Xasthur zæstÉr was an American black metal project that was founded by and consisted of Scott Conner, who goes by the pseudonym "Malefic". Although similar in terms of low-fi production and the wearing of corpse paint, musically and lyrically Xasthur's focus is usually not on paganism, Satanism or anti-Christian blasphemy â as is common in the genre â but rather on astral projection, darkness, despair, suicide, hate, and death.