For more than 20 years, vocalist/guitarist Michael Poulsen has been spearheading Danish rock and roll machine Volbeat, releasing eight full-lengths, selling millions of albums, and filling stadiums worldwide. Before fronting Volbeat, however, Poulsen formed death metal band Dominus, which recorded four fast, brutal albums in the mid ’90s. When Poulsen was putting together songs for Volbeat‘s 2021 album, Servant Of The Mind, he wrote a bunch of death metal riffs and saved them on his phone. Then, when he was done with the Volbeat record, he reopened the rusty gates to Armageddon and started putting together songs for his new death metal band Asinhell, whose debut album Impii Hora (Latin for Ungodly Hour), is a tribute to Poulsen‘s favourite old-school groups.
Impii Hora will be released September 29th via Metal Blade. Pre-order it here.
Today, the band has shared new song “Desert Of Doom” and its official video. Watch it here.
“‘Desert Of Doom’ was inspired by Bolt Thrower, Death, Entombed, and Motörhead. Bang your head ’til it doesn’t bang no more!,” says Poulsen.
Poulsen has rekindled the death metal fire that fuelled his first band Dominus. He began jamming on riffs with long-time friend and neighbour, drummer Morten Toft Hansen (Raunchy). The two started playing in Morten’s tiny garage: no mics, no P.A. — just a drum kit and a combo amp turned all the way up like they used when they were teenagers. Soon, the pair were completing a new song every time they got together. When it came time to add vocals, Poulsen turned to his good friend, who also happened to be one of his all-time favourite death metal growlers: Marc Grewe (Insidious Disease, ex-Morgoth).
“I had known Michael quite a long time and he always mentioned that we should do a death metal project one day, but I never took him too seriously because he was so busy with Volbeat,” Grewe says. “Then he called for real and said, ‘Yeah, I want to do it now. Are you up for it?’ Immediately, I was like, ‘Yes, of course!'”
With Asinhell fully formed, the three convened with Volbeat producer Jacob Hansen to produce, mix, and play bass on their debut album. When it was time to add lead guitar to the album, Michael looked no further than friend and The Arcane Order axeman Flemming C. Lund.