Founded in 1999 by Gothic/Industrial veterans Paul Fredric and Marshal, Asmodeus X quickly ignited the electro underground in the urban-technocracy of Houston, Texas. Synthesizing the electronic with the esoteric, Asmodeus X began producing high-energy, dance-floor friendly EBM and darkwave. They were soon playing shows regularly throughout Texas, and receiving much notoriety via regional press, including winning the Critics Choice Vote for Best Industrial/Noise Act of 2000 by the Houston Press Music Awards.
A self-release E.P. in 2000 – Cult of the Naassarene – established many of their essential influences, with minimalist industrial tracks reminiscent of Nitzer Ebb and Laibach interwoven with neo-classical soundscapes recalling the experimental work of Phillip Glass. The strength of this led to interest from the darkwave label St. Thomas Records, and a tour of Southern California. Three singles were subsequently released from 2001-2002: Holy Fire/San Francisco Girls, the latter being a dark cover of the 60’s hit by psychedelic godfathers Fever Tree. Then The Cow/Beyond the Water, which demonstrated in no uncertain terms that Asmodeus X also had the ability to rock.
The San Francisco Girls single had attracted attention from the fragmented White Panther Party of 60’s Detroit counterculture fame, which -- in a collaboration unprecedented by any industrial group -- led to the recording of a third single: The Tiger. Recorded in Detroit by Victor Peraino (Arthur Brown, Kingdom Come) and featuring guest drumming by Dennis "Machine Gun" Thompson (of the legendary MC5).
November of 2002 saw the release of Asmodeus X’s first full-length album: Wolf Age. Incorporating a rich variety of instrumentation, Wolf Age offered punchy electronics, dark synth lines, distorted guitar textures, and even acoustic guitar, with vocals ranging from distorted industrial-style to synth-pop. Wolf Age garnered much critical acclaim, earning the group further comparisons with the likes of Rammstein, Ministry, and Skinny Puppy, while at the same time maintaining the uniqueness and integrity that had fueled their sound since the beginning.
The current project: Morningstar. Due for release in spring of 2004 on Latex Records, Morningstar tells the Promethean story of a fall from grace, a struggle for identity, and the emergence of self-aware being. For this effort Asmodeus X is delving deep into the spheres of ebm, darkwave, future-pop and trance. A wholly synthetic effort drawing on analogue, digital and vintage synths, electronic percussion, vocoders, etc., Morningstar seeks to explore the seductively forbidden side of the human psyche and the essence creation, with hypnotic beats and darkly rich synth layers that point to a new paradigm for electronic music. |
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