Averse Sefira
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Artists:
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Averse Sefira
- Genres: Rock
Biography
Texas and black metal? Specifically the European flavor of black metal? Sure, why not. Texas is kind of a tough place, and certainly isn't lacking in a seething underground, particularly in the extreme metal scenes. The Austin-spawned Averse Sefira took their unexpected pedigree to great heights in their time, making inroads into the European scene, and causing enough of a stir in South America that the band had to add a Portuguese-language section to its website. Formed in 1996 by guitarist and vocalist Sanguine Mapsama and bassist Wrath Sathariel Diabolus, Averse recorded a demo -- Blasphomet Sin Abset -- which wound up seeing release later in their first year. (It would later see re-release in 2003 on Evil Horde.) At the outset, the band -- notably lacking a drummer, Averse chose to use a drum machine in their early years -- stuck to a "true" black metal course, releasing work that was stylistically most like early Mayhem and Gorgoroth. Their first album, Homecoming's March, was released in 1999 on the band's own Arrogare label. The band began exploring the wild world of live drumming in 2001, taking on the Carcass on traps, who made his first appearance on the band's second album, Battle's Clarion. This time around, Averse Sefira left behind the pure black metal and explored a more death-oriented sound, and helped mold the style of the Texas outfit into something a bit more developed. Over the next few years, the band released a number of EPs and toured internationally with genre legends like Dark Funeral and up-and-comers like Watain. In 2005, album number three burst forth, entitled Tetragrammatical Astymata, which was a further development of their unique hybrid death/black metal sound. In 2008, Averse Sefira made a triumphant return to the metal consciousness with their new album, Advent Parallax, which was released on the well-respected extreme metal label Candlelight. ~ Chris True, RoviWikipedia on Answers.com:
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Averse Sefira
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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2009) |
| Averse Sefira | |
|---|---|
 Averse Sefira live in Birmingham, UK. |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Austin, Texas |
| Genres | Black metal |
| Years active | 1996–2012 |
| Labels | Candlelight Records |
| Associated acts | Incantation, Birth A.D. |
| Website | aversesefira.com |
| Members | |
| Wrath Sathariel Diabolus Sanguine Mapsama The Carcass |
|
| Past members | |
| "Nuclear" Gregg Garbach | |
Averse Sefira was a black metal band from Austin, Texas.
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Contents
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Biography
Averse Sefira was formed in 1996 by guitarist and vocalist Sanguine Mapsama and bassist Wrath Sathariel Diabolus.[1] Their demo, Blasphomet Sin Abset, was released later that year. It featured a drum machine in lieu of a live drummer.[1] Three years later, in 1999, their first full-length album, which was entitled Homecomings March, was released on Arrogare Records, their own label which was created specifically for the purpose of releasing that album.[1] Again, the band had to make use of a drum machine instead of a real drummer. It was in some ways the band's most strictly black metal release, the album lacked the chaotic death-metal influence of their later works, and was almost entirely a melodic mid-paced affair, in a style similar to Mayhem's De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas or early Gorgoroth. Homecomings March is also noted for its ambient interludes, known as "aversions", in between each track, which were composed by "Lady of the Evening Faces". Some fans consider these to be one of the album's strengths, while others consider the material to be intrusive. A remastered version of the album was released in 2003, with the interludes as separate tracks.
2001 had the band releasing a second album, Battle's Clarion. For this album, the band, for the first time, had a live drummer, The Carcass,[1] who was previously a member of Texas death metal band Death of Millions, and was, at one point, a touring drummer for Incantation. The music on this album took on a profound death metal influence,[1] at times reminiscent of early Deicide or Morbid Angel, but was still easily identifiable as black metal - the imagery and emotions evoked by the songs pertained to epic battle, rather than the savagery and chaotic lawlessness of death metal. The aversions were shorter and more integrated into the actual songs on this album, an improvement which fans greatly appreciated.
After Battle's Clarion, the band toured internationally for a few years intermittently, both with well-known bands such as Dark Funeral and underground acts such as Antaeus and Watain.[1] The band quickly gained a reputation for putting on a fierce live show and gained followings in Europe and South America, particularly in Brazil.
Four years after Battle's Clarion, in 2005, the band returned to the studio to record their third full-length album, Tetragrammatical Astygmata. For the first time, the band had a powerful production, provided by Necromorbus Studio; the sound was powerful and, while far from sterile, incredibly clear. This album saw the band continuing both in the more sonorous direction employed on Homecomings March and the chaotic direction first seen on Battle's Clarion; extremely chaotic moments were tempered with sonorous riffs that lent the band both an impressive range of dynamics and space for contemplation amongst a chaotic, feral setting. A newly found sense of harmonics, similar to Immortal's Pure Holocaust, aided in the creation of the band's sound as well as connecting it to the contemplative moments and consequently allowing them to reflect on the chaos, rather than seeming like disjointed and irrelevant sentimental moments in otherwise raging pieces. Interludes on this album were more limited than on any prior work, occasionally making a brief appearance to connect two songs.
Advent Parallax was issued on February 25 by Candlelight Records. And again it was produced by Tore Stjerna (Necromorbus).
In a blog post on May 3rd, 2012 Averse Sefira announced the band had come to an end. "It is over. The entity Averse Sefira has fractured back into its earthly parts, never to take wing again."
Discography
Studio releases
- Homecoming's March - (1999)
- Battle's Clarion - (2001)
- Tetragrammatical Astygmata - (2005)
- Advent Parallax - (2008)
Live and compilation releases
- A Union in Blood - Live in Bordeaux [Live] - (2003)
- Bestien in Engelgestalt [split w/ Secrets of the Moon] - (2003)
Demos and bootlegs
- Blasphomet Sin Abset [Demo] - (1996)
- Promotional Demo 1999 [Demo] - (1999)
Band members
Current members
- Sanguine Mapsama - Guitar, Vocals
- Wrath Sathariel Diabolus - Bass, Backing Vocals
- The Carcass - Drums
- Lady of the Evening Faces - Interludes and Effects
Former members
- "Nuclear" Gregg Garbach - Drums (1999–2000)
References
External links
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AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Artists
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Mentioned in
Advent Parallax
(2008 Album by Averse Sefira)
Averse Sefira
(Rock Band, 2000s)
The Wreaking
(EP)
» More