Averse Sefira

Averse Sefira

Averse Sefira is a black metal band from Austin, Texas. They are one of the more popular black metal bands from the United States.

The band is apparently the only black metal outfit from the States to perform live on three continents, including North America, Europe, and South America, where they have a particularly rabid following. Accordingly, the band's website has a dedicated Portuguese section.

Averse Sefira is cited predominantly by death metal bands such as Immolation, Nile, and Demilich, but they also seem to have strong connections with European black metal groups like Antaeus and Watain.

Biography

Averse Sefira was formed in 1996 by guitarist and vocalist Sanguine Mapsama and bassist Wrath Sathariel Diabolus. Their demo, "Blasphomet Sin Abset", was released later that year. It featured a drum machine in lieu of a live drummer. 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. 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, 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, 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. 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).

Discography

Studio releases

• Homecomings 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

• Interview by A.N.U.S.

External links

• Official site
• Averse Sefira discography at MusicBrainz
• Averse Sefira at Encyclopaedia Metallum
• Averse Sefira at Discogs