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Astharoth
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Astharoth was formed in 1988 in the Polish town of Bielsko-Biala at the base of the Carpathian Mountains. The original line up consisted of Jarek Tatarek (vocals, lead guitar), Dorota Homme (guitar), Witold Wirth (bass guitar), and Dariusz Malysiak (drums). The music was a mirror of the bands fascination with technical thrash metal of those days. Inspired by Bay Area thrash gods such Testament, Exodus, and Death Angel, as well as German leaders of the pack: Kreator, Sodom, Assassin, and Mekong Delta. Canadian cyber metallers Voivod were also a huge inspiration for the band. After securing a practice space in the town of Zywiec, Astharoth recorded two demo tapes that were used for promotional purposes only. The second one was sent to the "Battle of the Bands" organized by Metal Mind Productions. A competition of the bands was held at the small club Lesniczowka in the town of Chorzow. Few bands were chosen from hundreds of demo submissions from all over Poland for the final live show and Astharoth was one of them. After a blistering, and merciless performance there was no doubt that Astharoth was going to end up in the top three bands of the 1988 competition therefore securing a supporting spot for "Metal Battle 1989" held at Spodek Arena in Katowice. There the band gave one of the best performances ever, throwing the crowd of 10000 screaming metal maniacs on their knees, begging for more, and instantly becoming number one talked about metal band in Poland. More came soon, as Astharoth was announced a winner of the whole competition, and therefore qualified to play the Eastern Europe's largest metal festival "Metalmania". At "Metalmania" 1989 Astharoth gave another energized and full of young energy show supporting well known acts from Western Europe such as Protector and Coroner, as well as Polish top bands: Turbo and Wolf Spider. Summer of 1989 was one busy season for the band. Recording sessions for the debut album 'Gloomy Experiments' took place among various summer festival appearances such as "Sthrashydlo" and others. In the fall of 1989 Astharoth gave another succesfull performance in the town of Bytom in front of 5000 people supporting Italian thrash gods Buldozzer, and the future number one Polish export: Vader. Negotiations between Metal Mind Productions and record companies went well and the first Astharoth album entitled 'Gloomy Experiments' was released in Finland by Poko Records on vinyl as well as CD, and also in Italy by Metal Master. In the spring of 1990 Astharoth was invited to play another edition of "Metalmania" festival this time supporting German thrashers Kreator. Despite growing interest of other/larger record companies, Astharoth's guitar team decided to move to the San Francisco Bay Area, the birth place of thrash! There the band was restarted with various American players. After a year of searching a permanent drummer replacement was found in the person of Joe Zifcak formerly of Epitaph, bass duties were assumed by Jason Silva, followed by Chris Dice, David Wigetunga, and Ted Ventsko. Throughout the American history, the band recorded four demos: 'Self Hatred' (1990) 'Wisdom of the Blind' (1991), 'Limits' (1992), and 'Cycles of the Sphere' (1994). Unfortunately there was no interest in Astharoth from the record labels despite numerous live shows, the highlight of which included supporting Fear Factory and Biohazard at One Step Beyond in Santa Clara, CA. At the end of 1994 underground metal music in America was dead and Astharoth refused to change the style in order to fit into the grunge and alternative scene. After six years of never ending hard work and dedication Astharoth has decided to disband forever. This brings us to 2020... To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the release of "Gloomy Experiments" Jarek Tatarek - the founding member and mastermind behind Astharoth is resurrecting the spirit of Astharoth! This is NOT a reunion, this is a RESURRECTION! The full album "Resurrection - Beginning Of The End" and the first single "Denial and Hate" are out now on all major streaming platforms, worldwide! Source: Official website Read more ›› |
Albums
Astharoth - Cosmos And Chaos
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Albums
Kryptan - Violence, Our Power
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News
Wardruna - Premiere 'Birna' Song & Video
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Wardruna have debuted a music video for "Birna", the title song off their forthcoming studio album. The video clip was filmed in Rondane National Park in Norway and directed by Wardruna's longtime collaborator Tuukka Koski. Read more ›› |
News
Crimson Glory - Announce 2025 Tour Dates
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US veterans Crimson Glory have announced a string of European and U.S. tour dates for the first half of 2025. You can check out all confirmed venues and dates via flyer below. Read more ›› |
News
Lord Agheros - Drop New Single
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"Sorrow's Shroud", the newest advance single from Lord Agheros's upcoming full-length effort Anhedonia, has premiered online in the form of an official music video. The latter was edited by Francesco Palumbo. Read more ›› |
News
Monument Of Misanthropy - Sign With Listenable Records
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Brutal death metal unit Monument Of Misanthropy and French label Listenable Records have joined forces and signed new record deal. The Austrians are currently deep into the writing process for our next serial killer concept album. Read more ›› |
News
Twins Crew - Next Album Due In February
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Swedish power metal bringers Twins Crew are excited to announce the release of their fourth studio record, their first in 9 years. Due out February 21st 2025 on Scarlet Records, it's entitled Chapter IV. Mixed and mastered by Fredrik Nordström at Studio Fredman. Read more ›› |
Reviews
Aluk Todolo - Lux
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Returning after 8 years must have given Aluk Todolo a sense of urgency. because Lux delivers a constant assault of frenetic krautrock with black metal undertones that will leave you at the edge of your seat. Read more ›› |
Reviews
Invocation - The Archaic Sanctuary (Ritual Body Postures)
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Yeah, yeah, Rod is reviewing yet another Chilean extreme metal band blablabla. Just shut up and blast this album loud already. Read more ›› |
Albums
Twins Crew - Chapter IV
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News
Sarkasm - Unleash 'Dead Weight' Track
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Canadian death thrashers Sarkasm have just launched a lyric video for "Dead Weight", which serves as a second advance single from their upcoming album Carnival Of Atrocities which will see the light next February 4th through Xtreem Music on CD, 12" LP, Cassette & Digital formats. Read more ›› |
News
Blitzkrieg - Former Bassist Dies
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Mick Moore, who played bass in Avenger in years between 1982 and 1986 as well as between 2005 and 2007, has passed away. He also performed in Blitzkrieg in the 80's and early 90's. Read more ›› |
Albums
E-an-na - Nomad
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Albums
E-an-na - 365
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Reviews
Ottone Pesante - Scrolls Of War
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The Heavy Brass Battle. When you are a little tired of listening to new bands that sound exactly the same and don't even make an effort to sound different, Ottone Pesante (Heavy Brass) is like an oasis in the middle of the desert. Ottone Pesante is an Italian “brassmetal” trio, consisting of Francesco Bucci (trombone), Paolo Raineri (trumpet), and Beppe Mondini (drums). With their fourth album, Scrolls Of War, they continue to explore new sounds. With their distorted and creative sound, Ottone Pesante proves they are leaders in experimental extreme music. Scrolls Of War is also the title of a track from their 2022 EP, ... And The Black Bells Rang. In this latest release, Ottone Pesante tells stories of conflict, destruction, and human suffering across seven tracks. Each song feels like a call to battle, capturing the raw energy of war while inviting moments of reflection. Scrolls Of War features de luxe special guests like Travis Ryan of Cattle Decapitation, Sara Bianchini of Messa, and Shane Embury of Napalm Death. The music in Scrolls Of War blends different styles, with the end result hard to classify: a mixture of jazz improv with the intensity of extreme metal. Their sound can be imagined as like a battle camp, where the desolation and blood mixes with the dust, with the trumpets of attack storms in the distance. For instance, “Late Bronze Age Collapse” starts with serious brass sounds that explode into wild drumming, representing the fall of civilizations. “Battle Of Qadesh” stands out with its powerful rhythms and haunting trumpet sounds, striking a balance between chaos and order. The collaboration with Shane Embury and Lili Refrain adds layers of grindcore and experimental sounds. The intense track “Sons Of Darkness Against Sons Of Shit” shifts between harsh sounds and unsettling quiet. In “Slaughter Of The Slains,” Ottone Pesante dives into dissonance, creating a feeling dark and ceremonial. With this band, it is impossible not to think of one of my favorite art covers from Frank Zappa’s masterpiece, The Grand Wazoo. This record sounds like nothing else, but it's worth the time to listen; I really spent a great time listening. It is weird and very different, but worth the time. Read more ›› |