Artist: Nathrath
Country: Spain
Label: Crimson Reign Records
Format: Demo Tape
Year: 2026
In early March, the German label Narbentage Produktionen released the debut demo tape by Nathrath, a band that had only just emerged from the Spanish underground scene. When ‘Demo 1’ was released, there wasn’t much to say about Nathrath, and in fact that’s still the case; however, we now know that this one-man Black Metal band is part of the “Gallaecia Kommando” circle, alongside Belcebú Pace, Saviour Death, CelticHammer, Velkth Arkan and Samhain. All hail from Gallaecia, a rather patriotic region and a former Roman province covering an area in the north-west of Hispania (roughly corresponding to present-day Galicia in Spain and northern Portugal).
Actually, that doesn’t tell us much, as the bands from that obscure inner circle won’t ring a bell with most people. However, a quick rundown of those bands does reveal that with Nathrath, we’ve pretty much got the best act. I’d already concluded that ‘Demo 1’ was a very enjoyable introduction. Something that Nathrath, the man behind the project goes by the same name, continues on ‘Os Escuros Segredos Da Gallaecia (Demo II)’.
‘Os Escuros Segredos Da Gallaecia (Demo II)’ lasts just under fifteen minutes and opens with ‘Os Pinos’ (‘The Pine Trees’), the Galician national anthem, which, interestingly, was composed in Cuba in 1907, at the time a refuge for Galician emigrants. This opening underscores the patriotic sentiment and also sets the context for the rest of the music. Although the music itself gives no reason to call the whole thing uplifting or innovative, the overall heroic and proud atmosphere does fit the theme. Or perhaps it is simply what I want to hear in it.
Regardless, the fairly simple compositions do what they’re meant to do and prove once again that excellent Black Metal can be created with minimal resources. After the intro, you can just hear someone pressing the record button or something similar, and it’s possible that much of it was recorded in a single take; such purity and spontaneity in music is a real plus and adds a lot to the atmosphere and the sense of authenticity. Nathrath clearly has no intention of reinventing the genre or changing its course; this is a good dose of honest Black Metal just as I love to hear it.
