The Kovenant – featuring Stian “Nagash” Arnesen (vocals, bass), Steinar Sverd Johnsen (keyboards), Sarah Jezebel Deva (vocals), and Jan Axel “Hellhammer” Blomberg (drums) – made their triumphant return in 2024. Following their recent performance at Hellfest 2025 in Clisson, France, they announced the departure of guitarist, Astennu, and his replacement, Ghul from Mayhem.
Frontman Nagash has checked in with the following update:
“More The Kovenant shows have been confirmed and will be announced as soon as possible. Our management never rests… unless there’s a ski championship on TV.
And Ghul is learning our full setlist by himself, and will join us for rehearsals in Norway in a couple of weeks. If anybody could learn all that stuff in such a short time, it’s him. And then it’s off to play Rockstadt Festival in Transylvania, Romania.
Again, I couldn’t be more excited to have Ghul in the band. Awesome guy, and awesome guitarist.”
Following is The Kovenant’s original statement announcing Astennu’s departure:
“To the outside world, everything might have looked like fun and games…energetic live shows, big smiles, and a strong sense of fellowship. However, behind the scenes, The Kovenant has been facing serious challenges that we could no longer ignore.
It is with a heavy heart that we announce that Astennu (guitarist Jamie Stinson) will no longer be part of the band. This was not an easy decision. Astennu has been a part of our musical journey, but for some time he has struggled with personal demons, and unfortunately, this began to impact not only our live performances but also the integrity of the band. Despite repeated efforts to address these issues privately and internally, his behavior became increasingly erratic… damaging to our working relationships and harmful to the morale of everyone involved, including the band, our crew, and management.
We did everything we could to support him. However, his repeated breaches of our agreements, including sobriety on tour, treating fellow bandmates and crew with respect, and honoring the band’s goals, left us with no other option. It has been a painful and exhausting process for all of us.
That said, we believe in honesty with our fans. Our priority is to continue creating and performing music with passion and professionalism. The Kovenant deserves to move forward on a strong and positive path.
With that in mind, we are proud to welcome Charles Hedger – also known as Ghul – the talented guitarist from Mayhem, into The Kovenant. Charles is an experienced and highly respected musician who understands our vision and energy. We’re confident that he will fit seamlessly into the band and help shape this next chapter with integrity and artistry.
We recognize that some fans may be disappointed by this news. But given what has been going on behind-the-scenes, we believe this change is both necessary and ultimately beneficial. Our commitment to The Kovenant’s future and the music we make remains unwavering.”
Check out pro-shot video of The Kovenant’s entire Hellfest 2025 show below courtesy of ARTE Concert.
Setlist:
“The Sulphur Feast”
“Bizarre Cosmic Industries”
“Planetarium”
“The Last Of Dragons”
“Bringer Of The Sixth Sun”
“Dragonheart”
“Planetary Black Elements”
“Chariots Of Thunder”
Encore:
“New World Order”
“Towards The Crown Of Nights”
The Kovenant have announced they are finally bringing their cosmic, dark symphony to Latin America, with plans to grace the stages in Mexico, Chile, Argentina, and Colombia. Their live schedule is now as follows:
August
31 – El Teatrito – Buenos Aires, Argentina
September
2 – Teatro Cariola – Santiago, Chile
4 – Astor Plaza – Bogotá, Colombia
6 – Candelabrum Metalfest – Léon, Mexico
Photo taken from The Kovenant’s official Facebook page
Make sure you are subscribed to the BraveWords YouTube channel.
Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/user/Bravewords666?sub_confirmation=1
The post THE KOVENANT Frontman NAGASH – “I Couldn’t Be More Excited To Have GHUL In The Band” appeared first on BraveWords - Where Music Lives.
Continue reading...
Frontman Nagash has checked in with the following update:
“More The Kovenant shows have been confirmed and will be announced as soon as possible. Our management never rests… unless there’s a ski championship on TV.
And Ghul is learning our full setlist by himself, and will join us for rehearsals in Norway in a couple of weeks. If anybody could learn all that stuff in such a short time, it’s him. And then it’s off to play Rockstadt Festival in Transylvania, Romania.
Again, I couldn’t be more excited to have Ghul in the band. Awesome guy, and awesome guitarist.”
Following is The Kovenant’s original statement announcing Astennu’s departure:
“To the outside world, everything might have looked like fun and games…energetic live shows, big smiles, and a strong sense of fellowship. However, behind the scenes, The Kovenant has been facing serious challenges that we could no longer ignore.
It is with a heavy heart that we announce that Astennu (guitarist Jamie Stinson) will no longer be part of the band. This was not an easy decision. Astennu has been a part of our musical journey, but for some time he has struggled with personal demons, and unfortunately, this began to impact not only our live performances but also the integrity of the band. Despite repeated efforts to address these issues privately and internally, his behavior became increasingly erratic… damaging to our working relationships and harmful to the morale of everyone involved, including the band, our crew, and management.
We did everything we could to support him. However, his repeated breaches of our agreements, including sobriety on tour, treating fellow bandmates and crew with respect, and honoring the band’s goals, left us with no other option. It has been a painful and exhausting process for all of us.
That said, we believe in honesty with our fans. Our priority is to continue creating and performing music with passion and professionalism. The Kovenant deserves to move forward on a strong and positive path.
With that in mind, we are proud to welcome Charles Hedger – also known as Ghul – the talented guitarist from Mayhem, into The Kovenant. Charles is an experienced and highly respected musician who understands our vision and energy. We’re confident that he will fit seamlessly into the band and help shape this next chapter with integrity and artistry.
We recognize that some fans may be disappointed by this news. But given what has been going on behind-the-scenes, we believe this change is both necessary and ultimately beneficial. Our commitment to The Kovenant’s future and the music we make remains unwavering.”
Check out pro-shot video of The Kovenant’s entire Hellfest 2025 show below courtesy of ARTE Concert.
Setlist:
“The Sulphur Feast”
“Bizarre Cosmic Industries”
“Planetarium”
“The Last Of Dragons”
“Bringer Of The Sixth Sun”
“Dragonheart”
“Planetary Black Elements”
“Chariots Of Thunder”
Encore:
“New World Order”
“Towards The Crown Of Nights”
The Kovenant have announced they are finally bringing their cosmic, dark symphony to Latin America, with plans to grace the stages in Mexico, Chile, Argentina, and Colombia. Their live schedule is now as follows:
August
31 – El Teatrito – Buenos Aires, Argentina
September
2 – Teatro Cariola – Santiago, Chile
4 – Astor Plaza – Bogotá, Colombia
6 – Candelabrum Metalfest – Léon, Mexico
Photo taken from The Kovenant’s official Facebook page
Make sure you are subscribed to the BraveWords YouTube channel.
Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/user/Bravewords666?sub_confirmation=1
The post THE KOVENANT Frontman NAGASH – “I Couldn’t Be More Excited To Have GHUL In The Band” appeared first on BraveWords - Where Music Lives.
Continue reading...
