Biography
Ævangelist emerged in 2010 as a duo that adopted the self-applied tag "New Age Death Metal" for their work. Their approach stretches past typical death metal conventions by folding in black metal textures, industrial noise, and experimental forms. Multi-instrumentalist Matron Thorn and vocalist/saxophonist/cellist Ascaris first encountered each other while performing on separate tours with Benighted in Sodom and Shavasana. The pair discovered they held matching ideas about extreme music’s capacity to depict the outer reaches of human experience, suffering, and psychology.
A year afterward they self-released their opening EP, Oracle of Infinite Despair. Issued in a limited edition with scant distribution, the recording nevertheless drew favorable notice from the extreme music press. The operator of Italy’s I, Voidhanger label heard the EP and proposed a full-length release. De Masticatione Mortuorum appeared in fall 2012 and earned widespread acclaim for its broad scope and ferocious sonic force. Nightmare Flesh Offering, an EP, and the split album To the Dream Plateau of Hideous Revelation with Esoterica both arrived in 2013; on the latter Ævangelist placed the 42-minute track "Omniquity." Their second album, Omen Ex Simulacra, came out in November through France’s Debemur Morti Productions. The subsequent tour presented the group in expanded form yet without a drummer, and the unorthodox use of a drum machine drew uniformly positive commentary for intensifying the live chaos.
Once the tour ended, Ævangelist began work on a third studio album. Writhes in the Murk surfaced in fall 2014 and proved so experimental, especially through its oscillating strings and bleating saxophones, that it split opinion; some listeners who had followed the band from the start rejected its noisy direction. Two digital EPs appeared the next year: Catharsis, issued independently, and Dream an Evil Dream, released by Debemur Morti. These preceded the fourth album, Enthrall to the Void of Bliss, which appeared on 20 Buck Spin. The band’s performance at that year’s California Death Fest was recorded and issued independently as a digital EP. Early in summer 2016, Ævangelist announced a split release with Blut Aus Nord on Debemur Morti. Titled Codex Obscura Nomina and presented as an EP, the recording contained four tracks by the avant French metal outfit and one 21-minute piece by Ævangelist.
A year afterward they self-released their opening EP, Oracle of Infinite Despair. Issued in a limited edition with scant distribution, the recording nevertheless drew favorable notice from the extreme music press. The operator of Italy’s I, Voidhanger label heard the EP and proposed a full-length release. De Masticatione Mortuorum appeared in fall 2012 and earned widespread acclaim for its broad scope and ferocious sonic force. Nightmare Flesh Offering, an EP, and the split album To the Dream Plateau of Hideous Revelation with Esoterica both arrived in 2013; on the latter Ævangelist placed the 42-minute track "Omniquity." Their second album, Omen Ex Simulacra, came out in November through France’s Debemur Morti Productions. The subsequent tour presented the group in expanded form yet without a drummer, and the unorthodox use of a drum machine drew uniformly positive commentary for intensifying the live chaos.
Once the tour ended, Ævangelist began work on a third studio album. Writhes in the Murk surfaced in fall 2014 and proved so experimental, especially through its oscillating strings and bleating saxophones, that it split opinion; some listeners who had followed the band from the start rejected its noisy direction. Two digital EPs appeared the next year: Catharsis, issued independently, and Dream an Evil Dream, released by Debemur Morti. These preceded the fourth album, Enthrall to the Void of Bliss, which appeared on 20 Buck Spin. The band’s performance at that year’s California Death Fest was recorded and issued independently as a digital EP. Early in summer 2016, Ævangelist announced a split release with Blut Aus Nord on Debemur Morti. Titled Codex Obscura Nomina and presented as an EP, the recording contained four tracks by the avant French metal outfit and one 21-minute piece by Ævangelist.
Albums
