Stian Aarstad is a Norwegian pianist and keyboard player best known for his four-year (1993–1997) stint with the symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir during which he played keyboards and synthesizers while engendering criticism and controversy for appearing onstage and performing in a top-hat-and-cape outfit reminiscent of Jack the Ripper,^[1] while wearing minimal corpse makeup and not moving or showing any emotion. Upon joining Dimmu Borgir, he did not listen to metal music, preferring only to listen to classical.^[1]

Dimmu Borgir's second album Stormblåst (1996) was laced with plagiarism, Stian Aarstad stole from the Magnum track "Sacred Hour" ^[2] in the opening song "Alt lys er svunnet hen" ("All Light Has Faded Away") and he copied the title track of the Amiga game "Agony" ^[3] for the song "Sorgens kammer" ("Chamber of Sorrow"). Aarstad contributed little if any originality to this album, the band re-recorded the album in 2005 leaving these plagiarised tracks out.^[4][5]

In 1998 to 1999, he produced a demo for the unblack metal band Vaakevandring, which was later re-released as a self-titled EP in 2004. In the 2000s, Aarstad had been the pianist for the band Enthral,^[1] but left his regular position during the recording of the band's third album.

As of 2005, Aarstad has been performing with the electronica/pop music act Karatkorn.

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