Mithras

Mithras There are at least two bands known to use this name. 1) An extreme metal band from Warwickshire, United Kingdom. (1998-Present) 2) A traditional English folk band from Northamptonshire, United Kingdom. (1974-1996) 1) Mithras, the extreme metal band: Open your eyes... Awaken your senses... Gaze carefully upon a bleak dimension of blastbeats, savage frequencies and shattering vocal expulsions. Enter the domain of Mithras, one of the UK’s most uncompromising and extreme bands to date. Beginning their career in 1998, Leon Macey and Rayner Coss originally took the name Imperator, casting their mold in a world of ancient history and mythology. After releasing a demo titled ‘Gods Among Men’, Mithras was born with a new demo entitled ‘Dreaming In Splendour’ which drew the interest of Golden Lake Productions. Crushingly brutal, bombastic and obscure, their punishing debut album ‘Forever Advancing... Legions’ made tremors in the underground upon its release in 2002. But greater things were still to come. In 2003 Mithras evolved. Gone was the ancient god-worship of their previous incarnation. In its place stood a fusion of cosmic ambience and pitiless extremity: Second album ‘Worlds Beyond The Veil’ shattered boundaries, astounded critics, achieved a controversial 10/10 in Terrorizer Magazine, and secured a major deal with Candlelight Records. “Complex, inspired and exploratory this is the kind of boldly cinematic death metal that demands to be relished. This is truly astonishing, world-class music.” Dom Lawson, 4/5 Kerrang! Dec 2003 Macey and Coss returned to the studio in 2006 to begin work on their third and most polished effort, ‘Behind The Shadows Lie Madness’. Amused by vacant-minded critics, they fell deeper into a self-made universe and continued the concept of their previous albums. ‘Behind The Shadows...’ leapt from obscurity in April 2007, receiving rapturous praise and critical acclaim. “...another stratospheric masterstroke of extreme-metal transendence... an incontrovertible enrichment to extreme music.” Oliver Holm, 5.5/6 Zero Tolerance 2007 “...a mind bending reach towards the inexplicable...” Jonathan Selzer, 8.5/10 Terrorizer 2007 “...this is the work of an uncompromisingly original act... the sort of album that requires a thesis rather than a titchy review to expound upon its many virtues.” Tommy Udo, 9/10 Metal Hammer 2007 “Mithras have set the standard for death metal the likes of Nile, Monstrosity and Behemoth will find very challenging to top.” Jim Brandon 9.4/10 Metal Review 2007 Old faces emerged and disappeared as former live drummer Ben White returned to the fold in 2008, then ten-year vocalist Rayner Coss departed, marking the end of an era with an epic final performance in London in December 2008. Wasting no time, Mithras recruited Sam Bean (The Berzerker / The Senseless) and returned to the live arena with triumphant festival appearances in 2009, Brutal Assault (CZ), Damnation Festival (UK) and a UK tour. 2010 saw a new recruit in the form of Tom Hyde (ex-Sarpanitum) as live guitarist, and former live drummer Sean Broster returned to the fold for shows in 2010.The present beckons and rumours of a brand new album echo from the hidden places of the earth... Discography: Tomb of Kings – Demo, 2000 Dreaming in Splendour – Demo, 2000 Forever Advancing… Legions - 2002 Bequeath Thy Visions – Demo, 2002 Worlds Beyond the Veil - 2003 Behind The Shadows Lie Madness - 2007 Sands Of Time - Early Demos & Rarities - 2010 Current line-up - 2010 Leon Macey - Guitar, Studio drums.The Senseless (drums) ex-Throne Of Nails (live session guitars), ex-Sepia Dreamer (session drums) Sam Bean - Vocals/Bass The Senseless (everything bar drums) / The Berzerker (bass/low vocals/recorded guitars) Tom Hyde - Live Rhythm Guitar (2010) Sarpanitum Sean Broster - Live Drums (2004-2005, 2010) Sarpanitum Past members: Justin Joyce - Drums (1998-1999, 2000) Liam Kavanagh - Guitars (1999) Steve Crompton - Guitar (1999-2001) Ben White - Live drums/Live guitar (1999, 2001, 2003, 2008-2010) Lee Du-Caine - Live Guitar (2002-2005) Sean Broster - Live Drums (2004-2005) Sarpanitum Rayner Coss - Vocals, Bass ex-Serenade session vocals (1998-2008) ------------------------------- 2) Mithras: a traditional, English, 3-piece folk band from Northamptonshire, United Kingdom. Active between 1974-1996. Their first album LP 'Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed' was a home made recording released in 1974 by Paul Marshall, mostly at the Old Sun, Nether Heyford, and featured a debut recording appearance of Chris Leslie, playing the fiddle. 500 copies were produced for sale around the folk clubs. Unfortunately the original master tape was lost by the pressing company. Their second album 'For We Trade in Fun', was released on the Daventry based, ‘Cottage Records’ in 1976, which was recorded at Bird Sound Studios, Stratford-upon-Avon and produced by John Golding. Due to the relative success of this album, it has been Re-released on CD on the Kissing Spell label. Core Members: Bob Plews – Vocals and Guitar Margaret Buckley – Vocal and Concertina Jeremy Eddon – Vocal, Flute and Guitar