Asphyx was formed in 1987 by Bob Bagchus and Tonny Brookhuis. Eric Daniels was found as a second guitarist and Chuck Colli joined on vocals and bass; this combo released the Enter the Domain demo.
In March 1989 Colli was replaced Theo Loomans and they recorded the Crush the Cenotaph demo. Brookhuis then left the band and the remaining three recorded Embrace the Death album which was never released due to label problems.
After Martin van Drunen left Pestilence in the early 1990s, he joined Asphyx and the band signed to Century Media Records. After the release of their debut album The Rack they went on a European tour with Entombed. Followed by a tour with Bolt Thrower and Benediction in 1992. Shortly after the recording of the second album Last One on Earth, Van Drunen left the band, to be replaced by Ron van der Pol. Eventually Baghus left the band as well, and was replaced by Sander van Hoof for the recording of the 1995 self titled album. At that point, the only member of the classic line-up still left in the band was Eric Daniels.
The self-titled album was released in 1994 and led to the band's demise in 1995.
In 1996 Loomans and Baghus reformed Asphyx and recorded the God Cries LP. Around the same time also the Embrace the Death album was finally released. Nevertheless the band split up again after the release. In 1997 Soulburn was founded by Baghus and Daniels and together with Pentacle singer and bassist Wannes Gubbles they recorded the Feeding on Angels album.
In 1999 they renamed the project Soulburn into Asphyx and recorded the On the Wings of Inferno album with the same lineup. However, Asphyx disbanded once again in 2000.
In January 2007, the band re-united again with members of the "classic" line-up Bagchus and Van Drunen; along with Gubbels and new guitarist Paul Baayens.
In the great world of music there was for many years a landscape that was ruled by loud guitars. This landscape was divided into the areas of hard rock, heavy metal, speed metal and thrash metal. Life went on without problems for some time, but at the end of the eighties there was the discovery of some unknown land at the borders of a big forest. This land was rough and difficult to conquer, but a couple of strong men succeed and one of the first castles erected was named Pestilence.
And as always in a story like this: things went wrong in castle Pestilence. Warlord Mameli and Van Drunen got into a fight and Van Drunen decided to leave the place. He built a bastion of his own and named this one Asphyx. For years these two forts went on doing their thing and together with other warlords they spread the decibels into the great world of music under the moniker of death metal. But after some time there came new intruders in the death metal community. This new generation even changed the death metal style and created subdivisions such as US death metal, technical death metal or even a mixture of death metal and grindcore and they got more and more attention from the people. This would mean the death for many warriors from that very first period.
But as a real death metal man (or woman) should, they rose from the dead at least a couple of times. And to make our story more heroic: real heroes always come back. Although the original style of death metal lost popularity it never was totally out of the picture. Throughout the years small groups of fanatics kept the fire burning, and they got the nickname OLD SCHOOL DEATH METAL thrown upon them. The more time passed by, the more the old warlords regained strength and they started to work on a new strategy to re-conquer the throne. Van Drunen first joined forces with other warlords from the past such as Stephan Gebedi and Ed Warby. Via this alliance with code name Hail Of Bullets they bombed everything. Our heroes were back at the front, and how! The Hail Of Bullets victory gave Van Drunen even more power and it was time for him to contact his old side by side warrior Bob Bagchus again. Soon soldier Paul Baayens (who also fights with neighbours Thanatos) joined the force and together with the Obelix amongst the veterans Wannes (whom they knew from Pentacle) they prepared a new battle plan as they rebuilt the Asphyx stronghold.
That new battle got the title ‘Death…The Brutal Way’ and it was a war that never really was one. Asphyx used such heavy, darkened and deep to the bone cutting riffs combined with that inhuman screaming by Van Drunen that no one could survive this assault. They even combined this lethal attack with firm pounding drums and compact songs, so no holds barred here at all. Asphyx made sure that this attack would leave nobody alive and therefore they let wizard Dan Swano finish off the ‘Death…The Brutal Way’ strategy. Wizard Swano made sure that there was no weakness in the concept, and therefore Asphys came back crushing everything.
Or to cut a long story short: Asphyx and old school death metal are back.
FUCKING AWESOME
http://www.mediafire.com/?5jmmt1munemThe album was recorded at the Sonic Assault Studio and engineered by Frank Klein
Douwel. Mixing duties were handled Dan Swanö at the Unisound Studio in Sweden.
The limited-edition version of "Death...The Brutal Way" will contain additional
slipcase packaging as well as a bonus DVD featuring the band's entire reunion
show from 2007's Party.San festival in Bad Berka, Germany.
Vinyl version released by War Anthems Records and is limited to 666 copies.
'Eisenbahnmörser' means 'the railway mortar'.
