Lycanthia

Lycanthia
Origin	Sydney, NSW
Genres	Doom metal, death metal, Goth metal
Years active	1996 – 2015
Labels	None
Associated acts	Elysium, Dungeon, The Veil, Myraeth, Nevetherym, Katabasis, Hemina, Decayed Divinity, Leicohtica, Rituals of the Oak, Kimaera, Avrigus, Cruciform, The Slow Death, Illimitable Dolor, Futility, Promethean Misery, Requiem of the Damned
Past members	Vanessa Black, Andrew Craig, Stephen Mikulic, Mathew Newton, Megan Robins, Lee Tassaker, Giv Gariano, Jennifer McCaffrie, Andrew Craig, Christian Raw, Samantha Kempster, Sabine Hamad, James Wright, Mandy Andresen, Chad Halford, Vanessa Ritchie, Andrew Habib, Matthew Taylor, Lachlan Donaldon, Beau Dyer, Natalie Crawford, Oliver Heinbach, Michael Lenton

Band Members

• Final Line-Up
  • Vanessa Black (violin, flute, vocals)
  • Steven Mikulic (guitar)
  • Mathew Newton (guitar)
  • Megan Robins (keys, vocals)
  • Lee Tassaker (vocals, bass)
  • Michael Lenton (drums)

• Former Members
  • Giv Gariano (guitar) 2002 - 2011
  • Jennifer McCaffrie (keys, vocals) 2009 - 2011
  • Andrew Craig (drums) 2009 - 2011
  • Christian Raw (drums) 2007 - 2009
  • Samantha Kempster (violin) 2003 - 2009
  • Sabine Hamad-Linfoot (keys, vocals) 2005 - 2008
  • James Wright (drums) 2003 - 2007
  • Mandy Andresen (keys, vocals)2001 - 2005
  • Chad Halford (guitar) 2000 - 2001
  • Vanessa Ritchie (keys) 1998 - 2002
  • Andrew Habib (guitar) 1998 - 2000
  • Matthew Taylor (guitar) 1998 - 2002
  • Michael Armstrong (guitar) 1998
  • Lachlan Donaldson (drums) 1996 - 1998, 1999 - 2002, 2011
  • Beau Dyer (drums) 1999
  • Natalie Crawford (vocals, flute) 1996 - 2000
  • Oliver Heinbach (cello) 1998

Formed

Sydney, NSW, 1996

Band Information

Lycanthia was a doom-death band from Sydney that was formed in 1996 by Natalie Crawford and Lee Tassaker. A demo was issued in 1997 and and album was recorded with the line-up of Tassaker, Crawford, Matthew Taylor, Michael Armstrong and Lachlan Donaldson, with Oliver Heinbach providing cello. Vanessa Ritchie later joined as specialist keyboards player. Donaldson left to be replaced by Elysium's Beau Dyer for a short time. In 2000 the album from 1998 was finally released and Lycanthia performed at the 2001 Metal for the Brain. Natalie Crawford was then replaced by Mandy Andresen and Donaldson departed once again.

The band endured considerable downtime after this as the line-up of Tassaker, Giv Gariano and Andreson sought further membership. By mid-2003 was playing live again with the addition of one time Dungeon guitarist Stephen Mikulic, drummer James Wright and violinist Samantha Kempster.

A four-track EP was planned for early 2005 but Andreson left Lycanthia and the release was delayed. In April 2005 it was announced that Sabine Hamad, formerly of Lebanese Goth-metal act Kimaera, had replaced Andreson. Lycanthia released an EP in late 2006, although live appearances were curtailed when Hamad was forced to return to Lebanon to await a visa. In her absence, Wright left the band. Hamad's November 2007 return brought the band back to the live arena, with Wright's seat filled by Christian Raw. After some interstate touring in 2008, Lycanthia was named as an opening act on a proposed tour by Mayhem but the tour did not proceed; the group played two shows on Dismember's July 2008 Australian tour.

Hamad departed in December 2008 to join Rituals of the Oak and in 2009 Kempster and Raw leaft for Myraeth, to be replaced by Vanessa Black, Jennifer McCaffrie from Leicohtica taking over from Hamad and Nevetherym's Andrew Craig replacing Raw. A new album was begun in 2009 with Simon Gruer from Avrigus producing and the band was to support Paradise Lost in February 2010, but that tour was cancelled. McCaffrie was replaced by Megan Robins from Avrigus and long-serving guitarist Giv Gariano departed during 2011. Oligarchy eventually surfaced in 2012; Mathew Newton replaced Gariano and Lachlan Donaldson returned to the band as a temporary replacement for Andrew Craig. Tassaker and Black (now Megan Tassaker) joined Cruciform in 2015, and that band's drummer Michael Lenton joined Lycanthia. The band made one final recording which was released as a split with Atten Ash from the US, and then disbanded.

Discography

Album:

2000	Myriad	Independent
2012	Oligarchy	Independent

EP:

2006	Within the Walls	Independent

Split:

2015	Split with Atten Ash	Hypnotic Dirge