Black_socciety: Alghazanth

Alghazanth is an artistic entity that channels the twin stream of all-devouring Darkness and the profound Enlightenment that lies hidden therein. The core of this beast is made of Black Metal, majestic atmosphere forms the flesh around its bones and Occult Satanism runs through its veins.

Even though Alghazanth currently consists of five members and operated in the not-so-distant past as a sextet for some time, the initial steps in autumn 1995 were taken as a two-man band. Soon after the birth pangs had subsided, the group doubled its headcount as new blood joined the ranks to complete the line-up. Ever since this first expansion towards being a bit more “real” and functioning band, Alghazanth has faced nearly countless line-up changes and it is neither necessary or interesting to go into detail about each such individual twist and turn of the past. However, what is of some consequence in the light of the present day is the fact that Gorath Moonthorn (the other founding member) and Thasmorg (the original vocalist/guitarist) are still aboard and steering the ship.

Alghazanth’s first official release was a 4-tracker demo which was recorded at their rehearsal place in late 1996. Another demo as well as a promotional tape followed it the next year and the latter of these two landed them a record deal with Finnish Woodcut Records.

In June 1998 the band entered the legendary Tico Tico studio and recorded their debut full-length album, Thy Aeons Envenomed Sanity, which consisted of six new and three re-recorded demo tracks. Several unfortunate delays occurred and due to them the album wasn’t revealed to the outside world until the end of 1999.

The debut was followed by Subliminal Antenora which was materialized in May 2000. Being a lot heavier and darker than the cold and at times even “beautiful” debut album, this second full-size work presented a new and more aggressive side to Alghazanth. Like the two following full-length albums, Subliminal Antenora was recorded at Watercastle Studio in the band’s hometown, Jyväskylä.

Alghazanth’s third magnum opus, Osiris-Typhon Unmasked, came into existence in July 2001 – only fourteen months after its predecessor’s birth. On this full-length the band took a steady step back into the realm of majestic and atmospheric Black Art and the album received words of praise in reviews and the feedback from the masses was positive indeed.

In November 2003 Alghazanth entered once more the confines of Watercastle Studio and forged into form The Polarity Axiom. Even though it was recorded in late 2003 it didn’t see the light of day before mid-August 2004. This album continued musically on the same path as the one before it but the failures in the mixing process seemed to somewhat cut its wings and the end result wasn’t as good as the band had envisioned it to be. Regardless of this major setback in the production itself the album still scored quite good reviews.

After The Polarity Axiom, Alghazanth underwent some major line-up changes. It was a time of turmoil and strife but it served to purify the group’s essence and in a sense paved way for a complete rebirth. In spring 2007, the band had eight new songs ready and was preparing to record them. Due to the disappointing experience with the previous studio session as well as the nature of the new material, they decided to go for a bit different approach this time. The drum tracks were recorded at Tico Tico studio and the synths at Tupi’s Tavern in Helsinki but everything else was captured “on reels” at Alghazanth’s rehearsal place by the band’s longtime acquaintance, Risto Pohjonen. This method turned out to be exactly the right way to do things and the end result, Wreath of Thevetat, is a concrete proof of this. The album was unleashed in early 2008 and it seemed to enchant the critics and the masses alike.

After WoT was released, Alghazanth played live more frequently than ever before. During this time the band shared the stage with, for example, Gorgoroth, Mortuary Drape and Secrets of the Moon. In addition to doing some gigs here and there, Alghazanth kept working on new material and by autumn 2009 nine new anthems were ready to be recorded.

Historically enough, this time Alghazanth didn’t have to deal with any line-up adjustments between two albums and so the work on the sixth full-length assault began on Samhain 2009 with the same ensemble as on WoT. The method for recording the tracks followed a similar pattern as on the previous album but this time studio facilities weren’t utilized at all. Risto Pohjonen, the man responsible for engineering and mixing WoT, took care of the whole recording and mixing process by himself. In July 2010, after an arduous period of nearly nine months, Alghazanth’s sixth album, Vinum Intus, finally emerged from its cocoon as a worthy heir to the throne.
As we all know, only change is permanent. Even though Vinum Intus was brought to life by exactly the same hands as its predecessor, a tide of change arose soon after its release in January 2011. This marked the end of Goat Tormentor’s journey in the ranks of Alghazanth. For the band as a collective entity this meant just another route alteration on their way towards yet uncharted nightside regions.

Vinum Intus