Among the first Dutch black metal bands in the early nineties, Countess have always set themselves apart from other bands by a fierce loyalty to their old school influences. For three decades, while fashions came and went, Countess stayed true to their vision and thus earned a worldwide cult status in the metal underground.
In spite of their sworn allegiance to metal orthodoxy, Countess have never shied from innovation. In 1994 they created the first black metal song with Dutch lyrics (Bloed in De Sneeuw), in 1995 the first black metal love ballad (Blood On My Lips) and in 1997 were the first band to take a rocking approach to the genre (Hell's Rock & Roll).
Over the course of 32 years and 16 full-length albums, Countess' sound has evolved from the raw black metal of the early releases towards a more traditional heavy metal-influenced style, culminating in a seamless integration of heavy and black metal elements.
In 2014 the band returned to the stage after a long period of not having played live. Since then, Countess have performed impressive shows at numerous prestigious metal festivals in their own country, Belgium, Germany, Denmark and Finland.
Countess currently consists of Mortüüm (drums), Orlok (vocals, bass), Valgard (guitars) and Häxa (keyboards). The band's latest full-length album Banners of Blood was released on February 11, 2021.
