Persefone is an

Andorra Andorra, officially the Principality of Andorra, is a Sovereignty, sovereign landlocked country on the Iberian Peninsula, in the eastern Pyrenees in Southwestern Europe, Andorra–France border, bordered by France to the north and Spain to A ...

progressive death metal Progressive metal (often shortened to prog metal) is a broad fusion music genre melding heavy metal music, heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified electric guitar, guitar-driven sound of the former with t ...

band formed in October 2001.Official Persefone website, http://www.persefone.com The band's name is derived from

Persephone In ancient Greek mythology and Ancient Greek religion, religion, Persephone ( ; , classical pronunciation: ), also called Kore ( ; ) or Cora, is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She became the queen of the Greek underworld, underworld afte ...

, a figure in Greek Mythology.

Overview

Persefone was founded in early 2001 in

Andorra la Vella Andorra la Vella is the capital and largest city of Andorra. It is located high in the east Pyrenees, between France and Spain. It is also the name of the parishes of Andorra, Andorran parish that surrounds the capital. , the city had a populati ...

, the capital of the small European nation of

. The founding members are Carlos Lozano Quintanilla, Jordi Gorgues Mateu, Toni Mestre Coy, and Xavi Pérez. In 2002 they were joined by Miguel Espinosa Ortiz. A demo was recorded in 2003, and the concept of the album took shape: the five soul illnesses combined with the transition from life to death. A 6-track demo became an LP with the help of Claus Jensen and Intromental Management; ''Truth Inside the Shades'' was recorded at Orion Studios and mastered by Peter in de Betou for Taylor Maid Productions. Some gigs were scheduled, but Pérez left the band, and was replaced by Aleix Dorca Josa, producer of the band, who joined it to perform drums. Also, Marc Marti became the lead singer, taking over for Quintanilla. After this, ''Truth Inside the Shades'' was released worldwide through Soundholic Records (Japan), Cd-Maximum (Russia and Baltic States), and Adipocere Records (Europe and United States). The next album, a longer

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

, relates the story of

, the Greek goddess for which the band was named. In August 2006, ''Core'' was released in Japan through Soundholic Records. In 2007, a year after its Japanese release, Persefone signed a deal with Greek label Burning Star Records, and in August the album was released worldwide. In 2010, the band released its new, Japanese-influenced album ''Shin-Ken'' and in March 2010 they supported

Obituary An obituary (wikt:obit#Etymology 2, obit for short) is an Article (publishing), article about a recently death, deceased person. Newspapers often publish obituaries as Article (publishing), news articles. Although obituaries tend to focus on p ...

in a tour. Persefone's fourth record, ''Spiritual Migration'', was released in 2013. On 5 August 2014, the band announced that drummer Marc Mas had left the band on good terms. Persefone's next album, '' Aathma'', was released in February 2017. On 22 February 2018, Persefone announced that they would release a new single, "In Lak'Ech", a month later on 23 March, featuring Tim Charles from Ne Obliviscaris. The song title comes from "In Lak'ech Ala K'in", a traditional

Mayan Mayan most commonly refers to: * Maya peoples, various indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Maya civilization, pre-Columbian culture of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Mayan languages, language family spoken ...

greeting, meaning "I am another yourself" or "I am you, and you are me". On 4 February 2022, Persefone released a new album titled '' Metanoia'' with guest musicians including: Einar Solberg from

Leprous Leprous is a Norwegian progressive metal band from Notodden, formed in 2001. The group was founded by singer and keyboardist Einar Solberg and guitarist Tor Oddmund Suhrke. After releasing several demos with relatively unstable lineups, the ban ...

Steffen Kummerer Steffen Kummerer (born 1 June 1985) is a German guitarist and vocalist. He is the leader, main songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist of the death metal band Obscura, as well as the black metal band Thulcandra. Since 2012, he has been a member of ...

Angel Vivaldi Angel Vivaldi (born June 13, 1985) is an American guitarist, songwriter and producer. He began his solo career in 2003. Vivaldi has self-released five records, ''Revelations'', ''The Speed of Dark, Universal Language, Away with Words: Part 1'', ...

and Merethe Soltvedt accompanying them. The album was released to critical acclaim with ''Metal Injection'' calling it "Fantastic" and ''SonicPerspectives'' saying the band "Outdone themselves". On 12 September 2023, Persefone announced the departure of their main vocalist Marc Martins Pia, mainly to focus on his family. On 17 October 2023, the band announced that Daniel R. Flys, the vocalist for Melodic Metal band, ''Eternal Storm'' as the new vocalist for the band, replacing Pia. The band's first release with Flys, an EP titled ''Lingua Ignota: Part I'', released on 2 February 2024.

Members

Current *Toni Mestre Coy – bass (2001–present) *Carlos Lozano Quintanilla – guitar (2001–present), vocals (2001–2004) *Miguel "Moe" Espinosa – keyboards, vocals (2002–present) *Sergi Verdeguer – drums (2015–present) *Filipe Baldaia – guitar (2016–present) * Daniel R. Flys - vocals (2023-present) Former *Jordi Gorgues Mateu – guitar (2001–2016) *Xavi Perez – drums (2001–2003) *Aleix Dorca Josa – drums (2003–2006) *Marc Mas Marti – drums (2006–2014) *Marc Martins Pia – vocals (2004–2023) Timeline

Discography

;Studio albums *''Truth Inside the Shades'' (2004, re-recorded in 2020) *''Core'' (2006) *''Shin-Ken'' (2009) *''Spiritual Migration'' (2013) *'' Aathma'' (2017) *'' Metanoia'' (2022) ;EPs *''In Lak'Ech'' (2018) *''Lingua Ignota: Part I'' (2024)

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 2001 establishments in Andorra Andorran musical groups Death metal musical groups Musical groups established in 2001