Germany's Agathodaimon have checked in with an update about the release of their new In Darkness album. Furthermore, the band revealed its cover artwork, done by Hicham Haddaji of Strychneen Studio, which you can now enjoy below. You can expect the new opus on June 28th, 2013 under Massacre Records.
Agathodaimon have parted ways with guitarist Jan Jansohn (Adorned Brood). Vocalist/guitarist Martin Wickler had the following to say about this:
"Some of you may have noticed the new photo yesterday already and wondered who this guy might be. Well, we did part ways with Jan due to musical and personal differences and now would like to announce a new guitar player in our ranks; please welcome Thilo Feucht! He's no unknown musician to our fans, you will know him from various contributions and guest appearances he had on Chapter III and Serpent's Embrace, back then under the nick name of Azrael.
He has also joined us on stage several times in the past since Chapter III, and already for our recent gigs we had in Austria and Germany. We're proud that he joined our ranks as full member now, and look forward to working on our sixth album together.
A sample of a new Agathodaimon song, entitled "Alone In The Dark (Death Angel's Shadow)", is available for streaming on the band's MySpace page. This song is one of the bonus tracks of the limited digipack edition of the band's new album, entitled "Phoenix".
Another new song from the album, "Heliopolis", was already posted on the same page.
"Phoenix" is scheduled for release on March 20 via Massacre Records. According to the band: "It's a 6 page-digipack, features 14 tracks with a playing time of more than 72 minutes, and a booklet of 20 pages".
"After lots of rehearsals and a long search, we finally can confirm and hereby present our new vocalist Chris "Ashtrael" Bonner Photo].
Amongst the candidates during the past weeks, he was the one that really convinced us with his motivation, attitude and, of course, his awesome voice!
During the next weeks, we'll be working together on the vocal lines for the songs of our upcoming album, entilted "Phoenix", as well as the setlist/rehearsals for the next gigs. We can't wait to enter the stage again! More info about coming gigs soon, but if you're meanwhile interested in getting to know more about Ashtrael,
"Agathodaimon is without question one of the most interesting and original bands on the modern scene. Their music easily joins extreme heaviness with a dark, yet romantic and erotic atmosphere, strengthened with a huge dose of disturbing melancholy. The exclusive re-releases of all of the band's albums - "Blacken The Angel", "Higher Art of Rebellion", "Chapter III" and "Serpent's Embrace" - bring an unique collection of some of the most inspiring works, combining the best elements of dark wave, gothic and black metal…
"Blacken The Angel" released in late 1998, immediately received excellent reviews in worldwide press. The album was a truly stunning mixture of power, beauty and dark majesty. Combining symphonic black metal with gothic elements, Agathodaimon delivered a handful of amazing tracks, starting with the atmospheric 8-minute opener "Tristetea Vehementa" (meaning "The Loud Sadness"). Another highlight of the album was the 15-minute epic juggernaut "Near Dark" - a complex and rich compositions, revealing Agathodaimon's progressive edge. Other songs worth mentioning are definitely "Ill of an Imaginary Guilt" and "Die Nacht des Unwesens", bearing some resemblance to such bands as Darkthrone or even Black Sabbath. The lyrics were written in English, Romanian and German; some of them were inspired by Romanian poets Mihai Eminescu and Ion Minulescu. Overall, "Blacken The Angel" became a huge success for the band and to this day remains one of their finest offerings.
Agathodaimon's official site and label Nuclear Blast announced the following update:
Guitarist Sathonys explains:
"We are currently finishing the works on our upcoming fifth album Phoenix, but still on the search for a new vocalist as permanent member. Please note that we only consider vocalists that live in Germany; it's no use having someone that lives far away in the band, as we insist on steady rehearsals. Thanks to all those people from around the globe who showed their interest so far, but seriously, this makes no sense to us. We prefer to rehearse often, and this might become complicated if you're living on another continent. Until a new member is found, Jonas Iscariot will support us for upcoming gigs such as the one in Romania, 26th July. Skilled and motivated vocalists are invited to send info/bio and samples of their work to management@agathodaimon.de!"
German Symphonic/Gothic Black Metallers Agathodaimon have welcomed two new members to their ranks:
"After lots of auditions with several musicians, we're proud to announce our new line-up. It took us a while to fill the gap that our vocalist Frank "Akaias" Nordmann left, but we've had a bunch of rehearsals until now, and we're sure to have the strongest line-up so far - and are of course we're looking forward to play live again to present you the new members on stage! First gigs will be announced shortly.
So, the current line-up consists of newcomers Jonas Iscariot on vocals and Jan Jansohn on guitar and of course the already known members Sathonys (guitar), Till (bass), Felix (keys) and Matthias (drums)."
The following statement has been published via the band's official newsletter:
"The new year brings some changes:
After the short tour through Spain and Portugal in November (some pics from the tour can be seen in our gallery at http://www.agathodaimon.de), our vocalist/guitarist Frank "Akaias" Nordmann revealed that he received an excellent job offer he can't refuse- sadly this means he has to move to Norway, so he will leave the band. We collectively wish him all the best for his future plans and thank him for the great time we spent together in the rehearsal room, on stage and of course off stage as well!
So, we're looking for a new vocalist and guitarist already- if you think you can handle both duties, you're welcome, too.
Ever since ex-Agathodaimon bassist Darin Smith had left the band, the Black Metallers have been searching for a replacement. Now they've found one. Agathodaimon have finally decided on Till Ottinger as their replacement bassist. Ottinger has been in Death Metal band Misanthropic, and Agathodaimon are quite happy with him.
Here is a small comment by the band: "Our search is over, although there have been a few excellent bass players, we finally decided to take Till Ottinger."
More information about him, and a photo of him, will be posted on Agathodaimon's website soon.
Guitarist Sathonys of the German black metallers Agathodaimon has issued the following update:
"Our bass player, Darin 'Eddie' Smith, recently left, so we're looking for a replacement and are testing some potential candidates currently.
"If you have a professional attitude and would like to apply for the job (area Mainz/Darmstadt/Frankfurt preferred), send a mail to: management@agathodaimon.de along with further info about you and your musical background.
"Besides, the new website will be relaunched early next month. Meanwhile, check out the new page at myspace: www.myspace.com/agathodaimon and join our friends list if you like. Of course, we're also working on the yet untitled successor 'Serpent's Embrace'. A release date is set to November 24th. More news soon!"
Agathodaimon will soon release their 4th album, and you may check out some of the songs in the exclusive pre-listening section of the Nuclear Blast website (http://www.nuclearblast.de) or directly follow this link: http://www.nuclearblast.de/events/agathodaimon
The new album received excellent reviews so far and again goes far beyond the borders of "ordinary" black metal and continues the tradition of "Chapter III". Looking for something different? Then have a listen!
The band also produced a video clip which is available at the same location (Real Player required).
