Funeral Frost – Queen of Frost [Reissue]

Artist: Crimson EvenfallCountry: FinlandLabel: Werewolf RecordsFormats: LPYear: 2023 Funeral Frost operated in the early days of the Swedish Black Metal scene, being formed in 1993. Their two demos and promo eventually led to the release of the 1996 debut album…

Morcaint – Elessar [EP]

Artist: MorcaintCountry: SwedenLabel: Nordvis ProduktionFormats: Digital EPYear: 2023 In 2008, Ulvtyr and Heruhim formed the band Morcaint. Together, they started work on an album which they wrote, but ultimately never recorded. And so, the project was put on hold, while…

Putridarium – Dissemination ’22 [Demo]

Artist: Putridarium Country: Germany Label: Headsplit Records Formats: Demo Tape Year: 2023 At the very edge of 2022 the German Death Metal band Putridarium unleashed their third demo tape through their partners in crime since their very inception, Headsplit Records.…

Carpathian Wrath – The Son Of The Dragon [Reissue]

Artist: Carpathian WrathCountry: Puerto RicoLabel: Self-ReleasedFormats: Digital demoYear: 2023 Carpathian Wrath is a three-piece Black Metal band from Puerto Rico. Probably not quite the place you that you will come up with when you think of classic 90’s “Vampyric Black Metal”. It also…

Daemonlust – Daemonlust

Artist: DaemonlustCountry: FinlandLabel: Out Of The DungeonFormats: 12″ EP / CD EPYear: 2022 Though the band was already founded back in 2006, Daemonlust is not quite a very well known band within the Finnish Black Metal scene. The fact that…

Phlegmesis – Filthspeak [Demo]

Artist: Phlegmesis Country: USA Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Demo Year: 2023 Second demo for this one-man Death Metal act that has little to do with sophisticated soundscapes or technical wizardry. Instead, Phlegmesis goes deep into the most rancid sewers of…

Vergewaltiger – Unholy Mysticism [Demo]

Artist: VergewaltigerCountry: USALabel: Self-releasedFormats: Digital demoYear: 2023 Although the band had a demo, a one-track single and a split EP before, the music of Vergewaltiger never reached my ears before. Due to a recommendation I stumbled upon them and the…

Degraved – Whispered Morbidity [EP]

Artist: DegravedCountry: USALabel: Gurgling GoreFormats: Cassette EP / CD EPYear: 2023 Degraved’s demo from last year, ‘Exhumed Remnants’ was reviewed on these VM-Underground pages and was concluded to be a “not a bad little demo” to which my colleague added…

Lividity – Rejoice In Morbidity [EP / Re-Release]

Artist: Lividity Country: USA Label: Grinder Cirujano Records / Sindrome Productions Formats: Cassette EP / CD EP Year: 2022 ‘Rejoice In Morbidity’ was Lividity’s first EP, originally released on cassette tape back in 1996 on the short-lived Immortal Records (which,…

Nothingness – Supraliminal

Artist: Nethingness Country: USA Label: Everlasting Spew Records Formats: LP / Cassette Tape / CD Year: 2023 In the review for Nothingness’ first self-released album, ‘The Hollow Gaze Of Death’, from 2019, my colleague was already positive about this USA…

Tyrant’s Might – Recrudescence Of Diabolism [Demo]

Artist: Tyrant’s MightCountry: USALabel: Self-releasedFormats: Demo tapeYear: 2023 This Dallas, Texas, USA based Black/Speed Metal trio recently finished the recordings of their first demo/EP, ‘Recrudescence Of Diabolism’, which was eventually released at the very start of February of 2023. It…

Black Hurst – Black Hurst [Demo]

Artist: Black HurstCountry: USALabel: Into The PentagramFormats: Demo tapeYear: 2023 This eponymous demo tape is the first offering of the New York, USA based Black Hurst. The band profiles itself with a term of ‘Pagan Black Metal Mysticism’ and with…

Wormface – A Sound You Can Smell [Demo]

Artist: WormfaceCountry: USALabel: Self-releasedFormats: Digital demoYear: 2023 What does a reviewer have to add when pretty much all the grass has already been cut from under his feet by the band themselves? With a band name like this and a…

Kalmankantaja – Second Death

Artist: KalmankantajaCountry: FinlandLabel: Misantropia RecordsFormats: CDYear: 2023 About four months have passed since the most recent Kalmankantaja album ‘Waiennut’ was released, and the Finnish band revolving around the creative mastermind Grim666 is back with another full-length. Despite numerous releases every…

GoatScrote – Humanity Must Be Destroyed [Demo]

Artist: GoatScrote Country: Canada Label: Self-Released Formats: Demo Tape Year: 2023 Besides one full-length album the Canadian pervs of GoatScrote have released a handful of demos and EP’s as well, this new one, ‘Humanity Must Be Destroyed’, being their fifth.…

Ghostwound – The Way Back (Demo I)

Artist: Ghostwound Country: Indonesia Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Demo Year: 2023 Ghostwound is a new Dungeon Synth-heavy Black Metal act that is most likely the product of one anonymous figure, I guess the one depicted on the cover, from Indonesia.…

Pestis – Demo I 2023

Artist: Pestis Country: Canada Label: Self-Released Formats: Demo Tape Year: 2023 With a title like this, it is not hard to guess that we are dealing here with a first demo by a new band. Indeed, the Canadian Death Metal…

Sotherion – Schwarmgeist [Demo]

Artist: Sotherion Country: France Label: W.T.C. Productions Formats: Demo tape Year: 2022 Though W.T.C. Productions does release cassette tapes every now and then, I can’t really remember when they last released a ‘real’ demo tape, if they ever did. With the two-track…

Festerdecay – Reality Rotten To The Core

Artist: FesterdecayCountry: JapanLabel: Everlasting Spew RecordsFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2023 The infamous ‘Gods Of Grind’ tour in 1992, featuring Confessor, Cathedral, Entombed and Carcass, turned out to be an event of great prophetic value. Not so much…

Lunatic Devote – Demonstration Of Lunatic Rituals [Demo]

Artist: Lunatic Devote Country: Greece Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Demo Year: 2023 This Chicago, Illinois, USA based Death Metal outfit Lunatic Devote is presenting its first digital demo in the form of ‘Demonstration Of Lunatic Rituals’. Though it is very…

Drakon Ho Megas – Έλευσις Αντίχριστου

Artist: Drakon Ho MegasCountry: GreeceLabel: Floga RecordsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2023 At the very beginning of this year Drakon Ho Megas’ sophomore album was released through Floga Records. ‘Έλευσις Αντίχριστου’, ‘Coming Of The Antichrist’ in English, is the follow-up to the 2021 released great…

Agönphetish – Promo ’23

Artist: AgönphetishCountry: TurkeyLabel: Demo tapeYear: 2023 ‘Promo ‘23’ is the first offering of Agönphetish, a new band from Turkey of which its band member or members is (yet) unknown. Yet, this four-track demo tape, including an intro, gives quite a…

Grave Alter – Grave Alter [Demo]

Artist: Grave Alter Country: USA Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Demo Year: 2023 What would fit better to a lovely Valentine’s Day then a piece of rotten and depraved Death Metal? Well? Yeah, I figured… Nothing! On the menu today is…

Satanika – Horde Of Disgust

Artist: Satanika Country: Italy Label: Osmose Productions Formats: LP / CD Year: 2023 ‘Horde Of Disgust’ is the fifth album for the Italian Black/Thrash Metal band Satanika. Although the band has been releasing their albums and EP’s through a wide…

Scáth Na Déithe – Virulent Providence

Artist: Scáth Na DéitheCountry: IrelandLabel: Vendetta RecordsFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2023 Shadow of the Gods. That is a rough translation of the Irish text Scáth Na Déithe, which is also a band hailing from Rush (or An…

Sepulchromancy – Hell Crisis [Demo]

Artist: Sepulchromancy Country: Argentina Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Demo Year: 2023 This anonymous Death/Thrash Metal band (or project) has recently released its very first offering, a five-track demo, or EP, if you will, with a total playing time of just…

Sammale – Sammale

Artist: SammaleCountry: FinlandLabel: Naturmacht ProductionsFormats: Cassette tape / CDYear: 2022 The artist behind Paisaunt and main composer and guitar player of Marrasmieli, an individual called Zannibal, sought a vessel for the atmospheric soundtrack fitting with a path through forest and…

Cult Of Fire – Píseň Černých Vran [EP]

Artist: Cult Of FireCountry: CzechiaLabel: Doomentia RecordsFormats: 7″ EPYear: 2023 The recently resurrected Doomentia Records returns with a few new records. The label started with the reissue of Fata Morgana’s ‘Kremace Dábla’ demo from 1992 (with great artwork from Rok).…

Regnum Tenebrarum – Légendes Noires [EP]

Artist: Regnum Tenebrarum Country: Belgium Label: Medieval Prophecy Records Formats: 12″ EP / CD EP Year: 2023 After the 2020 ‘Des Enfers’ EP, also released via Medieval Prophecy Records, things went quiet for a while around Regnum Tenebrarum, who hail…

Solothus – Summoned From The Void [Re-Release]

Artist: Solothus Country: Finland Label: Doomentia Records Formats: LP Year: 2023 The first time I heard the Finnish Death/Doom Metal band Solothus was with the 2013 Nihilistic Holocaust released reissue of the band’s sole demo, ‘Ritual Of The Horned Skull’,…

Masticated Cadaver – Necrotic Mutation [Demo]

Artist: Masticated Cadaver Country: Canada Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Demo Year: 2023 When going through the preparation for the review for this first demo of Canadian based Death Metal act Masticated Cadaver I learned a few things. First of all…

Uønsket – Forlatt [EP]

Artist: UønsketCountry: USALabel: Jems LabelFormats: Cassette EP / CD EPYear: 2022 Depending on which picture you see of Richard Fuller, the young man behind Uønsket, he is adorned in a dark cape, wearing warpaint and spikes (sometimes of impressive size)…

Slug Gore – Extraterrestrial Gastropod Mollusc [EP]

Artist: Slug Gore Country: Italy Label: Self-Released Formats: Demo Tape/ CD Demo Year: 2023 The slug-themed EP/demo ‘Extraterrestrial Gastropod Mollusc’ of Italian based Death Metal/Grindcore combo Slug Gore, is the band’s first outing. And apparently, with all their sluggishness, they…

Tulus – Fandens Kall

Artist: Tulus Country: Norway Label: Soulseller Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2024 With the release of ‘Fandens Kall’ the Norwegian zealots of Tulus have released more albums after their return in 2006 than in their first period that is…

Depraver / Vrenth – Split LP

Artist: Depraver / VrenthCountry: USALabel: Seed Of DoomFormats: Split LPYear: 2022 This split release between two Californian Death Metal acts, Depraver and Vrenth, was originally released in 2021 on both cassette tape (Nero One Records) and CD (Cavernous Records) and…

Dehiscence – Colony [EP]

Artist: DehiscenceCountry: USALabel: Chaos Records / Pale Magus Productions / Seed of DoomFormats: Cassette EP / CD EPYear: 2023 Dehiscence is a new band comprised of musicians who prefer to be left anonymous, but, if certain sources are to be…

Aethyrick – The Seventh

Artist: AethyrickCountry: FinlandLabel: The Sinister FlameFormats: Cassette EPYear: 2022 On December 21st, 2022, exactly six years after their formation, the Finnish band Aethyrick unveiled their latest release. This time presented as a three-song EP, ‘The Seventh’ is a special cassette…

Aethyrick – Pilgrimage

Artist: AethyrickCountry: FinlandLabel: The Sinister FlameFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2022 On winter solstice of 2016, Gall and Exile formed the band Aethyrick. The Finnish duo has turned out to be a prolific songwriting entity, quickly releasing a…

Hulder – Benighted In Blood

Artist: Hulder Country: USA Label: Self-Released Formats: Cassette Year: 2022 Over the past two or three years the name of Hulder became a much revered band in the Black Metal scene. The one-woman band gained some quick ‘fame’ and went…

Forbidden Temple – Step Into The Black Pentagram

Artist: Forbidden Temple Country: Belgium Label: Gramschap Formats: LP / Cassette tape / CD Year: 2022 This is actually not the right order, because after this first full-length album by this downright fantastic Belgian Black Metal band, two more releases…

Mortem – Filicide [Re-Release]

Artist: Mortem Country: Russia Label: Coyote Records Formats: Cassette Tape / CD Year: 2023 In the wake of the re-release of Mortem’s first album, ‘Amputator’ (originally released in 1993), Coyote Records continues on its path, now also re-releasing 2000’s ‘Filicide’.…