In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. Historically, the term was also used to refer to a perceived pattern formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another, and this practice is still common today.

Definition

In colloquial usage, a constellation is a group of celestial bodies, usually stars, which appear to form a pattern or picture in the sky. The current system focuses primarily on constellations as grid-like segments of the celestial sphere rather than as patterns. A star-pattern that is not officially classed as a constellation is referred to as an asterism. One famous example is the asterism known as the Big Dipper, a term unused by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) as the stars are considered part of the larger constellation of Ursa Major.

In 1922, Henry Norris Russell aided the IAU in dividing the celestial sphere into 88 official constellations. Where possible, these modern constellations usually share the names of their Graeco-Roman predecessors, such as Orion, Leo and Scorpius. While such celestial formations were originally linked to a mythical event, creature or person, the categorization of the night sky into recognizable patterns was important in early land and naval navigation prior to the invention of the compass during the Age of Discovery. With the technical advancement of astronomy, it became important to move from a pattern-based system of constellations to one based on area-mapping, which led to several historic formations becoming obsolete. Out of the modern constellations, 31 lie predominantly in the northern sky, and the other 58 predominantly in the southern. Since much of the southern sky was not visible to classical astronomers based around the Mediterranean Sea, many of the constellations of the far south were named only in the last 300 years, and have no ancient counterparts.

In 1930, the boundaries between the 88 constellations were devised by Eugène Delporte along vertical and horizontal lines of right ascension and declination. However, the data he used originated back to epoch B1875.0, which was when Benjamin A. Gould first made the proposal to designate boundaries for the celestial sphere, a suggestion upon which Delporte would base his work. The consequence of this early date is that due to the precession of the equinoxes, the borders on a modern star map, such as epoch J2000, are already somewhat skewed and no longer perfectly vertical or horizontal. This effect will increase over the years and centuries to come.

Proximity

The stars within a constellation rarely have any substantial astrophysical relationship to each other, and their apparent proximity when viewed from Earth disguises the fact that they are far apart, some being much farther from Earth than others. However, there are some exceptions: many of the stars in the constellation of Ursa Major (including most of the Big Dipper) are genuinely close to one another, travel through the galaxy with similar velocities, and are likely to have formed together as part of a cluster that is slowly dispersing. These stars form the Ursa Major moving group.

All the stars that are visible to the human eye, on a clear night, in an area without light pollution (i.e. far from civilization) are still well within our milky way galaxy. We do not see further because our eyes simply have limits to the light they can detect. Consider, on the other hand, the Hubble Space Telescope, whose Hubble deep field image was taken by focusing in on a ''perceived'' dark spot between several stars; the telescope discovered thousands of stars and galaxies.

History

The oldest catalogues of stars and constellations are from Old Babylonian astronomy, beginning in the Middle Bronze Age. The numerous Sumerian names in these catalogues suggest that they build on older, but otherwise unattested, Sumerian traditions of the Early Bronze Age. The classical Zodiac is a product of a revision of the Old Babylonian system in later Neo-Babylonian astronomy.

Graeco-Roman

The first ancient Greek works which dealt with the constellations were books of star myths. The oldest of these was a poem composed by Hesiod in or around the eighth century BC, of which only fragments survive.

Aratus in the 3rd century BC compiled a verse setting of the otherwise lost catalogue of constellations of Eudoxus of Cnidus (4th century BC). Eudoxus was in the reception of the older Babylonian star catalogues in ancient Greek astronomy.

The most complete existing works dealing with the mythical origins of the constellations are by the Hellenistic writer termed pseudo-Eratosthenes and an early Roman writer styled pseudo-Hyginus. In the 2nd century AD, the Greek astronomer Ptolemy described the constellations in great detail in his influential work the ''Almagest''.

Chinese

Chinese constellations are different from the Western constellations due to the independent development of ancient Chinese astronomy. One difference is that the Chinese counterpart of the 12 western zodiac constellations is the 28 "Xiu" (宿) or "mansions" (a literal translation).

Dark cloud constellations

Dark patches in the Milky Way are more visible and striking in the southern hemisphere than in the northern. They vividly stand out when conditions are otherwise so dark that the Milky Way's central region casts shadows on the ground. Some cultures have discerned shapes in these patches and have given names to these "dark cloud constellations." Members of the Inca civilization identified various dark areas or dark nebulae in the Milky Way as animals, and associated their appearance with the seasonal rains. Australian Aboriginal astronomy also describes dark cloud constellations, the most famous being the "emu in the sky" whose head is formed by the Coalsack.

Common constellations

Orion: The story of Orion dates all the way back to 1200 BC.(Dibon-Smith) Greek stories state that Orion was known as the “dweller of the mountain”.(Dibon-Smith) He was most known for his ability to hunt, but also as a lover.(Dibon-Smith)

Aquila: The Greeks saw this constellation as an eagle. This eagle is said to have to belonged to Zeus.(Miles) In the Roman version, Aquila helped Jupiter in the battle for the universe against the titans.(Miles)

Gemini: Gemini is a constellation the represents the twin brothers Castor and Pollux.(Bell) According to Greek myth, Castor was mortal, and Pollux was immortal.(Bell) When Castor died, Pollux begged Jupiter to allow him to join his brother in the heavens.(Bell) Jupiter granted his wish, and you can now find the two brothers standing side by side in the night sky.

See also

Dendera zodiac

Former constellations

List of constellations

List of constellations by area

List of stars by constellation

History of the constellations

Planisphere

Notes

Further reading

Mythology, lore, history, and archaeoastronomy

Allen, Richard Hinckley. (1899) ''Star-Names And Their Meanings'', G. E. Stechert, New York, New York, U.S.A., hardcover; reprint 1963 as ''Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning'', Dover Publications, Inc., Mineola, New York, U.S.A., ISBN 978-0486210797 softcover.

Olcott, William Tyler. (1911); ''Star Lore of All Ages'', G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York, New York, U.S.A., hardcover; reprint 2004 as ''Star Lore: Myths, Legends, and Facts'', Dover Publications, Inc., Mineola, New York, U.S.A., ISBN 978-0486435817 softcover.

Kelley, David H. and Milone, Eugene F. (2004) ''Exploring Ancient Skies: An Encyclopedic Survey of Archaeoastronomy'', Springer, ISBN 978-0-387-95310-6 hardcover.

Ridpath, Ian. (1989) ''Star Tales'', Lutterworth Press, ISBN 0718826957 hardcover.

Staal, Julius D. W. (1988) ''The New Patterns in the Sky: Myths and Legends of the Stars'', McDonald & Woodward Publishing Co., ISBN 0939923106 hardcover, ISBN 0939923041 softcover.

Atlases and celestial maps

''General & Nonspecialized – Entire Celestial Heavens'':

Becvar, Antonin. ''Atlas Coeli''. Published as ''Atlas of the Heavens'', Sky Publishing Corporation, Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A.; with coordinate grid transparency overlay.

Norton, Arthur Philip. (1910) ''Norton's Star Atlas'', 20th Edition 2003 as ''Norton's Star Atlas and Reference Handbook'', edited by Ridpath, Ian, Pi Press, ISBN 978-0-13-145164-3, hardcover.

National Geographic Society. (1957, 1970, 2001, 2007) ''The Heavens'' (1970), Cartographic Division of the National Geographic Society (NGS), Washington, D.C., U.S.A., two sided large map chart depicting the constellations of the heavens; as special supplement to the August 1970 issue of ''National Geographic''. Forerunner map as ''A Map of The Heavens'', as special supplement to the December 1957 issue. Current version 2001 (Tirion), with 2007 reprint.

Sinnott, Roger W. and Perryman, Michael A.C. (1997) ''Millennium Star Atlas'', Epoch 2000.0, Sky Publishing Corporation, Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A., and European Space Agency (ESA), ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands. Subtitle: "An All-Sky Atlas Comprising One Million Stars to Visual Magnitude Eleven from the Hipparcos and Tycho Catalogues and Ten Thousand Nonstellar Objects". 3 volumes, hardcover, in hardcover slipcase, set ISBN 0-933346-84-0. Vol. 1, 0–8 Hours (Right Ascension), ISBN 0-933346-81-6 hardcover; Vol. 2, 8–16 Hours, ISBN 0-933346-82-4 hardcover; Vol. 3, 16–24 Hours, ISBN 0-933346-83-2 hardcover. Softcover version available. Supplemental separate purchasable coordinate grid transparent overlays.

Tirion, Wil; et al. (1987) ''Uranometria 2000.0'', Willmann-Bell, Inc., Richmond, Virginia, U.S.A., 3 volumes, hardcover. Vol. 1 (1987): "The Northern Hemisphere to −6^o", by Wil Tirion, Barry Rappaport, and George Lovi, ISBN 0-943396-14-X hardcover, printed boards (blue). Vol. 2 (1988): "The Southern Hemisphere to +6^o", by Wil Tirion, Barry Rappaport and George Lovi, ISBN 0-943396-15-8 hardcover, printed boards (red). Vol. 3 (1993) as a separate added work: ''The Deep Sky Field Guide to Uranometria 2000.0'', by Murray Cragin, James Lucyk, and Barry Rappaport, ISBN 0-943396-38-7 hardcover, printed boards (gray). 2nd Edition 2001 (black or dark background) as collective set of 3 volumes – Vol. 1: ''Uranometria 2000.0 Deep Sky Atlas'', by Wil Tirion, Barry Rappaport, and Will Remaklus, ISBN 978-0-943396-71-2 hardcover, printed boards (blue edging); Vol. 2: ''Uranometria 2000.0 Deep Sky Atlas'', by Wil Tirion, Barry Rappaport, and Will Remaklus, ISBN 978-0-943396-72-9 hardcover, printed boards (green edging); Vol. 3: ''Uranometria 2000.0 Deep Sky Field Guide'' by Murray Cragin and Emil Bonanno, ISBN 978-0-943396-73-6, hardcover, printed boards (teal green).

Tirion, Wil and Sinnott, Roger W. (1998) ''Sky Atlas 2000.0'', various editions. 2nd Deluxe Edition, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England (U.K.).

''Northern Celestial Hemisphere & North Circumpolar Region'':

Becvar, Antonin. (1962) ''Atlas Borealis 1950.0'', Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences (Ceskoslovenske Akademie Ved), Praha, Czechoslovakia, 1st Edition, elephant folio hardcover, with small transparency overlay coordinate grid square and separate paper magnitude legend ruler. 2nd Edition 1972 and 1978 reprint, Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences (Ceskoslovenske Akademie Ved), Prague, Czechoslovakia, and Sky Publishing Corporation, Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A., ISBN 0-933346-01-8 oversize folio softcover spiral bound, with transparency overlay coordinate grid ruler.

''Equatorial, Ecliptic, & Zodiacal Celestial Sky'':

Becvar, Antonin. (1958) ''Atlas Eclipticalis 1950.0'', Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences (Ceskoslovenske Akademie Ved), Praha, Czechoslovakia, 1st Edition, elephant folio hardcover, with small transparency overlay coordinate grid square and separate paper magnitude legend ruler. 2nd Edition 1974, Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences (Ceskoslovenske Akademie Ved), Prague, Czechoslovakia, and Sky Publishing Corporation, Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A., oversize folio softcover spiral bound, with transparency overlay coordinate grid ruler.

''Southern Celestial Hemisphere & South Circumpolar Region'':

Becvar, Antonin. ''Atlas Australis 1950.0'', Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences (Ceskoslovenske Akademie Ved), Praha, Czechoslovakia, 1st Edition, elephant folio hardcover, with small transparency overlay coordinate grid square and separate paper magnitude legend ruler. 2nd Edition, Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences (Ceskoslovenske Akademie Ved), Prague, Czechoslovakia, and Sky Publishing Corporation, Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A., oversize folio softcover spiral bound, with transparency overlay coordinate grid ruler.

Catalogs

Becvar, Antonin. (1959) ''Atlas Coeli II Katalog 1950.0'', Praha, 1960 Prague. Published 1964 as ''Atlas of the Heavens - II Catalogue 1950.0'', Sky Publishing Corporation, Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

Hirshfeld, Alan and Sinnott, Roger W. (1982) ''Sky Catalogue 2000.0'', Cambridge University Press and Sky Publishing Corporation, 1st Edition, 2 volumes. LCCN 81017975 both vols., and LCCN 83240310 vol. 1. "Volume 1: Stars to Magnitude 8.0", ISBN 0-521-24710-1 (Cambridge) and 0-933346-35-2 (Sky) hardcover, ISBN 0-933346-34-4 (Sky) softcover. Vol. 2 (1985) - "Volume 2: Double Stars, Variable Stars, and Nonstellar Objects", ISBN 0-521-25818-9 (Cambridge) hardcover, ISBN 0-521-27721-3 (Cambridge) softcover. 2nd Edition (1991) with additional third author Frangois Ochsenbein, 2 volumes, LCCN 91026764. Vol. 1: ISBN 0-521-41743-0 (Cambridge) hardcover (black binding); ISBN 0-521-42736-3 (Cambridge) softcover (red lettering with Hans Vehrenberg astrophoto). Vol. 2 (1999): ISBN 0-521-27721-3 (Cambridge) softcover and 0-933346-38-7 (Sky) softcover - reprint of 1985 edition (blue lettering with Hans Vehrenberg astrophoto).

Yale University Observatory. (1908, et al.) ''Catalogue of Bright Stars'', New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.A. Referred to commonly as "Bright Star Catalogue". Various editions with various authors historically, the longest term revising author as (Ellen) Dorrit Hoffleit. 1st Edition 1908. 2nd Edition 1940 by Frank Schlesinger and Louise F. Jenkins. 3rd Edition (1964), 4th Edition, 5th Edition (1991), and 6th Edition (pending posthumous) by Hoffleit.

External links

IAU: The Constellations, including high quality maps.

Star Tales origins and mythology of the constellations (Ian Ridpath)

Photographic Atlas of the Constellations

Celestia free 3D realtime space-simulation (OpenGL)

Stellarium realtime sky rendering program (OpenGL)

Strasbourg Astronomical Data Center Files on official IAU constellation boundaries

Interactive Sky Charts (Allows navigation through the entire sky with variable star detail, optional constellation lines)

Table of Constellations

Online Text: Hyginus, Astronomica translated by Mary Grant Greco-Roman constellation myths

Neave Planetarium An interactive planetarium and stardome with realistic movement of stars and the planets.

Audio - Cain/Gay (2009) Astronomy Cast Constellations

Category:Astronomical objects

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Coordinates	52°18′32″N6°39′19 }}″N
Name
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Ayako Tsukada (塚田綾子)
Alias	Cream (久里夢)
Birth date	September 10, 1985
Origin	Kiyota, Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan
Instruments	Singing
Genre	Pop, rock, rhythm and blues, punk rock
Occupation	Singer, songwriter, model
Years active	2003–present
Label	FLME (2003-2004)WEED (2005)Giza Studio (2006-2009) avex trax (2009-)
Website	http://www.avexnet.or.jp/kamikiaya/
Past members	}}

is a Japanese singer-songwriter. Her style ranges from pop, rock to rhythm and blues. She currently resides in Osaka, and is currently signed with Tokyo-based AVEX recording label. She speaks moderate Chinese, and because of this, she has a notable fanbase in China.

Biography

Kamiki learned to play the piano when she was 4 years old. In junior high school, she began singing live. Influenced by punk rock, she also learned how to play the guitar.

In 2005, Kamiki released her two mini-albums "Constellation" and "Rock On" from the independent record label Weed Records.

Kamiki's singing career was mainly active in Osaka, where she garnered positive results. Her voice was so full of force that it was part of her reputation. She made appearances in music and fashion magazines, which caught people's attention.

In 2006, Kamiki signed on with Giza Studio and released her first major label single "Communication Break" on March 15. On April 12, her second single "Pierrot" was released. The song was respectively written and composed by B'z members Koshi Inaba and Tak Matsumoto, although the lyrics in Kamiki's version were slightly modified. It was released on the same day as the B'z single "ゆるぎないものひとつ" (Yuruginaimono Hitotsu), which contained "Pierrot" as its 2nd Beat (B-side). The single reached 9th place on the Oricon charts. Her third single "Mou Kimidake-wo Hanashitari-wa Shinai" peaked at the 11th place, and her first full album "Secret Code" debuted at 5th place. In order to promote Secret Code's release, Kamiki held two mini-concerts. One was as "Black Kamiki" and was performed at Tower Records in Shibuya. The other (later on the same day), was as "White Aya" and was performed at HMV in Shibuya. Entrance was free, provided that you had purchased Secret Code at the corresponding store.

Early 2007, Kamiki was one of the winners of the 21st Japan Gold Disc Award's New Artist of the Year.

In 2009, she moved the avex trax label and before leaving GIZA Studio, she released a best album titled, "Greatest Best" and she released her 12th single named "WBX (W-Boiled Extreme)" on November 11.

In 2010, her fourth album, "INDIVIDUAL EMOTION" was released on January 27, whereas the one of the track, "The Light" was released as a PV. Then on July 14, her 13th single, "Revolver" was released, then shortly after on August 11, she released her mini-album, "Gloriosa".

Discography

Singles

Single #	Information	Sales
		*Released: May 21, 2003	*Studio Album: N/A	*Oricon Top 200 Weekly Peak: /
		*Released: March 15, 2006	Secret Code (Aya Kamiki album)>Secret Code	*Oricon Top 200 Weekly Peak: #48
	align="left"	*Released: April 12, 2006	Secret Code (Aya Kamiki album)>Secret Code	*Oricon Top 200 Weekly Peak: #9
		*Released: May 31, 2006	Secret Code (Aya Kamiki album)>Secret Code	*Oricon Top 200 Weekly Peak: #11
		*Released: November 1, 2006	*Studio Album: Ashita no Tame ni ~Forever More~	*Oricon Top 200 Weekly Peak: #19
		*Released: May 23, 2007	*Studio Album: Ashita no Tame ni ~Forever More~	*Oricon Top 200 Weekly Peak: #24
		*Released: July 25, 2007	*Studio Album: Ashita no Tame ni ~Forever More~	*Oricon Top 200 Weekly Peak: #24
	align="left"	*Released: March 5, 2008	Are You Happy Now (Aya Kamiki album)>Are you happy now?	*Oricon Top 200 Weekly Peak: #28
		*Released: June 18, 2008	Are You Happy Now (Aya Kamiki album)>Are you happy now?	*Oricon Top 200 Weekly Peak: #34
	align="left"	*Released: August 6, 2008	Are You Happy Now (Aya Kamiki album)>Are you happy now?	*Oricon Top 200 Weekly Peak: #35
		*Released: December 3, 2008	*Studio Album: AYA KAMIKI Greatest Best	*Oricon Top 200 Weekly Peak: #42
	''as Kamiki Aya w TAKUYA''		*Released: November 11, 2009	*Studio Album: Individual Emotion	*Oricon Top 200 Weekly Peak: #8
	align="left"	*Released: July 14, 2010	Gloriosa (Kamiki Aya)>Gloriosa	*Oricon Top 200 Weekly Peak: #34

EPs

# ''Constellation'' ''(Indies)'' (May 25, 2005) # ''Rock On'' ''(Indies)'' (September 21, 2005) # ''Gloriosa'' (August 11, 2010) # ''EVILÄLIVE'' (March 9, 2011)

Studio albums

{|class="wikitable" ! width="30" rowspan="2"| Year ! width="240" rowspan="2"| Album details ! colspan="1"| Chart positions ! width="180" rowspan="2" | Informations !align="left" rowspan="2"|Sales |- !style="width:3em;font-size:75%;"| JP |- |align="center"| 2006 | ''Secret Code''

Released: July 12, 2006

Label: GIZA studio

Formats: CD, digital download

|align="center"| 5 |

Secret Code is Kamiki Aya's first full length album. Available in one edition, CD only.

|align="center"|65,004copies sold |- |align="center"| 2007 | ''Ashita no Tame ni ~Forever More~''

Released: October 10, 2007

Label: GIZA studio

Formats: CD, digital download

|align="center"| 8 |

Ashita no Tame ni ~Forever More~ is Kamiki Aya's second album. Available in two editions.

|align="center"|24,572 copies sold |- |align="center"| 2008 | ''Are you happy now?''

Released: September 10, 2008

Label: GIZA studio

Formats: CD, digital download

|align="center"| 10 |

Are you happy now? is Kamiki Aya's third album. Available in three editions.

|align="center"|18,006copies sold |- |align="center"| 2010 | ''AYA KAMIKI Greatest Best''

Released: January 27, 2010

Label: GIZA Studio

Formats: CD, Digital Download

|align="center"| 30 |

Last album best under label GIZA studio of Aya Kamiki.

|align="center"|8,340copies sold |- |align="center"| 2010 | ''Individual Emotion''

Released: January 27, 2010

Label: avex trax

Formats: CD, 2 CDs, Digital Download

|align="center"| 23 |

Individual Emotion is her first album by the label Avex Trax.

|align="center"|9,921copies sold |- |align="center"| 2011 | ''THE FINAL JOURNEY''

Released: September 7, 2011

Label: avex trax

Formats: 2 CDs, 2 CDs+DVD, Digital Download

|align="center"| / |

Commemoration album in the music industry for her 5th years as a major artist. Latest album before leaving avex trax.

|align="center"|/ copies sold |}

DVD

# AYA KAMIKI FIRST LIVE (2 May 2007) # AYA KAMIKI MUSIC VIDEO#1 (7 November 2007) # THE FINAL JOURNEY -FINAL EDITION- (7 September 2011)

References

External links

Aya Kamiki official Avex trax site

Aya Kamiki official GIZA studio site

Aya Kamiki official Agency site

Category:Ainu people Category:Female rock singers Category:Japanese female singers Category:1985 births Category:Living people Category:People from Sapporo

bar:Aya Kamiki fr:Aya Kamiki ko:가미키 아야 ja:上木彩矢 no:Aya Kamiki pt:Aya Kamiki tl:Aya Kamiki zh:上木彩矢

Coordinates	52°18′32″N6°39′19 }}″N
name	Anaal Nathrakh
background	group_or_band
origin	Birmingham, England, United Kingdom
genre	Black metal, death metal, grindcore
years active	1999–present
label	FETOSeason of MistMordgrimmCandlelight
associated acts	Mistress, Fukpig, Frost
website	www.myspace.com/anaalnathrakh
current members	Mick KenneyDave Hunt }}

Anaal Nathrakh are a British extreme metal band formed in 1999 who fuse black metal, grindcore, death metal and industrial music. They are currently signed to Candlelight Records.

The name comes from Merlin's Charm of Making in John Boorman's 1981 film ''Excalibur''. According to Michael Everson's transcription, Anaal Nathrakh means "serpent's breath".

Description

Anaal Nathrakh are typically described as black metal, despite eschewing the aesthetic of many black metal bands, such as dressing in a casual manner, as opposed to the corpsepaint and spiked leather clothing traditionally favoured by the black metal subculture. The band does not publish their lyrics.

Anaal Nathrakh, like many black metal bands, draw much inspiration from the writings of Friedrich Nietzsche, exemplified by such song titles as "Human, All Too Fucking Human" and "Revaluation of All Values". All of Anaal Nathrakh's music is written, recorded and produced by Mick Kenney.

Biography

Anaal Nathrakh started off in 1998 as a raw black metal band. Two demos were released in 1999, ''Anaal Nathrakh'' and ''Total Fucking Necro''. Following this, the band were signed by indie record label Mordgrimm, who released the duo's debut album, ''The Codex Necro'', in 2001. In 2002, Anaal Nathrakh's first two demos were compiled into a single disc entitled ''Total Fucking Necro''. This was released by the UK underground metal label Rage Of Achilles. In 2003, Mordgrimm released the band's first EP, ''When Fire Rains Down from the Sky, Mankind Will Reap as It Has Sown''.

In 2004, Anaal Nathrakh released their second full-length album, ''Domine Non Es Dignus'', on the French label Season of Mist. ''Domine Non Es Dignus'' showed a departure from the band's raw black metal roots. In 2006, the group's third album, ''Eschaton'' (a form of prophecy concerning the end of the world), was released. ''Eschaton'''s music continued in the same vein as ''Domine Non Es Dignus''. This album featured guest appearances by Shane Embury of Napalm Death and Attila Csihar of Mayhem.

The album ''Hell Is Empty and All the Devils Are Here'' was released through the band's new record label, FETO Records, in October 2007.

In 2009, Anaal Nathrakh announced that they signed to record label Candlelight Records for their upcoming release of ''In the Constellation of the Black Widow''. Commenting on the signing, V.I.T.R.I.O.L. stated, "Candlelight have shown a strong belief in Anaal Nathrakh and looking at some of the acts on their roster both past and present it seems they are capable of backing up their good intentions. With their help we hope we can finally get the planet cracked in half", and "''Constellation'' will be faster, more insidious, more ominous, more musically dexterous and wilder than ever before. The album will feature a curve ball guest appearance from Zeitgeist Memento of Mexican extremists Repvblika." ''In the Constellation of the Black Widow'' was released in June 2009, and swiftly received many positive reviews from respected magazines and websites. It went on to be placed in numerous international "best of 2009" lists, including about.com and Terrorizer magazine.

Anaal Nathrakh released their sixth full-length album, ''Passion'', in 2011.

Playing live

Anaal Nathrakh began as a purely studio-based project, the band never looking to take Anaal Nathrakh to the stage. However, following a successful BBC Radio 1 live session with John Peel (as heard on the 2006 re-release of ''The Codex Necro''), they sought to play live again, although only for special one-offs. They have stated they are not to become an ordinary touring band.

Anaal Nathrakh made their live debut at London's Underworld on December 15, 2005, as headliners for Terrorizer Magazine's "A Cold Night In Hell" Christmas show. This was followed by another show at Birmingham Edwards No. 8 on December 16, supported by Narcosis and Ramesses.

Since then the band has performed at several festivals and the occasional live show. Notable appearances in 2007 include the Inferno Metal Festival, the No Mercy Festival, the Damnation Festival, the Hole In The Sky festival, and a hometown show in Birmingham.

In 2008 the band embarked on a small tour, which included several UK dates, headlining the Maryland Deathfest and FETO Fest, and playing Hellfest in Clisson, France.

In 2009 Anaal Nathrakh supported Testament in London, and performed at the Brutal Assault festival, the Summer Breeze Open Air festival, and the Incubate festival.

In 2010, Anaal Nathrakh performed with Marduk on the Funeral Nation Tour, playing ten shows in the UK and Ireland.

Band members

Irrumator (Mick Kenney) (ex-Frost, ex-Mistress, Sorrows, ex-Professor Fate, Fukpig) – guitars, bass, drums, drum programming, production

V.I.T.R.I.O.L. (Dave Hunt) (Benediction, Mistress) – vocals

Additional live members

Ventnor (Nog) – guitar

Misery (Paul Kenney) (Mistress, Fukpig) – bass

St. Evil (Steve Powell) (Theoktony) – drums

Past members

Leicia – bass (1998–2000)

Nicholas Barker – live drums (ex-Cradle of Filth, ex-Dimmu Borgir) (2004)

Shane Embury – live bass (Napalm Death, Lock Up, Venomous Concept, Unseen Terror, Brujeria) (2004–2005)

Danny Herrera – live drums (Napalm Death) (2005)

Discography

''The Codex Necro'' (2001)

''Total Fucking Necro'' (2002)

''When Fire Rains Down from the Sky, Mankind Will Reap as It Has Sown'' (2003)

''Domine Non Es Dignus'' (2004)

''Eschaton'' (2006)

''Hell Is Empty and All the Devils Are Here'' (2007)

''In the Constellation of the Black Widow'' (2009)

''Passion'' (2011)

External links

Official MySpace

Official Merchandise

References

Category:English black metal musical groups Category:Blackened death metal musical groups Category:Musical groups established in 1999 Category:Earache Records artists Category:Musical duos

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