Led Astray

Led Astray

Led Astray is a metal group from Utrecht in the Netherlands, active from 2002 until 2009. The band forms in Utrecht, Utrecht Province, and plays a dynamic mix of death and thrash metal, with lyrics that include spiritual undertones despite the members not being religious.

Formation and line-up

The group is founded in 2002 by guitarists Martijn and Rogier, who aim to create a blend of death and thrash that sounds natural rather than generic or deliberately original. After auditions for the remaining roles, Jona joins on drums, Melvin on vocals and Yorick on bass.

Recordings and appearances

In early 2005, Led Astray self-releases a six-track demo, Denying the Inevitable, which receives positive reviews from international metal press. After the demo, the band plays live frequently in support of the release and sells out shows quickly. It also appears on Henk Westbroek’s weekly RTV Utrecht television programme Westbroek!, which leads to the filming of a video for the track Exceed the Feeling of Nothing.

Debut album and split

In July 2008, the band records its first full-length album, In Ways Unforeseen, at Quintijn Verhoef’s Independent Recordings in Utrecht. Led Astray ends in late 2009 after the members find it difficult to make enough time for the band, their musical preferences change, and they feel they have reached their musical limit.

Aftermath

After the split, Yorick continues as a guitarist with the progressive death/black metal band Deleterious, while Melvin plays drums in the grind band Porco Dio.