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Draft:Robin "Wizziac" Isaksen

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Wizziac
Isaksen performing live with Keep of Kalessin at Inferno Metal Festival in 2024
Isaksen performing live with Keep of Kalessin at Inferno Metal Festival in 2024
Background information
Born
Robin Isaksen
OriginTrondheim, Norway
GenresExtreme metal
OccupationMusician
InstrumentsBass guitar, backing vocals
Years active1990s–present

Robin Isaksen, known professionally by his stage name Wizziac, is a Norwegian musician best known as the bassist and backing vocalist of Keep of Kalessin.[1] He joined the band in 2004[2] and has appeared on five of their studio albums, including Katharsis (2023).[1] With Keep of Kalessin, he participated in Melodi Grand Prix 2010, during which the band became the first Norwegian metal band to compete for the country's Eurovision Song Contest entry.[3]

Musical career

Early projects (1990s–2004)

Isaksen was active in the Trondheim metal scene by the mid‑1990s. He initially served as a vocalist for local heavy metal projects before transitioning to bass guitar, which he first played in a band context in 1996 with Eternal Silence.[4] In the early 2000s he joined the Trondheim‑based band Headspin as bassist.[4]

Keep of Kalessin (2004–present)

In 2004, Isaksen joined Keep of Kalessin during a period of line‑up reorganisation.[4] Performing under the moniker Wizziac, he made his studio debut with the band on the 2006 album Armada, playing bass alongside guitarist Arnt "Obsidian Claw" Grønbech, vocalist Torbjørn "Thebon" Schei and drummer Vegar "Vyl" Larsen.[1] He joined alongside vocalist Thebon and drummer Vyl in 2004.[2] He has appeared on subsequent Keep of Kalessin studio albums, including Kolossus (2008), Reptilian (2010), Epistemology (2015) and Katharsis (2023).[1][3]

In 2008, Keep of Kalessin — with Isaksen in the lineup alongside Grønbech, Thebon, and Vyl — performed at Øyafestivalen on 6 August, around the time of the release of Kolossus.[5] Nettavisen described the album as "en av årets beste norske metalutgivelser" ("one of the year's best Norwegian metal releases").[5]

In February 2010, then aged 30, Isaksen performed with Keep of Kalessin in Melodi Grand Prix 2010, where the band reached the national final with the song "The Dragontower".[2] Keep of Kalessin thereby became the first Norwegian metal band to compete for the country's Eurovision entry, with "The Dragontower" placing third in the national final.[3] In an interview with Nettavisen, Grønbech described Isaksen as "en kjempedyktig bassist" ("an exceptionally skilled bassist").[2] The band's fifth studio album, Reptilian, was released on 10 May 2010, shortly after the final.[2]

On Katharsis, Isaksen is credited with bass guitar, backing vocals and lyric contributions alongside Grønbech.[1] The album was released in 2023, following the band's eight‑year gap between studio albums.[1]

Nexorum (2019–present)

In 2019, Isaksen co‑founded the blackened death metal band Nexorum.[6] He has served as bassist on the band's studio albums, including Death Unchained (2020) and Tongue of Thorns (2023).[7]

Musical style

Isaksen has described his approach to bass as rooted in a "less is more" philosophy, stating that in a genre where mood and atmosphere are central, excessive flourishes risk disrupting the overall sound.[4] He has played exclusively with a pick since 1996, describing the technique as "aggressive and fast" and well suited to extreme metal.[4] He prefers a five-string bass for its extended lower range.[4] Joining Keep of Kalessin presented a technical challenge, as he noted that the band's guitar riffing required him to develop his right-hand technique considerably.[4]

Reviewers of Kolossus (2008) noted that his bass lines move away from simply doubling the guitar, instead "changing harmonies and acting in almost a contrapuntal way", while also contributing to a rhythm section described as maintaining "precision at the highest of speeds".

Discography

With Keep of Kalessin

With Nexorum

  • Death Unchained (2020)
  • Tongue of Thorns (2023)

References

  1. "Keep Of Kalessin Begin a New Chapter With "Katharsis" (Interview)". Invisible Oranges. 27 March 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
  2. Pettersen, Bjørn Hugo (6 May 2010). "Svart hyllest til Grand Prix". Nettavisen (in Norwegian). Retrieved 29 June 2026.
  3. "Keep of Kalessin – news, biography, albums, line‑up, tour dates". Season of Mist. Retrieved 28 June 2026.
  4. Rygh, Per (November 2005). "Intervju med Wizziac (Robin Isaksen)". Eternal Terror Magazine. No. 42. Oslo, Norway.
  5. Lindbæk, Andreas (9 June 2008). "Metallband klar for øya!". Nettavisen (in Norwegian). Retrieved 29 June 2026.
  6. "Nexorum: "Tongue of Thorns"". No Clean Singing. 23 May 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
  7. "An NCS Interview: Nexorum". No Clean Singing. 23 May 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2026.