Lilitu

Atlanta, GA’s Lilitu was formed in 1995 by vocalist/guitarist Derek Bonner, and, after numerous false starts and even a few near-breakups, finally solidified with the arrival of keyboardist Adina Blasé, guitarist Jason Piona, and drummer Evan Jones, towards the end of the decade. Looking not to their own country, but to Europe’s highly experimental melodic and gothic death metal bands for inspiration, the quintet built a small but dedicated following in local clubs before entering the studio with session bassist Jonathan Potter and recording their first album, The Earth Gods, in 1999. Although it wasn’t even released in America at first, the platter was picked up for European distribution by Germany’s Emerald Factory Records, and garnered such positive reviews that Lilitu found themselves opening for bands like Nevermore and the Kovenant. Blasé and Jones departed the following summer, but Lilitu nevertheless finished a self-financed sophomore album entitled Memorial by early 2001, with bassist Chris Todd and drummer Corey Long having stepped into the breach (keyboards would henceforth be handled sessionmen). Even more accomplished and acclaimed than its predecessor, Memorial introduced Lilitu to a much wider audience, and helped them make important inroads in the U.S., where heavy metal was finally making a tentative commercial comeback, anyway. More touring and sonic refining ensued, and, after signing with top indie metal label The End Records, Lilitu unleashed their third opus, Delores Lesion, in 2004. A short time later, the band also welcomed new bassist Shane Bell to the fold. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia