Fabian Grimm, stage name Astaroth, was born in Berlin in September of 1989 to a Catholic family and is the youngest of seven siblings. He’d always shown an aptitude for music and art, passions which he pursued in school despite his partial deafness. In his case, the type of hearing loss (one of a conductive nature) muted the entire sound spectrum equally, and so sufficiently loud amplification helped him to hear at near normal perception. This meant he could continue with music, and chose to play guitar, an instrument he could enjoy and practice in privacy. He was a good and eager student, learning English and French along with his other studies. Being private and sensitive, the tumult of a suddenly-undivided Berlin, of the changes and growing pains of east and west merging, confused him.
The beauty and comfort of tradition seemed to clash with the excitement and allure of modernity, and coupled with his private hidden feelings about men as well as women, he decided to go to college with the aim of entering the seminary, a course of study he did well in. Fabian was ordained as a Catholic Priest at the age of 28 and served in Munich for two years before he was caught in a tryst with a visiting cardinal, one that was forced onto him. To save face for its more senior member, Fabian was immediately defrocked and excommunicated. It was his only indiscretion up to that point and, coupled with his growing unease with what he had witnessed in church doctrine, he lost his faith altogether.
Wishing to start over and devote himself to music, he sampled every genre he could and found the most comfort and connection with black metal, something he could even enjoy with his assistive hearing devices off. He began auditioning for bands and, on a lark, sat for an audition with Cult of Lilith in 2020 during one of their tours in France. Much to his surprise he was taken on and has been their lead guitarist ever since. With them he has accepted his sexuality and lives comfortably as himself. In addition, he has worked on his own ability to physically defend himself and, despite not looking it, is a capable brawler and is quite strong.
Playlist
Magical Animals by The Orion Experience
You’re such a magical, magical animal
Slipping through the mists of the night
(Night, night, night)
Ancient and beautiful, you’re mythological
Twisting your existence in the light
(light, light, light)
Here in the modern world, everyone is miserable
Billionaires setting the world on fire
So when the moon is full
Magical animals gather under starlight
Come on and throw your hands around the fire
We’re gonna dance in hysteria
Join our bacchanalia
Oh my love, we were born to die
So let’s play in the flowers like magical animals
Come on and move cosmic creatures we got nothing to loose
Gonna do what we want, gonna love who we choose
Dance cosmic creatures with your animal style (Hey!)
We’re taking control, (Yeah!)
We’re born to be wild
Here in the modern world, losing our humanity
Everyone’s mind controlled by robots
So when the moon is full
Magical animals gather under starlight
Come on and throw your hands around the fire
We’re gonna dance in hysteria
Join our bacchanalia
Oh my love, we were born to die
So let’s play in the flowers like magical animals
Spread your wings and learn to fly
Soar through the galaxy
You and me, ecstasy
Oh my love, we were born to die
So let’s play in the flowers like magical animals
Gnash your teeth, show your claws
Howl and roar under neon stars
Feathered tails and glowing eyes
Magical animals
Eat them alive
Throw your hands around the fire
We’re gonna dance in hysteria
Join our bacchanalia
Oh my love, we were born to die
So let’s play in the flowers like magical animals
Spread your wings and learn to fly
Soar through the galaxy
You and me, ecstasy
Oh my love, we were born to die
So let’s play in the flowers like magical animals
