The Origins
The Meads of Asphodel was a project conceived by Metatron in 1998 who envisaged a unique myriad of colliding musical styles tethered to a Black Metal spine. Metatron had been in contact with Jaldaboath for a few years prior and after explaining the direction and sound the project required, the band was born.
Jaldaboaths skills with Guitars, Bass, Keyboards and Drums enabled the first demo' The Bemoaning of Metatron' to be unleashed.
The demo was well received in the underground, and more surprisingly gained positive press in mainstream publications like Kerrang! And Terrorizer.
It was from this first glimpse of the bands music that Supernal Music began initial interest in the band.
The use of ritual psychoactive mushrooms is employed to take the bands perception of music to a distorted level.
The second demo Metatron and the Red Gleaming Serpent' was release in 1999, and featured the first of the bands epic tracks, the ten minute Death and Darkness'.
The music was more medieval influenced and the arrangements more complex.
The third and final demo The Watchers Of Catal Huyuk' appeared in late 1999, and was voted demo of the month in Kerrang!, as well as receiving blazing reviews in the underground and beyond.
The Rise of the Meads
The Watchers of Catal Huyuk' demo exhibited the sound the band would elaborate on the debut album The Excommunication Of Christ, released on Supernal Music in 2000.
The narration/ intro was voiced by AC Wild or cult Eighties Italian Black Metal band Bulldozer. Here began the bands long association with Hawkwind, as Huw Lloyd Langton played lead guitar on two tracks, including a cover of Hawkwind Assault and Battery'.
Whilst musically the Meads veered away from the icy monotone fuzz blasts of what could be cited as traditional Black Metal music, lyrically the band were, and are Black metal.
Muses
Metatrons lyrics delve into the myth of the ManGod Christ and drags verse upon verse from the hypocrisy of the Roman Church and the Christian lie. The biblical themes and non-canonical themes are also explored and the truth revealed.
The bands use of drugs becomes less apparent due to the flashbacks and paranoia symptoms incurred. Hashish is still employed as a reality sedative.
Expansion of the Meads
In early 2002 the track Christ's Descent into Hell' was featured on the Godreah Records release Britannia Infernus' a history of British Occult/ Black Metal.
The band record the Bulldozer track Neurodelleri' for the Warlord records split 7 with Italian act Frostmoon Eclipse'.
In 2002 the jihad 3 track promo was submitted to Supernal Music. The Middle Eastern melodies had increased considerably and Jaldaboath utilized more samples to layer the atmosphere with menace. The concept was fashioned around the Sept 11th atrocity.
Supernal Music coupled these tracks with two Mayhem tracks [with Dead on vocals] and released the split 10 vinyl [limited to 666]
The release was later issued on cd with the Meads contributing two extra tracks, [a demo version of Hawkwinds Assassins of Allah] and an instrumental.
The cd appeared in Kerrang! And was single of the month [more down to the Mayhem tracks than anything else].
The Excommunication of Jaldaboath
The Meads of Asphodel began to forge the next album , but Metatrons preference of a return to the more basic tenants of the debut album began to cause conflict with Jaldaboath, who was also not content with Supernals Music's lack of promotion for the jihad release.
With communication between Metatron and Jaldaboath severed, the band seemed doomed to flounder without its founding partner.
The Rise of the Meads
Metatron was back to the beginning, alone but not diminished in spirit, nor the profound belief in the Meads of Asphodel.
It wasn't long before Metatron contacted J.D Tait, a master musician with a wealth of ideas, who would bring a fresh more dynamic sound to the band and continue the vision of the band to the present day.
J.D Tait forged the material for the second album, Exhuming the Grave of Yeshua', along with the creative input of Max Rael [History of Guns].
The album was released in 2003 and featured, Guest musicians, Huw Loyd Langton and Alan Davey [Hawkwind], Deorth [Ragnarok UK], Mirai [Sigh] and Paul; Carter [Thus Defiled].
The album was released to great reviews, album of the month in Terrorizerm.
The Calm Before the Storm
Metatron narrates a few words for the next Sigh album.
Metatron and J.D Tait begin the work for the Thieves of Fate' project that will consist of numerous Punk tracks from the late seventies/ early eighties.
Metatron records vocals for a track featured on the Russian space rock band Space Mirrors' forthcoming release.
The line up of Metatron, J.D Tait, Urakbarameel, L. Cornel and Alan Davey formed the core of the band who released the Mill Hill Sessions' album on Godreah Records in 2004. This release also featured, Huw Lloyd Langton. Consisting of a live session recorded for Total rock in Oct 2003 and a 23 minute studio jam recorded in July 2004.
Jan 2004/ Mirai works on the keyboards for a 3 track demo of doom orientated music that takes parts of Sabbath and the Doors to a new twist.
The Future
During late 2004/ early 2005 the band crafted the Damascus Steel' album with input from Mirai [Sigh], Max Rael [History of Guns], and new associate, Alisa Coral from Russian Space rock band Space Mirrors'.
The albums concept concerns the evil in human kind and the wanton slaughter in the name of God or whatever reason. The album is a return to the jihad aesthetics. A cover of Louis Armstrong's Wonderful World' and Hawkwinds Sword of the East' are recorded, plus a new version of the demo track Death and Darkness', re-named beyond Death and Darkness. The additional use of Violinists, cellists, a trumpet player, sitar and tamba players, female vocalists, makes this the, most organic and involved Meads album ever conceived.
Metatron works on the lyrical soul of the bands fourth album The Passion and death of Ioseus'. The last moments of the Christian Christ as it would have been though the eyes of history, not myth.
