ASINHELL, the new death metal project spearheaded by VOLBEAT’s Michael Poulsen, took the stage at the UK’s Download Festival on June 15. The performance, held at Donington Park, marked a significant moment for the band, which also features Marc Grewe of INSIDIOUS DISEASE and ex-MORGOTH, and Morten Toft Hansen from RAUNCHY. Fan-filmed footage of their intense set has surfaced online, capturing the raw energy and power of their live debut in the UK.
ASINHELL’s journey began with their first live show on May 30 at Pumphuset in Copenhagen, Denmark. This concert kicked off their European tour in support of their debut album, “Impii Hora,” released last September via Metal Blade. The tour includes a mix of festival appearances and intimate club shows, with ENDSEEKER supporting most of the headline dates. Notably, the Zurich show featured ALIEN WEAPONRY, and the Copenhagen gig saw SICKOMANIA, which includes Poulsen’s former DOMINUS bandmate Jesper K Olsen, as the opening act.
Joining ASINHELL on tour are renowned Danish producer Jacob Hansen on bass and Flemming C. Lund of THE ARCANE ORDER on lead guitar. This lineup mirrors the ensemble that recorded “Impii Hora,” ensuring a seamless transition from studio to stage.
When the tour was announced, Poulsen expressed his excitement, stating, “It’s time to bring the ASINHELL show to life! Can’t wait to share the metal and horns with you all. See you ghouls out there very soon.” Grewe added, “ASINHELL was never planned as a live band, but after the overwhelming reactions to our debut album, ‘Impii Hora,’ we all had the same impulse: ‘we have to bring the songs to the stage!’ So here we are, and it’s going to be fantastic to be sharing the stage with my good friends Michael, Morten, Jacob, and Flemming. They are incredibly talented musicians, and it will be an honor for me to unfold the power of our songs full throttle in smaller clubs as well as the biggest festival stages I never dared to dream of playing… I really hope to meet a lot of you guys out there in June and enjoy a good dose of OSDM together… see ya in the pit!”
Morten Toft Hansen echoed the sentiment, saying, “I am excited to get out there and play the songs live. I’m sure the shows are gonna be full of fun and energy and it’s gonna be great to meet some of our new fans out there.”
ASINHELL’s remaining 2024 tour dates include stops in Berlin, Frankfurt, Dessel, Copenhagen, Essen, Lyon, Clisson, Oslo, and Næstved. The band’s formation and subsequent rise have been a testament to Poulsen’s enduring passion for death metal, a genre he first explored with his earlier band, DOMINUS.
Before VOLBEAT’s global success, Poulsen was deeply entrenched in the death metal scene, releasing four albums with DOMINUS in the mid-’90s. The seeds for ASINHELL were sown while Poulsen was working on VOLBEAT’s 2021 album, “Servant Of The Mind.” He wrote several death metal riffs and set them aside, eventually revisiting them to create “Impii Hora,” a tribute to his favorite old-school death metal bands.
Poulsen didn’t want to front ASINHELL, so he reached out to his old friend, Marc Grewe, in March 2022. Grewe, known for his work with MORGOTH and INSIDIOUS DISEASE, was the perfect fit for the project. In a recent interview, Poulsen shared how the idea for ASINHELL came about, reflecting on his early days in the death metal scene and his long-standing love for the genre.
The pandemic provided Poulsen with the time to develop the ASINHELL project. Inspired by a tribute song to his late friend L.G. Petrov of ENTOMBED, Poulsen decided to pursue the death metal riffs he had set aside. He recruited Morten Toft Hansen, who was enthusiastic about the project, and the two began jamming in Hansen’s garage, reminiscent of their early days as musicians.
With a full album’s worth of material, Poulsen called on Marc Grewe to handle vocals. Grewe’s raw, powerful voice was a perfect match for the band’s sound. The recording process was a throwback to the early days of death metal, with Poulsen and Hansen making rough demo recordings in the garage.
Jacob Hansen, who produced the album, also played bass, while Flemming C. Lund contributed guitar solos. The result was a powerful, authentic death metal album that caught the attention of Metal Blade’s Brian Slagel, who eagerly agreed to release it.
ASINHELL’s debut album, “Impii Hora,” has been well-received, and their live performances have only added to the band’s growing reputation. As they continue their tour, fans can expect more intense, high-energy shows that pay homage to the roots of death metal while showcasing the talents of some of the genre’s most respected musicians.
