Judas Iscariot (band)
| Company type | Solo musical project |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1992 |
| Founder | Andrew Harris (Akhenaten) |
| Defunct | 2002-08-25 |
| Headquarters | United States; later Germany |
Key people | Andrew Harris (Akhenaten), Duane Timlin (Cryptic Winter) |
| Products | Black metal music albums and releases |
Judas Iscariot was a black metal act from the United States, initiated in 1992 as the solo endeavor of Andrew Harris, who performed under the name Akhenaten.
The 1999 album Heaven in Flames marked the involvement of Duane Timlin (known as Cryptic Winter) as a session drummer. Between 1999 and 2000, Akhenaten took the stage alongside musicians affiliated with Nargaroth, Krieg, Absu, and Maniac Butcher.
Following a move to Germany, Akhenaten concluded Judas Iscariot’s activities on August 25, 2002.[1]
In 2018, Blake Judd ("Azentrius") issued unauthorized reissues of several Judas Iscariot records without Akhenaten’s consent.[2]
Ideology
Akhenaten portrayed Judas Iscariot as an expression of his personal resistance against Christian ethical restrictions.[1] He openly criticized capitalism, associating it with excessive materialism.[3] His artistic vision sought to inspire those confronting both materialistic values and religious dogmatism.
The band’s early lyrical content was influenced by English poets and mystics such as William Blake and Percy Bysshe Shelley, emphasizing links between Dark Romanticism, esoteric thought, and themes prevalent in heavy metal.[4]
Akhenaten rejected any association with the National Socialist black metal movement, clarifying: "Judas Iscariot is no Nazi band. I myself am no Nazi either [...] If other bands include politics, it's their business; this has nothing to do with my band."[5]
Band members
- Akhenaten (Andrew Harris) – vocals, guitar, bass, drums (1992–2002)
Session musicians
- Cryptic Winter (Duane Timlin) – drums (1999–2002)
Live lineup
- Kanwulf (René Wagner) – guitar (2000)
- Lord Imperial (Neill Jameson) – bass (1999–2000)
- Proscriptor (Russley Randel Givens) – drums (1999)
- Butcher (Jan Kapák) – drums (2000)
Studio albums
- The Cold Earth Slept Below (1996)
- Thy Dying Light (1996)
- Of Great Eternity (1997)
- Distant in Solitary Night (1999)
- Heaven in Flames (2000)
- To Embrace the Corpses Bleeding (2002)
Extended plays
- Arise, My Lord (1996)
- Dethroned, Conquered and Forgotten (2000)
- March of the Apocalypse (2002)
- Moonlight Butchery (2002)
- Midnight Frost (To Rest with Eternity) (2003)
Split releases
- Judas Iscariot/Weltmacht (split with Weltmacht) (1999)
- None Shall Escape the Wrath (split with Krieg, Eternal Majesty and Macabre Omen) (2000)
- To the Coming Age of Intolerance (split with Krieg) (2001)
Live Recordings
- Under the Black Sun (2000)
Compilation Collections
- From Hateful Visions (2000)
- American Black Metal Assault (2001)
- Аветињски плес сабласти (Serbian cassette, limited edition of 300 copies) (2002)
Demo Tapes
- Heidegger (1992)
- Judas Iscariot (1993)
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Statement from the final release inlay: Midnight Frost (To Rest with Eternity), Sombre Records 2002.
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ↑ ROB: Secrets of the Tune: Unholy Blake Metal
- ↑ Interview on Art of Malice