and thrash. The name "Konkhra" is derived from the sound that Tom Angelripper from Sodom makes when he introduces the song "Conqueror" on the 1988 album Mortal Way of Live.^[2]

History

1988/1989: The band formed under the name Vicious Circle.^[3][4]

1990: Their first demo The Vicious Circle was released.^[4]

1991: Their second demo Malgrowth was released.

1992: Their first official record Stranded was released on Progress Records, limited to 3,000 copies.^[3]

1993: The first full-length album Sexual Affective Disorder was released on Progress Records.

1995: The album Spit or Swallow was released. It was recorded at Sunlight Studio in Stockholm and produced by Dismember drummer Fred Estby and Tomas Skogsberg. This record made Konkhra the best-selling band on Progress Records,^[3] and the band had one of their career highlights that year at Roskilde Festival for about 10,000 spectators. The concert was released on Live Eraser (1996), which was the first real live album of death metal according to Lundemark. The band gained popularity in Europe at that time.^[5][6]

1997: The next album was called Weed out the Weak and had James Murphy (ex-Testament, Obituary) on guitar and Chris Kontos (ex-Machine Head, Testament, Exodus) on drums. The album was released on Metal Blade for the U.S. market.

2003: The album Reality Check was released on the Italian label Code666.

2009: Nothing is Sacred featured James Murphy on guitar again. It was released on Konkhra's own label Chopshop Records.

2018: The album Weed out the Weak was re-issued on Hammerheart Records.

2019: The album Alpha and the Omega was released on Hammerheart Records.

Konkhra has toured with many bands in Denmark, South Africa, U.S., Europe, and Israel, including Fear Factory, Brutal Truth, Suffocation, Meatlocker, Deicide, Immolation, Cannibal Corpse, Napalm Death, Behemoth, Volbeat, Batushka, Malevolent Creation, King Diamond, and more.^[7]

The band's eighth studio album Sad Plight of Lucifer is set to release on November 29, 2024.^[8]

Members

Current

• Anders Lundemark – vocals, guitar (1989–present)
• Martin R. Patterson - bass (1991–1992, 2014–present)
• Johnny Nielsen – drums (1993–1996, 2002–2003, 2014–present)
• Kim 'Hakim' Mathiesen – guitar (1994–1996, 2002–2003, 2015–present)

Former

• Claus Vedel – vocals, guitar (1989–1994)
• Jon Clausen – drums (1989–1992)
• Thomas "Gnist" Christensen – bass (1996–1999)
• Chris Kontos – drums (1996–1997)
• Per Möller Jensen – drums (1997–2000)
• James Murphy – guitar (1997-1999, 2009)
• Søren Hee Johansen - bass (1993)
• Lars Schmidt - bass (1993–1996, 1999–2009)
• Mads Lauridsen - drums (2004–2010)
• Michael Skovbakke - guitar (2010–2015)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums Sexual Affective Disorder (1993) Spit or Swallow (1995) Weed Out the Weak (1997) Come Down Cold (1999) Reality Check (2003) Nothing Is Sacred (2009) Weed Out the Weak (re-issue) (2018) Alpha and the Omega (2019) Sad Plight of Lucifer (2024) Live albums Live Eraser (1996) Videos Homegrowth (1996)

EPs Stranded (1992) The Facelift EP (1994) The Freakshow (1999) Demos The Vicious Circle (1990) Malgrowth (1991) Persistence (2005)