A very strange and interesting scandinavian band: mix of metal, goth, doom, prog, symphonic and atmospheric music. The musicians of ATA call their music "Gregorian Metal".
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=221589661Biography:
Ashes to Ashes was
originally formed in '92 by Michael Stenberg, Bjorn Luna and Kristian
Johansen. Together with singer T. Foshaug AKA Strange Gentle, they
recorded 2 sold-out demos in '92 and '94. Singer Bjorn Torbo was
brought into the realm in '95. He wrote the lyrics for "Dying room" which later appeared on "Shapes of Spirits"
and was the vigorous front figure during their first gigs. In '98, with
6 years of patient rehearsing and polishing, the group was ready to
present themselves. In addition to re-arranging and re-writing older
material, new tracks like, "Gabriel", "Divide & Conquer" and "Ad Infinitum"
were penned. With the completion of these songs the band took huge
steps forward and the musical direction of the band was determined. Ashes to Ashes had found their identity as a band.
Only weeks before the band entered the studio they recruited their new
singer, Kenneth Brastad, after several auditions during the fall of '98
and Jan/Feb of '99. The recording and mixing took place at Gordon
Studio with engineer Thomas Sörlie in the spring of '99. The basic
tracks (rythm guitar, bass and drums) were recorded live, and the band
used 40 hours, all in all, to complete the recording and mixing of the
album. The mastering were done by Tom Kvälsvoll at Strype Audio in the
fall of '99 and in January '00 the CD was finally ready to be
distributed. The final result was an innovative and diverse blend of
musical elements and included everything from classical music to heavy
metal, with a strong focus and feel of the epic, atmosphere and
haunting melodies. The album got airplay in such places as Nova Scotia
and Indonesia and received excellent reviews in magazines and webzines
worldwide. Check some of them out in the Reviews section.
Public
demands for the CD were actually so big that a second and third
pressing of the album had to be made. As you read this, there are only
a few left of the fourth pressing. Not bad at all for something that
was intended for the press and record company's alone. Keep in mind
that the band had no distribution network - and only one small vendor
carried the album - which made the achievement even bigger. High
spirited by the outstanding support from the underground, Michael with
partner in crime Björn, continued writing for a second album, loosely
based on the seven deadly sins. The band wanted to maintain and develop
their distinct and epic sound but also go for a more direct approach.
The band recorded demo's for; "New world obscure", "Dualism" and the title track "Cardinal VII" in the autumn of 2000 with engineer Per Amundsen, who also later engineered the album. These tracks were sent of to DVS Records
and a record deal was secured after some months of negotiating. In
October the guys parted ways with Kristian Johansen and started looking
for a new drummer towards the spring of 2001, when the first recordings
for the album began. The guys got in touch with Cato Bekkevold, a
well-known character in the Norwegian metal community, who played on
half of the drumtracks on the album.
The arrangements and basic tracks were completed before
the band entered EarAttack Studios for the recordings. They still
wanted to have a fresh approach and keep some of the live feeling from
their previous album. An example is the guitar solo in "Truth on scaffold",
on which they used the first take. It was just a jam over the rhythm
guitars while the engineer happened to roll the tape. Actually, most of
the bass and guitars on the final version, are the first and second
takes. Ronny Kaasa was recruited as the new drummer in September and he
did his half of the drumtracks before the mixing was completed the same
month. Tom Kvälsvoll at Strype Audio was once again used for the
mastering in October 2001.
With "Cardinal VII" the band took an overall more "in your face" approach and direction. More upbeat songs but also heavy grinding stuff like "Truth on scaffold" and a 'doom mixed with classical music and Gregorian singing(!) number like "Sic transit gloria mundi". Classical music was also included in a bigger fashion than before. It's safe to say that "Cardinal VII" contains more of everything compared to "Shapes of Spirits".
Ashes to Ashes manages to keep their identity intact and flawlessly
combines different musical styles without sounding schizophrenic.
In April '02 the band recruited Zilla as their keyboard
player and continued rehearsing for the upcoming live shows that
autumn. The gigs included performances at the Elements of
Metal-festival in Norway with acts such as Einherjer, Arch Nemesis and
Susperia, and the ProgPower-festival in the Netherlands with After
Forever and label mates, Heaven's Cry amongst others. 2003, the band
continues to play gigs and write for a third album.
As of today Ashes To Ashes can announce that band is finally back on track with the new album entitled "Master of the grand visitation".
The pre-production is in it's final stages and will contain 8 tracks.
The album is scheduled for a late autumn release and will feature guest
appearances from well known acts as well - more to come later on. The
new line-up consists of founding members Michael Stenberg and Bjorn
Luna as well as the new singer Nesmoht from Arch Nemesis. Cato
Bekkevold from Enslaved will handle the drum duties.
Edited by PhideauxFan - December 26 2007 at 05:23