Frost Like Ashes

Frost Like Ashes is a Christian black metal/death metal band that formed in Kansas City, Missouri in 2001. Previously signed to Psycho Acoustix Records and then to Sullen Records, an imprint of Open Grave Records, their music combines elements of black metal, death metal and thrash metal with keyboards and virtuosic vocals notable for "switching between about 10 different extreme styles within a given song." Their lyrics have achieved attention for their harsh output, providing a Biblical point of view for the regular, cruel themes of black metal music. The band is also controversial for using the typical corpse paint style often associated with the black metal visuals.
Two of the band members, vocalist Azahel and drummer Adonijah, were former members of a controversial death metal and thrash metal band, Possession that was active from 1992 to 1998. Frost Like Ashes was formed on the vision of guitarist, Sebat (formerly of World Funeral and Coven), who would recruit Azahel (vocals) and Syntyche (bass) in 2001 and begin what has become a hybrid of black metal and death metal.
Their live act incorporates a reversal of stereotypical black-metal images, for example; spitting in and tearing up a Satanic Bible and smashing a goat-skull adorned pentagram with a sword.
The band members use aliases in their albums and press to keep their identities secret, much like normal black metal, but the band's aliases have meanings behind them. Azahel is an alternative spelling of Asahel, a figure in the Bible, Fire is the translation of Bassist Jarek Pozarycki's name, Qoheleth means teacher or preacher, Adonijah was the name of one of David's sons, and Sebat is Guitarist Michael Larson's "name". Though the band uses aliases, many of their names have become public knowledge.