Biography Tartosgardh

Tartosgardh

Tartosgardh's biography

I founded Tartosgardh under the name Roses of Darkness in August '98. My first song "Rest In Terrifying Agony" was some sort of compensation, I fell in love with a girl but she didn't have the same feelings towards me. It was an experiment. I liked the idea of having a band, so I started to compose new songs and one year later, I released my first full-length CD entitled "Seelenopfer Braucht Der Tod", under the current name Tartosgardh.

Before '98, I wrote a Gothic Metal-song entitled "The Demise of the Seraphic Lady" or recorded other experiments such as "Burn" (Crossover), "Biersong" (Grunge/Punk) or "Stop the machine" (Elektro/Crossover) on tape.

Before the release of my first full-length album, my band was called Roses of Darkness. Then I changed the name into Tartosgardh. First, it didn't have a deeper meaning, I just like its sound but then, I did find one: "Tartos" resembles "Tartaros" which is the underworld in Greek mythology. To get there, the dead have to pass the river Styx with a boat. "Tartos" should symbolize the sad, melancholical aspect of Tartosgardh. "Gardh" on the other hand sounds like "guard". This guard reflects energy, strength, hope, he protects me so-to-say. The up and down between depression, despair, hope, energy, the struggle against problems became the main theme in Tartosgardh.

Gradually, my character changed from Lord Darkenor (CD "Seelenopfer Braucht Der Tod") into Dragonlord Darkenor v. Darkaroth (CD "Dragonstorms"). "Darkenor" could be translated as "one who makes things dark". Originally, it had just a dark, gloomy meaning but then, just like with Tartosgardh, I found a deeper one. "One who makes things dark" doesn't mean that all light is killed. It is just darkened, not totally extinguished. Light stands for manipulation as well. Through the media, advertisements and politics you are blinded, you don't see the truth any more. So "making things dark" is a process of removing this blinding something, you reveal political lies, all the propaganda. There is this development from lies to the truth, to shaping one's own opinon, individualism.

Darkaroth is the name of my kingdom in which the adventures of the CD "Dragonstorms" take place. On "Seelenopfer Braucht Der Tod", it was merely some gloomy place of pain and sadness but on "Dragonstorms" it changed into a world of ice. My companion is the dragon Korak, derived from "core", standing for inner strength and purity. Lots of things on "Dragonstorms" seem to be pure fantasy but there are again deeper meanings. When Dragonlord Darkenor v. Darkaroth fights against the sun (e.g. in the song "Eternal Iceage") in Darkaroth it can be additionally interpreted as a fight against the media, lies, political propaganda. It is a mixture of fantasy and real problems that can be found in our world and society.

Darkenor and Darkaroth were finished with the release of "Dragonstorms", after that Darkenor was replaced by my real name Leander Leitner. From the beginning on, my music was Emotion Metal but a lot of it was blurred by the fantasy-elements on the album "Dragonstorms". With "Nebelleben" something began that can be really called Emotion Metal: emotional lyrics and music that try to become one with the coverartwork. Now Tartosgardh is all about emotions, heart and soul, perception and my perceived self.

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