Tales From The Underground
Tales From The Underground
Artist: Hekseblad Country: USA Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital EP Year: 2022 With the Woods Of Ypres-tribute EP as some sort of an interlude, the American Black Metal duo continues with this 1-track EP/single where they left off: the musical narration…
Artist: Hekseblad Country: USA Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Demo Year: 2021 This is the first 1-track demo of this American Black Metal duo, consisting out of Frosk who is responsible for all instrumentation and Bruxa who contributes the vocals. When…
Artist: Hekseblad Country: USA Label: Fólkvangr Records / Grime Stone Records Formats: Cassette EP / CD EP Year: 2022 After a first 1-track demo, ‘The Night Of The Long Fangs’, the American duo of Hekseblad (which is actually Dutch for…
Artist: Hekseblad Country: USA Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital EP Year: 2022 After the release of ‘The Fall Of Cintra’ on last years’ Halloween, the American Black Metal combo of Hekseblad released another EP by the end of that same year…
Artist: Kūka’ilimoku / AarkanneCountry: USA / ChileLabel: Inferna Profundus RecordsFormats: Split LPYear: 2022 ‘Ele’abyssus’ is the title of a split LP between two rather stripped down Black Metal acts, Kūka’ilimoku from the USA and Aarkanne from Chile. Earlier releases by…
Artist: Klaaromstesterven Country: United Kingdom Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital demo Year: 2019 The Bandcamp-page of this one-man act says that it is from the UK, something I do not dispute, but judging from the Dutch band name it is a…
Artist: StormkeepCountry: USALabel: Ván RecordsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2021 In the wake of the popular `Galdrum’ EP, Stormkeep released their first full length album `Tales of Othertime’ in late 2021. Members from amongst others Wayfarer, Blood Incantation, Lord Dahthar and…
Artist: Königreichssaal Country: Poland Label: Self-Released Formats: CD EP Year: 2022 This odd Polish trio released its debut-album ‘Witnessing The Dearth’ in 2020 and returns with a self-released EP called ‘Loewen (Podróż Przez Dziesiąty Krąg Piekła)’. Since my Polish isn’t…
Artist: Orewoet Country: The Netherlands Label: Amor Fati Productions / Heidens Hart Records Formats: LP Year: 2021 Originally released in 2016, it took the band and labels up to 2021 to get this album out on vinyl as well. But…
Artist: WatainCountry: SwedenLabel: Chaos Reigns / Darkness Shall Rise Productions / His Master’s Noise / Nuclear Blast / Soyuz MusicFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2022 Originally released on April 29th, I am a little late with this review…
Artist: Mystic Circle Country: Germany Label: Atomic Fire / Chaos Reigns Formats: LP / CD Year: 2022 It sometimes happens that even though you think you are prepared for everything, life surprises you. Who, for example, was thinking of a…
Artist: InfernoCountry: Czech RepublicLabel: Bile Noire / Debemur Morti ProductionsFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2021 Those only familiar with the earliest Inferno albums might be surprised at how the band sounds anno 2021. The Czechs released numerous albums…
Artist: Oppressive Descent / HellGoat Country: USA / Sweden Label: Corrupted Flesh Records / Feral Age Records / Jems Label / TormentRex Formats: Split LP / Split CD Year: 2021 ‘Death Knell Of A Dying World’ is a split LP…
Artist: Diabolical OathCountry: USALabel: Sentient Ruin LaboratoriesFormats: 12″ EP / Cassette EP / CD EPYear: 2022 After Shroud Of The Heretic went on a indefinite hiatus by the end of the 10’s some members went on to form this Diabolic…
Artist: Anal VomitCountry: PeruLabel: Black Legion RecordsFormats: Demo tapeYear: 2022 It was about 17 years ago when I reviewed Anal Vomit’s ‘Demonic Flagellations’ (From Beyond Productions) for VM-Underground’s predecessor and also conducted an interview with the band about these early…
Artist: SyningCountry: NorwayLabel: Cloven Hoof Brewing & Releasing / Terratur PossessionsFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2021 Syning is the union of members of some of the finest acts on the Terratur Possessions roster: V. Einrede of Whoredom Rife…
Artist: KastijderCountry: The NetherlandsLabel: Dark Adversary Productions / New Era ProductionsFormats: 12″ Demo / Demo tape / Demo CDYear: 2021 The Dutch Black Metal scene is buzzing. After years where it was only a few bands like Countess, Funeral Winds,…
Artist: Imha TarikatCountry: GermanyLabel: Lupus Lounge / Prophecy ProductionsFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2020 Although the 2017 ‘Kenoboros’ 12″ EP on Terratur Possessions was well received amongst the followers of the flourishing Black Metal scene, I always kept…
Artist: Krushhammer Country: Brazil Label: Hellprod Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2022 I do love the simple things in life. I am just fine when things are predictable. Admitted, I also like to have a musical surprise every now…
Artist: DestructoCountry: The NetherlandsLabel: Dying Victims Productions / Wolves Of Hades RecordsFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2021 I don’t think I have to tell you that The Netherlands is a rather small country and its metal scene is…
Artist: AargønCountry: USALabel: Self-ReleasedFormats: Digital demoYear: 2022 This is another Black Metal project led by one individual and this one hails from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and released a two-track demo simply called ‘Demo No. 1’. It was Spotify that drew…
Artist: AerdrykCountry: BelgiumLabel: Amor Fati ProductionsFormats: LPYear: 2022 With label releases AFP199 and AFP200, Amor Fati Productions pays homage to the rich history of the Belgian region of Flanders through the narrations told by the bands Oerheks (which my colleague…
Artist: OerheksCountry: BelgiumLabel: Amor Fati Productions / Babylon Doom Cult RecordsFormats: 12″ Demo / Demo tapeYear: 2022 This Belgian Black Metal act Oerheks is the brainchild of H (Hans Cools) who we also know from bands such as Hypothermia, Silver…
Artist: Frozen Blood Country: Chile Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital single Year: 2022 Frozen Blood is a new Old School Death Metal duo from Chile who will be releasing their debut demo tape by the end of this year through Diabolical…
Artist: AarkanneCountry: ChileLabel: Self-ReleasedFormats: Digital EPYear: 2022 Aarkanne from Chile got a review here on VM-Underground for their full-length, ‘Mysterii’, that was released last year through Ars Negative on CD, Soul Reaper on cassette tape and on vinyl through Inferna…
Artist: Kūkāʻilimoku Country: USALabel: Expansion AbyssFormats: CassetteYear: 2021 Kūka’ilimoku is the brainchild of Kūwāha’ilo, I am glad this is written media, because I wouldn’t know how to pronounce it exactly, but it’s probably related to the background of the musician,…
Artist: Svardenvyrd Country: Czechia Label: Far Horizon Music Formats: Digital EP Year: 2021 Svardenvyrd’s origin dates back to as early as 2002 and already released two demo’s, a split CD and one album in the first half of the 00’s…
Artist: Spectral WoundCountry: CanadaLabel: Les Fleurs du Mal Productions / Profound Lore RecordsFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2021 The star of Montréal’s Spectral Wound quickly rose after the release of their well-received sophomore album `Infernal Decadence’ and intense…
Artist: Ribspreader Country: Sweden Label: Xtreem Music Formats: LP / Cassette Tape / CD Year: 2022 Writing an introduction to Ribspreader is actually not all that easy. There is a lot and at the very same time pretty little to…
Artist: Nightbearer Country: Germany Label: Testimony Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2022 Not too long ago a non-metal-listening friend of mine commented on the covers of metal LPs, according to him they were so much nicer and made with…
Artist: Lamentari Country: Denmark Label: Over The Under Records Formats: 12″ EP Year: 2022 Formed in 2019, this Danish six-piece have already released two EP’s, both of which were released by the also Danish Over The Under Records. A professionally…
Artist: Xenomorph8472Country: USALabel: Self-releasedFormats: DigitalYear: 2022 Taoism teaches its followers to live in perfect harmony with the universe, live in peaceful friendship with both each fellow man and animal and practice patience, simplicity and balance in life. Not quite the…
Artist: Opus Magorum Country: Greece Label: Inferna Profundus Records Formats: LP Year: 2022 This Greek Black Metal band Opus Magorum has been around for over 20 years with its formation in 2001. But don’t feel embarrassed if you haven’t heard…
Artist: Précieux SangCountry: CanadaLabel: EisenwaldFormats: LP / CDYear: 2022 The Black Metal scene in the Canadian province of Québec, often named Métal Noir Québécois after the first Forteresse album, has made a name for itself around the globe for producing numerous outstanding bands. While many…
Artist: ArchgoatCountry: FinlandLabel: Debemur Morti ProductionsFormats: 12″ EP / Cassette EP / CD EPYear: 2022 In the review of `Worship the Eternal Darkness’ I mentioned how Archgoat sounds recognisable yet they have added slight touches to their sound over time.…
Artist: ArchgoatCountry: FinlandLabel: Debemur Morti Productions / InCoffin ProductionsFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2021 Amidst a changing Black Metal landscape, there is one constant: Archgoat will always sound like Archgoat. They will play their brand of primitive Black…
Artist: CianideCountry: USALabel: Caustic CassetteFormats: Cassette tapeYear: 2022 American ultra-primitive Death Metal giants Cianide are set to release a new album somewhere in the upcoming months, but before that they reissue their 1996 ‘Rage War’-demo tape through Caustic Cassette. No…
Artist: Merciless Savagery Country: USA Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Demo Year: 2022 In a male-dominated world it is always great to encounter an all-female metal band, especially when they sound as crude and savage as Merciless Savagery – a very…
Artist: DisfallenCountry: NorwayLabel: Self-ReleasedFormats: Digital demoYear: 2022 The genre of Doom/Death Metal has always been a bit of a niche in both the Death Metal and Doom Metal genres. It is not a genre that is played by many bands,…
Artist: Impure Country: The Netherlands Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital EP Year: 2007 The young band Impure from Breda, The Netherlands, releases their first feat with this self-released EP With ‘Blasphemy’, the five-piece band presents itself as a Black/Death Metal band…
Artist: Spectral Knight Country: Poland Label: Darkness Resurrection Productions Formats: Demo Tape Year: 2022 ‘Awakening Of Barbarism’ is the third release of this Polish one-man Black Metal act. All three are (rehearsal) demos, which means this one is also in…
Artist: Silenced Voice Country: Cyprus Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Tape Year: 2022 My guess is that Cyprus might not be the first place to think of when it comes to Black Metal. Yet that is the home of this new…
Artist: TribulationCountry: SwedenLabel: Century MediaFormats: LP / CDYear: 2021 Amongst the earliest rumblings of a soon-to-be revived old school Death Metal earthquake, Tribulation were already releasing several demos and a strong debut. When ‘Formulas of Death’ marked a departure from that…
Artist: VesthangarthCountry: ChileLabel: Self-releasedFormats: Digital demoYear: 2022 That Chilean metal is on the rise is something we have known for years. After an impressive rise of Chilean Death Metal, in recent years the Black Metal scene has also been flooded…
Artist: XegrenCountry: USALabel: WitchCult RecordsFormats: Cassette tapeYear: 2022 After a self-titled and self-released demo-tape earlier this year and another (digitally released) demo-track, Mina, the lonesome figure behind Xegren, felt it was time for a full-length album. She needed only about…
Artist: XegrenCountry: USALabel: Self-releasedFormats: Demo tapeYear: 2022 This one-woman Black Metal act from Portland, Oregon recorded quite an impressive output with her other solo-project Mortal. If I counted well, Mortal’s back-catalogue consists out of no less than 34 titles, all…
Artist: XegrenCountry: USALabel: Self-releasedFormats: Digital demoYear: 2022 The advantage of making and releasing music on your own is that you are not tied to others for the times when you want to or can work on the music. This also…
Artist: XegrenCountry: USALabel: Self-releasedFormats: Digital demoYear: 2022 A mere three weeks after Xegren’s first and self-titled demo tape Mila returns with a digital new (rather short) 1-track demo. The new track that just runs over 2 minutes and is not…
Artist: Mezexis Country: Chile Label: Self-Released Formats: Demo Tape Year: 2022 After the Big Wave Of Chilean Death Metal that started about 15 years ago, it now seems there’s coming more and more Black Metal from this South American hotspot…
Artist: TómarúmCountry: USALabel: Prosthetic RecordsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2022 Sometimes you wonder how an algorithmic recommendation ends up with, when Netflix recommends a romcom while you only watch action or horror, or vice versa. But sometimes it can also be spot…