Gorgoroth are a Satanic band and have drawn controversy due to some of their concerts, which have featured impaled sheep heads and mock crucifixions.

[7] On 7 January 1994, Firda, the major newspaper in the county of Sogn og Fjordane where the band originated from, ran a cover story on the demo, with the headline "Local music with Satanic symbolism".

According to the article, the release of the demo and flyers with Satanic symbols led to "concerned parents contacting the Sheriff's Office in Fjaler".

[8] After the demo was released, Gorgoroth signed a record deal with Embassy Productions and started work on their debut full-length Pentagram.

The band went on a European tour with Satyricon and Dissection in April 1996,[10] followed by a one-off gig in Bergen with Hades Almighty and Gehenna, at which the live EP The Last Tormentor was recorded.

[13] It was on this tour that Infernus and Tormentor were approached by the major German heavy metal record label Nuclear Blast, who wanted to sign the band.

Drummer Erlend Erichsen left the band after the recordings were finished, and Incipit Satan was released in 2000, preceded by a European tour in December 1999, supporting Morbid Angel.

The band played their first live gig in a year and a half at Garage in Bergen in April 2003, with Tormentor returning as guitarist for a one-off show.

[32] Following this controversy – and with Gorgoroth also having achieved a larger degree of worldwide recognition through Nuclear Blast's distribution facilities – the contract between both parties was bilaterally terminated.

Gorgoroth further secured a reputation as a band with a vehement anti-right-hand path agenda, regarding which certain employees in the company were alleged to have felt uneasy due to their own personal beliefs.

[14] After a successful South American tour of Brazil, Chile and Argentina, and a performance at Norway's Inferno Festival, it was announced in April 2004 that drummer Kvitrafn had decided to leave the band.

[33] For the band's European and Central American headlining tours of October and November 2004, drummer Dirge Rep (ex-Enslaved, Gehenna) and guitarist Teloch (Nidingr) were recruited.

In early 2005, Infernus and a friend was sentenced to three years in prison for repeatedly raping a woman at an after-party in his apartment in 2003, and subsequently appealed the decision.

[34][35] After various shows around Europe in the first half of 2005, including the With Full Force Festival in July, Gorgoroth then went out on a month-long European tour with 1349 in November 2005, this time with Skagg (Gaahlskagg) replacing Teloch as live guitarist.

[42][43] When the latter was released on parole, it was reported that Infernus had started "working on new material, both music and lyrics for an upcoming album, title yet undecided".

[46] In April 2007, a 5-part series entitled True Norwegian Black Metal, produced by Peter Beste for Vice, aired on VBS.tv, covering some of the aspects of Gaahl's life.

With King back in the band, the video for "Carving a Giant" off Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam was also filmed and broadcast on Norwegian MTV that month.

In October 2007, Infernus announced the decision of Gaahl and King ov Hell to part ways on the band's official Myspace page.

[41] The dispute was concluded in March 2009 when a court verdict was announced, which recognised Infernus as the legitimate user of the name and that Gaahl and King had excluded themselves from Gorgoroth upon attempting to remove the founding member.

[58] In April 2008, Infernus announced he was to depart for Stockholm, Sweden,[59] where the next few months were spent rehearsing the material for Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt in Tomas Asklund's Monolith Studio.

[65] However, ostensibly in part due to the circumstances of the ongoing name dispute, the distribution of the album was temporarily halted in July 2008, with the final decision to be made in a yet-to-be announced trial in Sweden.

After having spent the previous few months rehearsing in Monolith Studio, Infernus said that he was working on arrangements with assistance from former Gorgoroth guitarist Tormentor.

[64] Shortly after the conclusion of the Gorgoroth name dispute, recording of Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt began when Tomas Asklund commenced with the drum tracks in Monolith Studio.

[72] At the band's headlining concert at the Hole in the Sky festival on 29 August the set list consisted mainly of older material, including two songs off the Pentagram album which had not been performed live since October 1997.

[75][76] It was revealed in October 2009 that work on the follow-up to Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt, including rehearsals by Infernus and Tomas Asklund in Stockholm, had taken place around that time.

[78] In April 2010 Gorgoroth embarked on a mini-tour of Europe consisting of five dates in Germany as well as one each in France, Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands, to promote Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt.

[84] In September 2010, Gorgoroth embarked on a mini-tour in South America and were announced to be touring Europe again in November 2010 after switching to Massive Music booking agency.

[91] In early August 2023, Infernus was assaulted and hospitalized following the band's appearance at the Beyond the Gates Festival in Bergen, which led to the cancellation of a planned tour of Mexico in October.

[94] The limited edition of Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam on CD did however include the lyrics to the song "Prosperity and Beauty" for reasons unknown.

When I use the word 'Satan' it means the natural order, the will of a man, the will to grow, the will to become the superman and not to be oppressed by any law such as the church, which is only a way to control the masses.