Azrael

Azrael (Hebrew: עזראל‎; Arabic: عزرائيل‎, translit. ʿIzrāʾīl or Arabic: عزرایل‎, translit. ʿIzrāīl) is often identified with the Archangel of Death in Hebrew, Sikhism lore, as well as Islam. The Qur'an never uses this name, rather referring to Malak al-Maut (which translates directly as Angel of Death). Also spelled Izrail, Azrin, Izrael, Azriel, Azrail, Ezraeil, Azraille, Azryel, Ozryel, or Azraa-eel, the Chambers English dictionary uses the spelling Azrael. The name literally means One Whom God Helps, in an adaptive form of Hebrew.

Background

Depending on the outlook and precepts of various religions in which he is a figure, Azrael may be portrayed as residing in the Third Heaven. In one of his forms, he has four faces and four thousand wings, and his whole body consists of eyes and tongues, the number of which corresponds to the number of people inhabiting the Earth. He will be the last to die, recording and erasing constantly in a large book the names of men at birth and death, respectively.

Azrael (disambiguation)

Azrael is the traditional name of the angel of death in many religions.

Azrael may also refer to:

Fictional characters

People

Other uses

See also

Azrael (band)

Azrael is a black metal band from Minnesota, formed by Lord Samaiza and Algol in 1999. In 2000, their first demo tape, Virulent Darkness, was released by the band. In 2001, their second demo tape Unto Death was self-released. In early 2002 Azrael released the extremely limited rehearsal demo consisting of improvised ambient/noise experimentation Noise. In late 2002, "Obdurate" was released on Desastrious Records. In 2003, "Into Shadows Act 1: Denial" was released on Moribund Records. "Into Shadows Act ll: Through Horned Shadows Glimpse" was released in 2004 on Moribund Records. Azrael contributed the exclusive track "Illumination" to the "Destroyers From the Western Skies compilation CD on Killzone records. In early 2007 Azrael released a double-CD Act III-Self ... Act IV-Goat on Moribund Records. Azrael re-released both the "Obdurate" and "Unto Death" demos as a single CD through Moribund records in August 2008.

Musical style

Azrael started out as a more traditional black metal band. The band themselves describe their first demo as "much more traditional and primitive than our later works ... somewhat of a feeling out process for us". With each release they began to add more experimental and unique elements, the Unto Death demo "was a huge leap forward for us ... we were beginning to add some abstract and ambient elements such as the 20 minute noise/ambient track at the end of the demo". With the release of Into Shadows Act II, the band was "beginning to experiment much more and creating very [sic] unique soundscapes and atmospheres". Azrael now describes their current sound as "experimental, atmospheric, dark/black metal".

Phrase

In everyday speech, a phrase may be any group of words, often carrying a special idiomatic meaning; in this sense it is roughly synonymous with expression. In linguistic analysis, a phrase is a group of words (or possibly a single word) that functions as a constituent in the syntax of a sentence—a single unit within a grammatical hierarchy. A phrase appears within a clause, although it is also possible for a phrase to be a clause or to contain a clause within it.

Common and technical use

There is a difference between the common use of the term phrase and its technical use in linguistics. In common usage, a phrase is usually a group of words with some special idiomatic meaning or other significance, such as "all rights reserved", "economical with the truth", "kick the bucket", and the like. It may be a euphemism, a saying or proverb, a fixed expression, a figure of speech, etc.

In grammatical analysis, particularly in theories of syntax, a phrase is any group of words, or sometimes a single word, which plays a particular role within the grammatical structure of a sentence. It does not have to have any special meaning or significance, or even exist anywhere outside of the sentence being analyzed, but it must function there as a complete grammatical unit. For example, in the sentence Yesterday I saw an orange bird with a white neck, the words an orange bird with a white neck form what is called a noun phrase, or a determiner phrase in some theories, which functions as the object of the sentence.

Atheist (disambiguation)

An atheist is a person who does not believe in the existence of deity. A "strong atheist" is a person who rejects the belief in a deity.

Atheist or The Atheist may also refer to:

See also

Atheist (band)

Atheist is a death metal band from Florida, founded in 1984 by drummer Steve Flynn and singer/guitarist Kelly Shaefer. The band are known for their highly technical playing style, while their album Unquestionable Presence (1991) is regarded as an important landmark of the genre. After disbanding in 1994, the band reformed in 2008 and have released four albums and a live DVD.

History

The band was founded in 1984 in Sarasota, Florida, USA, firstly under the name Oblivion and later R.A.V.A.G.E. (which stands for Raging Atheists Vowing A Gory End). They recorded their debut album, Piece of Time, in 1988, which was released in Europe in 1989, but not in the United States until 1990. In 1991, bassist Roger Patterson died in a car accident and Atheist recruited Tony Choy (previously a member of Cynic) to record their second album, Unquestionable Presence. Atheist disbanded for the first time in 1992, reuniting in 1993 and recording their third album Elements, fulfilling their contractual requirements, before disbanding for the second time.