Angband (band)

Lore & Background

Angband entered the studio in July 2007 to record Rising from Apadana, which was released on September 26, 2008, through Pure Steel Records. Their second album, Visions of the Seeker, was announced in June 2009 but delayed to 2010 due to production issues; it was finally released on October 29, 2010. The band collaborated with producer Achim Kohler for mixing and mastering. Their first official video, 'Forsaken Dreams', was released in December 2010. In April 2011, bassist M. Halaji left and was replaced by Farshad Shokuhfar. The third album, Saved from the Truth, was released on September 28, 2012, to acclaim. In 2018, vocalist Ashkan Yazdani and bassist Farshad Shokuhfar departed; Tim Aymar (Control Denied, Pharaoh) joined as singer, and the album IV was released on August 28, 2020, after a three-year delay partly due to Aymar's health issues.

Reader's Guide

Angband holds a unique place in heavy metal history as the first Iranian band to secure an international record deal, breaking cultural and logistical barriers. Their music blends power metal with progressive elements and Persian folk music, notably incorporating the Daf, a Persian percussion instrument. The band's persistence through lineup changes and production delays—including a three-year gap for IV due to a singer's health issue—demonstrates their dedication. Their discography of four studio albums and a single reflects a steady evolution, with later work receiving international press acclaim. Angband's significance lies in representing Iranian metal on a global stage while maintaining a distinct cultural identity.

Did You Know?

• Angband is named after the fortress of the Dark Lord Morgoth in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion.
• They are the first heavy metal band from Iran to sign with an international record company.
• Angband exclusively uses the Daf, a Persian percussion instrument, in their music.
• Their fourth album, IV, took three years to complete because singer Tim Aymar had chronic neck pain.

Origins in Tehran

Angband was born in 2004 in Tehran, the brainchild of Mahyar Dean, a classically trained musician and author who had already made a name for himself writing books about the thrash metal legends Death and Testament. The project initially took shape as a progressive, largely instrumental endeavor, but everything shifted when vocalist Ashkan Yazdani came aboard, steering the sound toward a more melodic power metal and progressive metal direction. The band's name itself is a nod to Tolkien's legendarium—specifically the fortress of Morgoth, the Dark Lord, in The Silmarillion. Once Ramin Rahimi locked in as drummer, the group was finally in a position to record their debut full-length. Dean handled both guitar and bass parts on that first record, though bassist M. Halaji joined shortly after its release to take over that role permanently.

Breaking International Ground

In July 2007, Angband stepped into the studio to record what would become Rising from Apadana, and the project quickly gained international traction. The band signed a record deal with Germany's Pure Steel Records, making them the first heavy metal act from Iran to land a contract with an international label—a milestone that underscored how rare their presence was on the global metal scene. The album dropped on August 29, 2008, and earned positive reviews. The following years saw the band working with renowned producer and sound engineer Achim Kohler, who had previously worked with Primal Fear and Brainstorm, on their second record, Visions of the Seeker. A production issue pushed that release back by roughly a year, but it finally arrived on October 29, 2010, and Germany's Metal Hammer magazine gave the group a full-site feature that same spring.

A Sound Rooted in Two Worlds

Angband's musical identity sits at a distinctive crossroads. Critics and listeners consistently describe the band's output as power metal infused with progressive metal structures and, crucially, elements of Persian folk tradition. The group incorporates the Daf, a traditional Persian percussion instrument, into their arrangements, and they use it exclusively in their catalog. Drummer Ramin Rahimi, an experienced percussionist who later signed a solo deal with ARC Music focused on Iranian percussion, brought a deep understanding of regional rhythmic traditions into the band's sound. Over the course of their four studio albums, the progressive elements grew increasingly prominent; Lords of Metal noted on Saved from the Truth that the prog influences had gained much more room and that the band showed progress on all fronts. This blend of Western power metal vocabulary with Eastern melodic and rhythmic sensibility sets Angband apart in a genre that rarely looks beyond European and American traditions.

Turbulence and the Long Road to IV

Angband's journey was marked by significant personnel shifts and long stretches of silence. Bassist M. Halaji departed in April 2011, replaced by Farshad Shokuhfar, whom Dean had spotted performing live just months earlier. The band continued through 2012 with Saved from the Truth, which drew international acclaim. But by 2017, both vocalist Ashkan Yazdani and bassist Shokuhfar had left the group. Tim Aymar, known for his work with Control Denied and Pharaoh, stepped in as the new frontman with the goal of delivering a fourth album in 2018. That timeline proved optimistic: chronic neck pain plagued Aymar, stretching the production to three full years. IV finally emerged on July 24, 2020, capping a nearly eight-year gap since the previous studio release. Dean, meanwhile, resumed playing bass alongside his guitar duties, while Rahimi remained the constant rhythmic anchor throughout.

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