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Asgaard
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Asgaard
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Asgaard
Asgaard

Country:
Polska / Poland

Date of establishing :
1994

Music genere:
Gothic Metal

WWW:
http://www.asgaard.pl/
https://www.facebook.com/AsgaardOfficial

Band members:

Hetzer – lead, rhythm and acoustic guitars/ additional bass guitar
Flumen – synthesizers/ orchestrations/ fx/ drums programming
Quazarre – vocals

Biography:

Named by the critics worldwide as one of the genre’s visionary, Asgaard have been around for almost 20 years now with each of their albums being a huge, conscious and provocative stand up against what the metal scene has had to offer at the particular period of time…

Formed in 1994 the group sets out with their five-piece demo “Excellent Darkness Art”, released in 2005. Kept in doom / dark metal
convention the material got good reviews, both in the underground and mainstream music press.

In 1997, after numerous line-up changes, Asgaard recorded a new demo that enabled them to ink a record deal with Mystic Production for the same year release of their debut full-length “When The Twilight Set In Again”. Almost entirely set in sentimental doom-folk atmosphere the album was presented in music press, radio and Polish major music TV stations. In support to the record the band also played a large number of gigs, including their first regular run across Poland with Behemoth and Limbonic Art.

In 1999, having the new singer Przemyslaw ‘Quazarre’ Olbryt on board, Asgaard enters the studio again for the recording of their sophomore, lot more complex and mature album “Ad Sidera, Ad Infinitum”. Modern arrangements backed up with plenty of extremely intriguing musical patterns, contrasts, unconventional tempo changes, the new singer’s remarkable vocal range and a theatrical atmosphere on top of all that, made “Ad sidera…” one of the most interesting releases on the Polish music scene back in 2000. The record was promoted on shows with Elysium, Cold Passion, Ruination and Driller Killer to name but a few.

In May 2001, Asgaard signed a new record deal with Metal Mind Productions. This cooperation resulted in producing the “Ex Oriente Lux” album, widely praised and later defined a masterful compilation of rhythms and styles, with the unique, outstanding voice of Quazarre. Given a very warm welcome on the international metal scene the band sets off for a short Polish raid along with Artrosis.

With their next album “XIII Voltum Lunae”, released in 2002, Asgaard proved they were not only able to combine symphonic sound with traditional metal expression but also to shape up a very special sort of frightening, haunted atmosphere and thus creating music virtually out of this world. The material gave Asgaard worldwide recognition and the band from then on was featured on many music magazines abroad.
In October 2002, while supporting Enslaved, Rotting Christ and Dark Tranquillity, Asgaard recorded their “Lux in Tenebris” DVD, released in 2003 by Metal Mind Productions. The same year sees the label re-releasing Asgaard’s “Ad sidera, Ad infinitum” album. Meanwhile the group hits the road again, performing with Katatonia among others.

2004 saw the band recording their 5th full-length “EyeMDX-tasy”. Released again on Metal Mind Productions, the album was a brave step into the art of darkness and pushed the boundaries of metal music even further than its successors. In addition to symphonic and theatrical elements that for a long time have been the band’s trademark, the new offer contained plenty of unconventional arrangements, deeply disturbing passages and a great diversity of musical structures. Not only the new compositions were enriched with pentatonic scales, loops and alternating chords but, most importantly, it was the heaviest and most brutal stuff in Asgaard’s entire career.
The video for the song “Mystery Of Tzar’s Visionaire Act II” was shot, followed by the band’s appearance at Metalmania Festival, along with Soulfly, Moonspell, Tiamat, Enslaved, Krisiun, Morbid Angel and many more.
Few months later Asgaard joins Hermh and Luna Ad Noctum for the co-headlining “Black Diamonds Tour”.

Soon after Asgaard decide to take on what would later turn into over a six years break off from their further activities. Despite Quazarre sacrificing himself to his own, very live-active band Devilish Impressions and later to Crionics, Asgaard made their mind up to get the machine rolling again and thus started works on the pre-production of the “EyeMDX-tasy” successor. Over one and a half years of works mostly at Flumen Studio evolved into what is now known as „Stairs to nowhere”, the 6th full-length Asgaard comes back with after over eight years of absence.

Set to be released on the 21st of March 2012 on Icaros Records, the “Stairs to nowhere” album yet again reaches far beyond the so-called metal genre. Having incorporated many elements of rock, trip hop or even jazz music, made the band themselves to define their newest opus as Transgressive Post-Metal. Prepare for the triumphal return of the metal’s avant-garde…