Biography
Vocalist and guitarist Melechesh Ashmedi founded Melechesh in 1993 as a one-man endeavor, making the group among the earliest death metal and black metal acts to surface from Jerusalem. The following year brought guitarist Moloch and drummer Lord Curse into the fold, allowing the band to shape its distinctive “Mesopotamian metal” sound by fusing heavy metal with the region’s ancient history and musical traditions. Their debut demo, As Jerusalem Burns...Al' Intisar, openly declared Satanic beliefs in accompanying interviews, provoking both local outrage and official police attention because such declarations were criminal offenses in the holy city. Far from harming their prospects, the resulting scandal accelerated Melechesh’s underground momentum and earned them a deal to issue the EP The Siege of Lachish on Devilish Music Propaganda.
Bassist Al’Hazred joined in 1996, the same year the band re-recorded As Jerusalem Burns for its first proper CD. That initial full-length nevertheless revealed that technical skills still lagged behind the notoriety the group had already generated. Jerusalem’s lack of an active music infrastructure further constrained opportunities, prompting most members—except Lord Curse—to relocate to continental Europe beginning in 1998, with Moloch settling in France and the remaining two in the Netherlands. Once signed to the French label Osmose Productions, Melechesh secured a notable advantage by enlisting Absu drummer Proscriptor, whose real name is Russ Givens, for the 2001 international debut Djinn.
The extended gestation proved justified, as Djinn fulfilled and in several respects surpassed expectations for the band’s signature “Mesopotamian metal.” Subsequent European and international live dates ensued, accompanied by a promotional clip for the track “Genies, Sorcerers and Mesopotamian Nights,” after which the musicians paused to absorb their rising underground recognition. Three years afterward they returned with the well-received Sphynx, then, following the arrival of new drummer Xul (Yuri Rinkel), delivered what many consider their strongest statement to date, the late-2006 album Emissaries.
Bassist Al’Hazred joined in 1996, the same year the band re-recorded As Jerusalem Burns for its first proper CD. That initial full-length nevertheless revealed that technical skills still lagged behind the notoriety the group had already generated. Jerusalem’s lack of an active music infrastructure further constrained opportunities, prompting most members—except Lord Curse—to relocate to continental Europe beginning in 1998, with Moloch settling in France and the remaining two in the Netherlands. Once signed to the French label Osmose Productions, Melechesh secured a notable advantage by enlisting Absu drummer Proscriptor, whose real name is Russ Givens, for the 2001 international debut Djinn.
The extended gestation proved justified, as Djinn fulfilled and in several respects surpassed expectations for the band’s signature “Mesopotamian metal.” Subsequent European and international live dates ensued, accompanied by a promotional clip for the track “Genies, Sorcerers and Mesopotamian Nights,” after which the musicians paused to absorb their rising underground recognition. Three years afterward they returned with the well-received Sphynx, then, following the arrival of new drummer Xul (Yuri Rinkel), delivered what many consider their strongest statement to date, the late-2006 album Emissaries.