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This fifth cataclysm is upon us. Britain's battle metal masters have arisen and released their fifth thunderous metal onslaught, Atlantis Ascendant. Led by the enigmatic mastermind, Byron Roberts, these five mighty metal warriors have crafted yet another masterpiece of galactic grandeur and astral malevolence.
As far back as 1989, Byron began formulating the idea of creating an avant-garde black/death metal band swathed in dark splendor and fantasy/science-fiction imagery. The band recorded a demo tape in December 1993, which led to a deal with London-based Cacophonous Records. A Black Moon Broods Over Lemuria arose in 1995 and quickly gained a vast legion of supporters the world over. The band played a handful of one-off shows and festivals, but it wasn't until the release of Starfire Burning Upon the Ice-Veiled Throne of Ultima Thule (Cacophonous 1996) that the band commenced on their first European tour, supporting Dark Funeral and Ancient. In June of 1997, Bal-Sagoth got a "break", so to speak, when they opened for Emperor at London's Astoria 2. The success of this gig led to an offer from Emperor themselves to have Bal-Sagoth open their European tour for Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk. Less than a year after the Emperor tour, Bal-Sagoth returned with Battle Magic (Cacophonous 1998), effectively bringing an end to the first Bal-Sagoth trilogy.
Album number four saw Bal-Sagoth moving out of the dank, icy caves inhabited by dragons and demons and into the far reaches of the cosmos. The stellar symphony known as The Power Cosmic attained new heights of macrocosmic magnificence, spanning the entire vista of human experience, from mankind's first prehistoric writhing, as he hurls himself from the primordial sea, to his ultimate evolutionary form, as he seizes his destiny amongst the stars. Not only did the band move their stories into outer space, but they moved to a new label as well. The Power Cosmic marked the first of a long-term deal with Nuclear Blast.
2001 bore witness to the second chapter in their ever-evolving space-opera. Atlantis Ascendant epitomizes the dark, wondrous voyage that is the celebrated fantasy universe of Bal-Sagoth, a place of mystery and imagination, of coruscating wonder and pure primal horror. Bal-Sagoth sets their elaborate occult/fantasy tales and their stunning story-arcs against a backdrop of incredible orchestral vistas and symphonic black metal soundscapes. The mighty Bal-Sagoth invites you to join them on the sublime voyage called Atlantis Ascendant.
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