Angband is a

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

power metal Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in contra ...

/progressive musical group, formed in 2004 in

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

Band history

Angband was formed in 2004 in

Mahyar Dean Mahyar Mohyeddin a.k.a. Mahyar Dean ( Persian: مهیار محی الدین ) is a musician, guitarist, guitar instructor, author, and founding member of the Iranian/ American heavy metal act Angband, the first such band to be signed to a label ...

, a classically trained musician and author who is known for writing books about the bands

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 Testament. Angband was originally conceived as a

progressive metal Progressive metal (sometimes shortened to prog metal) is a broad :Fusion music genres, fusion music genre melding heavy metal music, heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified electric guitar, guitar-driven s ...

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instru ...

project, but with the inclusion of singer Ashkan Yazdani they headed in a more

/progressive metal vein. Once Ramin Rahimi joined the band as drummer, the band was able to record their first full-length album, which was titled ''

Rising from Apadana ''Rising from Apadana'' is the first studio album by Angband, a power metal musical group from Tehran, released on August 29, 2008, through Pure Steel Records. Track listing Reception The album was well received. Many magazines and webzine ...

''. Mahyar Dean played the bass parts as well as the guitars but shortly after the album was released, M. Halaji joined the band as a full-time bassist. After the release of the first album,

Ramin Rahimi Ramin Rahimi is a percussionist and songwriter. His music mostly focused on drums and Iranian Percussions Daf and Tombak. he is also one of the members of power metal act Angband. Biography Born 1969 in Tehran, Rahimi worked with Tehran Sympho ...

, who is an experienced percussion player, signed a deal with

ARC Music ARC Music is a world music and folk music label based in West Sussex, England, that was established in 1976. Naxos acquired ARC in 2019. Film and television ARC Music has been used in the films ''Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crysta ...

for a solo project. His solo music mostly focuses on Iranian percussion and drums. Angband uses Daf, a Persian percussion instrument, in their music exclusively. In April 2011 M. Halaji left the band and was replaced by Farshad Shokuhfar, a bass player that Mahyar Dean saw at a concert a few months before.

Music history

Angband entered the studio in July 2007 to record their debut album ''

''. Shortly thereafter, they signed a record deal with

Pure Steel Records Pure Steel Records is a record label based in Germany that focuses on heavy metal music. Pure Steel produces CDs and LP album, LPs. Founded by Kay Anders and Andreas Lorenz in 2006, the main interest of Pure Steel is to spread the true and inde ...

of Germany. They are the first heavy metal band from Iran to sign with an international record company. ''Rising from Apadana'' was released on August 29, 2008, to some positive reviews.

2009–10

In June 2009 they announced that the title of their second album would be '' Visions of the Seeker''. It was originally due to be released by the fourth quarter of that year but the release was held back to 2010 because of a production problem. In May 2010 Germany's ''

Metal Hammer ''Metal Hammer'' is a heavy metal music magazine and website founded in 1983, published in the United Kingdom by Future, with other language editions available in numerous other countries. ''Metal Hammer'' features news, reviews and long-form ...

'' posted a full site interview/article about the band. The band collaborated with the well-known producer/sound engineer Achim Kohler ( Primal Fear, Brainstorm) and the mixing and mastering process was finished in August 2010. The album was delayed for about a year but finally released on October 29, 2010. Angband's first official video, "Forsaken Dreams", was released in November 2010.

2011-12

In April 2011, the band announced that they were working on a new album with their new bassist Farshad Shokuhfar. When they finished recording the album, titled ''

Saved from the Truth ''Saved from the truth'' is the third studio album by Persian power metal act Angband released on September 28, 2012 through Pure Steel Records. as was the case with their previous album the mixing and mastering was handled by well-known producer ...

'', as was the case with previous album, the mixing and mastering was handled by Achim Kohler. The album released on September 28, 2012 and was met with acclaim by the international press. "The prog influences have gained much more room on this album... On 'Saved From The Truth’ the gentlemen show progress on all fronts.", ''Lords Of Metal'' magazine describes the album.

2017-20

Earlier in the year, the band announced the departure of vocalist Ashakn Yazdani and bassist Farshad Shokuhfar. In October,

Tim Aymar Timothy L. Aymar (born September 4, 1963) is an American heavy metal singer. He is best known as the vocalist of progressive metal band Pharaoh and for his work with Chuck Schuldiner in Control Denied. Career Often known for his strong voca ...

( Control Denied,

Pharaoh Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian: ''pr ꜥꜣ''; cop, , Pǝrro; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') is the vernacular term often used by modern authors for the kings of ancient Egypt who ruled as monarchs from the First Dynasty (c. 3150 BC) until the an ...

) joined the band as the new singer to release a new album in 2018. The album which is called '' IV'' took 3 years to complete, mostly because the singer had chronic neck pain. Finally, it was released on July 24, 2020.

Musical Style

Angband is often described as

with elements of

and Persian folk music.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''

'' (2008) * '' Visions of the Seeker'' (2010) * ''

'' (2012) * '' IV'' (2020)

Singles

* "Visions in My Head" (2020)

Videos

* ''Forsaken Dreams'' (2010)

Members

Current members

- Vocals (2017–present) *

- Guitars (2004–present), Bass (2017-present) *

- Drums and percussions (2007–present)

Former Members

* Ashkan Yazdani - Vocals (?-2017) * Mohammad Hallaji - Bass (2009-2011) * Farshad Shokuhfar - Bass (2011-2017)

References

External links

*
Angband on FacebookPure Steel Records

Forsaken Dreams video on YouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Angband (Band) Power metal musical groups Progressive metal musical groups Iranian heavy metal musical groups Musical groups established in 2004 Musical groups from Tehran Oriental metal musical groups