ASPHYX

Death Metal • Netherlands
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Asphyx is a Dutch death metal band that incorporates doom metal and thrash metal elements into their music.

The band 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
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Thanks to UMUR, Time Signature, tupan for the updates

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ASPHYX Discography

ASPHYX albums / top albums

ASPHYX The Rack album cover 3.71 | 16 ratings
The Rack
Death Metal 1991
ASPHYX Last One on Earth album cover 3.75 | 12 ratings
Last One on Earth
Death Metal 1992
ASPHYX Asphyx album cover 3.50 | 7 ratings
Asphyx
Death Metal 1994
ASPHYX God Cries album cover 3.08 | 6 ratings
God Cries
Death Metal 1996
ASPHYX On the Wings of Inferno album cover 3.42 | 6 ratings
On the Wings of Inferno
Death Metal 2000
ASPHYX Death... The Brutal Way album cover 3.70 | 5 ratings
Death... The Brutal Way
Death Metal 2009
ASPHYX Deathhammer album cover 3.70 | 10 ratings
Deathhammer
Death Metal 2012
ASPHYX Incoming Death album cover 3.50 | 3 ratings
Incoming Death
Death Metal 2016
ASPHYX Necroceros album cover 4.00 | 3 ratings
Necroceros
Death Metal 2021

ASPHYX EPs & splits

ASPHYX In the Eyes of Death album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
In the Eyes of Death
Death Metal 1991
ASPHYX Crush the Cenotaph album cover 3.06 | 4 ratings
Crush the Cenotaph
Death Metal 1992
ASPHYX Reign of the Brute album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Reign of the Brute
Death Metal 2012

ASPHYX live albums

ASPHYX Live Death Doom album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Live Death Doom
Death Metal 2010

ASPHYX demos, promos, fans club and other releases (no bootlegs)

ASPHYX Carnage Remains album cover 1.00 | 1 ratings
Carnage Remains
Death Metal 1988
ASPHYX Enter the Domain album cover 2.00 | 1 ratings
Enter the Domain
Death Metal 1988
ASPHYX Crush the Cenotaph album cover 2.50 | 1 ratings
Crush the Cenotaph
Death Metal 1989
ASPHYX Promo '91 album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Promo '91
Death Metal 1991
ASPHYX Promo '95 album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Promo '95
Death Metal 1995

ASPHYX re-issues & compilations

ASPHYX Embrace the Death album cover 3.42 | 2 ratings
Embrace the Death
Death Metal 1996
ASPHYX Depths of Eternity album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Depths of Eternity
Death Metal 2009
ASPHYX Abomination Echoes album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Abomination Echoes
Death Metal 2010

ASPHYX singles (2)

.. Album Cover
3.00 | 1 ratings
Mutilating Process
Death Metal 1989
.. Album Cover
0.00 | 0 ratings
Death the Brutal Way
Death Metal 2008

ASPHYX movies (DVD, Blu-Ray or VHS)

.. Album Cover
0.00 | 0 ratings
Live Death Doom
Death Metal 2010

ASPHYX Reviews

ASPHYX Crush the Cenotaph

EP · 1992 · Death Metal
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UMUR
"Crush the Cenotaph" is an EP release by Dutch death metal act Asphyx. The EP was released through Century Media Records in June 1992. It bridges the gap between Asphyx´s debut- and sophomore full-length studio albums "The Rack" (1991) and "Last One on Earth" (1992).

"Crush the Cenotaph" features five tracks and a total playing time of 21:29 minutes. "Crush the Cenotaph", "Rite of Shades", and "The Krusher" were all recorded in 1991 at Woodhouse Studio in Dortmund, Germany, while "Evocation" and "Wasteland of Terror" were recorded live on November 30th, 1991 in Stockholm, Sweden. Both live tracks appear in their studio versions on "The Rack". "Crush the Cenotaph" and "Rite of Shades" are re-recordings of demos tracks from the July 1989 "Crush the Cenotaph" demo. "The Krusher" would eventually be re-recorded at included on "Last One on Earth".

So it´s not an EP featuring much new material, but of course these versions of the three studio tracks are exclusive to this release. The live tracks are decent, but nothing out of the ordinary for a 1991 death metal live recording. What I´m most impressed about is how well Martin van Drunen sounds live. He has such a unique voice and a powerful delivery.

Upon conclusion "Crush the Cenotaph" is a nice little stop gab release and the band and Century Media Records of course did everything in their power to get as much material on the streets and capitalize on the success of Asphyx and wisely so, because as we all know the success of death metal wouldn´t last more than a couple of years, and during the mid- to late 90s death metal artists who had sold 30.000-40.000 copies of their albums in 1991/1992, suddenly struggled to sell just a few thousand copies. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

ASPHYX Embrace the Death

Boxset / Compilation · 1996 · Death Metal
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UMUR
"Embrace the Death" is an archival album release by Dutch death metal act Asphyx. The album was released through Century Media Records in November 1996. It bridges the gab between Asphyx´s fourth- and fifth full-length studio albums "God Cries" (1996) and "On the Wings of Inferno" (2000). At the time of release Asphyx had just disbanded for a second time. As mentioned it´s an achival album release which was recorded in 1990 and which was originally meant to be have been Asphyx´s debut album released through C.M.F.T. Productions, but as the label went bankrupt, the album was shelved. Tracks 1 through 12 are from the shelved album recording sessions, while tracks 13 and 14 were recorded during a 1989 session and they already appeared on the December 1989 "Mutilating Process" single, and are therefore not exclusive to this release. Quite a few tracks from "Embrace the Death" are re-recorded and re-arranged material from the band´s preceding demos.

Only "The Sickened Dwell" would be re-recorded and included on Asphyx´s debut full-length studio album "The Rack" (April 1991), but the material on "Embrace the Death" features lead vocalist/bassist Theo Loomans and not Martin van Drunen.

Listening to "Embrace the Death" it´s such a shame that the album was shelved in 1990, because this album is the dream of any old school death metal fan from those days. As doom/death metal heavy as early Paradise Lost, as brutal and filthy as early Autopsy, and for a 1990 death metal release it´s very well produced. Loomans is a powerful, brutal, and savage sounding growler. He both has the deep growling style but also a higher pitched hysterical edge to this delivery. While not quite as unique and inhuman as his successor, Loomans is arguably a high class old school death metal vocalist.

Not all archival/shelved albums need to see the light of day, but Asphyx and Century Media Records arguably made a wise choice retrieving this album from the vaults, dusting it of, adding a couple of tracks from the excellent "Mutilating Process" single, and releasing it to the hungry Asphyx fans, who had just learned that Asphyx had disbanded a second time after their very short 1995-1996 reunion. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

ASPHYX Mutilating Process

Single · 1989 · Death Metal
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UMUR
"Mutilating Process" is a single release by Dutch death metal act Asphyx. The single was released through Gore Records/Nuclear Blast in December 1989. Asphyx formed in 1987 and had at this point already released three demos, the last one being "Crush The Cenotaph" from July 1989. This was their first label release though, which was an important next step in those days. The transition from recording and releasing your own cassette tape demos to suddenly have a tangible (in this case a 7" vinyl) in your hands was magical.

Compared to the lo-fi recorded preceding demo releases the two tracks on the 8:55 minutes long single were recorded at a professional recording studio and it´s audible. Although Asphyx still produce some crushingly heavy and doomy old school death metal the listener is able to hear all details. Every instrument and vocal part are audible in the mix, but "Mutilating Process" still features a raw, brutal, and massive sounding production, which suits the material well.

I´m actually a bit impressed by what Asphyx accomplished during 1989. Honing their songwriting and musicianship through the year culminating in this release. Granted they aren´t the most well playing band (Bob Bagchus is such an untight drummer), but it all adds to the gloomy atmosphere and brutality of the music. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.

ASPHYX Crush the Cenotaph

Demo · 1989 · Death Metal
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UMUR
"Crush the Cenotaph" is the third demo recording by Dutch death metal act Asphyx. The demo was independently released in July 1989. It´s the successor to the early 1989 "Enter the Domain" demo. Excluding guitarist Tony Brookhuis, this is the version of Asphyx which would record the shelved "Embrace the Death" album only a year down the line (an album which wouldn´t be released until 1996).

New lead vocalist/bassist Theo Loomans has a brutal growling delivery and while the music is sometimes almost painfully primitive and simple, Asphyx are now very close to finding their trademark old school death metal style with doom metal leanings. It´s not pretty or particularly well performed, and the demo features a lo-fi demo quality sound production (although much better sounding than the first couple of demos), but there´s some authentic brutal charm here, which you can only get by listening to the late 80s/early 90s most savage and raw sounding death metal demos. A 2.5 - 3 star (55%) rating is warranted.

ASPHYX Enter the Domain

Demo · 1988 · Death Metal
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UMUR
"Enter the Domain" is the second demo recording by Dutch death metal act Asphyx. The demo was independently released in early 1989 and it´s the successor to the 1988 "Carnage Remains" demo. The two demos share the same cover artwork. It´s the first Asphyx demo featuring vocals and a real band feeling, as the first demo featured a very lo-fi rehearsal demo sound quality and no vocals. "Enter the Domain" is also a pretty lo-fi, raw, and unpolished demo release, but at least you´re able to make out that the band have composed songs with reoccuring riffs.

It´s an early take on death metal and it features both thrashy riffs, muddy death metal riffs, and sludgy doom metal riffs (and a few acoustic parts which sound pretty horrible). The vocals are raw throaty shouting rather than deep gutteral growling. So while "Enter the Domain" is arguably many steps forward compared to the juvenile and amaturish first demo, this still isn´t the greatest death metal demo from those days...but it put Asphyx on the map. A 2 star (40%) rating is warranted.

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