The Asgeir Mickelson (SARKE, SPIRAL ARCHITECT, BORKNAGAR, TESTAMENT)-led Norwegian supergroup GOD OF ATHEISTS has announced the addition of bassist Lars K. Norberg (SPIRAL ARCHITECT) and soprano Vibeke Stene (ex-TRISTANIA) to the group’s recording lineup. Mickelson states: “Excitement is an understatement.”
The band’s debut album will also feature additional appearances by Trym (EMPEROR, ZYKLON, ENSLAVED) on drums, Mickelson on rhythm guitar, ICS Vortex (DIMMU BORGIR, BORKNAGAR) on vocals, Carl A. Tidemann (ARCTURUS, WINDS) on lead guitar and former EMPEROR frontman Ihsahn on keyboards.
Asgeir previously described GOD OF ATHEISTS as “the extreme metal project which I wrote most of the music for in 2008. One song was originally written for BORKNAGAR back in 2004, but was never finished, so I rewrote it and it’s now way too brutal for BORKNAGAR’s style. The overall style is kind of ‘Norwegian black metal done death metal.’ It’s brutal but also very melodic.”
He later added: “Except for the two songs I wrote for the last SARKE album, I am totally aware of the fact that you guys only know me as a drummer, so all I can say is that you’ll just have to wait and judge for yourself if I’m capable as a songwriter and guitarist too. Some of the songs were the most challenging stuff Trym has ever recorded on drums, so the only thing I can promise is that GOD OF ATHEISTS is no commercial soft sht!”