Agnete Kirkevaag (1,212 views)

[BassSquared]

Agnete Mangnes Kirkevaag (1976 - Present)
Years Active: 1993 - Present
Associated Acts: Madder Mortem (1993 - Present)
Vocal Range: C♯3 - E6

SPOILER: Click to show

{Vocal Summary}Progressive doom metal band Madder Mortem have been called one of Norway's best kept secrets, having been going strong since the '90s with little in the way of commercial success and only recently attracting acclaim from critics. A large part of this acclaim has been aimed at founding frontwoman Agnete Kirkevaag, whose massive voice can convincingly pull off everything from a soft croon to an agonized howl. Such vocal versatility was not part of her arsenal at the beginning, however- during the band's earliest material, she exhibited a comparatively "safe" vocal approach, mostly sticking to her natural mezzo-soprano placement in the fourth and upper third octaves and keeping to a soft, head-voice tone in her highs. However, the band's second album, All Flesh is Grass, would find her going for a much more extravagant vocal approach, improving the "operatic" sound of her head voice and pushing it to its absolute limits. In later albums, she has largely held back on this technique, opting instead to develop the powerhouse mixed-voice wails that have grown into something of a trademark for her, alongside her full, warm lower register. Now well into her forties, her voice shows little signs of wear and can still pull off the immense contrasts and emotional climaxes that power Madder Mortem's songs both in studio and live. A truly unique singer, and one whose material deserves to be better known.
Written by BassSquared .

Significant High Notes:

E6 ("Breaker of Worlds")
C6 ("The Cluster Children")
B5 ("Armour")
B♭5 ("Breaker of Worlds")
A5 ("Changeling", "A Different Kind of Hell", "Fallow Season", "Formaldehyde", "The Purest Strain", "Resolution", "Ruby Red", "Winterview")
G♯5 ("Get That Monster Out of Here", "Sedition")
G5 ("Cold Hard Rain", "Changeling", "The Cluster Children", "Far from Home", "The Flesh, the Blood & the Man", "The Grinding Silence", "Hangman", "He Who Longed for the Stars", "When Dream and Day Collide")
F♯5 ("All I Know", "Armour", "A Different Kind of Hell", "Evasions", "Hangman", "Liberator", "Resolution", "The Riddle Wants to Be")
F5 ("All for You", "Changeling", "The Eighth Wave", "Far from Home", "Formaldehyde", "Here and Now", "The Little Things", "M for Malice", "My Name is Silence", "Parasites", "Silverspine", "Towers", "Things I'll Never Do", "Turn the War On", "Unity", "Waiting to Fall", "When Dream and Day Collide")
E5 ("All for You", "Armour", "Blood on the Sand", "Coming From the Dark", "Distance Will Save Us", "Deadlands", "The Eighth Wave", "Fallow Season", "The Flesh, the Blood & the Man", "Formaldehyde", "Get That Monster Out of Here", "The Grinding Silence", "Head on a Pillow", "He Who Longed for the Stars", "Jitterheart", "Life, Lust & Liberty", "The Little Things", "Marrow", "Master Tongue", "Misty Sleep", "Moonlight Over Silver White", "Pitfalls", "Plague on This Land", "The Purest Strain", "Resolution", "Returning to the End of the World", "The Riddle Wants to Be", "Silverspine", "Stone for Eyes", "Things I'll Never Do", "Towers", "Under Another Moon, "Until You Return", "Waiting to Fall", "White Snow, Red Shadows")
E♭5 ("Blood on the Sand", "Cold Hard Rain", "Coming From the Dark", "Desiderata", "A Different Kind of Hell", "Life, Lust & Liberty", "Resonatine", "Ruby Red", "Sedition", "Underdogs")
D5 ("All the Giants Are Dead", "Blood on the Sand", "Enter", "Evasions", "Faceless", "The Flesh, the Blood & the Man", "The Flood to Come", "Hangman", "The Head That Wears the Crown", "Here and Now", "Liberator", "M for Malice", "Moonlight Over Silver White", "My Will Be Done", "Necropol Lit", "Omnivore", "Parasites", "Resonatine", "Returning to the End of the World", "Stone for Eyes", "Stumble On", "Ten Times Defeat", "Turn the War On", "Underdogs", "Unity", "Until You Return", "Waiting to Fall", "When Dream and Day Collide", "The Whole Where Your Heart Belongs")
C♯5 ("Coming From the Dark", "Liberator", "Life, Lust & Liberty", "Master Tongue", "Moonlight Over Silver White", "My Name is Silence", "Omnivore", "On Guard", "Quietude", "The Riddle Wants to Be", "Sedition", "Ten Times Defeat", "Traitor's Mark", "Winterview")
C5 ("All for You", "The Cluster Children", "Desiderata", "Distance Will Save Us", "Fallow Season", "Head on a Pillow", "The Head That Wears the Crown", "Here and Now", "Hypnos", "If I Could", "The Little Things", "Marrow", "Plague on This Land", "The Purest Strain", "Rust Cleansing", "Stone for Eyes", "These Mortal Sins", "Things I'll Never Do", "Traitor's Mark", "Turn the War On", "Under Another Moon", "White Snow, Red Shadows", "Winterview")
B4 ("All I Know", "Cold Stone", "Desiderata", "Distance Will Save Us", "Evasions", "The Flood to Come", "Head on a Pillow", "If I Could", "Loss", "M for Malice", "Misty Sleep", "Necropol Lit", "Pitfalls", "Plague on This Land", "Quietude", "Remnant", "Resonatine", "Rust Cleansing", "To Kill and Kill Again", "Until You Return")

Significant Low Notes:

A3 ("All for You", "All the Giants Are Dead", "Breaker of Worlds", "Cold Stone", "Convertion", "A Different Kind of Hell", "Dystopia", "Fallow Season", "The Flesh, the Blood & the Man", "Formaldehyde", "Jitterheart", "Marrow", "Master Tongue", "M for Malice", "My Name is Silence", "My Will Be Done", "Necropol Lit", "Omnivore", "Parasites", "The Purest Strain", "Quietude", "Remnant", "Resolution", "Returning to the End of the World", "The Riddle Wants to Be", "Sedition", "Things I'll Never Do", "To Kill and Kill Again", "Towers", "Traitor's Mark", "Turn the War On", "Under Another Moon", "Until You Return", "Waiting to Fall", "The Whole Where Your Heart Belongs")
G♯3 ("All for You", "Armour", "A Different Kind of Hell", "Evasions", "Get That Monster Out of Here", "Jigsaw (The Pattern and the Puzzle)", "Loss", "Omnivore", "Pitfalls", "The Riddle Wants to Be", "Silverspine", "Undertow", "White Snow, Red Shadows")
G3 ("All I Know", "Changeling", "The Cluster Children", "Convertion", "Cold Hard Rain", "Desiderata", "Dystopia", "Hangman", "The Head That Wears the Crown", "Hypnos", "Long Road", "M for Malice", "Moonlight Over Silver White", "Plague on This Land", "Resonatine", "Rust Cleansing", "Silverspine", "Stumble On", "To Kill and Kill Again", "Towers", "Under Another Moon", "Underdogs", "Unity", "When Dream and Day Collide", "The Whole Where Your Heart Belongs", "Winterview")
F♯3 ("Blood on the Sand", "Cold Hard Rain", "The Eighth Wave", "Faceless", "Far from Home", "The Flood to Come", "The Grinding Silence", "Hangman", "He Who Longed for the Stars", "Life, Lust & Liberty", "Loss", "Misty Sleep", "Necropol Lit", "Pitfalls", "Resonatine", "To Kill and Kill Again", "Traitor's Mark", "Undertow", "Until You Return", "When Dream and Day Collide", "White Snow, Red Shadows")
F3 ("The Flesh, the Blood & the Man", "Long Road", "My Will Be Done", "Parasites", "The Purest Strain", "Ten Times Defeat", "Tethered", "Winterview")
E3 ("All the Giants Are Dead", "Armour", "The Cluster Children", "Coming From the Dark", "Distance Will Save Us", "Deadlands", "The Eighth Wave", "Enter", "Fallow Season", "Far from Home", "Formaldehyde", "Get That Monster Out of Here", "The Grinding Silence", "Here and Now", "He Who Longed for the Stars", "If I Could", "Jitterheart", "The Little Things", "Marrow", "Master Tongue", "Moonlight Over Silver White", "On Guard", "Plague on This Land", "Resolution", "Returning to the End of the World", "Stone for Eyes", "Things I'll Never Do", "Traitor's Mark", "Undertow", "Waiting to Fall", "The Whole Where Your Heart Belongs")
E♭3 ("Breaker of Worlds", "Changeling", "Get That Monster Out of Here", "Returning to the End of the World", "Underdogs")
D3 ("Deadlands", "The Eighth Wave", "The Head That Wears the Crown", "Jitterheart", "Stone for Eyes", "Tethered", "Towers")
C♯3 ("The Little Things", "On Guard")

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Underlines mark notes that are obscured in the song mix.
Italics mark non-melodic notes.
Boldface marks notes that are considered to be particularly notable examples of this person's vocal capabilities.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Questionable Notes}
E6 "Returning to the End of the World" [5]
B5 "Loss" [1] [4]
A5 "Stumble On" [5]
G5 "M for Malice" [5]

E3 "Under Another Moon" [1]
E♭3 "The Riddle Wants to Be" [1]
D3 "Stumble On" [2]
C♯3 "Loss" [2], "Deadlands" [2]
C3 "Winterview" [2]
B2 "Jitterheart" [5]
A2 "The Purest Strain" [2], "Waiting to Fall" [2]
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[1] marks yelps and short trills in high range or anacrusis and short dips in low range.
[2] marks notes of questionable identity that cannot be confirmed to be the singer in question.
[3] marks non-melodic notes that don't have a significant enough pitch to warrant inclusion.
[4] marks notes that possess uncertain pitch or have been pitch-shifted.
[5] marks notes that do not fit the previous criteria but are not of a substantial enough quality to warrant counting towards the singer's range.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Album Ranges}
Mercury (1999): E3 - G5
All Flesh is Grass (2001): E♭3 - E6
Deadlands (2002): D3 - F5
Desiderata (2006): E♭3 - A5
Eight Ways (2009): C♯3 - B5
Red in Tooth and Claw (2016): D3 - A5
Marrow (2018): D3 - G5
Old Eyes, New Heart (2024): C♯3 - G5