ARUSPEX (ARE-OO-SPECS), derivation of the Latin word Haruspex, within Roman society a class of diviner, or soothsayer, that practiced the art of haruspicomancy, a form of divination that involved the art of inspecting the entrails of animals, especially the lamb, sacrificed upon the altar in order to divine the future
or the wishes of the gods.
In the fall of 2000 Aruspex was born with Nate Lawres on guitar, Nick Beato on guitar and drum programming, Andrew Smalls on bass, and Joel Serrao on vocals. Unfortunately, Joel left the band after only a few short months, so Andrew took over his position as vocalist. Over the course of the next year the material for the "Revelations" Demo was written, and was finally recorded in late 2001. After completing the recording Russell Hann (ex- Pronounced Dead, Dark Faith, and Ezra Stone) was recruited to fill the drum position. Over the course of the next couple of years Aruspex performed many live shows throughout the state of Florida with bands such as Amon Amarth. Diabolic, Pessimist, Dying Fetus, Into Eternity, Dark Faith, Paths of Possession, and many others.
During May of 2003 the "Slaughter of Christianity" Demo was recorded at Diet of Worms studios with Juan "Punchy" Gonzales (Morbid Angel, Diabolic, Terrorizer). This demo was well received throughout the Florida metal scene. Unfortunately after the recording was finished the band parted ways to pursue other musical projects. Nate went on to join forces with the infamous death metal outfit, Equinox (www.myspace.com/equinoxmetal), appearing on “The Immortal Kind” EP, while Nick and Andrew pursued the completion of compositions for Nick's solo project (www.myspace.com/nickbeato).
In 2006 the band attempted to reform with Gabriel Lewandowski (Equinox, ex-Naphobia, Acheron and Hellwitch) on drums due to Russell joining the military and being unavailable. Unfortunately a steady schedule was unable to be maintained and the band split up again due to the inability to find a replacement behind the kit. During the time following this split Nate and Andrew joined forces with Ed Makowske and Gabriel to form Serpent Son, which did not last very long. The band, however, played a successful show with Unleashed, Krisiun, and Belphegor.
In 2007 the gods had willed it to resurrect the beast known as Aruspex. To fulfill the wishes of the gods the band was reformed, but with a new, more aggressive style, along with new members Mike Radford (ex-Nefaustium, Mindscar) on drums and Ed Makowske (ex-Hatred Unleashed, Impurity, Serpent Son) on lead vocals. Upon their return the band played many more shows with both international and local acts alike. Acts such as Nile, Cthonic, Watain, Withered, Nailshitter, Dark Faith, Paths of Possession, Success Will Write Apocalypse Across The Sky, and many, many more. It was in this year that the “Descending into Darkness” demo was recorded. While this demo was never officially released, many CD-R copies were distributed at shows and online.
Now, in 2008, the band has returned with its most powerful and dynamic release, “Blessed for Extinction.” This EP highlights Aruspex's musical technicality, aggression, and melodic style. It features three new tracks, the “Descending into Darkness” demo, and live recordings of two of the new tracks. With this newest offering the band intends to reach new heights in their career by reaching out to a wider variety of audiences than with their previous endeavors.
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