Avrigus
| Avrigus | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Sydney, Australia |
| Genres | Doom metal, ambient, gothic metal |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Labels | Warhead, Hammerheart |
| Website |
avrigus |
| Members |
Simon Gruer Megan Tassaker |
| Past members | Judy Chiara |
Avrigus is an Australian Gothic doom metal band consisting of two members, Simon Gruer and Megan Tassaker. The group has released two EPs and one full-length album to date.
History
Avrigus had its origins in 1990 when Sydney musician Simon Gruer recorded some thrash metal songs. The following year he formed a band with guitarist Leif Gregory, ex-Mortal Sin drummer Wayne Campbell played the first and only gig with Simon and Leifs Kreator/Death style version of Avrigus Rick Fuda then Kane Jarvis and bass player Steve Caruana. The line-up was only together a short time however. Gregory later featured in various other Sydney bands including Destrier, Aftermath and Dark Order and now goes under stage name Snake Sixx as a solo artist and Jarvis and Caruana formed a grindcore band called Vomit that later became Volatile.
The album The Secret Kingdom was completed by January 2000. Chiara wrote most of the music, sang and played piano. Gruer contributed most of the music including guitars, bass, drums and keyboards. The band's label Warhead had folded in the meantime but Chiara took copies of the album with her on a visit to Europe during the year and the group was offered release by Dutch label Hammerheart Records through its offshoot Well of Urd. The Secret Kingdom was released in 2001. Since that time, the members of Avrigus have expressed dissatisfaction with the label (now known as Karmageddon Media) due to its failure to provide royalty payments. Gruer and Chiara have not written music together for some years in any case, and in May 2007 Gruer announced that Chiara was no longer a member of Avrigus. In 2009 Simon announced Megan Robins as the new band member in Avrigus, contributing vocals/keyboards and composition.[1]
On May 3, 2010 Avrigus announced their next release, and EP titled "Beauty and Pain", set as a precursor to The Hidden Citadel and will consist of 5 tracks with a running time of approximately 30 minutes.[2] The EP was released on August 25, 2010 as a digital download via the band's official website.
Band members
Current line-up
- Simon Gruer - guitars, bass, keyboards, drums (1995–present)
- Megan Tassaker - female vocals (2009–present)
Former members
- Judy Chiara - female vocals, keyboards, piano (1995-2006)
Discography
- The Final Wish (EP, 1998)
- The Secret Kingdom (2001)
- Beauty and Pain (EP, 2010)
References
- ↑ "Avrigus Official Web Site". Avrigus.com. Retrieved 2013-12-20.
- ↑ "Facebook". Facebook. Retrieved 2013-12-20.