Arcturus is an avant garde metal band formed in Norway in 1987 under the name Mortem. In 1990, the band changed their name to Arcturus (meaning Guardian of Bears), likely after the Behenian fixed star Arcturus.
The band has released four official full-length albums thus far, all based in the avant garde genre of music and very theatrical in their essence. Arcturus has experimented with music, extracting influences and incorporating elements from all over the spectrum of music (black metal, classical music, pop, electronica, metal, trip-hop), but the band is rooted as a metal outfit.
Arcturus is best known for their 1997 album La Masquerade Infernale.
