The Angelic Process
Husband-and-wife duo of ambient drone metal.
The Angelic Process was an American metal duo from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1999 by husband and wife Kris Angylus and Monica Dragynfly. They are regarded as figureheads of the ambient drone metal subgenre, releasing three albums before an indefinite hiatus in 2007.
Quick Facts
- Origin
- Athens, Georgia, U.S.
- Genre
- Drone metal
- Years active
- 1999–2007
- Label
- Profound Lore
- Roadburn
- Burning World
- Past members
- Kris Angylus; Monica Dragynfly
Facts from the source article.
History
Kris Angylus formed The Angelic Process in 1999. After his grandmother's death, he converted her house into a recording studio and began working on music. For much of his career, Angylus stated that the band formed in 2001, the year their first album was released, but later amended that to include the two years he spent developing its sound. The debut album ...And Your Blood Is Full of Honey came out in 2001 when Angylus was 22. The follow-up, Coma Waering, was recorded in 2002 and self-released in 2003 before being re-issued in 2006; it tells the story of a man who falls into a coma and dies, inspired by the death of Angylus's first girlfriend in a 2000 car crash. Angylus's wife Monica Dragynfly joined the band in 2005, and The Angelic Process played their first live concerts in January 2006. Their third and final album, Weighing Souls with Sand, was released on May 15, 2007. This concept album continues the storyline of Coma Waering, focusing on the woman struggling to live after her husband's death and eventually killing herself. In October 2007, the band entered an indefinite hiatus after Angylus seriously injured his right hand, which had been shattered in a car accident years earlier; he stated he could no longer drum and was extremely limited on guitar. Angylus died by suicide on April 26, 2008, at age 29. His wife stated that he had clinical depression and had attempted suicide multiple times before, and that he also suffered from physical illnesses in the year prior to his death. On September 15, 2020, Burning World Records released a 2017 remaster of Solipsistic, a promotional CD-ROM Angylus had released in 2003 in limited quantities. Monica Dragynfly died on her birthday, April 1, 2023, at age 46; the band's Facebook page publicized her death on May 30, 2023.
Musical style and influences
Angylus described The Angelic Process' sound as 'experimental tribal drone swarm' and cited Swans, Neurosis, and Merzbow as influences. He believed the band was ahead of its time, noting that in 1999 Isis had just formed, Justin Broadrick was still doing Godflesh, and Sigur Rós and Mogwai were just gaining attention. My Bloody Valentine influenced the band's vocals, and Swans inspired his use of repetition and crescendos. After a 1997 car crash that severely broke his right hand, Angylus was inspired by Jarboe's playing on Swans Are Dead to relearn guitar right-handed. Dragynfly stated that people often think metal must be angry, ugly, or violent, but that The Angelic Process is not violent, instead conveying pure, raw emotion through textural vocals.
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