Azarath

波蘭死黑金屬
by Cosmo Lee
Azarath is a supergroup of sorts, culling its ranks from leading lights in Polish death metal. The single-named members include Inferno (Behemoth, Damnation, Witchmaster) on drums, Bart (Damnation, Anima Vilis, Cenotaph) and Thrufel (Yattering, Shadows Land, Masachist) on guitars, and Bruno (Damnation, Convent) on bass and vocals. With resumés spanning dozens of recordings outside Azarath, the members bring extensive experience to the band's brutal, highly Satanic, old-school death metal. With a fairly regular recording and touring schedule, Azarath should be viewed not as a side project, but as a substantial force in its own right.
The band began in 1998 as a trio comprised of Inferno, Bruno, and a guitarist simply named "D." Two demos, Traitors and Promo 2000, ensued in 1998 and 2000, respectively, before the band issued its first full-length, Demon Seed, in 2001. The album saw Bart rounding out the lineup on guitar. Positive response to the record led to a support slot touring with Vader in 2002. In 2003, the band released the aptly titled Infernal Blasting, after which D. left the band for personal reasons and was replaced by Thrufel. Death Monsters, a split with countrymen Stillborn, followed in 2004, collecting tracks from the Promo 2000 demo. A third studio album, Diabolic Impious Evil, emerged in 2006 on Polish metal bastion Pagan Records. The band then supported Vader once again, alongside Vesania and Trauma on the Polish dates of the Blitzkrieg 4 tour. The following year found Azarath teaming up with compatriots Stillborn and Deception for the Legions of Attack 2007 tour in Poland.