Angband (band)

Angband
Background information
Origin Tehran, Iran
Genres Power metal, progressive metal
Years active 2004−present
Labels Pure Steel
Website www.angbandmetal.com
Members Ashkan Yazdani
Mahyar Dean
Ramin Rahimi
Farshad Shokuhfar
Past members M. Halaji

Angband is a Persian power metal/progressive musical group,[1] formed in 2004 in Tehran.

Band history

Angband was formed in 2004 in Tehran by Mahyar Dean, a classically trained musician and author who is known for writing books about the bands Death and Testament.[2] Angband was originally conceived as a progressive metal/instrumental project, but with the inclusion of singer Ashkan Yazdani they headed in a more power metal/progressive metal vein.[2] Once Ramin Rahimi joined the band as drummer, the band was able to record their first full length album, which was titled Rising from Apadana. Mahyar Dean played the bass parts as well as the guitars but shortly after the album was released, M. Halaji joined the band as full-time bassist.

After the release of the first album, Ramin Rahimi, who is a skilled percussion player, signed a deal with ARC Music for a solo project.[3] His solo music mostly focuses on Iranian percussion and drums. Angband uses Daff a Persian percussion in their music exclusively.[4]

In April 2011 M. Halaji left the band and was replaced by Farshad Shokuhfar, a bass player that Mahyar Dean saw in a concert a few months before.[5]

Music history

Angband entered the studio in July 2007 to record their debut album Rising from Apadana. Shortly thereafter, they signed a record deal with Pure Steel Records of Germany. They are the first Heavy Metal band from Iran to sign with an international record company.[2][6][7]

Rising from Apadana was released on August 29, 2008, to some positive reviews.[8][9][10][11]

2009-10

In June 2009 they announced that the title of their second album would be Visions of the Seeker. It was originally due to be released by the fourth quarter of that year but the release was held back to 2010 because of a production problem.[12] In May 2010 Germany's Metal Hammer posted a full site interview/article about the band.[13]

The band collaborated with the well-known producer/sound engineer Achim Kohler (Primal Fear, Brainstorm) and the mixing and mastering process was finished in August 2010.[14] The album delayed about a year but finally released on October 29, 2010.[15] Angband's first official video, "Forsaken Dreams", was released in November 2010.[16]

2011-12

In April 2011 the band announced that they were working on a new album with their new bassist Farshad Shokuhfar.[5] when they finished recording the album titled Saved from the Truth as was the case with previous album the mixing and mastering was handled by Achim Kohler. the album released on September 28, 2012[17] and was met with acclaim by the international press.[18] "the prog-influences have gained much more room on this album...on 'Saved From The Truth’ the gentlemen show progress on all fronts." lords of metal magazine describes the album [19]

Discography

Albums

Title Release date Type Label
Rising from Apadana August 29, 2008 Studio album Pure Steel Records
Visions of the Seeker October 29, 2010 Studio album Pure Steel Records
Saved from the Truth September 28, 2012 Studio album Pure Steel Records

Videos

Members

References

  1. ↑ Blizzard. "Angband - Visions of the Seeker Review". Metal Glory Magazine. Retrieved 2011-01-16.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Blabbermouth. "Iranian Metal Band ANGBAND Signs With Germany's PURE STEEL RECORDS". Archived from the original on 12 June 2008. Retrieved June 8, 2008.
  3. ↑ BW&BK. "ANGBAND Drummer Releases Side-Project". Retrieved April 30, 2009.
  4. ↑ M. Amiri (September 14, 2011). "Tehran rocks, but only under ground". Reuters. Retrieved Sep 14, 2011.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 BW&BK. "ANGBAND Working On New Album With New Bassist". Retrieved April 7, 2011.
  6. ↑ Nima. "Angband - Rising from Apadana Review". Lords of Metal Online Magazine.
  7. ↑ Dennis Piller. "Angband mit Infos zum neuen Album (German)". Metal1 Online Magazine. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
  8. ↑ "Angband - Rising From Apadana". Epic Metal Webzine. Archived from the original on 5 October 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-15.
  9. ↑ Claudio. "Angband - Rising from Apadana". Sleaze Metal Webzine. Retrieved 2008-08-23.
  10. ↑ Michael. "Angband - Rising from Apadana". Osnametal Webzine. Archived from the original on 29 August 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
  11. ↑ "Angband - Rising from Apadana Review". Metal 2 Metal Webzine.
  12. ↑ BW&BK. "ANGBAND - Release Of Forthcoming Album Pushed To March / April 2010". Retrieved January 23, 2010.
  13. ↑ Schowe, Andreas (May 2010). "Angband". Metal Hammer Germany: 136.
  14. ↑ Blabbermouth. "ANGBAND: New Album Mixed And Mastered". Retrieved Aug 24, 2010.
  15. ↑ Blabbermouth. "ANGBAND: New Album Release Date, Track Listing Revealed". Retrieved Sep 16, 2010.
  16. ↑ Blabbermouth. "ANGBAND: 'Forsaken Dreams' Video Released". Retrieved Nov 26, 2010.
  17. ↑ "ANGBAND to release Saved from the Truth in September". Blabbermouth. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  18. ↑ Walter Scheurer. "Angband - Saved from the Truth". metal.de. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  19. ↑ Nima. "Angband - Saved From the Truth". Lords of Metal Magazine.

External links