Tristania was founded in 1996, by Einar Moen (synth & programming), Kenneth Olsson (drums) and former singer/guitarist Morten Veland. Moen and Veland decided to leave the band Uzi Suicide, which they were a part of. They managed to get Olsson to join them in their new band, Tristania. Shortly after, Rune Østerhus (bass) and Anders H. Hidle (guitar) joined the band.
In May 1997 the band entered the studio for the first time and recorded their demo in Klepp Lydstudio. In the meantime, Vibeke Stene had been recruited. She was supposed to contribute on the demo as a session musician, but the rest of the band were convinced on that her voice matched the band perfectly, and she became the 6th member.
During the summer of 1997 the demo was distributed to different labels, and Napalm Records came up with the best offer. Tristania's first release on Napalm was the MCD named Tristania, which was the demo, but with a new mix and artwork.
Inspired by good reviews for the MCD all over Europe, the band was eager to record the debut album. After some months, Moen and Veland had the songs ready.
Before the end of 1997, their first full-length album Widow's Weeds was recorded and released in the beginning of 1998. Widow's Weeds is a symphonic metal album with elements from different genres, such as gothic rock, death metal, classical music and black metal. Essential for the album were 2 session musicians, which both have been important on the bands later a.....
