The feedback about ASPHYX’s Death…The Brutal Way - June 22, 2009
The Press:
“Killer riffs, killer crunch, killer voice – sorry if I might repeat myself: KILLER!!!”
Album of the month, Heavy (D)
Album of the month, Legacy (D)
Album of the month, Rock Hard (F)
Soundcheck #3, Rock Hard (D)
“Sheer brutality, massive doomy riffs and the sick vocals of Martin van Drunen make this album the death metal-highlight of the year!” Rock Tribune (B)
Fellow musicians commenting on ASPHYX:
"This is old-school! I bought ‘The Rack’ on vinyl in 1991…How did ASPHYX manage to re-create an equally brutal release in 2009?! Holy shit! “Death…The Brutal Way” – Yes please! Martin van Drunen vomits in your face, pounding drums, shredding guitars – ‘back in time’ can be so fucking good!"
Angela Gossow / Arch Enemy
"Only Death is Real and “Death…The Brutal Way” is the only way! ASPHYX is as real as Old School Death Metal can get."
Martin Eric Ain / Hellhammer & Celtic Frost
To give you another chance to pre-listen this devastating new opus, ASPHYX have launched the brand-new track “Riflegun Redeemer” at their newly designed MySpace page. Just head over to http://www.myspace.com/officialasphyx and enjoy a pure death metal bombardment…the brutal way!
The band checks in and comments as follows:
"Our new album Death...The Brutal Way is coming out now, finally! After a 7-year "break" this album shows that if we, ASPHYX, do something it will be brutal! So far the advance press results are more than positive and we even are "Album of the Month" in several magazines/webzines. Also the response to our show at Deathfeast last weekend was great.”
“Our song ‘Riflegun Redeemer’ is now launched on our Myspace profile and being one of the heaviest tracks of the album, both musically and lyrically, we hope you will enjoy it!”
The release show for Death...The Brutal Way at Turock in Essen on July 4th is coming nearer and we are looking forward to seeing you there... Please take notice the show will be recorded and filmed professionally!" Support for this special event will come from fellow Metallers Desaster and Necros Christos. The show will be filmed with multiple cameras, so make sure not to miss this special show! More details at http://www.turock.de
Death…The Brutal Way is also available as limited edition version including an additional slipcase packaging as well as a bonus DVD featuring the band’s entire, unforgettable reunion show from Party.San festival 2007!
See ASPHYX crush it live at the following dates:
03.07.2009 Roitzschjora (D) - With Full Force Festival
04.07.2009 Exclusive “Death…The Brutal Way” Record Release Show: Essen (D) - Turock + Desaster, Necros Christos / Show will be filmed!
15.08.2009 Oulu (FI) - Jalometalli Fest
05.09.2009 Milan (IT) - Club 71
19.09.2009 Berlin (D) - Knaack Club
10.10.2009 Alzey (D) - Oberhaus / http://hell-is-open.de
More dates to be announced soon….
Finally, you can hear a new ASPHYX track at www.myspace.com/ibexmoonrecords. The album will be released in the U.S. on Ibex Moon on August 18, 2009
Ibex Moon Records Licenses New Asphyx Album for U.S. Release - June 11, 2009
Ibex Moon Records is pleased to announce the licensing of Asphyx’s Death…The Brutal Way from Century Media Records for distribution in the United States. The album will be released in the U.S. on Ibex Moon on September 1, 2009. The legendary Dutch death metal act reunited in 2007, playing several shows, releasing a 7” EP in 2008, recording Death…The Brutal Way, and headlining this year’s Maryland Death Fest. It is the first full-length Asphyx album to feature the sickening growls of Martin van Drunen since 1992’s The Last One on Earth.
Martin Van Drunen and bassist/vocalist Wannes Gubbels issued this joint statement about the U.S. distribution deal:
“We as Asphyx are very pleased we’ve found such a dedicated label in Ibex Moon is to distribute our latest release in the USA. From personal experiences in the past we know John McEntee is sworn to the cause of death metal the brutal way and thus will do all in his power to make this release and the band as successful as possible. A release like Death…The Brutal Way is meant to be brought out by a label that we are absolutely certain will put heart, soul, blood, bones, and core behind the matter. Under the Ibex Moon we march!”
The first 1,000 copies of Death…The Brutal Way will be released as a limited-edition with additional slipcase packaging and a bonus DVD featuring the band's entire, unforgettable reunion show from 2007’s Party.San Festival in Bad Berka, Germany.
Live at Party.San Open Air Festival 2007 bonus DVD track listing:
01. Vermin
02. M.S. Bismarck
03. Serenade In Lead
04. The Sickening Dwell
05. Food For The Ignorant
06. The Krusher
07. Wasteland Of Terror
08. Asphyx (Forgotten War)
09. Pages In Blood
10. The Rack
11. Last One On Earth
With Death…The Brutal Way Asphyx has returned to lay waste to modern conceptions of brutality. This is what death metal is supposed to sound like. Press inquiries for the U.S. release should be directed to Clawhammerpr@gmail.com.
Bio Usually, band reunions tend to turn out to be futile attempts at resurrecting a rotting carcass that is better leftdead for good… Yet at times, bands manage to return rejuvenated, reenergised and stronger than ever before!Fortunately, exactly this hits the coffin nail on its head when it comes down to premier Dutch death metalmasters ASPHYX!With their highly anticipated and aptly titled new album “Death…The Brutal Way” the quartet now releases aprime example for the perseverance and indestructible impact of real death metal!Formed back in 1987 under the morbid influence of such infernal genre forefathers as Venom,Hellhammer/Celtic Frost, Slaughter and Death, ASPHYX started building their legendary reputation via severaldemos that spread like a plague within the tape trading and uprising underground metal community. Only oneyear older than their long-time label partner, Century Media, ASPHYX conquered the worldwide metal scenewith such immortal death metal classics as “The Rack” (1991) and “The Last One On Earth” (1992). The bandtoured worldwide with fellow death metal forerunners-acts like Entombed, Benediction and Bolt Thrower toquickly establish themselves at the spearhead of the international extreme music scene. However, the mid-90’sproved to be a hard time for death metal and also ASPHYX suffered from the genre’s implosion back then. Lineupproblems ensued: vocalist Martin van Drunen left the band after “The Last One On Earth” and even foundingmember Bob Bagchus (drums) took a time-out. While their following releases (1994’s “Asphyx”, 1996’s “GodCries”) kept the band’s high standard of musical output, in 1996 the band disbanded only to rise again in 1997under the name SOULBURN. Their sole SOULBURN album “Feeding On Angels” (1997) featured Wannes Gubbels(Pentacle) on bass/vocals, Bob Bagchus on drums and original ASPHYX guitarist Eric Daniels. As the albumsounded as close to the true ASPHYX-sound as possible it felt only natural that on “On The Wings Of Inferno”(2000) the classic moniker of ASPHYX had returned. With this massive slab of doomy, raw death metal a true andhigh-quality new ASPHYX record had been created, but only after some few club- and festival-shows by 2000 theband dissolved again due to the departure of Eric Daniels.After these turbulent times, the reformation of ASPHYX was a less complicated process and started with anunbelievably successful reunion show as headlining act at 2007’s Party.San festival in Germany! Severalthousand fans heartily welcomed the current line-up consisting of returning Martin van Drunen (vocals),Wannes Gubbels (bass/vocals), Paul Baayens (guitar, also in Thanatos) and Bob Bagchus (drums) and went nutsduring an intense best-of set. Further successful live shows followed e.g. at the Arnhem Metal Meeting (NL), HoleIn The Sky Festival (NOR), Rock Hard Festival (D) and for 2009 the band is also confirmed to play the MarylandDeathfest (US), Deathfeast (D), With Full Force Festival (D) as well as many other high-profile internationalshows.After releasing a 7” on the small German underground label Iron Pegasus in 2008, which sold out quickly, now itis time to finally unleash the new full-length album “Death…The Brutal Way”. It was recorded at Sonic AssaultStudio with their longtime engineer Frank Klein Douwel. Afterwards it was mixed and mastered by the none lesslegendary Dan Swanö (Bloodbath, Edge Of Sanity, etc.), who previously successfully worked on mixing the debutalbum by Hail Of Bullets, the band featuring ASPHYX vocalist Martin van Drunen and guitarist Paul Baayens.From the crushing opening track “Scorbutics”, the driving title-track, the doom monster “Asphyx II (They Died AsThey Marched)”, the devastating “Eisenbahnmörser” over to the monumental death metal anthem “Cape Horn”,ASPHYX have transferred their classic trademarks into the year 2009 and every dedicated fan will instantlyembrace the album as the only true successor to 1992’s “The Last One On Earth”. A special limited editionversion of the album will include a Bonus-DVD including the earlier mentioned, fantastic live show from Party-San festival 2007. If you have witnessed ASPHYX live in the current line-up you will have realized that the band isnot simply making profit from past laurels, but has ultimately rediscovered its unquenchable thirst for deliveringtheir own brand of doomy, violent death metal! The ripping riffs, the titanic roar of van Drunen, the poundingdrumming and macabre atmosphere are 666% ASPHYX from start to finish and once you have listened to theentire new opus you will agree that the unique ASPHYX sound has been truly missed during the past years.Welcome back!