Erstwhile black metallers and longtime electronic artists Ulver have announced the death of Tore Ylwizaker, the band's programmer and keyboardist. On their Facebook page, the band released this statement:

"It is with black holes in our hearts we have to inform you that our brother for over nearly thirty years, Tore Ylvisaker (Ylwizaker), is dead. He passed on in the night of 16 August, his 54th birthday. It is all too much to take in at the moment. We will return as soon as we have collected ourselves. Rest in peace, dearest friend. We love you, forever. ULVER"

Though Ulver famously began their career playing black metal, neofolk, and fusions of the two, in the late '90s they started pulling away from black metal to focus on more experimental and electronic-based sounds. Founder Kristoffer "Garm" Rygg invited Ylwizaker to join in 1998 to provide the necessary sound palette for Ulver's new direction; he made his debut on that same year's Themes From William Blake's The Marriage Of Heaven & Hell, the last Ulver album to feature a conventional four-person lineup (in addition to Ylwizaker). From that time on, Ylwizaker was one of Ulver's core members, contributing programming, synthesizers, piano, and other keys to all of the band's subsequent releases and becoming one of the architects of the now-acclaimed avant-garde electronica that began with 2000's Perdition City.

We extend our sympathies to the Ulver camp and Ylwizaker's loved ones.

Source:	facebook.com
Band profile:	Ulver