As Sahar

***BACK IN STOCK!!!
Whereas the second wave of black metal of the early 1990s is most commonly associated with the notorious scene in Norway and, to a somewhat lesser extent, other countries of Europe and North America, a more minor degree of attention is given to similarly potent movements that were emerging in warmer climates around the globe. In Southeast Asia, the island of Singapore served as an incubator for a clandestine infestation of black death that gave rise to such revered cults as Impiety and Abhorer. Several others toiled in the shadows, mostly secluded from a culture that viewed their existence as a social disease. Among this group was As Sahar, an obscure three-piece entity originally consisting of Malik Hanael (bass), Sam Uriel (drums), and Hanael’s younger brother, One Barchiel (guitar, vocals, keyboards). The band’s name, derived from Arabic and in reference to “the peak of the occult,” was conjured by Barchiel and is shrouded in a mystique that is born out in the music itself. As Sahar began as an unnamed thrash metal band in 1987 and rehearsed covers of their primary inspirations in Sodom, Kreator, Destruction, Poison (Ger), Mercyful Fate, Venom, Hallows Eve, Postmortem, and Fantom Warior. Although they soon began to write their own original music, obligations such as required military service prevented them from recording until July 1993, when a two-song promo tape was released. As Sahar’s first full demo, “Primitively Eastern Winds,” was subsequently recorded over two days in October of 1993 at Freeway Studio and released on cassette later that year, originally in 200 units.