Ana Kefr

"Doing something original when the most commercially viable option is to do exactly the opposite requires large testicles and a strong sense of identity." - Metal Hammer (on Ana Kefr) "It’s clear from the word 'go' that the very last thing they’re interested in is playing to singalong industry/scene expectation. In spite of the epic scope of the music, the songs are rooted firmly at street level. Ana Kefr never get lost in their own brilliance." - Brave Words and Bloody Knuckles Ana Kefr banded mid-2008 with founding core members and writing dyad Kyle Coughran and Rhiis Lopez, releasing their full-length debut mid-2009. Volume 1, issued via their imprint label Muse Sick, climbed to, and remains in, the top 50 best-selling albums on CDBaby Distribution. Performing with Exodus, Into Eternity, My Ruin, Taproot, Meldrum and Death by Stereo, the band released the single Tonight We Watch the Children Fucking Burn mid-2010 (Muse Sick). Ana Kefr released their second full-length album in 2011, The Burial Tree (II) (Muse Sick), which climbed to #3 best-selling death metal album on Amazon for 2 consecutive weeks - the only independently-released album in the top 50. Shortly after the album's release and a brief American West-coast tour with Nekrogoblikon, the band organized and financed their first 32-date nationwide tour, The Zephyr US Tour 2011. Bringing their unique brand of extreme metal to over half of the continental United States, Ana Kefr subsequently supported Sabaton's North American release of "Carolus Rex," and vocalist Rhiis Lopez appeared on 2012's "Blessed He With Boils," the debut full-length record from cinematic black metal outfit Xanthochroid. Ana Kefr completed the cycle of The Burial Tree (II) with a finale performance at the California Metalfest festival, alongside Killswitch Engage, The Dillinger Escape Plan and others. Ana Kefr have received multiple accolades for their work, Volume 1 (2009, Muse Sick) named one of the best albums of 2009 by Brave Words and Bloody Knuckles, Blistering.com, The Press Enterprise and Detritus, Tonight We Watch the Children Fucking Burn (2010, Muse Sick) one of the best releases of 2010 by Blistering.com. The Burial Tree (II) (2011, Muse Sick) was named one of the best albums of 2011 by Blistering.com, The NewReview, The Press Enterprise, That Devil Music, Brushvox, Technical Death Metal.com, Metal Odyssey, Heavy Blog is Heavy, Hard Rock Hideout, Heavy Metal Time Machine, Kosher Metal, The Slideshow, Portugal's Infektion Magazine and Confronto de Almas, and Argentina's Helltrip Magazine. Ana Kefr were partners in the Atheist Alliance International 2009 Convention, the 2010 OC Freethought Alliance Conference, 2011 Southern California Secular Humanist Conference, 2012 OC Freethought Alliance Conference and Atheist Alliance Convention in Denver, Colorado. Ana Kefr (انا كافر), "I am Infidel." RIP (May 5, 2008 - March 6, 2013)