Artisian

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Background information
Origin	London, UK
Genre(s)	Blackened death metal, grindcore, extreme metal
Years active	2004 - Present
Label(s)	Copro / Grindethic Records
Website	Official Band Website
Members
Iain Miro Ash Frazer

Artisian is an extreme metal band from London, England. They are signed to Copro Records.

1 Background
2 Current line-up
3 Discography
4 External links
5 References

[edit] Background

Artisian was formed in 2004 by Iain Miro (formerly of Killswitch, Goma, and El Jefe) and was originally intended as a 'one man project'. However, once Miro had written an album's worth of songs, he soon realized he was onto something promising, and enlisted the help of his (then) fellow Meggido band mate Steve Banks to help with the recording and production of the first release. Banks also played bass guitar and did the drum programming on Lament for the Eternal Frost, which was to become the band's first release.

After the album was finished, promotional copies of the album began to circulate on the underground scene, sparking lots of interest from a variety of established underground labels, and eventually Artisian signed a 'limited release' deal with extreme metal label Grindethic Records.

The release with Grindethic was a huge success, and within a few months the band had sold virtually all of the original 'limited release' copies.

Cover of Na Beiste B'hon Talamh

Once the first album was released in 2005, it became apparent that this 'project' was turning into a 'band'. At this point, Banks decided not to join as a full member of the band, and Miro began to advertise the bass player position.

After a few auditions with Miro, Mickey joined the band on bass, and the two started to gig as a two piece, along with a drum machine.

Mickey was at this point also in another London metal band, Downfall, and following a joint bill gig with Downfall in January 2006 at the Rhythm Factory in London, Downfall drummer Frazer (also known as Franko) was asked to fill the vacant drum position within Artisian. The line-up was complete and the band were set to book some dates and start touring the UK. However, after only a few gigs with the new line-up, Mickey was unable to carry on with his role in the band for personal reasons, and the bass player position again became vacant. However, this was soon solved, as Frazer was also playing in yet another band known as Head Clamp with long-term friend Ash, who was the band's bass player. After a couple of rehearsals, Ash accepted the bass player slot and the final line-up was complete. This is now the band's current line-up.

The band continued to gig throughout the UK in 2006, and re-released Lament for the Eternal Frost" with Copro Records in July. This was met with a good response, receiving good reviews and praise from a variety of metal sources, including the renowned Metal Hammer magazine, where the album received a huge 7/10 in a review, which was deemed exceptional for an extreme act in what is usually a more commercial based magazine.

Artisian hit the studio again in August 2006 to record the follow up, this time with producer Andy Davies. The album is called Na Beiste B'hon Talamh, which is Scottish Gaelic for 'The Beast out of the Earth'. It was released in March 2007 through Grindethic Records.

The new album is a total progression in terms of both the band's style and writing ability. Now complete with live drums and a metal-orientated bass playing style, the sound has advanced hugely since the debut album, and the band is noted for the sheer power and force generated in their live sets.

Since the formation of the new line-up, the band seem to be heading towards a more death/grind style, whilst still incorporating the original black metal theme.