SAMIARUS
Samiarus formed from within the Oakland punk scene, inspired by bands like Archgoat, Blasphemy, Siege and G.I.S.M.. Their name is an Arabic variant of the more well known Aramaic name Samyaza, a fallen angel from apocryphal monotheistic scriptures which is said to have been a leader of the Watchers, farther of the Nephilim, and have usurped God’s will by sharing knowledge with men. Guitarist SR had been a long time member of raw punk and hardcore bands from San Jose and Oakland like Meth Sores, Flesh Dungeon, Outfit and Ötzi, etc., and began writing riffs for a new metal project around 2022. The songs were proposed to fellow punk JM, a local drummer with endless hours of militancy in innumerable Oakland punk and hardcore bands like Mentor, Fentanyl, Spy, and many more. The lineup was solidified when fellow San Jose guitarist and Meth Sores bandmate JKL (also from San Jose black metal cult Abnutivum as well as from black metal/noise solo project Slaughteruin) joined on lead guitar. This initial lineup of SR, JM, and JKL rehearsed for several months with SR handling vocals and issued the self-recorded “Eradicating Wind” digital promo track via Bandcamp, first introducing the band’s blown out and vitriolic strain of chaotic, punk-infused black/death metal. Meanwhile JKL had been in touch over convergent musical interests with Oakland vocalist MA (also of Abstracter, ex-Atrament, Ash Prison, Somnolent, Isolant etc.) who heard the band’s rough rehearsal recordings, and inspired by the band’s uniquely feral and uncontained sound, offered to join as vocalist, allowing SR to focus solely on guitar, and developing the band’s concept with lyrics about subversion, terrorism, occult retaliation, and treacherous cults wielding supernatural powers and warfare for the sanguinary overthrowing of despots. The final piece was added when the band’s mutual friend GD (from Oakland hardcore thrashers Doomsday) joined on bass, rounding out a five-piece unit of uncompromising intents. With a lineup now complete and several songs written, the band recorded six tracks (five originals and one Absu cover) in their rehearsal room with aid from local audio engineer Carlos Cruz, with one original (“Eradicating Wind”), the Absu cover, as well as a live rehearsal recording being mixed and mastered by the band themselves and then self-released in early 2025 as the debut “Demonstration” demo tape. Meanwhile, all the tracked original songs were also sent to audio engineer Steven Henningsgard in Minnesota to be professionally mixed, then handed off to Will Killingsworth of Dead Air Studios to be mastered for subsequent release as the “Reign Destroyer” debut EP/MLP, the band’s first proper full-fledged recording of original material, released in spring 2025 by Sentient Ruin. Around the same time as the “Demonstration” demo was released, Samiarus had already taken their lawless audial carnage to a live stage, sharing live incursions locally in their native Bay Area with the likes of Abysmal Lord, Abhorrency, Dispirit, Primitive Warfare and Funeral Chant, demonstrating their inherent ability to perpetrate a new standard of audial violence not only in the recording studio, but also on stage.