The band began in late 1995, when drummer Matthias and guitarist Sathonys got together to assemble a black metal band. They put adverts at several music magazines in the hopes that they would find suitable musicians to play with them. In answer to the advertisement, they were joined by bassist Marko Thomas and keyboardist and vocalist Vlad Dracul. The last member of their initial formation was the second guitarist, Hyperion, who joined them by the end of that year. With this formation the band recorded the Carpe Noctem demo tape, which received fair reviews from the German specialized press. It also attracted the attention of one of Century Media's executivies, who began keeping track of the band.
Agathodaimon then proceeded to play minor gigs and support some European bands. Eventually, they received an offer from Century Media to fund the recording of their second demo. This demo was recorded in early 1997 and was named Near Dark. It attracted the interest of quite a few recording labels, and in the end the band opted to sign with Nuclear Blast.
After successfully composing the songs for their debut album Blacken the Angel, one of the members of Agathodaimon, Vlad, was forced to quit the band due to problems with immigration. Being a native from Romania, the local authorities from his country didn't allow him to go back to Germany. The situation involved the fact that he had left the country during Ceauşescu's reign. The band therefore was forced to make use of guest musicians to record their debut. Akaias (from Asaru) did the vocals and Marcel "Vampallens" (from Nocte Obducta) took the role of the keyboards. Vlad's participation on the album was restricted to the solo song Contemplation Song, which was sent to the band via air mail.
The CD caused some impact, and Agathodaimon proceeded to tour with bands such as Children of Bodom and Hypocrisy. At the height of the album's success they opened gigs for Dimmu Borgir, Lacrimosa and other bands.
In 1999, Vampallens decided to quit the band in order to dedicate himself fully to his main project Nocte Obducta. He was replaced by female keyboardist Christine S. To record their second album - Higher Art of Rebellion - the band travelled to Romania, in order to be able to play together with Vlad. The vocalist Akaias also participated in the recording of this album, which took place at Magic Sound in Bucharest. A european tour as headliner with Graveworm and Siebenbürgen followed.
After a short hiatus, the band recorded the album Chapter III in 2001 at the Kohlekeller Studio, Germany.
Some changes to the bands's structure followed, with Vlad definitely quitting the band, soon followed by Marko and Christine. Marko did leave because of health problems and quit making music, while Christine formed her own band Demonic Symphony, where she handles bass guitar and vocals. Marko and Christine were replaced by Darin Smith and Felix Ü. Walzer.
In 2004 the band released the album Serpent's Embrace, which again was recorded at Kohlekeller Studio with Kristian Kohlmannslehner as producer.
In early 2006 personal differences led to the split of Eddy and the rest of the band. A new bass player named Till (formerly active in Misanthropic (where Matthias also played drums for a while) joined the ranks, and the songwriting for the next album is currently taking place. Release is scheduled for spring 2007.
The band's name means "benevolent demon" in Greek.
On October 18th, 2014, the band (through Sathonys) issued a statement in their official Facebook account that Agathodaimon will going to split, after 19 years active.
Discography:
* Carpe Noctem - Demo I (1996)
* Near Dark - Demo II (1997)
* Blacken the Angel (1998)
* Bislang - EP (1999)
* Higher Art of Rebellion (1999)
* Chapter III (2001)
* Serpent's Embrace (2004)
* Phoenix (2009)
* In Darkness (2013)
Ground Zero
Agathodaimon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The future to be left in despair
A presage horn of plenty filled with plague and famine
Unbroken mind case dramatic ground zero
From a distant dream to be seen,
Surely undreamt yet unbelieved
Seem to be, with me, in severe insanity
Forever there, forever deceived
A lover’s fear in mourning, epiphany
[chorus:]
Another life, another time
Dream of stars but proclaim fire
As flames meet earth, I throw you down
To watch your flesh blister and char
I anoint you, dress you in white
Attempt to allay those fever dreams
These pitiful dreamers... witnessed
The reconstruction of fallen stars
Your life is doomed, a misplaced soul you are
Your thoughts are sparkles in despair
Fighting the cold, inconsiderate emotions
Confusing future threatening ahead
Deep down the abyss of my crystalline soul
Into the valley of sore thoughts
Like that insignificant refuge of lies
That make you shiver, that make you cry
No disguise of fevered innocence
A lovers fear in mourning, epiphany
[chorus]
Edacious burning, destroying, turning
What was living to death
Walking, stalking, going, gone [× 2]
[chorus]
The lyrics of "Ground Zero" by Agathodaimon describe a seemingly bleak and hopeless view of the future. The singer peeks into the darkness without any prospects, and the future appears to be filled with plague, famine, and despair. The song's lyrics describe a sense of hopelessness that seems to permeate the world, with the premonition of doom ever-present.
The chorus is a clear rejection of any hope for a better future, as the singer dreams of stars but proclaims fire, watching the world burn. The lyrics indicate a sort of sadistic enjoyment in the destruction of the world and all that exists within it. The singer refers to the reconstruction of fallen stars as if to say that even though there are prospects for rebuilding, they are ignored in the face of nihilism.
The song's verses are filled with imagery of the abyss, deep valleys of sore thoughts, and lies. The singer mentions "no disguise of fevered innocence," which can be interpreted as a statement about the lies people tell themselves to hide from reality. The song highlights the feeling of a world without purpose, where life is doomed, and the soul is misplaced.
Line by Line Meaning
Peering into darkness without prospect,
Looking into the unknown, facing uncertainty
The future to be left in despair
The unknown is making one feel hopeless
A presage horn of plenty filled with plague and famine
The future looks bleak with scarcity and disease
Unbroken mind case dramatic ground zero
One's mental state is tense and chaotic, like a disaster site
From a distant dream to be seen,
From far away, something is visible
Surely undreamt yet unbelieved
It may seem impossible, but one can't deny its existence
Seem to be, with me, in severe insanity
The idea is so crazy that one feels like they are losing their mind
Forever there, forever deceived
It will always be there, but it's a trick of the mind
No disguise of fevered innocence
One can't hide behind their own lies
A lover’s fear in mourning, epiphany
The realization of a lover's fear becoming a reality
Another life, another time
A different existence, in a different era
Dream of stars but proclaim fire
Wanting something better but ultimately causing destruction
As flames meet earth, I throw you down
Watching someone suffer as a result of their actions
To watch your flesh blister and char
To witness the physical pain of someone else
I anoint you, dress you in white
To present a false sense of purity to someone
Attempt to allay those fever dreams
Trying to calm someone's unrealistic hopes
These pitiful dreamers... witnessed
Those who have unrealistic dreams have seen
The reconstruction of fallen stars
The rebuilding of something that has been destroyed
Your life is doomed, a misplaced soul you are
You are destined for failure, and don't belong
Your thoughts are sparkles in despair
Your ideas are meaningless and unattainable
Fighting the cold, inconsiderate emotions
Struggling with unfeeling, callous emotions
Confusing future threatening ahead
The future is uncertain and intimidating
Deep down the abyss of my crystalline soul
In the depths of my clear but troubled mind
Into the valley of sore thoughts
Going into a painful mental state
Like that insignificant refuge of lies
Hiding in something that ultimately won't protect or help
That make you shiver, that make you cry
Something that causes emotional distress
Edacious burning, destroying, turning
Consuming something with ferocity, leading to its destruction
What was living to death
Something that was once alive is now dead
Walking, stalking, going, gone
Moving towards death, and then being gone
Contributed by Micah M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.