• Instrumental rock
• Label: Pelagic Records
• Territory: Europe (minus Norway)
• Booking: jens@audiblemusic.dk
• Home Town: Oslo
Somewhere between the late 1990s and the early 2010s, the riff largely disappeared from mainstream rock & pop. Its transformative power – the riff as a means to transport the listener into another dimension – became an art cherished only in the underground of rock and metal. One of the strong proponents of that transformative power is ASTROSAUR, an overlooked gem in the international heavy psyche rock and post-metal scene.
The Norwegian power trio has been employing the riff as their principal mode of transport since their 2017 debut album Fade In // Space Out. Now, with the release of their third album Portals, ASTROSAUR are sounding more expansive and convincing than ever, delivering an intuitive exploration of the infinite powered by soaring guitars and surging grooves. “When we started out, the idea for the band was to explore heavy instrumental rock music within the format of the power trio. We wanted to create music to lose oneself in, music that provides a break from reality and carries you away”, explains main-songwriter Eirik Kråkenes about the origins of the band.
In ASTROSAUR, the Norwegian session guitarist (who played live with LEPROUS and IHSAHN) is joined by bassist Steinar Glas (EINAR STRAY ORCHESTRA) and drummer Jonatan Eikum (TAIGA WOODS). Combining recognisable elements from many genres such as post-rock, doom metal, psychedelic rock, and progressive metal, ASTROSAUR have been described by Metalsucks as “the next great post-metal band” – Portals proves that these words are very much true.
ASTROSAUR has proven their mind blowing live skills at festivals like Complexity Fest, Vacuum fest, Portals Festival and A Colossal Weekend as well as touring with the likes of Agent Fresco, Leprous and Kvelertak