A Hill To Die Upon

A Hill To Die Upon is an American blackened death metal band from the Monmouth- Galesburg area of Illinois, formed in 2004 by the brothers Adam and R. Michael Cook. The brothers initially founded the band as hardcore project, but eventually started listening to death and black metal, which led them to transform their band's sound. Over the years, various musicians have filled out the band's lineup, which currently consists of the Cook brothers and Nolan Osmond. Signed to Bombworks Records, A Hill to Die Upon has released five albums – ''Infinite Titanic Immortal'' in 2009, ''Omens'' in 2011, ''Holy Despair'' in 2014, ''Via Artis, Via Mortis'' in 2017, and ''The Black Nativity'' in 2023 - all to a positive critical reception. In 2013, the band also released a stand-alone single, "Manden med Leen". Musically, the band is compared primarily to Behemoth as well as Immortal, Naglfar, and Old Man's Child, all of which the brothers cite as among their major influences. The brothers are Christian, but they distance themselves from calling A Hill to Die Upon a Christian metal band. Lyrical themes include mythology, war, philosophy, and despair, with references drawn from the Bible and numerous literary works and authors.

History

Formation (2004–2008)

Adam and R. Michael Cook founded A Hill to Die Upon as a hardcore and metalcore band in 2004 in Monmouth, Illinois. Michael explains that he and Adam simply wanted to play extreme music, and hardcore was easier to play than metal. He concedes that had they tried to play metal at the time, they "would have sucked." Also, in 2004, the hardcore scene was very strong in the Midwest, enabling the brothers, as a two piece band, to play some live shows in Illinois and Iowa. Had the brothers played extreme metal at the time, they would have been the only band in the area and thus would have struggled to book shows. The brothers played their first show in Burlington, Iowa, performing mostly Norma Jean and As I Lay Dying cover songs. Over time, they started listening to death and black metal, and as a consequence gradually took their band in a faster, darker, and more aggressive direction.

Record deal; ''Infinite Titanic Immortal'' (2008–2010)

In 2008, A Hill to Die Upon recorded a demo, which led to a record deal with Bombworks Records. In December of that year, it was announced that the band was recording ''Infinite Titanic Immortal'', which was set for release in June 2009. The album was recorded by Kevin Rendleman at Trash Rocket Studios in Peoria, Illinois, and mixed at Dark Chamber Studios by Eric Tordsson, a former member of Crimson Moonlight. The band would go on to play Destruction Fest, alongside bands such as Ashen Mortality, Antidemon, and Solace the Day. ''Infinite Titanic Immortal'' was released on July 21, 2009.

''Omens'' (2011–2012)

In a 2014 interview with ''HM'', Adam Cook revealed that the recording process for ''Omens'', A Hill to Die Upon's second studio album, lasted about eight days. He stated that "we never had any real demos of the songs before going into the studio." ''Omens'' was released on May 23, 2011. Chris Gato of ''HM'' awarded the album three and a half stars. He wrote that "This is a brilliant album, and there is much to love about it, but the doomy feel this time around seems to dull the brilliance sometimes, making ''Omens'' a point below ''Infinite''." Taylor C. from Indie Vision Music gave the album a full five stars, stating that "this album is awful in the olden sense of the word—full of ''awe''."

''Holy Despair and Via Artis, Via Mortis'' (2013–present)

On February 12, 2013, the band released a single titled "" (Danish for the Grim Reaper

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