Biography

Formed in October 1999, ANGELRUST was born like a blazing phoenix, erupting from a friendship formed in the ashes of two formidable bands. It had been many times that Andrew D'Cagna (former frontman of the black metal act Moonthrone) and Frank Gordon (former bassist of the death metal band Masticated Entrails) had talked about working on a project together. It was at this time that Sweet Chuck, owner of Hot Rod Tattooing, decided to open the Oracle Lounge for local and touring acts to spout their works. After viewing some very talented acts at the Oracle, the two friends decided it was time to form the band they had so long wanted. Knowing they would need the position of percussionist filled Andrew recruited the skills of long time friend and drummer Tim Markle. After a short preparation the band emerged as a small club act in the modest Ohio Valley scene and gained instant recognition among their peers.

In February of 2000, Angelrust recorded the "arcane" demo CD, taking on all recording & engineering duties. The band then established a tri-state circuit and began performing in support of "arcane". Many copies and a few shows later in November 2000, the band parted ways with Tim Markle shortly after laying the foundation for Angelrust's second demo "paradox". The band was on its knees for over a month before gaining the likes of Eric Schnelle on percussion in late December 2000. So impressive and powerful was the fusion between these three humans that they recorded and released their THIRD rehearsal with Eric as a demo entitled "011101" (derived from the date it was recorded). The band quickly got back on its feet and resumed their position in the local underground. The original drum tracks for "paradox" were scrapped and re-recorded with the newly acquired drummer. The demo was well received, selling very well at shows and in local malls.

October 2001 saw the departure of Eric from the fold due to personal reasons. The band lapsed into a virtual coma from October to December 2001, when Andrew then came in contact with a friend from the past, Bob Griffin (former drummer of thrash bands Sheer Greed and Screaming Jesus). Bereft of a rehearsal space, Andrew and Frank jammed with Bob for two days in a friend’s garage. ANGELRUST was back. The band threw aside all previous material and began writing new songs. This occupied them for the greater part of 2002 as they gelled into a cohesive unit.

In April 2003, Angelrust entered their home studio once again to record their 3rd offering. The name of the recording was decided on as simply 'angelrust', citing that recording as a rebirth for the band. This 3rd CD showcased music of much more mature stature. It was Angelrust's first solid recording, establishing them as a reputable upcoming death/thrash machine. CD sales were high and the response from fans was enormous. Due to the plethora of twin guitar harmonies on the disc, the band deemed it imperative to recruit a second guitarist to accommodate. While working in a separate musical project named Harvist, Andrew met Aaron Carey. The two instantly bonded musically and spiritually, and the new addition to Angelrust was made clear.

Another period of congealing was in order proceeding the introduction of Aaron into the Angelrust camp. February 2004 saw the inception of the band's 4th official recording. This 4 song EP entitled 'pale portrait is considered a pivotal point in the band for several reasons. The music began to reflect Aaron's influence in the songwriting process, slowly morphing into a technically proficient beast and straying from the path of traditional song structures. This was also the first Angelrust recording to garner the interest of prospective labels. Following months of mailing press kits, the band was contacted by the modest VIC Records of The Netherlands. VIC is known for releasing debut recordings from such seminal acts as Katatonia, Crystal Age and Hammerfall. After a period of dormancy the label was back in the underground music scene, and chose Angelrust as their flagship. Angelrust is currently negotiating a one album deal with the label in support of their most recent and most vicious effort to date. Entitled 'heart turned cold', the 5th installment in the Angelrust library proves once and for all this band is an un-ignorable force to be reckoned with. The riffs are faster, the beats are harder, the emotion more turbulent. Experimentation with classical/traditional instruments, MIDI implementation and improvisational ideas renders 'heart turned cold' as the most diverse of all prior recordings.

It was also during this time that Andrew was being faced with making life changing decisions. For many years he had desired to have a career in the recording industry, and ultimately, his own recording business. Several months ago he had begun to save and align his resources to achieve his dream, and he now found himself at his half-way point to begin the first of his actions to achieve these goals. After he informed his fellow band mates it became obvious to them that steps need to be taken to prepare for the possibility that Andrew would need to leave and that several unique positions would have to be filled within the band. Upon Andrew’s departure the first problem would be to fill the position of lead vocalist but that would still mean the loss of a primary instrument and a key member of the song writing team. To compound the issues there was also a desire to not let the bands professional growth loose momentum leaving Aaron, Bob and Frank with the fear that so many issues were just too much to put off until the time came to hand. Almost immediately one person came to mind with the talent, drive and like mindedness to adapt to the conditions necessary, Corey Roth. Corey was a long time friend and multi-talented musician who, as it happened to be, was currently in the club band Wilderkin with Andrew. Corey is initially brought in as a guitarist to take over the duty from Andrew so that he can focus on singing and on the bands stage presence. The addition of Corey to the lineup will allow the band to adapt quickly to the possibilities presented them in the event Andrew would find himself in a position of leaving. However, the biggest and best bonus is that if Andrew is able to achieve his goals while still remaining in Angelrust, the addition of Corey will do nothing less than lift the band to new levels of performance and creativity.