In the previous article, we uncovered some of the mysteries surrounding the dreadful and sinister Swedish project Abruptum and we reviewed their first period as a band born at the end of the ‘80s till the remarkable accomplishment achieved in the early months of 1992 thanks to the agreement signed by the Deathlike Silence Productions, which was the record label of the Mayhem’s acclaimed leader Euronymous. This first period was crucial for Abruptum, yet it left behind its first victim; in fact, All was forced to leave the band due to a constant and increasing alcoholic problem, just after the release of the EP called “Evil”… and then it was just the two of them, It and Morgan Steinmeyer Håkansson; the last one had more opportunity to express himself. At this point, the adventure began in the Euronymous world, Håkansson took care of the instrumental parts and It was focused on the vocal parts.

The first formal work of the band, produced by Deathlike Silence Productions, is called “Obscuritatem Advoco Amplectère Me” and was released in March the 15th 1993. It’s composed of only two tracks, each lasting more than 25 minutes. Just after one year, precisely on April the 1st 1994, the same Deathlike Silence Productions released the Abruptum second album, called “In Umbra Malitiæ Ambulabo, in Æternum in Triumpho Tenebraum”, one track only, one hour long.
During the early ‘90s, the crazy Swedish project considerably expanded because of different reasons, such as the complete weirdness of the music by Abruptum, partly due to the fact that Euronymous was the producer and also because the band was labelled as the most evil one in the world.
In both pieces, the experimental approach of the demo period was taken to the edge, ending up with a sonic nightmare like no other. The atmospheres you experience draw you into the raw essence of black metal by tagging the genre as noise because of the absolute lack of structure, the poor sense of musicality and the overwhelming assault of horrifying noises and screams that strike you while listening.
These two albums split the views of metalheads of the time, some considered Abruptum really terrific and capable of creating utterly hellish and monstrous music. On the other hand, some people regarded them as a failing band, a no-music project with completely improvised album, senseless and fairly unpleasant.

Following the Euronymous’ murder and the subsequent bankruptcy of the Deathlike Silence Productions, two whole years went by before Abruptum came out with something else. In 1996 “Vi Sonus Veris Nigræ Malitiæs” was actually released, it was completely recorded by It, who was forced to take care of everything, due to the ever-increasing commitments of Marduk, which kept Håkansson away. The back cover warns: «Abruptum disclaim any responsibility for deeds committed under the influence of this album. The listener must understand that Abruptum represent the audible embodiment of pure evil and experiencing their work is done at one’s own risk».
The album of one track only, lasting slightly more than an hour, is not much different from the others, despite the involvement of the renowned Peter Tägtgren as a sound engineer, a highly successful Swedish producer and multi-instrumentalist. The sorrowful wails of the guitar, the irregularity of the drums and the overwhelming chaos of horrifying sounds and chilling atmospheres, harmonize with the striking inhuman screams of It.

Just after the end of the recording though, It quitted the Abruptum’s project because of a growing depression and an emotional distress. He opted to disappear from the scene altogether. At this stage, Abruptum effectively evolved into a one-man project helmed by Håkansson.
Unable to fully dedicate himself to it, only in November 2000 Håkansson released an EP of three tracks under the name Abruptum, called “De Profundis Mors Vas Cousumet”. The songs are definitely shorter than the previous ones. It collaborated in this EP for the last time, he can be heard with his tormenting cries in the opening song, on top of that, composed with a precise structure and a well-defined drum rhythm, elements never heard before. The rest of the EP is just pure disturbing noise. This work was most likely the final experience in the studio for It. After that, he moved to Poland leaving no trace of him behind. He died in February 2017 under unknown circumstances. He was 44 years old.

From now on, Abruptum’s discography is rather uneven, due the worldwide success of Marduk and Håkansson’s constant commitments.
That makes him unable to maintain a steady continuity, leaving the Abruptum’s project to an evil and shadowy entity that he only decides when to bring it back from the darkest depths.