Asgardsrei

Asgardsrei was a four-song CD announced in July 1999 by Absurd after the band members convicted in the killing of Sandro Beyer had served the court-ordered portions of their sentences and been released on parole. Its more developed presentation and sound marked a change from the band’s early recordings, though the release retained traces of their rough garage-band style. The book situates the CD at the point where Absurd’s musical activity resumed alongside the growing profile of its label and renewed police scrutiny of records associated with the scene.

Release and presentation

After their release on parole, Hendrik Möbus and Sebastian Schauscheill were the only members of Absurd to continue its musical work. Möbus renewed his contacts in the music scene and appeared in several Black Metal fanzines. In July 1999, announcements circulated for Asgardsrei, described as a new four-song CD. Compared with the group’s earlier cassette releases, it was presented with a more considered aesthetic and an evolved sound.

Sound and contributors

The change did not erase Absurd’s earlier musical character. The book describes the CD’s sound as developed but still marked by the band’s garage ambience, linking the release to a trajectory that began with low-fidelity demo cassettes and adolescent noise. The announced guests included Rob Darken of Graveland and an unnamed former member of the German mainstream band Weissglut. The release thus combined a more deliberate presentation with a connection to the abrasive beginnings that had defined Absurd’s recorded music.

Label and controversy

Asgardsrei appeared as the band’s reconfigured label, Darker Than Black Records, was gaining a higher profile. Its advertisement warned prospective buyers to order before the Zionist Occupational Government took their copy, framing the release in terms of anticipated state interference. A few months later, on October 6, 1999, German police raided homes across the country, including residences associated with Darker Than Black Records and No Colours Records. The initial allegations concerned the distribution of National Socialist, antisemitic, racist, and violent releases; Absurd records were among the items found. The book notes that the raids did not lead to legal proceedings against those targeted, and that the material seized was not considered sufficient to support a strong court case. The CD’s significance in this account therefore rests both on its place in Absurd’s musical development and on its appearance amid a contested effort to police the circulation of records associated with the scene.