Get ready for a heavy metal storm because ASINHELL, the death metal brainchild of VOLBEAT's Michael Poulsen, is gearing up for their second album! But here's where it gets exciting: this isn't just another side project. Poulsen, the mastermind behind VOLBEAT's stadium-filling rock anthems, is revisiting his death metal roots, and fans are in for a brutal treat.
As of December 31, 2025, ASINHELL—featuring Poulsen on guitar, Marc Grewe (INSIDIOUS DISEASE, ex-MORGOTH) on vocals, and Morten Toft Hansen (RAUNCHY) on drums—has officially begun crafting the follow-up to their 2023 debut, Impii Hora (Latin for "Ungodly Hour"). According to Grewe’s recent social media update, the band plans to hit the studio sometime next year, promising another dose of old-school death metal fury.
For over two decades, Poulsen has been the driving force behind VOLBEAT, releasing nine studio albums, selling millions of records, and packing arenas worldwide. But long before VOLBEAT, Poulsen cut his teeth in the mid-90s with DOMINUS, a death metal band known for their blistering speed and unrelenting brutality. Fast forward to 2021, while writing VOLBEAT’s Servant Of The Mind, Poulsen found himself penning death metal riffs, which he stashed away on his phone. Once the VOLBEAT album was wrapped, he reignited his passion for the genre, assembling ASINHELL as a tribute to the old-school bands that inspired him.
The project began in the most raw, authentic way possible: Poulsen and Toft Hansen, longtime friends and neighbors, jammed in Morten’s garage with nothing but a drum kit and a cranked-up combo amp—just like their teenage days. Each session birthed a new song, and soon, they enlisted Grewe, whose growling vocals Poulsen had long admired. "Michael always talked about doing a death metal project, but I never thought he’d actually pull the trigger," Grewe admitted. "When he called and said, ‘Let’s do this,’ I was all in."
With the lineup complete, the trio teamed up with VOLBEAT producer Jacob Hansen, who handled production, mixing, and bass duties on Impii Hora. For lead guitar, Poulsen turned to Flemming C. Lund, VOLBEAT’s touring guitarist and a member of THE ARCANE ORDER. ASINHELL made their live debut on May 30, 2024, at Pumphuset in Copenhagen, Denmark, with Hansen and Lund rounding out the lineup.
And this is the part most people miss: ASINHELL isn’t just a nostalgia trip for Poulsen—it’s a full-throated declaration of his enduring love for death metal. But here’s the controversial question: Can a frontman of a mainstream rock band truly recapture the raw intensity of his death metal roots? Or is ASINHELL just a passion project destined to live in the shadow of VOLBEAT’s success?
Let us know what you think in the comments below! And while you’re at it, share your favorite old-school death metal bands—maybe Poulsen will take notes for album number two.
Photo credit: Brittany Bowman
Wishing you all a killer 2026! 🎸🤘
