+ BIOGRAPHY
Linus Klausenitzer is a German bassist, composer and educator whose career has taken him on extensive world tours across five continents. From the main stages of Wacken Open Air, Hellfest and Brutal Assault to collaborations with symphony orchestras, he has performed with a wide range of artists in both metal and beyond. Known for his versatility, Linus switches naturally between traditional and extended-range basses – with his expressive 6-string fretless sound remaining a signature voice that has set him apart.
He first gained international recognition as the bassist of Obscura, where his distinctive style became a defining element of the band. Today, he is a core member of Alkaloid and Obsidious, two forward-thinking progressive metal bands. Beyond that, he is the trusted first-call session bassist for Beyond the Black, has played for guitar icon Paul Gilbert, shared the stage with the Dutch Metropole Orchestra and collaborates with different social media icons like Bernth.
In 2023, Linus released his debut solo album Tulpa (AOP Records) – a concept record praised for its ambitious storytelling and bold bass-driven arrangements. Alongside his artistic projects, he runs his own online shop offering bass courses, transcription books and digital lessons, making his expertise accessible to musicians worldwide.
As an educator and longtime Ibanez artist, Linus regularly teaches at major events such as Guitar Summit, Popakademie Mannheim and Bavarian Bass Days. His close collaborations with endorsement partners like Ibanez and other industry leaders reflect both his role as an innovator and his commitment to the international bass community.
OBSIDIOUS
Modern metallers Obsidious launch their wonderfully intricate and musically-accomplished new band in 2020.
The group—featuring Linus Klausenitzer (bass), Rafael Trujillo (guitars), Sebastian Lanser (drums), and vocalist Javi Perera (vocals)—come from distinguished and lettered origins in Obscura, Alkaloid, Eternity’s End, and Juggernaut. Obsidious, however, are a different creature entirely.
“We consider ourselves the modern evolution of progressive and technical metal,” bassist Linus Klausenitzer says. “To name a few bands: Dream Theater, Devin Townsend, Meshuggah, Opeth, Between the Buried and Me, Protest the Hero, Periphery, and Haken. As such, our music asks for many different moods and vibes. Javi’s vocals reinforce that idea, adding meaning and drama to it. While we still work as session musicians, Obsidious is now our main priority.”
Obsidious crystallized after Klausenitzer, Trujillo, and Lanser departed amicably from fellow German tech-metallers Obscura in 2020. Named after black volcanic glass, the group’s moniker exudes something dark, of fiery origin, in a state of final transformation. Metaphorically, the name Obsidious offers a nearly limitless platform for expression and advancement. However, it was only when the trio brought on newcomer Perera—whose growls and full-toned voice are first-rate—were the multi-national outfit officially codified. Interestingly enough, the newly-joined frontman couldn’t even meet his bandmates while writing, recording, and filming videos for Iconic due to the pandemic. Yet, the technologically-apt foursome made it work.
Obsidious debut album was released in October 2022 via Season Of Mist Records. Through a vote held at The Progspace, Iconic was selected as the debut album of the year for 2022.
ALKALOID
This band is defined through the field of tension created between musical opposites. ALKALOID merge extreme metal and other more diverse genres of music into a unique style that people will somehow find familiar, but haven‘t heard yet.
All musicians in the band are known and active death metal players who all have a much broader view of music than just blastbeats and growls. Alkaloid want to establish from the beginning that they have many faces, and oscillating between (seemingly) contrary or mutually exclusive styles is a factor. To use playing technique only to write good songs, is another factor.
Alkaloids are a chemical compound produced by many plants and other organisms.
They are found in many psychoactive substances (psylocin / LSD, cocaine, nicotine, caffeine, morphine, bufotenin, and many medical plants among others). The band sees the term Alkaloid as a symbol for the chemical agent that changes matter, or the perception of the physical universe and produces intense experiences of a multidimensional or exaggerated nature. The fact that they affect both mind and body gives them the allure of a magical formula, after which nothing is the same. The nature of „change happening“ is something very much presented in ALKALOID’s music, lyrics and visual identity. Let it be one big permanent morphing!