Can you tell us about the origin of the band name, a history of the band and a little bit about the various members?
Hi Dawn and Jon., Firstly, thanks for the opportunity.
Asterean name refers to an ocean guardian. It’s continuation of old project Espera XIII (2010-2020), in which the crew was rescued by this oceanic hero, in its story.
It all started in 2010 as a parallel solo project. As things evolved, in 2014 i recruited members to play live as a normal band, but i decided to keep in charge of the compositions and production until nowadays as a normal solo work, but with fixed members for live situation, Asterean presents as a band. Members are the same from the original formation: Eduardo Ayres (bass), Fernando Ribeiro (drums) and Rubstein Wilker (vocals).
Are you all from the same area? How did you get together as a band?
We meet each other from old internet forums. We are relatively from the same area. São Paulo is a giantic city, me, Rubstein and Edu are from the capital, and our drummer lives in a seaside town.
I played with Eduardo from 2007 to 2014 on the band Spreading Hate. Rubstein and Fernando i meet when we formed an Ensiferum cover, just for fun in 2013.
Who are your favourite artists/bands and how have they influenced your own sound?
Some of my favorite bands: Amorphis, Omnium Gatherum, Insomnium. I grew up in the 2000’s melodeath era, they presented me freedom inside metal. Sometimes it is heavy, sometimes don’t even reminds metal. Music is above every label, is what i most absorb from them.
Did you always have the ambition to be a musician and in a band or did you originally have other plans?
I always had the intention to be musician. Just that i realize that if i want to deliver the amount of music that i want, i would need to become a music producer. So from last 10 years music production has been my professional daily work, besides creating my music.
What songs or albums are on your current playlist?
Played lately here:
Rotting Christ – Holy Mountain
Rammstein – Deutschland
Rivers of Nihil – The Silent Life
The Mglas – Exercises in Surfing VI
Do you sing in the shower?
Not much singing, but always deep self-speeches about life haha
Do you have any plans for the band for this year and into next year?
For now, we’ll focus on create a great live experience and be prepared for gigs. But the main thing still is to deliver music, improve and deepen the characters of Asterean sound.
Do you currently have any new songs/albums ready to be released?
I will enter studio again in September, hope to release new material yet this year. Still to support the debut album “Cosmorama”, just released.
If you could play at any venue in the world where would you choose?
Just for dreaming? Go back to Monsters of Rock 1991. Today 70000 Tons of Metal would make Asterean feel at home.
Do you have a favourite album? If so, what is it?
From different moments in life:
Amorphis – Silent Waters
Children of Bodom – Hatebreeder
Dissection – Storm of the Light’s Bane
Do you have any guilty pleasure songs/albums?
I have a goddaughter, we play and sing Sandy & Junior – A Lenda
If you were putting together the greatest show on earth, who would be playing?
Citizens of Cosmorama singing and playing in a ritual for the rising sun. Would be the most brutally deep music experience i can imagine.
Can you remember the first album you bought with your own money? What was it and do you still have it?
Master of Puppets. Unfortunately don’t have it anymore, cause i lent it to a friend and he fucking lost it.
As your fans will be reading this, is there any message you would like to send out to them?
I wanna thank you all for the support and positive feedback on Cosmorama. For a independent first act it’s surprising how is being accepted and spreading, much more than we imagined. Our bassist Eduardo went to european festivals this year, we freaked out when he said some people there already knew it and was following our band. Every time we have messages like this, that people are feeling good with our music, it’s a combustion to keep on track.
Finally, let us know all your social media sites so your fans, old and new, can find and follow/like you!
These are our main sites. Be sure to follow and don’t miss any new song coming out in near future. And feel free to get in touch with us, we love to chat with followers from all over the world.
https://www.instagram.com/astereanofficial
https://asterean.bandcamp.com/album/cosmorama
https://www.patreon.com/asterean
https://www.youtube.com/c/Asterean
Miscellaneous links: https://allmylinks.com/asterean
We, at The Metal Asylum, would like to thank you for your time. Is there is anything further that you would like to add?
Thank you Metal Asylum, it was fun to answer these questions.
I will end with a message to all artists.
“The artist committing himself to his calling has volunteered for hell, whether he knows it or not. He will be dining for the duration on a diet of isolation, rejection, self-doubt, despair, ridicule, contempt, and humiliation. The artist must be like that Marine. He has to know how to be miserable .. Because this is war .. And war is hell.”
The War of Art, Steven Pressfield.
Let’s keep doing what we love and need to do. May the Muses be with us.
This interview is solely the property of The Metal Asylum