THIS IS A FAN SITE
Asgaard was established by Bartek Kostrzewa (guitar,vocal) and Pawel Nafus in autumn 1994. Soon W. Kostrzewa (synth.) and Jacek Monkiewicz (bass) joined them. The first achivement of the group was the demo of five compositions Excellent Darkness Art recorded in July 1995 in the radio studio O'le in Opole. The compositions in doom-gothic style, had positive reviews both in underground and official press and were approved by the audience and concerts played among others with Sirrah.
After many personal changes (Pawel Nafus leaves) it was only in 1997 that the group recorded four compositions promo, reflecting the neu image of them. The material meant only for a potencial recorder wac noticed by Mystic Productions, which resulted in the offer of recording the debut album Asgaard. In the meantime the new people joined the group: Malgorzata Razniak (flute,vocal), Honorata Stawicka (violin) Pawel Wozniak (guitar) and Roman Golebiowski (drums).
According to the agreement in November 1997 the group recorded the debut album ?When the twilight set in again?. The two week recording-session took place in Olsztyn in the studio Selani (realization and production Docent- Vader and Andrzej Bomba). The style of the group from the debut album can be specified as sentimental death-gothic with folk elements. The CD cover presenting the sun which is going to fall down was made by Samoth from Emperor. The presenattion of the material took place in music press,radio,broadcasts,TV stations (Atomic and Polsat) and concerts together with Limbonic Art, Behemoth, Ruination, Elysium, Cold Passion. The opinions on the matherial recorded in Jun 1998 varied, hovewer the CD wasn't a commercial success.
In 1999 Malogrzata Razniak leaves the group, its new frontman is Przemyslaw Olbryt. In November 1999 the group records in the Studio Manek in Sanok, the CD with a stylistc breakthrough in the work of Asgaard. The realizer of the materials is Arek Malczewski, the rising star of the Polish sound director and mastering was made by Piotr Madziar. In 200 hour recording session 40-minute material is recorded with is a mixture of many musical influences with prevaling symphonic black metal and gothi. Beginnig the CD Ad Sidera Ad Infinitum we can say about the style characteristic of the group ande according to a lot of media Asgaard is perceived as the Polish reply to Arcturus. Arranged in a new style, full of interesting ideas, contrast and changes of tempo, melodious, excellent in its vocal the album obtained high marks particularly outside Poland (among others Legacy 10/10, Metalmessgae 9/10, Transcending the Mundane 8/10, MetalHordes 10/10, Metalkings 5+/5, Twierdza Magazine 9/10). Poor promotion and launching the material a year after recording it (autumn 2000) caused that the album was not a great succes. In the meantime Pawel Wozniak left the group.
In 2001 Asgaard leaves Mystic Prod. and decides to co-operate with Metal Mind. The first album for this company was recorded in July 2001 in the studio Hendrix in Lublin. The whole material (together with mastering) was supervised by Arek Malczewski, know from the previous co-operation with the group. The well-equipped studio enabled Asgaard to present their artistic possibilities best. The group recorded more mature album with more varied rhythm and style, which was influenced by Przemyslaw Olbryt whose original voice made the music extraordinary.
The cd titled ?Ex Oriente Lux? appeared in September and in October Asgaard had a chance to participate (unfortunately only partially because of the fault of Metal Mind) in a concert route of the group Artosis. The new CD was greeted enthusiastically at concerts which confirmed that the good reviews both in country and foreign press were justified (Rockmetal 8/10, Strefa Klimatyczna 8,5/10, Metal Hammer 4,5/5, The Nocturnal Battle of Chariots 9/10, nestor.minsk.by 10/10, Trashem All 9/12, metalmusic.sk 9/10) The album was the greatest commercial succes so far, because according to official data it found 3000 buyers.
A year later Asgaard records, this time in Bialostok studio Hertz, the album with mysterious name ?XII Voltum Lunae? (Ad Sidera Ad Infinitum - Ex Oriente Lux - XIII Voltum Lunae) which finifhes both the lyrical motive and the trilogy of the group. XII Voltum Lunae presents Asgaard in a slightly new perspective- rapacious, less melodious but still very atmospheric dark metal. With this material Asgaard catches interest of fans and media, also foreign ones (Multum in Parvo 9,5/10, Strefa Klimatyczna 9/10, Rock-E-Zine 8,5/10, shapeless.it 8,5/10, Masterful Magazine 8,5/10)and their Cds can be achieved in distribution of many foreign firms in Europe, America, Asia (among others Century Media, Season of Mist, Red Stream, Irond Music, Plastic Head).
Soon after recording the CD on the 5th of October 2002 in the Cracow TV studio in Krzemionki, Cracow Asgaard records, at the concert with Dark Tranquality, Rotting Christ i Enslaved their first concert DVD titled Lux in Tenebris. The DVD contained 10 compositions from the CDs Ad Sidera Ad Infinitum, Ex Oriente Lux, XIII Voltum, two compositions from the debut album, which appeared at the concert in 1998 in Warsaw together with Behemoth and Limbonic Art, plus a lot of bonus additions.
In 2003, recorded by Foreshadow Productions, appeared the remastered re-edition of the demo ?Excellent Darkness Art? from 1995 together with the bonus cover of the Greek Rotting Christ "The Fourth Knight Of Rebelation" in the interpretation characteristic of the group Asgaard.
At the same time, recorded by Metal Mind, the re-edition of the second album by Asgaard ?Ad sidera..? appeared. Asgaard is also included in two mixture CD Metal Mind Production - In Goth We Trust (the clip from the concert in Cracow Mare Serenitatis from XIII Voltum Lunae) and Ultimate Revenge ( the compsition audio Mare Frigoris from XIII Voltum Lunae). What is more between April and May 2003 Asgaard has a five concert tournee performing among others with Katatonia, Desdemona, Misteria i Luna Ad Noctum.
In 2004 the group participates in the festival ?Metalmania? and is slowly preparing for the coming recording session of the fifth album. From July to October 2004 Asgaard records the latest album titled ?Eye MDX-tasy?. The sessio takes place in the studio Hertz, Hendriks and in the home studio of the group. It results in the 46-minute album with the best in the group history sound and containing a bonus of the first in the group career video clip.
Eye MDX-tasy is a totally innovative, courageous step into the Metal Era of the XXI century . This album, apart from such characteristics elements of Asgaard?s compositions as symphonic and theatrical style, is also full of a many unconventional arrangement solutions as well as beautiful, pompous orchestra fragments created on the basis of contrast to often changing musical-lyrics forms and moods. Different drum loops were entwined in the structures of the new compositions, pentatonic scales and XXX accords were used (not encountered on earlier Asgaard?s CDs).
Soon after launching the CD in November 2004, Asgaard takes part, on the occassion of 10-year existence of the group, in a very successful tournee Black Diamonds Tour together with the group Hermh and Luna ad Noctum. The presence at the 9 concerts amounted to nearly 1500 people. Yhe success of tha tournee caused that it would be repeated in the south of Poland in the second editions in autumn 2005.
Media highly evaluated Eye MDX-tasy : Strefa Klimatyczna 9/10, The Nocturnal Battle of Chariots 9/10, Music Mag 9/10, Multum in Parvo 9/10, Metal Oblivion 8/10, Bright Eyes Germany 10/13, Metalmessage 9/10, Metal Hammer 4,5/5, Teraz Rock 3,5/5. For the time being the group are concetrating on the promotion of latest CD, atthough for objective reasons they are forced to suspend their concert acivity.
. . .
This page is NOT run by ASGAARD. This is a fan-run site.
For any questions you may have for the band, please visit their website .
And for more amazing music, check out the Top Friends!