ICS Vortex — born in Norway in 1974, given name Simen Hestnæs — was Dimmu Borgir's bassist and clean vocalist between 1999 and 2009, and is one of the most distinctive voices in Scandinavian extreme metal. His function was specific and rare: to sing clean within a black metal band. Dimmu Borgir builds its tracks on guttural growls and orchestral layers, and Vortex came in with a wide, melodic baritone that created dramatic contrast — a device that became a trademark of records like Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia (2001) and Death Cult Armageddon (2003). Before that he was already known in Arcturus and Borknagar, Norwegian bands exploring black metal in progressive and atmospheric directions, where his voice served a similar role. Few singers in the genre have that capacity — extreme metal rarely produces clean vocalists with that range and control. He left Dimmu Borgir in 2009 together with keyboard player Mustis, in circumstances that became public and litigious. He continued with Borknagar and with his own work under the name Vortex.
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