Tales From The Underground
Tales From The Underground
At the tail end of 2023 Iron Bonehead Productions served us with a nice little gem: Black Edifice’s first demo tape. It has been released in quite a small run of only 100 copies, so it might just be that…
Although more or less recent bands like Tomb Mold, VoidCeremony, Miscreance and Sovereign are keeping the Death Metal scene of today a bit interesting, adventurous and overall volatile. It is mainly in those more outward-thinking niches that the best bands…
That I have a knack for some nice and swampy Death Metal might not be a secret, but reality is that in the Death Metal scene of today there is not so much going on that really triggers me enough…
After having missed the fact that the band released a 2-track EP in 2017, I was surprised to see Deviser returning with a new full-length album. Yet, it was not so much the sudden return of the band that really…
In the first month of the year the Dark Descent Released ‘Altered Realities’, the debut album of the Norwegian band Sovereign, really knocked me off my feet. Its genuine blend of Death Metal and Thrash Metal, the late 80’s way,…
Even though new genres are always being invented, there are always plenty of bands who cannot suppress their urge to experiment and hypes follow each other in quick succession, fortunately there are also plenty of bands who want nothing to…
With the self-titled album in 2007 and its follow-up from a year late, ‘Flandriae’, the Belgian band Taranis surprised with its authentic blend of Black Metal, Thrash Metal and Heavy Metal. For sure it didn’t bring anything new to the…
The reason for this Q&A was the release of Reflet Crépusculaire’s first full-length album that saw the darkness of night last month. Previously, the one-man band released several EPs, all of which intrigued me to such an extent that I…
Despite The Netherlands having once been big in Death Metal with bands like Gorefest, Sinister and Pestilence, the Dutch Death Metal scene has been somewhat thin on the ground in recent years. However, every now and then some new bands…
Yes, we do like our fair share of Thrash Metal. Sometimes a bit more old school, bit more complex or just plain simple and fast in-your-face sort of Thrash Metal. In the latter catergory falls Painsaw from Canada, a band…
One of the most distinctive bands from the Australian extreme metal scene is undoubtedly Tyrannic from Sydney. The band primarily qualifies itself as a Black Metal act but musically has much more than just that to offer. It effortlessly interweaves…
When you are caught off guard by a new album from a band that has more or less fallen off the radar since 2006, it is not only enough for a set of puzzled eyes, but more importantly for sparking…
Recently I came across the first EP, released on cassette tape, of Italian Death Metal band Necrogore and although it was only the band’s debut I was pretty convinced. While there are so many bands that follow the path of…
Whatever label you want to file this band under, ever since their formation during the turn of the millennium, Pantheist has kept Doom Metal aficionados spellbound. In that quarter-century of darkness, the band surrounding founder and vocalist/keyboardist Kostas Panagiotou released…
From the deepest bowels of Dutch Black Metal recently awoke the dreaded beast: Botulistum. Out of nowhere, the vicious outfit came out with their self-titled debut album. That album, which you thought would never come, still manages to surprise even…
Chaos; complete disorder, utter confusion, the property of a complex system whose behaviour is so unpredictable, it appears random. It will cause people to stop and look in fascination or run away in fear. There are those that are terrified…
Apparently out of nothing, at least to me, came Zwart. A new band that hails from the furtile (yet pitch black) breeding grounds of Tilburg, The Netherlands. The band might be new but consists out of a number of experienced…
In the Owl interview I recently published, I mentioned that there are more than just a handful of real gems to be unearthed in the deeper, mouldy and shadowy layers of the Dutch Black Metal scene. Duindwaler, also a one-man…
It was towards the end of last year, on December 6 to be precise, that I asked my former colleague and friend, VM-Underground commander-in-chief Ricardo, if he was interested in Death and Pestilence’s later records besides the usual ‘Scream Bloody…
One of the longest running Dutch Black Metal bands is Sammath, who, in the form of ‘Grebbeberg’, recently unleashed their seventh onslaught upon mankind. The album, which in my humble opinion is their strongest to date, again has the war…
Without any doubt, one of the albums that struck me most in 2022 was the debut album of Sweden’s Sordid Blade. Not only did ‘Every Battle Has Its Glory’ sound really authentic and straight in line with so many other…
Anyone who delves a little into the caverns of extreme metal knows that beneath the surface of the more well-known bands you can often find the roughest diamonds. If you have ever really put your shovel deep into the Dutch…
A little over a decade since their previous album, Cruel Force comes back to bring the power back into the Metal. With their latest scorching album ‘Dawn of the Axe’ the band once again professes their adoration for the glory…
One of the most interesting Death Metal albums of recent years was Occulsed’s debut album, released in 2021 by Everlasting Spew Records. It may be a new band, but with only a few demos on their record before the release…
The combination of enchanting atmospheric Black metal and profound lyrics dealing with the Belgian area of Kaggevinne were just a few of the many obvious qualities of the band Oerheks. To delve into what moves the band and what lies…
Last year, Italy’s Thulsa Doom released their debut album, ‘A Fate Worse Than Death’ via Invictus Productions. The album is a breath of fresh air in a musical landscape in which Death Metal is becoming more and more similar, in…
Out of the depths of the Dutch underground Black Metal scene crawls Perfide. With a basis of old school Norwegian Black Metal mixed with an atypical bass-oriented sound, the band impressed with their debut album ‘De Republiek der Zeven Verenigde…
Somewhere in the late 90’s I got some 7” EPs from a much older friend who liked this young kid that was me, devouring just everything that sounded remotely heavy. Amongst those 7” EPs was one of Malediction, ‘Mould Of…
Formed as early as 1997, we can definitely say that Burning Winds is a band that more than deserves the term ‘Cult Band’. Although always at the ultimate underground level, the band has undoubtedly contributed heavily to what we now…
If you are looking for complete objective reporting, in this case, you better look elsewhere. For me, music in general and metal in particular is not only an art form that is the vital lifeline in my existence, it is…
Over the last few years, Canada’s Grave Infestation have established themselves as a more than interesting band in the current Death Metal landscape. Last year the debut album saw the light of day as well as a compilation album featuring…
The ever-active Grafjammer have been steadily making their way within the Dutch Black Metal scene for several years now. Although new work is always on the way, with some recent reissues on vinyl (via the Zwaertgevegt label, among others) this…
When, after much deliberation, you decide to go solo and then deliver a very good debut album almost unannounced, you can of course be very content. But if you then strike out mercilessly with a rock-solid successor, you can definitely…
Just over a year ago, French Hats Barn released their debut album for Osmose Productions and sixth album in total: ‘Y.a.HW.e.H’. In my review, I described it as an uncompromising mix between Finnish, Polish and, quite naturally, French Black Metal.…
Although Wurgilnõ is a completely new addition to the Dutch Black Metal spectrum, its inspirer is no stranger to those who have either been around for a long time or have delved deep enough into the local Black Metal history.…
Undeniably one of the most unique Black Metal bands of recent years is Slovakian Krolok. Deeply rooted in their country’s rich history full of folklore and myths, the band treated us with their music to an insight into all the…
From Europe’s Death Metal capital, Copenhagen, there continues to be a never-ending stream of bands that keeps impressing time and again. Okay, most bands do seem to support the same club of musicians all the time, but that should not…
Despite leaving behind only a very modest discography, the German band Old managed to leave a solid impression in the Black/Thrash Metal scene. So much so that the band’s only full-length album, 17 years on, is widely regarded as a…
The actually ever-productive Azaghal unexpectedly was very silent for several years; after ‘Valo Pohjoisesta’, released in 2018, it was years of waiting for a follow-up to this solid album. But in 2022, some digital singles arrived there. These turned out…
This year marks the 20th anniversary of Australia-based Denouncement Pyre, a band that I feel does not always get the credit it does deserve based on its music. Last year, the band released their fourth album with ‘Forever Burning’ through…
With the release of ‘III: The Great Light Above’ Wesenwille delivered one of the strongest albums of 2022. It presented the culmination of the band’s journey into dissonant Black Metal that once started heavily inspired by Deathspell Omega and Svartidauði but…
When I first heard Diabolical Messiah’s debut album, I didn’t hesitate for long and picked up the vinyl edition, released via Blood Harvest. ‘Satan Tottendemon Victory!!!’ was yet another proof that there had to be something very deadly in the…
Contrary to the usually otherwise quite chauvinistic proud nature of the French people, the French Black Metal scene has remained quite modest when it comes to their influence on the overall genre. OK, that about the chauvinism might be a…
Although Infernal Conjuration is not the most prolific band from Mexico’s rich underground scene, the band’s sparse work is emblematic of what that Mexican metal has to offer. Their last album, ‘Infernale Metallum Mortis’ dates back to 2019, but, singer…
Over the past decade, the Black Metal genre has, once again, renewed, deepened and broadened. This can be largely credited to a number of Icelandic and Norwegian bands (always those Norwegians!), whose recordings often have been released under the watchful…
Last year’s ‘Ascetic Reflection’ was one of the best forward thinking Death Metal releases that reached my ears in a long time. The compelling intricacies, creative dynamics and overall mind-boggling musical wizardy made the album slip into my Top-15 of…
When Imprecation announce a new album, you can unquestionably count on the fact that we will be dealing with another monumental piece of Blackened Death Metal. And, yes, with ‘In Nomine Diaboli’, the Texas veterans once again fulfil all expectations.…
Pretty much out of the blue, two releases from a new German Black Metal band came out in the space of just a handful of days. Verhinderer is the brainchild of Bettler, the lone soul behind this project, who seems…
Not all too long ago I stumbled upon a great demo tape that blended all of those tasty elements of both Hellhammer and Isengard. It was a no-brainer to imediately order this first Dungeon Keeper demo and while reviewing it…
For a long time, the Death Metal genre seems to have been a fairly static affair. Apart from a few exceptions in the form of bands like Atheist, Cryptopsy and, of course, Death, most of it has been mostly of…