Tales From The Underground
Tales From The Underground
Artist: BloodCountry: GermanyLabel: VIC RecordsFormats: CDYear: 2022 When talking about Blood, you are talking about German cult metal. I remember collecting all of their 7” EP during the late 90’s and early 00’s, digging through distros and mailing lists to…
Artist: Drawn And QuarteredCountry: USALabel: Krucyator Productions / Nameless Grave RecordsFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2021 You know them. Those bands that you’re always surprised they still exist when they release a new album. Actually always good, but which somehow mysteriously…
Artist: HerugrimCountry: FinlandLabel: Escafismo RecordsFormats: Demo tapeYear: 2022 “This might be something for you to review”, said TWD’s own FelixS when he forwarded me the first demo of the Finnish band Herugrim. He’s right, if it’s Black Metal and comes…
Artist: AteiggärCountry: SwitzerlandLabel: EisenwaldFormats: LP / CDYear: 2022 With the band’s first offering, the ‘Us d’r Höll Chunnt Nume Zyt’ EP from 2019, Switzerland’s Ateiggär surprised us with a fiery brand of Black Metal with its roots firmly in the Norwegian scene from the mid…
Artist: ApostasyCountry: ChileLabel: Hammerheart Records / Sentient Ruin LaboratoriesFormats: LP, CDYear: 2022 First appeared in 2021 on both cassette tape and CD formats (by Cabalist Records and Fallen Temple respectively), this third album by Chilean cult thrashers got another run of releases in 2022 by…
Artist: A Different CloudCountry: PolandLabel: Self-releasedFormats: DigitalYear: 2022 A Different Cloud is the solo project of the Polish artist Demian, but other than that not much is known about the band. What is known is that with ‘Sult’, the first…
Artist: Rogga Johansson Country: Sweden Label: Iron, Blood and Death Corporation Formats: CD Year: 2022 Unbelievable. I said it before and I probably will say it again (many times), but how in Satan’s name is it possible that Rogga Johansson,…
Artist: Last Retch Country: Canada Label: Self-Released Formats: Demo Tape / Demo CD Year: 2021 Last Retch is a Hamilton, Ontario, Canada based Death Metal band consisting of five people that have no big or noteworthy history in other bands,…
Artist: Departure ChandelierCountry: CanadaLabel: Nuclear War Now! Productions / Obliteration RecordsFormats: 10″ EP / CD EPYear: 2022 Originally an independently released demo, ‘Dripping Papal Blood’ got a proper CD release earlier this year through USA’s top purveyors of all things…
Artist: NyrakCountry: BelgiumLabel: Self-releasedFormats: CDYear: 2022 Featuring members that are involved in bands such as Gotmoor, Serpent’s Oath, Wound Collector and Scarificator, the Belgian band Nyrak formed in 2021. Within a year they were ready to release their first release,…
Artist: Casket GrinderCountry: ColombiaLabel: Awakening RecordsFormats: CDYear: 2022 Before listening to ‘Sepulchral Trip’ I had never heard of Casket Grinder, but I was intrigued by the album cover, the band name and the band picture in which the band members are wearing shirts…
Artist: Morbus Grave Country: Italy Label: Self-Released Formats: Demo Tape Year: 2021 At VM-Underground we already shined our light on Morbus Grave’s compilation of two of the band’s early demos (‘Throne Of Disgust’ from 2016 and ‘Awakening Of The Dead’…
Artist: Hammer Of Gore Country: Germany Label: Brutal Insanity Records Formats: Demo tape Year: 2022 About a year after the release of their ‘Mutilated And Forgotten’-demo, German Death Metal combo Hammer Of Gore returns with a new demo. This 3-tracker…
Artist: Abysmal LordCountry: USALabel: Blackseed Productions / Serpents Head ReprisalFormats: 7″ EP, Cassette EPYear: 2020 In 2019 we at VM-Underground reviewed Abysmal Lord’s second album, ‘Exaltation Of The Infernal Cabal’ and claimed that the band was able to stand shoulder…
Artist: Hellish Country: Chile Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital EP Year: 2022 As an appetizer for their upcoming album, ‘The Dance of the Four Elemental Serpents’ which is set for a release on December 16th of this year through Dying Victims Records,…
Artist: MooncitadelCountry: FinlandLabel: Out Of The DungeonFormats: 12″ EP / CD EPYear: 2021 Quite soon after the release of their debut album ‘Night’s Scarlet Symphonies’, the Finnish Black Metal band Mooncitadel were ready to strike again with a new release.…
Artist: MooncitadelCountry: FinlandLabel: Werewolf RecordsFormats: LPYear: 2020 The origins of Mooncitadel date back to 2007, when multi-intrumentalist and vocalist Stormheist formed the band Empire of Tharaphita. After two demos and a split with Drowning the Light, Stormheit decided to change…
Artist: Ritual DeathCountry: NorwayLabel: Shadow RecordsFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2022 The first years of Ritual Death were quite productive. The band was formed in 2016 as yet another product of the phenomenal Trondheim Black Metal scene by…
Artist: DaevaCountry: USALabel: 20 Buck SpinFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2022 Back in 2019, our chief-editor reviewed Daeva’s first EP, and although he appreciated the offering, it wasn’t all too special for him. Now, a few years ahead…
Artist: Der TrauerschwanCountry: SwedenLabel: Soulseller RecordsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2022 When the Chilean band Hetroertzen relocated to the Swedish town of Västerås, they quickly recruited members from the local scene to complement their live line-up. One of the members that…
Artist: Deus MortemCountry: PolandLabel: Malignant Voices / Terratur PossessionsFormats: 12″ EP / CD EPYear: 2020 Although both Malignant Voices and Terratur Possessions usually are pretty much the epitome of quality Black Metal, the Polish Deus Mortem had not quite fully…
Artist: Kawir Country: Greece Label: Pagan Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2022 When talking about Greek Black Metal, the conversations will most likely be first about Rotting Christ, Varathron, Septicflesh, Thou Art Lord and Necromantia, only then about the…
Artist: ConvulsiveCountry: BrazilLabel: Self-ReleasedFormats: Digital EPYear: 2022 The Brazilian four-piece of Convulsive released a pretty convincing Death Metal album at the very start of this year, but already returns this fall with a self-released digital demo. If I am correctly…
Artist: Tenebro Country: Italy Label: Xtreem Music Formats: Digital EP Year: 2022 About six months after this Italian horror-drenched Death Metal combo released their debut full-length, they return with a new digital EP. While I did like that first album…
Artist: Sépulcre Country: France Label: Invictus Productions Formats: CD EP Year: 2022 Not long after having their name changed from Demonic Oath to Sépulcre, this four-piece came out with their first demo, ‘Ascent Through Morbid Transcendence’, which grabbed the attention…
Artist: AdaestuoCountry: USALabel: W.T.C. ProductionsFormats: CD EPYear: 2022 Formed in 2014, this three-piece band with bandmembers living on different places on earth (Finland, Poland and the USA), surprised with their first EP in 2016 through W.T.C. Productions, which they followed…
Artist: DarvazaCountry: Italy / NorwayLabel: Terratur PossessionsFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2022 Darvaza, formed back in 2015 by two elusive figures in the international Black Metal scene, released three critically acclaimed EP’s through Black Metal elitist label Terratur…
Artist: HelwettiCountry: FinlandLabel: Illuminating Void ProductionsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2021 Over the years, the Finnish Black Metal scene has created quite the name for itself, spreading their unique take on Black Metal to the far reaches of the world. However,…
Artist: Umbra ConscientiaCountry: Costa Rica / GermanyLabel: Cloven Hoof Brewing & Releasing / Terratur PossessionsFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2022 Somewhat out of the blue came this international combo of Umbra Conscientia, releasing their debut album by the…
Artist: TheriomorphCountry: FinlandLabel: Terratur PossessionsFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2022 Finnish multi-instrumentalist Vainaya has been in several bands over the past two decades. Among them were underground stalwarts like Neutron Hammer and Horna, but he also had a…
Artist: Exordium MorsCountry: AustraliaLabel: Praetorian Sword RecordsFormats: LPYear: 2022 When New Zealand is mentioned many people think of those great mountain landscapes in which Peter Jackson filmed his Lord Of The Rings trilogy. But it also has a small but…
Artist: JammerskrikCountry: NorwayLabel: Nordkult Rituals / Terratur PossessionsFormats: LP / Cassette tapeYear: 2021 Anyone remotely interested in underground Black Metal must at least have stumbled once upon a band out of Norways Trondheim scene. They have been dominating the underground…
Artist: ChasmdwellerCountry: CanadaLabel: Life After DeathFormats: Cassette EP / CD EPYear: 2022 Having started out as Doom/Death Metal band, Chasmdweller developed into a full-on, hard hitting yet quite raw Death Metal of the filthiest kind. The band consists out of…
Artist: ChasmdwellerCountry: CanadaLabel: Chaos Records / Self-ReleasedFormats: Cassette tape / CDYear: 2021 The Canadian duo keeps a punishing work pace, not long after releasing their ‘Fossilised’ EP, the band arrives with another full-length album, its third by now. On the…
Artist: AkitsaCountry: CanadaLabel: Tour De GardeFormats: Cassette TapeYear: 2023 Akitsa is one of the longest running Black Metal bands from Canada, already formed in 1999 they have released a commendably large discography. They have spawned six full-length albums and about…
Artist: WarlogheCountry: FinlandLabel: Northern Heritage RecordsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2022 Warloghe, whose name can be interpreted in several ways as an oathbreaker, is what you could call one of the cult bands that spawned in the blossoming Finnish Black Metal…
Artist: Grave Miasma Country: United Kingdom Label: Black Hearts Records / Dark Descent Records / Sepulchral Voice Records Formats: LP / Cassette tape / CD Year: 2021 In the Death Metal scene of the recent years, one of the most…
Artist: Cryptic BroodCountry: GermanyLabel: Bitter Loss Records / Burning Coffin Records / Lycanthropic Chants / Necrolatry Records / Rotted Life RecordsFormats: 7″ EPYear: 2022 While Cryptic Brood by no means is the crème de la crème of todays Death Metal…
Artist: Ruach Raah Country: Portugal Label: Signal Rex Formats: Cassette EP Year: 2022 Ruach Raah, which translates to something ‘Spirit Of Evil’ from Hebrew, has been around for about a decade now and continues to release their stripped down Black…
Artist: Paganizer Country: Sweden Label: Iron, Blood and Death Corporation Formats: CD EP Year: 2022 Because a wise man once told me: “There can’t be enough Paganizer reviews”, here’s another one. Earlier this year the Mexican label Iron, Blood And…
Artist: Triumphal VengeanceCountry: Chile / GermanyLabel: Born For Burning Productions / Urtod VoidFormats: Cassette EPYear: 2022 This new one-man act, founded by an anonymous figure who goes under the name of Nebel, has its roots in Chile but now operates…
Artist: Corpus ChristiiCountry: PortugalLabel: Immortal Frost ProductionsFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2022 One of the longest running and active Black Metal acts from Portugal is Corpus Christii. Their almost quarter century in the Black Metal scene has taken…
Artist: DismaCountry: USALabel: Seed Of DoomFormats: Cassette EPYear: 2022 Apart from a few purists who continue to swear by the first demo tape, ‘Towards The Megalith’ is commonly regarded as Disma’s best effort. Some go even as far as calling…
Artist: Maliënkolder Country: The Netherlands Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Demo Year: 2022 Maliënkolder, Dutch for habergeon, is a new band from The Netherlands, formed by a duo that goes under the names of Knevelaer and Geerling. I am not sure…
Artist: Hell Wehrwolf Country: Russia Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Demo Year: 2022 ‘Under Moon’ is no less than the 14th demo from this Russian Raw Black Metal act. They also released a digital split with Kёtkh Trёamёrh, Hlidskjalf and Волот…
Artist: Unholy Vampyric Slaughter SectCountry: USALabel: Crown and Throne Ltd.Formats: LPYear: 2022 Despite presenting us with a new rendition of an earlier demo in February this year, it is notable that Unholy Vampyric Slaughter Sect has drastically slowed the pace…
Artist: WalghingeCountry: BelgiumLabel: GramschapFormats: Cassette tapeYear: 2022 That Belgian Black Metal is on the rise should be obvious. Our loyal readers have seen several highlights pass by in recent months/years, we were treated to fantastic releases by bands such as…
Artist: Paganizer Country: Sweden Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Compilation Year: 2022 As if Paganizer’s regular releases don’t follow each other fast enough, we are also treated to a compilation album with great regularity. The content varies, but often overlaps. It…