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)
Heaven's Coffin
Agathodaimon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Long I stood there fearing
Dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before...
But the silence was unbroken
And the stillness gave no token
And the only word there spoken
Was the whispered word: "Veritas"
This the dark whispered
Merely this and nothing more!
Fools and faith conspire
Questions of desire
That they never owned before
Kings without their armour
Men without their honour
We all slip into oblivion
We are the dark inside the night
The ghosts about which the poets write
And the dreams that night's embrace
That slowly leave without a trace...
O, suflet sparge-odată, îngusta-ți închisoare
Și scutura-te-odata de-acest lut pămîntesc!
Vreau să m-agăț de tine, spre cer năvală dînd
Cum viermii de-un cadavru s-agață mișunînd!
The opening stanza of Agathodaimon's "Heaven's Coffin" sets a melancholy, eerie tone for the song. The singer of the song finds himself delving deep into the darkness, contemplating the unknown and the fears that come with it. He speaks of dreaming dreams that are so daring, no mortal has ever dared to dream before. Yet, the singer is met with silence and stillness. The only word he hears is "Veritas," which means truth. It could be interpreted that the singer is searching for truth in the darkness, but the darkness keeps its secrets close.
The second stanza speaks of the struggles of mankind. Fools and faith come together as people question their desires, desires that they have never felt before. The singer speaks of kings and men losing their armor and their honor, slowly slipping into oblivion. The third stanza is in Romanian and means "Oh soul, break your narrow prison and shake yourself free from this earthly dust! I want to cling to you, rushing towards the sky like worms clinging to a corpse." This verse adds another layer to the melancholy nature of the song, with the singer hoping to break free from the earthly constraints.
Overall, "Heaven's Coffin" is a song that contemplates the unknown, the darkness, and the struggles of life. The lyrics are steeped in melancholy and weighty themes, adding depth to the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Deep into the darkness peering
Looking far into the depths of darkness
Long I stood there fearing
I waited in that darkness with fear in my heart
Dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before...
As I waited, I dreamt of things that no living soul has ever imagined
But the silence was unbroken
However, there was no sound in that darkness
And the stillness gave no token
There was no motion or sign of life in that darkness
And the only word there spoken
The only thing that broke the silence and stillness
Was the whispered word: "Veritas"
Was a whisper saying the word 'truth'.
This the dark whispered
The darkness spoke this word of truth
And an echo murmured back the word
A sound repeated the word as it echoed away
Merely this and nothing more!
There was nothing else but this word of truth to be found in that darkness
Fools and faith conspire
Stupidity and belief work together
Questions of desire
Desires that are not understood
That they never owned before
Desires that they never had control over
Kings without their armour
Rulers who are powerless without their protection
Men without their honour
People who have lost their integrity and respect
We all slip into oblivion
We all end up forgotten and unimportant
We are the dark inside the night
We represent the darkness that can be found in the night
The ghosts about which the poets write
We are the apparitions that inspire poetic compositions
And the dreams that night's embrace
We are the dreams that come with the darkness of night
That slowly leave without a trace...
But eventually, they disappear with no evidence they ever existed
O, suflet sparge-odată, îngusta-ți închisoare
Oh, spirit break out of your cramped dwelling space
Și scutura-te-odata de-acest lut pămîntesc!
And free yourself from this earthly clay!
Vreau să m-agăț de tine, spre cer năvală dînd
I want to cling to you and make a mad rush for the sky
Cum viermii de-un cadavru s-agață mișunînd!
Like maggots crawling on a corpse!
Contributed by Hudson K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.