| What to
do when you're still fairly young and want to play in a Thrash / Speed Metal
band? Sometime in the beginning of 2005, it was that very question that
almost drove Rob Langendijk and Kevin Pasman to despair. Luckily, the two
Thrashers from northern Holland were driven together by an e-mail from Rob
in February of 2005. The two were soon to become 19 years old and despite
their age, they were determined to start a band that was deeply rooted in
the 1980’s, referring to records, most of which were released before
the bassist and the singer were even born.
Rob and Kevin soon found out they had complementary writing skills and a number of songs was soon written. As a band name, Kevin suggested the name Anubis, as he had written a couple of lyrics related to Egyptian mythology (i.e. ‘Anubian Melodies’, ‘The Scarab’) and both Rob and he were experimenting with Egyptian melodies at the time. So the musical direction was set and what was left, was to find the musicians to head that direction with. Alex Mulder had known Kevin for some time and never made a secret of his love for Thrash Metal. That and the fact that he was a very steady rhythm guitarist made him the perfect fit for Anubis. Via the internet, Rob got in touch with the other axeman: Dennis Mes, a young guitar wizard from the Hard Rock / Traditional Metal mold. The hunt for a drummer wasn’t as easy, but as soon as Laurens Kreeft was found, the band stormed the rehearsal room in September 2005 with two Exodus covers (‘Bonded By Blood’ and ‘A Lesson In Violence’). That evening, two important decisions were made: this was the lineup and from then on, the band would focus on all original material, instead of wasting time on covers. After half a year of rehearsing several songs, Anubis felt it was the time to record the songs they could play flawlessly. The band went into the Steelworks Studios in Purmerend, Holland, with Fred Mantel, guitarist for Reviver and producer of many fine Dutch Metal albums. In one day, Anubis laid down all the tracks for what was soon to become the demo known as ‘These Ancient Halls’. Between the recording
and the release of the demo, the band did a couple of live shows and prove
to be a force to be reckoned with. The same live shows also prove that
Thrash Metal is not dead in Holland, contrary to a popular belief. |