A Hill To Die Upon
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A Hill To Die Upon is an American
blackened death metal Blackened death metal (also known as black death metal) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal that fuses elements of black metal and death metal. The genre emerged in early 1990s when black metal bands began incorporating elements of death me ...
band from the Monmouth- Galesburg area of Illinois, formed in 2004 by the brothers Adam and R. Michael Cook. The brothers initially founded the band as
hardcore Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to: Arts and media Film * ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film * ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott * ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...
project, but eventually started listening to
death Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...
and
black metal Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, a shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, raw (lo-fi) recording, unconventional song structures, and an emp ...
, which led them to transform their band's sound. Over the years, various musicians have filled out the band's lineup, which currently consists of the Cook brothers and Nolan Osmond. Signed to Bombworks Records, A Hill to Die Upon has released four albums – ''Infinite Titanic Immortal'' in 2009, ''Omens'' in 2011, ''Holy Despair'' in 2014, and ''Via Artis, Via Mortis'' in 2017 - all to a positive critical reception. In 2013, the band also released a stand-alone single, "Manden med Leen". Musically, the band is compared primarily to Behemoth as well as
Immortal Immortality is the ability to live forever, or eternal life. Immortal or Immortality may also refer to: Film * ''The Immortals'' (1995 film), an American crime film * ''Immortality'', an alternate title for the 1998 British film ''The Wisdom of ...
, Naglfar, and
Old Man's Child Old Man's Child is a Norwegian black metal band from the city of Oslo. The band is the brainchild of Galder (formerly known as Grusom; birth name: Thomas Rune Andersen) who is the only permanent member of the band. History Old Man's Child was ...
, all of which the brothers cite as among their major influences. The brothers are Christian, but they distance themselves from calling A Hill to Die Upon a
Christian metal Christian metal, also known as white metal, Jesus metal or heavenly metal, is heavy metal music distinguished by its Christian themed song lyrics and the dedication of the band members to Christianity. Christian metal is typically performed by ...
band. Lyrical themes include mythology, war, philosophy, and despair, with references drawn from the Bible and numerous literary works and authors.


History


Formation (2004–2008)

Adam and R. Michael Cook founded A Hill to Die Upon as a
hardcore Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to: Arts and media Film * ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film * ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott * ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...
and metalcore band in 2004 in
Monmouth, Illinois Monmouth is a city in and the county seat of Warren County, Illinois, United States. The population was 8,902 at the 2020 census, down from 9,444 in 2010. It is the home of Monmouth College and contains Monmouth Park, Harmon Park, North Park, Warf ...
. Michael explains that he and Adam simply wanted to play extreme music, and hardcore was easier to play than metal. He concedes that had they tried to play metal at the time, they "would have sucked." Also, in 2004, the hardcore scene was very strong in the Midwest, enabling the brothers, as a two piece band, to play some live shows in Illinois and Iowa. Had the brothers played extreme metal at the time, they would have been the only band in the area and thus would have struggled to book shows. The brothers played their first show in Burlington, Iowa, performing mostly Norma Jean and
As I Lay Dying ''As I Lay Dying'' is a 1930 Southern Gothic novel by American author William Faulkner. Faulkner's fifth novel, it is consistently ranked among the best novels of 20th-century literature.The New Lifetime Reading Plan: The Classical Guide to Wor ...
cover songs. Over time, they started listening to death and black metal, and as a consequence gradually took their band in a faster, darker, and more aggressive direction.


Record deal; ''Infinite Titanic Immortal'' (2008–2010)

In 2008, A Hill to Die Upon recorded a demo, which led to a record deal with
Bombworks Records Bombworks Records is a record label from McKinney, Texas, that formed in January 2004. The label would sign several bands, including Seventh Angel, A Hill to Die Upon, Grave Declaration and Crimson Thorn. The label started careers for bands suc ...
. In December of that year, it was announced that the band was recording ''Infinite Titanic Immortal'', which was set for release in June 2009. The album was recorded by Kevin Rendleman at Trash Rocket Studios in Peoria, Illinois, and mixed at Dark Chamber Studios by Eric Tordsson, a former member of
Crimson Moonlight Crimson Moonlight is a Swedish unblack metal band. The band was formed in the summer of 1997 with the mere intention of recording a primitive old school black metal demo and playing one show before breaking up. However, the breakup never happe ...
. The band would go on to play Destruction Fest, alongside bands such as Ashen Mortality,
Antidemon Antidemon is a Christian extreme metal band from São Paulo, Brazil. The band was founded in 1994 by Carlos Batista. The band has been compared to death metal acts such as Morbid Angel and Suffocation. History Antidemon was formed on January 12, ...
, and Solace the Day. ''Infinite Titanic Immortal'' was released on July 21, 2009.


''Omens'' (2011–2012)

In a 2014 interview with ''HM'', Adam Cook revealed that the recording process for ''Omens'', A Hill to Die Upon's second studio album, lasted about eight days. He stated that "we never had any real demos of the songs before going into the studio." ''Omens'' was released on May 23, 2011. Chris Gato of ''HM'' awarded the album three and a half stars. He wrote that "This is a brilliant album, and there is much to love about it, but the doomy feel this time around seems to dull the brilliance sometimes, making ''Omens'' a point below ''Infinite''." Taylor C. from Indie Vision Music gave the album a full five stars, stating that "this album is awful in the olden sense of the word—full of ''awe''."


''Holy Despair and Via Artis, Via Mortis'' (2013–present)

On February 12, 2013, the band released a single titled "" (Danish for the
Grim Reaper Death is frequently imagined as a personified force. In some mythologies, a character known as the Grim Reaper (usually depicted as a berobed skeleton wielding a scythe) causes the victim's death by coming to collect that person's soul. Other b ...
). The band's third studio album, ''Holy Despair'', was released on April 8, 2014 in a compact disc format, and subsequently on April 22, 2014 in digital download format. Unlike the quick recording process for ''Omens'', the production of ''Holy Despair'' was longer and encountered delays. The album was funded largely through an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign, which lengthened the recording process. Also, in 2013 the small studio in Adam's basement flooded. While most of the instruments and equipment were salvaged, this delayed the band for three or four months. However, Adam considers that in the long run, these delays allowed the band to spend more time in songwriting and improving the final product on the album. Critical reception to the album was positive. ''
Metal Forces ''Metal Forces'' is a British publication founded in 1983 which promotes the music genres heavy metal and hard rock. ''Metal Forces'' was well known for its coverage of unsigned bands through its ''Demolition'' feature and championed the likes of ...
'' rated the album eight-and-a-half out of ten, concluding that
''Holy Despair'' offers so much depth and intelligence that a majority of black metal bands in their unholy ignorance should take heed, because A Hill To Die Upon may not be the anti-Gods you've had rammed down your throats for decades, but as black metal musicians they are the new messiahs on the block.
''
Metal Storm Metal Storm Limited was a research and development company based in Brisbane, Australia, that specialized in electronically initiated superposed load weapons technology and owned the proprietary rights to the electronic ballistics technology ...
'' scored the album 7.8 out of ten. The band is currently working on something set for March 2017. On August 11, 2017, the band announced they had signed to Luxor Records. The band also released a single titled "Jubal and Syrinx", off of their upcoming album, ''Via Artis, Via Mortis'' the same day. On January 6, 2022, it was announced that the band had signed with a new label, Mythic Panda Productions, which had previously put on the Hasten Revelation Tour that they had embarked on in 2019.


Style, lyrics, and influences

The music of A Hill to Die Upon has been described as
blackened death metal Blackened death metal (also known as black death metal) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal that fuses elements of black metal and death metal. The genre emerged in early 1990s when black metal bands began incorporating elements of death me ...
, and more specifically as a mix of melodic death metal and melodic
black metal Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, a shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, raw (lo-fi) recording, unconventional song structures, and an emp ...
. The band often compared to Behemoth as well as
Immortal Immortality is the ability to live forever, or eternal life. Immortal or Immortality may also refer to: Film * ''The Immortals'' (1995 film), an American crime film * ''Immortality'', an alternate title for the 1998 British film ''The Wisdom of ...
, Naglfar, and
Old Man's Child Old Man's Child is a Norwegian black metal band from the city of Oslo. The band is the brainchild of Galder (formerly known as Grusom; birth name: Thomas Rune Andersen) who is the only permanent member of the band. History Old Man's Child was ...
. The brothers cite all of those artists as influences, as well other extreme metal artists such as
Satyricon The ''Satyricon'', ''Satyricon'' ''liber'' (''The Book of Satyrlike Adventures''), or ''Satyrica'', is a Latin work of fiction believed to have been written by Gaius Petronius, though the manuscript tradition identifies the author as Titus Petr ...
,
1349 Year 1349 ( MCCCXLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * January 22 – An earthquake affects L'Aquila in southern Italy with a maximum Me ...
,
Watain Watain is a Swedish black metal band, formed in 1998.Eduardo Rivadavia: ''Watain Biography'' Allmusic, Macrovision Corporation. The band's name is taken from an early recording by the American black metal group Von.Ronald Ziegler''Merchandise w ...
, and
Keep of Kalessin Keep of Kalessin is an extreme metal band from Trondheim, Norway formed in 1993. The group's early lineup consisted of Ghash on vocals, Obsidian C. (the group founder) on guitars and keyboards, Warach on bass, and Vyl on drums. They released two ...
. A Hill to Die Upon also cites less extreme artists such as
mewithoutYou MewithoutYou, usually styled as mewithoutYou, was an American rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The band consisted of Aaron Weiss (vocals), Michael Weiss and Brandon Beaver (guitars), Greg Jehanian (bass guitar), and Rickie Mazzotta ...
,
Eric Church Kenneth Eric Church (born May 3, 1977) is an American country music singer-songwriter. He has released nine studio albums through Capitol Nashville since 2005. His debut album, 2006's '' Sinners Like Me'', produced three singles on the ''Billboar ...
, and
Empire of the Sun ''Empire of the Sun'' is a 1984 novel by English writer J. G. Ballard; it was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Like Ballard's earlier short story "The Dead Time" (published in the anthology ...
as influences. mewithoutYou and its primary songwriter Aaron Weiss are particularly cited by Michael Cook as inspiring his lyrical content. On ''Omens'' and ''Holy Despair'', the band also included covers of a traditional folk song: "Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down" and " O, Death", respectively. "O, Death" included a collaboration with harpist and singer Timbre. The band is noted for not being particularly innovative, but with very strong songwriting. The band explained that
We aren't too concerned about being overly original. A lot of people spend a great deal of energy trying to be new, but they waste energy they could spend being good. We would rather put out quality art than subpar original art. We are convinced that originality will happen, but it is not our focus.
Michael told ''HM'' that his outlook on music changed when he encountered
J. R. R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, ; 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlins ...
's idea that there is only one original story, and all other stories are variations on that story. He stated that "Art that tries to break the boundaries for its own sake will probably not accomplish much. However, if someone tried to be the best artist at what they know (painting, country, jazz), innovation will happen.
Longinus Longinus () is the name given to the unnamed Roman soldier who pierced the side of Jesus with a lance and who in medieval and some modern Christian traditions is described as a convert to Christianity. His name first appeared in the apocryphal G ...
discusses this in his work, 'On the Sublime.'" The band's lyrics deal with mythology, war, philosophy, and despair. Michael noted to ''HM'' that themes of despair in particular were present on the band's first two albums, though are much more prominent on ''Holy Despair''. Tolkien has influenced much of the band's imagery and lyrics – the cover art of ''Infinite Titanic Immortal'' features a ''Lord of the Rings''-inspired landscape, while ''Omens'' even includes lyrics written in Tolkien's
Elvish languages Elvish languages are constructed languages used by Elves in a fantasy setting. The philologist and fantasy author J. R. R. Tolkien created the first of these languages, including Quenya and Sindarin. Tolkien's Elvish languages The philologist ...
. ''Holy Despair'' was written with mindset that 2014, its release date, was the 100-year anniversary of
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, and thus deals with that war extensively. In its philosophical discussions of war, the album draws on various authors such as Tolkien,
Erich Maria Remarque Erich Maria Remarque (, ; born Erich Paul Remark; 22 June 1898 – 25 September 1970) was a German-born novelist. His landmark novel ''All Quiet on the Western Front'' (1928), based on his experience in the Imperial German Army during World ...
,
Stephen Crane Stephen Crane (November 1, 1871 – June 5, 1900) was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer. Prolific throughout his short life, he wrote notable works in the Realist tradition as well as early examples of American Naturalism an ...
, and, especially,
W. B. Yeats William Butler Yeats (13 June 186528 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and became a pillar of the Irish liter ...
. The final song is an adaption of a poem by
C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Oxford University (Magdalen College, 1925–1954) and Cambridge Univers ...
. While the brothers are Christian, they distance themselves from the label of a "Christian band". In an interview with Detonation Magazine, the brothers stated that
Now, I think we are less irritated with the label of a 'Christian band' even though we don't really believe it helps anything. Adam and I serve
Yahweh Yahweh *''Yahwe'', was the national god of ancient Israel and Judah. The origins of his worship reach at least to the early Iron Age, and likely to the Late Bronze Age if not somewhat earlier, and in the oldest biblical literature he poss ...
and believe that Jesus of Nazareth was his son. That has a lot do with our music. Whether you call that a 'Christian band' is kind of up to who is doing the labelling. We aren't really sure.
In ''HM'', Michael explained that "We all want hear songs about who we like to think we are... Metalheads want to hear songs that say it's OK to not believe in a god. Christian metalheads want to hear metal songs that say it's OK to be a Christian. It all sounds really negative when you say it like this, but it's true, though it isn’t necessarily a bad thing."


Members

;Current members * Adam Cook - vocals, guitar (2004–present), bass (2019-present) * Michael Cook - drums, vocals (2004–present) * Nolan Osmond - guitar (2012–present) ;Former members * Drew Webster - guitar * Elisha Mullins - guitar, bass (2004-2011) (
Fleshkiller Fleshkiller is a death metal band from Norway and Indiana, United States. History Fleshkiller started in 2015 in Norway as a side project of Ole Børud of the progressive metal band, Extol and Peter Dalbakk of the band Vardøger. Børud and Da ...
, The Burial,
War of Ages War of Ages (sometimes abbreviated WoA; formerly known as Point Zero) is an American Christian metal band formed in Erie, Pennsylvania, in 2002. The band's self-titled debut album '' War of Ages'' was released in 2005, and in February 2006, th ...
)
* Josh Christianson - bass (2012-2013) (2014; as touring musician) * Steve Southard - vocals (2006-2009) * Josiah Timothy Boyd - bass (Deceased 2018) * Tanner Jones - guitars, vocals (2016-2017) * Brent Dossett - bass, vocals (2016-2019) ;Former touring musicians * Levi Wiwe Rauff - bass (2012-2014) * Ravn "Jokull" Furfjod - bass, backing vocals (2009-2010) (
Frosthardr Frosthardr is a Norwegian Christian black metal band, formed in 1997. The band plays a raw type of black metal music with occasional punk influences and lyrics from Christian point of view. The drummer Pål Daehlen (Savn) is a former member of th ...
)
* Andreas Larsen - bass (2011) * Ryan Lamv - bass (2011) * Mike Pingel - guitar (2014-2016)


Discography

;Studio albums * ''Infinite Titanic Immortal'' (July 21, 2009, Bombworks) * ''Omens'' (May 23, 2011, Bombworks) * ''Holy Despair'' (April 8, 2014, Bombworks) * ''Via Artis, Via Mortis'' (September 15, 2017,
Luxor Luxor ( ar, الأقصر, al-ʾuqṣur, lit=the palaces) is a modern city in Upper (southern) Egypt which includes the site of the Ancient Egyptian city of ''Thebes''. Luxor has frequently been characterized as the "world's greatest open-a ...
) ;Demo * ''Demo'' (2008) ;Singles * "Manden Med Leen" (February 12, 2013, Bombworks)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hill to Die Upon Musical groups from Illinois 2004 establishments in Illinois Musical groups established in 2004 American death metal musical groups Bombworks Records artists Luxor Records artists