Saturnus (band)
Danish death-doom band formed in 1991.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
Saturnus is a Danish death-doom band. They started in 1991 as the death metal group Asesino, founded by vocalist Thomas A.G. Jensen and bassist Brian Hansen. Two years later, they renamed themselves Saturnus and shifted to a melodic death/doom style with gothic metal elements added through synthesizers. During the 1990s, they put out several demos, an EP, and two albums: *Paradise Belongs to You* and *Martyre*. Their third full-length, *Veronika Decides to Die*, came out in May 2006, taking its title from Paulo Coelho’s novel. After that release, they toured through 2008 with bands including Agalloch, Novembers Doom, Mar de Grises, and Thurisaz.
In April 2012, the band announced on Facebook that they would start recording a new album, *Saturn in Ascension*, with producer Flemming Rasmussen. They later confirmed a November 30, 2012 release date through Cyclone Empire records. By 2020, they had hired two new guitarists and planned to begin work on another album. Vocalist T. Jensen mentioned in June 2020 that they were working on unreleased songs for later that year, but that did not happen due to unforeseen issues. In March 2023, they officially announced their fifth studio album, *The Storm Within*, which came out on June 16, 2023. This marked their longest gap between studio albums, over a decade since *Saturn in Ascension*.
Current members include Thomas Akim Grønbæk Jensen on vocals, Henrik Glass on drums, Brian Pomy Hansen on bass, Indee Rehal-Sagoo on lead guitar, Julio Fernandez on rhythm guitar, and Mika Filborne on keyboards. Former members include guitarists Kim Sindahl, Christian Brenner, Mikkel Andersen, Jens Lee, Kim Larsen, Morten Skrubbeltrang, Peter Erecius Poulsen, Tais Pedersen, Mattias Svensson, Michael Denner (session), Gert Lund, and Rune Stiassny; drummers Pouli Choir, Jesper Saltoft, Morten Plenge, and Nikolaj Borg; bassists Peter Heede and Lennart E. Jacobsen; and keyboardist Anders Ro Nielsen. Their discography consists of five albums: *Paradise Belongs to You* (1997), *Martyre* (2000), *Veronika Decides to Die* (2006), *Saturn in Ascension* (2012), and *The Storm Within* (2023), along with several demos and EPs.
- formed
- 1991
- origin
- Denmark
- genre
- Death-doom, melodic death/doom, gothic metal
- years_active
- 1991–present
- label
- Cyclone Empire
- notable_albums
- Veronika Decides to Die (2006), Saturn in Ascension (2012), The Storm Within (2023)
Lore & Background
Saturnus were formed in 1991 by vocalist Thomas A.G. Jensen and bassist Brian Hansen as death metal band Asesino. They changed their name to Saturnus in 1993, switching to their present sound of melodic death/doom with synthesized touches of gothic metal. Throughout the 1990s, Saturnus recorded and released several demos, an EP, and two albums, Paradise Belongs to You and Martyre. Their third full-length album, Veronika Decides to Die, was released in May 2006, with the title inspired by Paulo Coelho's novel of the same name. The band toured from 2006 into 2008 with bands such as Agalloch, Novembers Doom, Mar de Grises, and Thurisaz.
Reader's Guide
Saturnus have maintained a consistent presence in the death-doom scene since their formation in 1991. Their shift from death metal to a melodic death/doom style with gothic metal touches defined their sound. The band's third album, Veronika Decides to Die, drew inspiration from a Paulo Coelho novel, and their subsequent touring with notable acts like Agalloch and Novembers Doom helped solidify their reputation. After a decade-long gap between studio albums, they released The Storm Within in 2023, marking their longest gap between albums. The band's lineup has seen many changes, but core members Thomas A.G. Jensen and Brian Hansen have remained central. Their discography includes five studio albums and several demos and EPs, reflecting an enduring if intermittent creative output.
Did You Know?
- Saturnus were originally formed as the death metal band Asesino in 1991.
- Their album Veronika Decides to Die was inspired by Paulo Coelho's novel of the same name.
- The band's fifth studio album, The Storm Within, was released in June 2023 after a gap of over a decade.
- Saturnus toured with Agalloch, Novembers Doom, Mar de Grises, and Thurisaz between 2006 and 2008.
More in Danish heavy metal musical groups 1-22
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record