THE BEAST

Swedish black metal unit  Åskog  has premiered their debut album via  Toilet ov Hell , with  Black Metal Promotion  unveiling it on YouTube. Their debut full-length,  Varþnaþe r, will be out on  12 ^th  May 2021  via  Grind to Death Records  (CD) and  Leviaphonic Records  (digital). A vinyl and cassette release by  Corrupted Flesh Records  should land on  25 ^th   June .

Åskog comments on the track:  “Varþnaþer is an ode to the duality of nature—good and evil. The music follows this dichotomy with heavy, chaotic parts or slower, melodic—sometimes ambient—moments. there are twists and turns, which keeps the listener on their toes, never sure what to expect next."

Stream + read full feature of “ Varþnaþer ”  HERE

Åskog took form during the early summer of 2020 by Adam and Lars after disbanding their previous band, Murdryck.
 
A demo, titled Varg, was released in October 2020 — quickly selling out its initial limited edition cassette run. The band’s blend of heavy, doom, and death metal under a black metal layer soon attracted listeners, metal media outlets, and even record labels. Amidst interest from several other record labels, the Vänersborg duo sealed the deal with Sweden’s Grind to Death Records for a CD release and Germany’s Corrupted Flesh Records for vinyl and cassettes. This spurred the drive to complete the album, Varþnaþer, by the end of December 2020, with the band keen to ride the sudden wave of interest with the strongest material they have ever written. However, the demo still garners interest and has since been reissued on CD and will be reissued again on cassette later in the year.

The songwriting on the debut album, Varþnaþer, furthers the musical ideas presented on the demo, adding the group's own fingerprint and identity on the black metal-influenced sound. The 8 songs were carefully crafted to affect the listener's mood — taking them through a journey from the blistering fast down to a slower, doomy pace, with the more mid-tempo sections allowing room to explore Lars' vocal styles. The variation in the music is aided by the band’s disciplined uniformity in style, which allows the different elements to blend in seamlessly. The lyrics generally deal with the dichotomy between good and evil in the context of the natural environment. While almost all the lyrics deal with death in some way, Åskog delivers these themes in a more unusual manner, going beyond the notions of good/evil and focusing on human interpretation.

CREDITS:

– Band Lineup –
Lars - Vocals, Bass
Adam - Guitars

– Others –
Drums (Session) by Rod B.
Mixed and Mastered by Adam Chapman at Black Dawn Studios.
Recorded and Produced by Adam Chapman and Lars Hansson.
Cover artwork by Alex/Mayhem Project Design.
 
(c)2021 Leviaphonic Records.

PRE-ORDER:
https://askog.bandcamp.com (Digital + CD)
https://grindtodeathrecords.bigcartel.com/product/askog-varthnather (CD)

MORE INFO:

– Åskog –
https://www.facebook.com/askog666
https://www.instagram.com/askog666
https://askog.bandcamp.com
https://open.spotify.com/artist/3Y5gITdct42K08GKYMmOGv

– Grind to Death Records –
https://www.facebook.com/GrindtoDeathRecords
https://twitter.com/GrindtoDeath
https://www.instagram.com/grindtodeath
https://grindtodeathrecords.bigcartel.com

– Corrupted Flesh Records –
https://www.facebook.com/Corrupted-Flesh-Record-Label-Artist-Store-103414908241694
https://www.instagram.com/corruptedflesh666
https://corruptedflesh.bigcartel.com