Back in my days in Amiensus, we toured with Minneapolis-based false black metal act, Ashbringer. We very quickly found friends in these musicians, and we were impressed by their great talent, performances, and of course their music.
Over a decade later, I hit up their bassist, Nathan Wallestad, asking if the band had any interest in a new website. The band was using Google Sites at the time, and while it was working for them, they were open to a fresh take on an official website.
Being a band known for their atmospheric black metal and nature-inspired soundscapes, the goal was to give them a digital presence that felt true to their identity while having practical UX for Ashbringer’s fans.
Design Philosophy
Ashbringer’s music is dark, atmospheric, visceral, and melodic. I wanted a design to match these characteristics as best I could in a custom WordPress theme.
I ended up relying on a video background as the starting point for the design. After this was very easily integrated, the rest of the layout and components were easy to abstract into HTML and CSS.
Technologies
For this website, I used esbuild for its speedy minification. PostCSS was integrated to utilize autoprefixer, allowing for easy cross-browser styling. This made for headache-free and user-centric DX/UX with great performance.
Open Source & Future Plans
The theme is available on GitHub for anyone curious about the code or looking to learn from the build.
Down the road, I’d love to expand it with features like a merch store, tour archive, and mailing list integration. I also intend to update the theme to match the design styles of Ashbringer’s future releases.
Final Thoughts
Working with fellow musicians is always rewarding. It’s not just about making a site -it’s about translating a band’s vision into an online experience. With Ashbringer, I’m excited that fans now have a space that mirrors the artistry of the music itself.
Check out Ashbringer and their new website here.
