The Meads of Asphodel was a project conceived by Metatron in 1998 who envisaged a unique myriad of colliding musical styles tethered to a Black Metal spine.

A collaboration with UK underground band, Ewigkiet or more directly with songsmith, J Fogarty [Jaldaboath], enabled the conception of the Meads to become a reality, to follow no trend, to blindly go wherever the muse takes us

Under the guidance of Metatron’s vision, and Jaldaboath’s skills with Guitars, Bass, Keyboards and Drums enabled the first demo’ The Bemoaning of Metatron’ was unleashed on cassette.
The demo was well received in the underground, and more surprisingly gained positive press in mainstream publications like Kerrang! And Terrorizer. It was from this first glimpse of the band’s music that Supernal Music began initial interest in the band. The band sold in excess of 800 tapes via trading and sales though magazines and zines.

The second demo ‘Metatron and the Red Gleaming Serpent’ was released in 1999,  [on cassette]and featured the first of the bands epic tracks, the ten minute ‘Death and Darkness’. The music was more medieval influenced and the arrangements more complex.
The third and final demo ‘The Watchers of Catal Huyuk’ appeared in late 1999, [on cassette] and was voted demo of the month in Kerrang!, as well as receiving blazing reviews in the underground and beyond. Like the prevous demo’s the band sold numerous copies.

The ‘Watchers of Catal Huyuk’ demo exhibited the sound the band would elaborate on the debut album ‘The Excommunication of Christ, released on Supernal Music in 2000. The narration/ intro was voiced by AC Wild or cult Eighties Italian Black Metal band Bulldozer. Here began the bands long association with Hawkwind, as Huw Lloyd Langton played lead guitar on two tracks, including a cover of Hawkwind ‘Assault and Battery’. The album was recorded at Mill Hill studios in London.

The cult Ukrainian band Drudkh were also signed to Supernal Music, and this was a quirk of fate that in 15 years time, vocalist, Thurios would collaborate on Metatron’s pagan band, Wolves of Avalon.

Whilst musically the Meads veered away from the icy monotone fuzz blasts of what could be cited as traditional Black Metal music, lyrically the band were, and are a Black Metal band, albeit doing it their way.

Muses
Metatron’s lyrics delve into the myth of the Man-God Christ and drags verse upon verse from the hypocrisy of the Roman Church and the Christian myth. The biblical themes and non-canonical themes are also explored and the truth revealed. The genocide impulse of humanity are also a very important part of the band lyrics. Islam is also a focal point as a magnet for ignorance today, just like Christianity was 500 years ago. A cancer on the evolution of human kind, albeit necessary.

Expansion of the Meads
In early 2002 the track ‘Christ’s Descent into Hell’ was featured on the Godreah Records release ‘Britannia Infernus’ a history of British Occult/ Black Metal. This release featured UK bands, Black Sabbath, Angel Witch, Widow, Hell, Cradle of Filth, Bal Sagoth and many more.

In 2002 the Jihad three track promo was submitted to Supernal Music. The Middle Eastern melodies had increased considerably and Jaldaboath utilized more samples to layer the atmosphere with menace. The concept was fashioned around the Sept 11th atrocity. Supernal Music coupled these tracks with two Mayhem tracks [with Dead on vocals] and released the split 10″ vinyl [limited to 666]

The release was later issued on cd with the Meads contributing two extra tracks, [a demo version of Hawkwinds ‘Assassins of Allah] and an instrumental. The cd appeared in Kerrang! And was single of the month

The Excommunication of Jaldaboath
The Meads of Asphodel began to forge the next album , but Metatron’s preference of a return to the more basic tenants of the debut album began to cause conflict with Jaldaboath, who was also not content with Supernals Music’s lack of promotion for the Jihad release. With communication between Metatron and Jaldaboath severed, the band seemed doomed to flounder without its founding partner.

The Rise of the Meads
Metatron was back to the beginning, alone but not diminished in spirit, nor the profound belief in the Meads of Asphodel.
It wasn’t long before Metatron contacted J.D Tait, a master musician with a wealth of ideas, who would bring a fresh more dynamic sound to the band and continue the vision of the band to the present day.
J.D Tait forged the material for the second album, Exhuming the Grave of Yeshua’. The album was released in 2003 and featured, Guest musicians, Huw Loyd Langton and Alan Davey [Hawkwind], Deorth [Ragnarok UK], Mirai [Sigh] and Paul Carter [Thus Defiled]. The album was released to great reviews, album of the month in Terrorizer.

The Calm Before the Storm
Metatron narrates a few words for the next Sigh album in 2003,  and the band appear on the Godreah Records release, Daze of the Underground, Hawkwind Tribute album, with the track, Sword of the East [with Alan Davey and Huw Lloyd Langton] The album also featured, Amorphis, Acid King, Bedouin, Tim Blake, Huw Lloyd Langton, and other space rock bands from across the globe.

The line up of Metatron, J.D Tait, Urakbarameel, L. Cornel and Alan Davey formed the core of the band who released the ‘Mill Hill Sessions’ album on Godreah Records in 2004. This release also featured, Huw Lloyd Langton. Consisting of a live session recorded for Total Rock in Oct 2003 and a 23 minute studio jam recorded in July 2004.

Jan 2004/ Mirai works on the keyboards for a 3 track demo of doom orientated music that takes parts of Sabbath and The Doors to a new twist.  [This demo later appeared on the re-issue of the Planet Genocide album]

During late 2004/ early 2005 the band crafted the ‘Damascus Steel’ album with input from Mirai [Sigh], Max Rael [History of Guns], and new associate, Alisa Coral from Russian Space rock band ‘Space Mirrors’.
The albums concept concerns the evil in human kind and the wanton slaughter in the name of God or whatever reason. The album is a return to the Jihad aesthetics. A cover of Louis Armstrong’s ‘Wonderful World’ and Hawkwinds ‘Sword of the East’ are recorded, plus a new version of the demo track ‘Death and Darkness’, re-named ‘beyond Death and Darkness. The additional use of violinists, cellists, a trumpet player, sitar and tamba players, female vocalists, makes this the, most organic and involved Meads album ever conceived.

Metatron works on the lyrical soul of the bands fourth album ‘The Murder of Jesus the Jew. The last moments of the Christian Christ as it would have been though the eyes of history, not myth.

J.D Tait, forms his side project, Worms of Sabnock, and release the album, Dark Harmonies, via Firestorm Records.

2006, In the Name of God Welcome to Planet Genocide, is released with a brutal concept of what the title suggests. The cover art was by long time friend, Nihil from Mordgrimm Records. This mcd is regarded as one of the bands finest works.

2007, Life is Shit, vinyl 7” Ep, was released with 3 punk covers, from bands, Stiff Little Fingers, The Ruts, and the Stranglers. Ruts guitarist Paul Fox was a guest on this E.P, and sadly passed away shortly after.

2009, Godreah Records release ‘The Early Years’ cd, a collection of demo tracks and obscure recordings of the Jaldaboath era.

2010, a split with fellow UK band, Old Corpse Road appeared, The Meads put on 5 covers of UK Punk/ crust bands, Doom, Skeptics, Discharge, Hellbastard, and finish with a lazy bleak version of, The Kinks, You Really Got Me

In 2010, The band Signed to Candlelight Records
The Murder of Jesus the Jew, album also appeared in released in 2010, after many years of research and the basis of the lyrics are in the Metatron Codex that was written whilst unravelling the story of Jesus the Jew.
The codex is an extensive work on the historical and theological Jew known to most of us as Jesus. The codex was written to absorb much of the racial bemoaners who have accused the Meads of having right wing tendencies. Fuck them.

This album featured, Hoest [Taake], Mirai [Sigh], Vincent Crowley [Acheron], The vinyl version contains an exclusive track, ‘If God Could Talk What Would He Say?’

2011, Godreah Records release the Swine of Hades, 5 way split, mcd with, Evo/ Algy [from classic UK bands Warfare and Tank], Taake, Sigh, and Thus Defiled.
This was a between albums release featured a new track, ‘There’s a God in my Gruel’.

2012, Godreah release the, Voices of Valhalla, Bathory tribute, album, that featured the likes of, Skyforger, Nokturnal Mortum, Sigh, Old Corpse Road, Eastern Front, amongst many others. The Meads add a cover of, Destroyer of Worlds,

2013, Fallen Angel Productions release a limited 6 cassette wooden box set of the bands back catalogue. There were only 50 copies made.

2013 The Holocaust inspired, Sonderkommando was released.
Metatron travelled to Auschwitz Poland to write the lyrics on the camp site itself and spends 3 days wandering around the site, sitting among the ruins and writing on the feelings that he felt. The London Jewish Chronicle interviewed Metatron about this release and once again cemented his anti racial credentials, as this album to the ignorant came come across [like the Jesus the Jew album prior] as an extremely toxic and seemingly right wing album due to its song titles and lyrical content.
This album is a stark, brutal historical window into the Holocaust and all the cruelty therein; a cruelty of human making that was around before and is certainly around now, so no change there.  This album featured, Mirai [Sigh], Rob Miller [Amebix], and members from Gods Tower, and Mael Mordha.

With the digital age now taking its toll on labels and the general sale of the physical cd, the Meads amicably part ways with Candlelight. With indie labels not giving out advances anymore, it is more beneficial for bands to go it alone or seek the support of more dedicated labels.

2014.  A tribute to Desaster cd released via Grom Records. The Meads cover ‘Castle Land’. The release also featured,  Evil, Triumphant, Nocturnal, Terrorhammer, Invocation, Bloodthirst, and many others.

2015, split 12″ vinyl from The Meads of Asphodel and US, band, Tjolgtjar

Meads put out 5 new tracks, including a cover version of the track; You’ve Got The Love, with different lyrics.

2015 Azermedoth Records released a Meads covers cd,  with 4 bonus tracks.

2016, Sixsixsix Music released a digital only retrospective ‘ The Middle Ages’, that featured some obscure and popular tracks from the J.D Tait era of the band’s music.

2017, The Meads release a split cd with fellow UK band Forefather, and  put out the tracks that appeared on the spit with Trolgtjar on cd for the first time with 2 new punk covers and a new version of, You Got The Hate.

2017, the band add an exclusive track ‘The Stone that Killed Goliath’ to Shona Banda’s ~ Live Free or Die:  – Digital Global Music Album

2018: The Meads of Asphodel, [with four brand new songs] join forces with Chinese Black metal exponents, Rerthro, for a unique split cd, featuring new material from both bands.
[Also featuring Mirai [Sigh], Alan Davey [Hawkwind, Gunslinger]

2019: The ‘Meads of Asphodel’ album. Running Out of Time Doing Nothing’ released –

An album about human arseholes and dickheads everywhere.

With the previous, Murder of Jesus the Jew, and following, Sonderkommando, albums, both of which were heavily researched and very set towards the title concepts, we decided to unshackle the muse so to speak and let what will be… be.

This approach to the lyrics has released the music into an anything goes situation, harkening back to the, Exhuming the Grave, and Damascus Steel era, yet with a whole new Mead’s vision seeping through both the songs and the lyrics.. This is an album of deep lyrical substance, Surreal in its fabric of moods and emotive in its classic meets modern prose style.

The songs leap across the world feeding from the idiocy of humanity, It’s still very Meads in sound with a scathing of religion and human folly that anchors the music from where the typical eccentricity of the compositions ripple outwards into uncharted seas.