Without the usual knowledge of our instruments we took our first musical footsteps. And started June 1985 the all over girlband

Twins No Twins

Margriet - Vocals

Karin - Guitar

Marja - Bass

Hester - Drums

 

After just five weeks of being together, we played our first gig and we had a taste for more. The music we were making was sober and emotional, especially because of Margriet's vocals, and it wasn't long before we could be seen regularly on stage.

 

 

Playing

at Fire 1985

However, a few months later Hester decided to quit the band and Diana joined for a short timeafter which she passed the drumsticks to Conny.

Marja also decided to leave the band and a short time after that we met Elfriede...

a moment we will never forget.

It was time to herald a new beginning of wild times rocking on stage, and so in December 1987 we became....

Asrai

Margriet - Vocals

Karin - Guitar

Elfriede - Bass

Conny - Drums

The Asrai are small, fragile, female beings who turn into a puddle of water when they are captured or exposed to sunlight. This makes them unreachable.  We felt this was a good representation of our music.

When Conny in 1988 left the band, Karin decided to play the drums instead of the guitar and our first male guitarist entered the band.

Margriet - Vocals

Bert - Guitar

Elfriede - Bass

Karin - Drums

Many gigs followed with the same line-up for eight years.

In this line-up we recorded several tapes

 

  • The Blue Tape
  • So clear that you couldn' tell where the water ended and the air began
  • Love is a Lie
  • Live in a Package
  • Asrai - promotape
We wanted to record a CD,unfortunally it was that Elfriede and Bert decided to leave the band, and for the last time we went to the studio and recorded the last tape together called Asrai.
Soon afterwards we found good replacements in Serge on guitar and Leah on bass.

 

Margiet - Vocals

Serge - Guitar

Leah - Bass

Karin - Drums

 
We finally recorded our first our first cd
 

As Voices Speak

It wasn't long before we were noticed by Michael Zoller from Poison Ivy Records and a German release of As Voices Speak was issued..

You could find us on several compliation cd's

 

  • Poison Ivy Strike
  • Twilight of the Gods
  • Touched by the hands of Goth
  • X-treem CD

However, Serge's career had taken off, so he left the band, this time it wasn't so easy to find the right replacement, eventually, Jos took over as the new guitarist. We also wanted to explore and deepen our music, so we started searching for a keyboard player or a second guitarist, and this was when we discovered Rik.

 

 

Margiet - Vocals

Jos - Guitar

Rik - Guitar

Leah - Bass

Karin - Drums

 

 

However, Jos became so successful with his other band, Grendel, that it was difficult for him to combine the two bands, so only four of us played on the next CD.

 

We met Roman Schoensee and we decided to record the next CD at his studio, the beautiful Lake Studio. Unfortunately, a short time before we went to the studio, Leah became ill and we asked Martin, a good friend and brilliant bass player, to fill in for her until she had recovered, and thus we recorded our demo.

By now Transmission records was interested and gave us the opportunity to record the album with a larger budget and one of the better mixers, Sascha Peath.

We also wanted Roman to be our producer. Sadly, before we went to the studio for the second time, it became clear that Leah wouldn't recover enough to play the bass a lot, and she decided to leave the band.

 

 

Margiet - Vocals

Rik - Guitar

Martin - Bass

Manon - Keyboard

Karin - Drums

Then a friend of ours, Manon, heard our demo, and before she even realised what was happening, soon there were five of us rocking on stage. The line-up remained this way and the five of us went to the Beautiful Lake studio and Excess Studio with
Hans Pieters, and recorded our next CD, Touch In The Dark.
With Roman Schoensee as our producer and Sascha Peath mixed the album

Touch in the Dark

 
May 26 the 2004 the album
"Touch in the Dark" was been released in most European countries as well as in Asia and North and South America.
 

Pale Light

 

The single "Pale Light"

was released may 6 the.

 

The video-clip made for their single "Pale Light" was made by the versatile and talented duo Marcel de Jong and Jelle Swetter .

Our heart beat faster when we saw the artwork of Marcel de Jong, not only multi talented but also with the right atmosphere.

We also fell in love with the cute artwork of Maud Mulder. Based on the Betty Bones she created our merchandise line.

 

In Front of Me

 
Their second single "In front of me"from the album "Touch in the Dark" was released 
September 23 the.
And again the videoclip was made by Marcel de Jong and Jelle Swetter and Maud Mulder.

 

The videoclip was made by the wonderfull cooperation between

Marcel de Jong and Jelle Swetter and Maud Mulder

 Asrai won the Essent award.

 So enough extra's to buy a second back-line and to hit the road again....

 Asrai did several tours and ened up in studio again to work on their next CD.

 

Again at the Excess Studio with Hans Pieters and this time with Sascha Peath as our producer.

For the finishing touch some parts were recorded at the Gate studio by Sascha Paeth. and Amanda Sommerville.

 

We did a photo shoot with Alex le Heux which was used for the artwork.

 

After the preproduction it became clear that Transmissions wouldn' be able to release our next album. And  end 2006 we'e pround to announce that we're signed by Season of Mist.
Who will release the cd Pearls in Dirt

Pearls in Dirt

 

(digipak in velvet o-ring + booklet)
Release date: Nov. 12th, US Nov. 20th

 

Sour Ground

 

The cover of the "Sour Ground" single was made by Marcel de Jong who also did the "Pale Light" and "In front of me"
video clips."

Videoclip made by

Marcel the Jong

with recording from the gig at Paradiso

 

Photo's taken by

Kenny van Essen

Playing in the Netherlands and doing several European tours, like The Darkest Tour and the Rubicon tour. Time flies and it's time to think about to go back to the studio again

Back to the Excuss Studio where we recorded  All seems so  Hollow .
 We are happy to work together again with Sascha Peath who produced the song.

 

The videoclip was made by

Loes Baijens and

Silver Oliver

 

Time to go back to the studio again
We went to the Gate studio. Were we recorded our upcomming EP. prodeced and recorded by Sascha Peath

March 2013, After almost eleven years Martin decided to go his own musical way.

Soon we found our new bassist Jett and it's time to release our new EP

 

Between Dreams and Destiny

 release 20 august 2013
 
Recorded and produced by
Sascha Peath

 

Margiet - Vocals

Rik - Guitar

Manon - Keyboard

Jett - Bass

Karin - Drums

After  seventeen years, Rik decides in September 2016 to end his musical journey with Asrai. And not long time after Rik's decision Jett also decided to quit the band.

Margriet, Manon and Karin didn't had to think long to decide that for Asrai it's not the time to quit, we would miss making music, and being on stage too much.

We were looking for a new guitarplayer and we didn't had to think twice to ask Jacqui Taylor. We bumped into eachother backstage at Eindhoven Metal Meeting, and there was a good connection instandly, and that was exacttly what we needed.

 

Dispite of the long distance we found our own way to pratice and in April 2017 we finally got the chance to be all together on stage.... and it was wicked!

 

Margiet - Vocals

Jacqui - Guitar

Manon - Keyboard

Karin - Drums

Already thirty years has gone since we changed the band name into Asrai. So much has happened.

What a beautiful time it was, so a for us a good reason to do something special.

 

We got through our collection and selected our favorite songs. Now we can present you:  Hourglass, a musical journey through 30 years. With special versions of our favorite songs.  

With a special squeal/ remix from Something made by Hans Pieters.  Introducing Jacqui on guitar.

After thirty years this is a new begin for what the future will bring us.

 

Shattererd Time.

We where asked to particepate for a Dead can Dance Tribute CD, we coulnd't refuse

we made our own version of Anywhere out of this world, and although the Tribute album was never released, the song was too nice to to schere with the rest of the world..

So you can find Anywhere out of the world, on Shattered time.