Asphyx

Asphyx
Asphyx, during a concert in London (2007)
Background information
Origin	Overijssel, Netherlands
Genres	Death metal death/doom
Years active	1987–1994, 1995–1996, 1998–2000, 2007–present
Labels	Century Media Records
Associated acts	Soulburn Pestilence Hail of Bullets Pentacle Grand Supreme Blood Court
Website	MySpace page
Members	Martin van Drunen Paul Baayens Alwin Zuur Stefan Hüskens
Past members	Bob Bagchus Tonny Brookhuis Eric Daniels Chuck Colli Theo Loomans Ron van der Pol Sander van Hoof Heiko Hanke Ronny van der Wey Wannes Gubbels

Asphyx is a Dutch death metal band that was formed in Overijssel, Netherlands in 1987.

Biography

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 guitar; this line up released the Enter the Domain demo.^[1] In March 1989, Colli was replaced by Theo Loomans and the band recorded the Crush the Cenotaph demo. Brookhuis then left the band and the remaining three recorded Embrace the Death, an album which was never released because of label problems.

After leaving Pestilence in the early 1990s, Martin van Drunen joined Asphyx and the band signed to Century Media Records.^[2] After the release of their first 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 Bagchus left the band as well and was replaced by Sander van Hoof.

In 1994, the band released its third, self-titled album, but broke up shortly afterward. In 1995, Loomans and Bagchus reformed Asphyx and recorded God Cries. Around the same time, the Embrace the Death album, recorded in 1990, was released. Nevertheless, the band split up again after the release. In 1998, Loomans died when a train hit his car. The circumstances suggest it was an act of suicide. Some time later, Soulburn was founded by Bagchus and Daniels and, together with Pentacle singer and bass guitarist Wannes Gubbels, they recorded Feeding on Angels.^[3] In 1999, they renamed the project Asphyx and recorded the On the Wings of Inferno album with the same line up. However, Asphyx disbanded again in 2000.^[4]

In January 2007, the band re-united with van Drunen, Gubbels, Paul Baayens and Bagchus. They did not intend to record a new album, but focused only on live performances. However, in January 2008, they recorded a cover of a Celtic Frost song and a new song called "Death... The Brutal Way". In July 2008, they announced that new material was being prepared. Death...The Brutal Way was released in June 2009 by Century Media.^[5][6] It was released in North America by Ibex Moon Records on August 18, 2009, quickly becoming the distributor's best seller.^[7]

Martin van Drunen during a show in 2007

Members

Current members

• Martin van Drunen – vocals (1990–1992, 2007–present), bass guitar (1990–1992)
• Alwin Zuur – bass guitar (2010–present)
• Paul Baayens – guitar (2007–present)
• Stefan Hüskens - drums (2014–present)

Former members

• Tonny Brookhuis – guitar (1987–1989)
• Bob Bagchus – drums (1987–1993, 1995–1996, 1997–2000, 2007–2014)
• Eric Daniels – guitar (1988–1994, 1995–1996, 1997–2000)
• Chuck Colli – vocals, bass guitar (1988–1989)
• Theo Loomans – vocals, bass guitar (1989–1990, 1995–1996)
• Ron van der Pol – vocals, bass guitar (1992–1994)
• Sander van Hoof – drums (1993–1994)
• Heiko Hanke – keyboards (1994)
• Ronny van der Wey – guitar (1996)
• Wannes Gubbels – bass guitar, vocals (1997–2000, 2007–2010)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

• The Rack (1991, Century Media)
• Last One on Earth (1992, Century Media)
• Asphyx (1994, Century Media)
• God Cries (1996, Century Media)
• Embrace the Death (1996, Century Media; recorded in 1990)
• On the Wings of Inferno (2000, Century Media)
• Death...The Brutal Way (2009, Century Media)^[6]
• Deathhammer (2012, Century Media)

Live albums

• Live Death Doom (2010, Century Media; double live album and DVD)

Extented plays (EP)

• Crush the Cenotaph (1992, Century Media)

Singles

• Mutilating Process (1989, Gore Records/Nuclear Blast)
• Death the Brutal Way (2008, Iron Pegasus Records)
• Reign of the Brute (2012, Century Media)

Demos

• Carnage Remains (1988, Self-released)
• Enter the Domain (1989, Self-released)
• Crush the Cenotaph (1989, Self-released)
• Promo '91 (1991, Self-released)
• Promo '95 (1995, Self-released)

References

1. "Asphyx history". archaicmetallurgy.com. Retrieved 2008-03-08.
2. "Interview of Martin Van Drunen". Nihilistic Holocaust. Archived from the original on 16 April 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-08.
3. "Interview of Bob Bagchus". voicesfromthedarkside.de. Archived from the original on 12 March 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-08.
4. "Interview of Wannes Gubbels". voicesfromthedarkside.de. Archived from the original on 12 March 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-08.
5. "Asphyx to record new material". archaicmetallurgy.com. 2008-01-04. Retrieved 2008-03-08.
6. "Dan Swanö will mix the new Asphyx album!". Asphyx myspace page. 2009-02-09. Retrieved 2009-04-12.
7. "Ibex Moon Records Licenses New ASPHYX Album for U.S. Release". ibexmoonrecords.com. 2009-06-11. Retrieved 2010-03-09.

External links

• Asphyx bio on angelfire