‘Asura’ is the second EP of Beijing post-doom band Nekroma. The follow up to their debut self titled EP, 'Asura' sees the band draw on their diverse musical and cultural backgrounds to create a four song odyssey that draws parallels to classic doom bands such as Cathedral, Witchfinder General, and Candlemass yet transcends being limited to a single genre by combining elements of prog rock, baroque classical, and traditional Chinese folk songs, with lyrics in English, Chinese, German, and Korean.

'Asura' (असुर) refers to a type of divine being found in Hindu mythology, constantly locked in battle with devas. Ancient Indian texts describe Asuras as powerful superhuman demigods with good or bad qualities, while they have also been described as enemies of the gods. The title eludes to the philosophy of balance, the need for good and bad, light and dark, just and unjust in the universe. This is reflected in the songs on the EP itself, tales of Pagan rituals mutating into worship of dark gods (‘Oss’), across time and space a futile quest for meaning in a meaningless universe (‘Krankenwagen’), an Edgar Allan Poe influenced descent into nightmares and eventual madness ('The Colour of the Spiders’), and coming face to face with the devil and falling under his influence (‘The Ocean of Eyes’). Yet through each of these dark tales there is a sense that there is no absolute evil, and therefore there is a ray of hope even in the darkest depths of the soul.

The instruments for 'Asura' was recorded in Beijing, China at Sniper Sounds and Xiao Music Club, while the vocals were recorded in Berlin, Germany at the home studio of electronic duo Hyenaz. The EP was then mixed and mastered by Tyron Naude in Beijing, China. The artwork for the EP was created by Feng Xinrou, a chalk illustration influenced by her dreams (Xinrou is also responsible for the music video for ‘The Ocean of Eyes’). The EP is available digitally on all the major streaming platforms, as well as a limited run of CDs.