Tales From The Underground
Tales From The Underground
Artist: NightsideCountry: FinlandLabel: Purity Through FireFormats: Demo CDYear: 2023 When Nightside was formed in Turku, Finland in 1996, there wasn’t so much of a Finnish Black Metal scene as we know it today. Sure, bands like Beherit, Impaled Nazarene, Archgoat…
Artist: VargravCountry: FinlandLabel: Werewolf RecordsFormats: CD, DigitalYear: 2023 2023 will see the release of the new Vargrav album, baptized ‘The Nighthold’. This third album follows the critically acclaimed debut album ‘Netherstorm’ from 2018 and ‘Reign in Supreme Darkness’ from 2019.…
Artist: Argenthorns Country: Finland Label: Avantgarde Music Formats: LP / CD Year: 2023 Symphonic Black Metal has been on the rise for a few years now, and Finland has certainly made some big contributions to its revival. One of the…
Artist: EntrancementCountry: USALabel: Altare Productions / Perverse HomageFormats: Cassette Tape, CDYear: 2023 After two demos, which also appeared together on a compilation LP by Goatowarex, and a split with the (dreadful) Midnight Betrothed, American Entrancement comes out with the much…
Artist: Savage NecromancyCountry: USALabel: 20 Buck SpinFormats: 12″, Cassette Tape, CDYear: 2022 Originally released in 2021 on CD and in two versions on cassette tape, all three by different labels, the album was also picked up by the much larger…
Artist: Crippling MadnessCountry: PolandLabel: Putrid CultFormats: CDYear: 2023 Polish Thrash Metal of the straightforward and ugly kind, that is what Crippling Madness offers on their sophomore album, ‘Władcy Nocy’. The differences between both albums are scarce, as this new album…
Artist: EstenosisCountry: SpainLabel: Escafismo RecordsFormats: Demo tapeYear: 2023 ‘Orgía Necrofílica’ is Estenosis’ third demo and just like the two preceding tapes, this one has quite an impressive tracklist of no less than 18 tracks. Tracks that are brimming with some…
Artist: Plague BearerCountry: USALabel: Nameless Grave RecordsFormats: LP, CDYear: 2023 Plague Bearer is a band that was formed all the way back to 1992 and released two demos in the first half of the 90’s. Then, in 1994, the band…
Artist: SerpentfyreCountry: FinlandLabel: Altare ProductionsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2022 ‘Baptism of Shadows’ is the second album by the Finnish act Serpentfyre and comes roughly 10 years after the formation of the band. As soon as the gates open with ‘Black…
Artist: QwälenCountry: FinlandLabel: Time To Kill RecordsFormats: LP / Cassette Tape / CDYear: 2023 That Qwälen is a Finnish band becomes immediately clear once the ambient intro track ‘Sairaus’ fades into ‘Kutsu Minua Saatanaksi’. On their sophomore album ‘Syvä Hiljaisuus’…
Artist: SokeusCountry: FinlandLabel: Self-ReleasedFormats: Demo tapeYear: 2023 With ‘Immortal Wisdom’ the Finnish duo behind black metal band Sokeus shove their second demo under our collective noses. The first, ‘Forever Cursed’ saw the light of day last summer and already gave…
Artist: AnarkhonCountry: BrazilLabel: Debemur Morti ProductionsFormats: LP, CDYear: 2023 Although the band has never been much of a standard gory styled Death Metal band, the Brazilians of Anarkhon have come quite a long way. The band was already founded back…
Artist: Peti Nuage NoirCountry: PolandLabel: Planetary King RecordsFormats: Cassette tapeYear: 2023 It would be easy to assume that behind Petit Nuage Noir, which in French means small black cloud, is a band from France, but in fact we are dealing…
Artist: Maelgin / Ancient NorthCountry: USALabel: Self-ReleasedFormats: Digital splitYear: 2023 Maeglin is a relatively new Black Metal act from Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA, but although they have been formed in January 2022, the band already spawned an impressive discography of…
Artist: Cursed ExcruciationCountry: BrazilLabel: Angel of Cemetery Records / Iron Bonehead Productions / Unpure RecordsFormats: Demo tapeYear: 2023 After two demos tapes, released in 2021, Cursed Excruciation’s sole member, Trance Of The Undead, started forging his ancient steel into something…
Artist: Reeking Aura Country: USA Label: Profound Lore Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2022 After their self-released 2020 EP ‘Beneath The Canopy Of Compost’, it was to be expected that New York-based Death Metal band Reeking Aura would come…
Artist: Order Of NosferatCountry: Finland / GermanyLabel: Purity Through FireFormats: LP, CDYear: 2022 The previous album by this international Black Metal band was a good and organic album in which the loneliness of existence as a vampire clearly shone through.…
Artist: Order Of NosferatCountry: Finland / GermanyLabel: Purity Through FireFormats: LP, CDYear: 2022 When a band chooses a name that leaves so little to the imagination, it can only do its best to fully and completely live up to the…
Artist: Black Offal MessiahCountry: USALabel: Self-ReleasedFormats: 7″ EPYear: 2023 Well, what should you expect from a band calling itself Black Offal Messiah? Add to that the artwork, which is not a little reminiscent of Profanatica, and you can’t really go…
Artist: FlammaeCountry: PolandLabel: Self-ReleasedFormats: DigitalYear: 2023 Formed by the Polish drummer Nekrolyte (currently also in Doomslaughter and formerly Deofel and Okulus Diaboli) and Aahros on guitars and vocals (also active in Petit Nuage Noir), Flammae presented their debut album ‘Ordo’…
Artist: EctospireCountry: USALabel: Transylvanian RecordingsFormats: Demo tapeYear: 2023 Apart from a previously online released song that also appears on this demo cassette, with ‘Formless Horrors’ we are dealing with the first feat of this Death Metal band from Tulsa, Oklahoma,…
Artist: Black LycanthropyCountry: USALabel: Self-ReleasedFormats: Digital demoYear: 2023 After the great self-released digital ‘Through Strength And Victory’ EP from spring last year, Infernal Werewolf, the only soul behind this American Black Metal act, returns with yet another offering of his…
Artist: Denial Of DeathCountry: GermanyLabel: Self-ReleasedFormats: DigitalYear: 2023 The Brazilian born and in Germany residing Glauber “Haereticus” Ataide formed Denial Of Death in 2021 as a solo-project with the ‘Unholy Trinity’ as his first feat. And although it remains a…
Artist: OrderCountry: NorwayLabel: Self-ReleasedFormats: Digital EPYear: 2023 It’s already been a couple of years since the Norwegian band Order released their second album ‘The Gospel’. That record was very much in line with the legendary ‘Deathcrush’ EP by Mayhem, which…
Artist: DistrüsterCountry: PolandLabel: Ossuary RecordsFormats: CD, Cassette tapeYear: 2022 ‘Sic Semper Tyrannis’ is the debut album for Polish Distrüster, a band that was founded in 2021 by James Stewart (Decapitated and ex-Vader among many others) and two others to mix…
Artist: Svraoz Country: Indonesia Label: Delusive Records Formats: Cassette EP Year: 2023 From Indonesia comes this new Black/Thrash Metal band Svraoz and with ‘Sacraments Of Evil’ they do present their first recordings, a 7-track EP, clocking in at just under…
Artist: Leather Brigade Country: Romania Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital EP Year: 2023 From Romania comes this four-piece that are releasing their 5-track debut EP ‘Pray To The Knife’. I think that a quick look at both the band name/EP title…
Artist: Sanguine Relic Country: USA Label: GoatowaRex / Perverse Homage Formats: 7″ EP / Cassette EP Year: 2023 A few years back, Sanguine Relic became, whether intended or not, one of the faces of the resurgence of the (ultimate) crude…
Artist: Rotpit Country: Germany / Sweden Label: War Anthem Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2023 After a demo tape and single-track promo, of which a review can be found elsewhere on our VM-Underground pages, the trio that is Rotpit…
Artist: Abject MentorCountry: MexicoLabel: Self-ReleasedFormats: DigitalYear: 2023 From the ancient city of Aguascalientes, once founded by the first Spanish families to settle on the even much older Chichimeca Indian territories, comes this Death Metal band who present us with their…
Artist: EvilcultCountry: BrazilLabel: Awakening RecordsFormats: CDYear: 2023 When it comes to old school sounding Black/Thrash Metal the country of Brazil has a rich history. Not only because of the obvious relation to that of the early Sepultura records and the…
Artist: Raw Vomit Country: Portugal Label: Enfermo Distro Formats: Demo Tape Year: 2023 From the deepest pits and sewers from Portugal comes Raw Vomit, a band that has absolutely no sense for subtlety or melody. In fact, the soul or…
Artist: UnpureCountry: SwedenLabel: Invictus ProductionsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2023 Sweden’s Unpure have already well reached their 30th anniversary, the band, formed in 1991, has been around for a while but spent their years somewhat in the dank underground. Although the…
Artist: Kommand Country: USA Label: 20 Buck Spin Formats: LP / Cassette tape / CD Year: 2023 From the city of angels comes this Death Metal band that spawned a few demos (also compiled as ‘The Demos’ on vinyl and…
Artist: AethyrickCountry: FinlandLabel: The Sinister FlameFormats: 12″ EP / CDYear: 2023 On April 9th, Finland celebrates the Day of the Finnish language. On this day Finland commemorates the death of Mikael Agricola, the father of the Finnish language who is…
Artist: Hospital Bomber Country: USA Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Demo Year: 2023 ‘Demonstration Of Two Songs’ is the first demo of this New York, USA based Death Metal band. And, believe it or not, it is indeed a demo containing,…
Artist: Surgical Invasion Country: Ukraine Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital EP Year: 2023 This Ukrainian Thrash Metal duo makes no secret of their inspiration. The band name and the cover with this EP give it all away, the whole medicine cabinet…
Artist: Schizophrenia Country: Belgium Label: Self-Released Formats: CD EP Year: 2023 Okay, admittedly. I have always kept some distance from this band. I always thought the name was terribly badly chosen. When you choose to name your Thrash Metal band…
Artist: Slakter Country: Indonesia Label: Delusive Records Formats: Cassette EP Year: 2023 Okay, admittedly, the name of this EP is a bit cheesy and rather simplistic. But then again, it is the first EP from this Indonesian band and despite…
Artist: YskelgrothCountry: SpainLabel: Xtreem MusicFormats: CDYear: 2023 Dave Rotten’s influence and contribution to the (extreme) metal scene is huge, especially in his homeland Spain, his importance is almost without equal. Especially with his label Xtreem Music (and its predecessors, Drowned…
Artist: Speedpussy Country: USA Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital EP Year: 2023 With a band name like this and such an old school cover, it was a no brainer to click play. And, yes, of course I simply got what I…
Artist: Yellow ObeliskCountry: United KingdomLabel: Negate EverythingFormats: Digital demoYear: 2023 Hardly anything is known about this act, of which I presume is from the UK, so instead we go and dive directly into their brand of Raw Black Metal. The…
Artist: WightCountry: USALabel: Self-releasedFormats: Cassette EPYear: 2023 Wight from Winchester, Virginia lands on the US Black Metal scene with first release, a self-titled EP. In four tracks, A. Geist (all instruments) and NXH (vocals) take us through their obsession with…
Artist: Misery Index Country: USA Label: Century Media Formats: LP / CD Year: 2022 It is no secret that Misery Index has named themselves after a track of the 1997 released album of one of the best Grindcore bands from…
Artist: Diabolical MessiahCountry: ChileLabel: Veins Full of Wrath ProductionsFormats: CDYear: 2023 Not counting a handful of split EPs, compilations and a demo, the Chileans of Diabolical Messiah present their third feat with ‘Satanic Alpha-Omega’. On the previous two long-players, the band had already shown they…
Artist: Keep Of KalessinCountry: NorwayLabel: Back On BlackFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2023 Keep Of Kalessin caused a bit of a stir with the release of their 2006 album ‘Armada’. Even though their origins dated back to 1993…
Artist: Psoglav Country: Bulgaria Label: Diabolic Hate Propaganda Records Formats: Demo Tape Year: 2023 With new works by Todorac, the inspirer behind this new project, it is always worth taking a moment to delve into the background and meaning of…
Artist: Hellcrash Country: Italy Label: Dying Victims Productions Formats: LP / Cassette tape / CD Year: 2023 In the review for Hellcrash’s debut album, ‘Krvcifix Invertör’ our chief-editor Ricardo got flabbergasted by the sheer Venom-worship of their music, so I…
Artist: Proselytism Country: Norway Label: Duplicate Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2023 After the 2020 released debut ‘Blood Of The Deceivers’, the Norwegian duo of Proselytism returns with their sophomore album, again through Duplicate Records. Those who have heard…
Artist: Outlaw Country: Brazil Label: Art Of Propaganda Formats: LP / CD Year: 2023 This Brazilian Black Metal band releases their third full-length with ‘Reaching Beyond Assiah’, but due to the low distribution of their previous works, this album will…