Ascraeus
Welcome to the red darkness of Ascraeus, where any kind of Cold War Disgusts us, where you can face with a Ghost from your past and Stop Questioning, and where we Hate the ones going in Blinkers with the Sick Nervousness on their own Fake Stages
Tell me about your history? How did you get where you are now?
Ascraeus formed out of the ashes of Istanbul / Turkey with Emir Erkal (guitars/programming), Tolga "Zubuk" Yukseloglu (lead vocals), Ahmet "Amor" Akyatan (bass) and Ozgu "Sari" Koyluc (drums) in April 1993. The name Ascraeus is derived from the highest mountain on the planet Mars, which was the name of the outfit that Erkal (who is originally from Istanbul) led in Istanbul before moving to New Jersey.
Their debut album “DARE TO LIVE” was released by Hades Rec. in December 1994. And after that succesful debut, which got great reviews and brought the band on a mini-tour, they signed to ADA Rec. for the second album “RED”. It was released in July 1997.
Initially, they used to play bay area sound thrash metal, but later on they have progressed towards a different sound. When Emir and Tolga entered the studio to find some new tunes for the new album "Red", they noticed that new riffs coming out were much more different than the old ones, then they started working on this new sound. The first step was the "Red" album.
Then in November 1998, it happened to be that the band was already in the studio again recording their third album “DISGUST”. Recording, mixing and mastering the album took place from November 1998 to February 1999. They have put a lot of effort into their work in the studio and things between them and the producer worked out just great resulting in 10 blistering songs with a very individual touch.
Have you performed live in front of an audience? Any special memories?
Of course! Our aggressive energy and explosive live performances has secured a legion of dedicated fans worldwidewe always loved to play to death and we still do!
In 1999 when OVERKILL toured Istanbul; Ascraeus was also the headliner
With the December 2001 release of DISGUST; Ascraeus is currently planning a U.S.A. tour in 2002 with dates and venues to be announced.
Your musical influences
If you take the speed and power of the eighties thrash scene like Slayer, Pantera, and combine it with the best of today’s new breed metal scene like Machine Head, Fear Factory, Korn, and then you have ASCRAEUS.
