Tales From The Underground
Tales From The Underground
Artist: VargravCountry: FinlandLabel: Werewolf RecordsFormats: CD, DigitalYear: 2023 There’s a strong argument to be made that Vargrav was one of the initiators of the blossoming Symphonic Black Metal revival that has been going on the past few years. Certainly, the…
Artist: KalmankantajaCountry: FinlandLabel: Wolfspell RecordsFormats: CDYear: 2023 As this turn around the sun is about to reach its end and a new round of the endless cycle soon begins, Kalmankanataja closes off 2023 with its third full-length of the year,…
Artist: Immortal Country: Norway Label: Darkness Shall Rise Productions Formats: LP / Cassette Tape / CD Year: 2023 As a young Black Metal fan around the turn of the millennium Immortal was one of my absolute favourite bands. In those…
Artist: Infernal Execrator Country: Singapore Label: Pulverised Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2023 Infernal Execrator, ever since their inception in 2005 they have been pounding our collective eardrums on a more than regular basis and with their uncompromising style…
Artist: Wolves Of Desor Country: USA Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Demo Year: 2023 Although ‘Lost Kingdom Of The Giants’ is the first brain child of Wraithlord, the youthful mind behind Wolves Of Desor, under this moniker, he has been spawning…
Artist: Hasswald Country: Estonia Label: Warhorn Formats: Digital EP Year: 2023 From the deepest and darkest pits of Estonia comes this new and anonymous Black Metal act Hasswald. With next to nothing of information to work with, this illustrious band…
Artist: Azathoth’s Dream Country: USA Label: Iron Bonehead Productions Formats: LP Year: 2023 Earlier this year I was pretty impressed by the American Black Metal band Luring, brought to us by Iron Bonehead Productions. The mystic and haunting Black Metal…
Artist: Annihilation Cult Country: USA Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Demo Year: 2023 Although ‘Demonstration MMXXIII’ is the first offering of this new American outfit, it does not consist out of newbees. On the contrary, the trio are also active in…
Artist: KêresCountry: FinlandLabel: Terratur PossessionsFormats: 12” EP / CD EPYear: 2023 It pretty much says it all about Atvar, that while recording the latest full-length ‘Vexilloid’ he just recorded another Kêres EP in the same session. Thus, instead of making…
Artist: KêresCountry: FinlandLabel: Terratur PossessionsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2023 Kêres has never been a band that delved into frivolic and experimental outskirts of Black Metal. Whenever you buy a record bearing the band name, you know that primitive and raw…
Artist: UhrituletCountry: FinlandLabel: Purity Through FireFormats: CDYear: 2023 Even though Uhritulet hails from Finland, the band consisting of sole member VP doesn’t exactly sound like your run of the mill Finnish act. Perhaps the bareboned midtempo basis of groove along…
Artist: MalokarpatanCountry: SlovakiaLabel: Invictus ProductionsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2023 It’s kind of odd to realize that ‘Stridžie dni’ was released as recently as 2015. It certainly feels to me as if Malokarpatan has been around for decades, in terms of…
Artist: Ulvhedner Country: Norway Label: Hellstain Productions Formats: LP / Cassette Tape / CD Year: 2023 No, I was not exactly impressed by the sophomore album of this Norwegian Pagan-ish Black Metal act. That record, ‘Legd’ from 2020, sounded much…
Artist: In Twilight’s EmbraceCountry: PolandLabel: Cold Weapons MusicFormats: 10″ EPYear: 2023 Without any doubt, ‘Lifeblood’ by In Twilight’s Embrace still stands as one of my favorite records of 2022. And while many records lose their radiance over time, I personally…
Artist: Grïixis Country: France Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Demo Year: 2023 Without the need of having to give any specific examples, some countries are special when it comes to their local (extreme) metal scenes. The beauty of Black Metal is…
Artist: Subjugated Black Death Immolation Country: Chile Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Demo Year: 2023 It is not for the first time that I am writing some praising words about the Chilean Black Metal scene, the South-American country has served us…
Artist: Gam Country: Denmark Label: Den Ottende Kunst Formats: Cassette Tape Year: 2023 Those who have been digging deep enough into the gems and secrets of today’s Black Metal scene might have been stumbling upon last year’s great ‘Hvisken Fra…
Artist: Abrahamic Liars / Grafjammer Country: Belgium / The Netherlands Label: Smeerenburgh Grammofoon Formats: Split 7″ EP Year: 2023 Grafjammer, hailing from Utrecht, the Netherlands, is not a band that likes to sit still. Although formed back in 2007 and…
Artist: ThurthulCountry: PolandLabel: Stronghold Clothes and Music / Werewolf Promotion / Wulfhere ProductionsFormats: Cassette EP / CD EP Year: 2023 Hate, Vengeance, Black Metal: the Polish one-man band Thurthul leaves little to the imagination when it comes to the genre of…
Artist: AsagraumCountry: The NetherlandsLabel: Edged Circle ProductionsFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2023 That the Dutch Black Metal scene has been thriving has been noticeable within the borders of the country for many years. But also internationally, bands are…
Artist: KrattiCountry: FinlandLabel: Escafismo Records / TÄH! RecordsFormats: Demo tape / Demo CDYear: 2023 Anleifr strikes again. Having previously impressed with Xavarthan, Stutyr and Herugrim, the multi-instrumentalist returns with Kratti in which he’s joined by Elliot and Sami. Black Metal is…
Artist: SiimesCountry: FinlandLabel: Self-releasedFormats: Digital EPYear: 2023 Siimes from Joensuu, Finland, is not your typical Finnish Black Metal band. At least not in terms of musical formula. Rather than basing their style on influential compatriots such as Beherit, Satanic Warmaster,…
Artist: HerzogCountry: BelgiumLabel: Amor Fati ProductionsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2023 Once again the Belgian Black Metal scene and the German label Amor Fati Productions cooperate to bring us a new slice of darkness. And not for the first time, musical…
Artist: Diabolical Fullmoon Country: Poland Label: Signal Rex Formats: LP / Cassette tape / CD Year: 2023 Diabolical Fullmoon is a band that keeps its musical roots as close as they can in every way possible. Not only are there…
Artist: Wampyric Rites Country: Ecuador Label: Signal Rex Formats: 12” EP / Cassette EP / CD EP Year: 2023 Although the band was only formed in 2019, Ecuadorian Wampyric Rites is one of the most eye-catching bands from the thriving…
Artist: Shithammered Country: USA Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital EP Year: 2023 Despite the fact that the Chris Moyen-like black/red-with-goat cover might make you expect a serving of Ross Bay Cult Bestial Black/Death Metal, the music of this American duo is…
Artist: Nihil Invocation Country: USA Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Year: 2023 During the band’s lifespan since its formation in 2016, Nihil Invocation has already amassed a respectable discography with the great common denominator being raw and unpolished punk-style Black Metal.…
Artist: Gryftigæn Country: Chile Label: Inferna Profundus Productions / Pile Of Heads Productions Formats: LP / Cassette tape / CD Year: 2023 Admitted, I am arriving a little late to the party with Gryftigæn’s ‘Wurmwaldgaistoz’, as it already saw the…
Artist: Cryfemal Country: Spain Label: Immortal Frost Productions Formats: CD Year: 2023 In the current Black Metal constellation where there are as many types of Black Metal or sub-subgenres as there are musicians active, it can be a breath of…
Artist: Vindalf Country: Chile Label: Signal Rex Formats: LP / Cassette tape / CD Year: 2023 Vindalf’s previous full-length album, ‘Ancient Spell Of Darkness’ was one of the best Black Metal albums from South America that I had heard in…
Artist: Deadspace Country: Austalia Label: Immortal Frost Productions Formats: LP / CD Year: 2023 Despite having been around since 2014 (albeit with a short break between 2020 and 2021) and already having a hefty discography, Australian black metal outfit Deadspace…
Artist: Funeral Fullmoon / Nocturnal Prayer Country: Chile / Canada Label: Inferna Profundus Records Formats: LP Year: 2023 Not too long after the band’s second full-length album, Chilean Funeral Fullmoon returns with some new work. Despite not having expected new…
Artist: AldaaronCountry: FranceLabel: Paragon RecordsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2023 With a striking cover on their latest album ‘Majestic Heights, Melancholic Depths’ the French band Aldaaron surely managed to pique my interest. And to those that see resemblance to the Limbonic…
Artist: Malokarpatan / BotulistumCountry: Slovakia / The NetherlandsLabel: New Era ProductionsFormats: Split LPYear: 2023 Both with a long-awaited full-length under their belts, 2023 wasn’t a bad year by any means for either Malokarpatan or Botulistum. But it turns out the…
Artist: Ave SanguineCountry: TurkeyLabel: Self-releasedFormats: Digital EPYear: 2023 It would be so easy to assume that ‘By Clandestine Will’ was released by a Finnish band. But instead of hailing from a city like Turku, the two members of Ave Sanguine…
Artist: WurgilnõCountry: The NetherlandsLabel: Merg & Been / Rotting Sun Records / Wolfkult ReligionFormats: Cassette EPYear: 2023 The Wurgilnõ debut ‘De Doden Rusten Niet In Vrede’ came like a bolt from the blue earlier in 2023, and riding that momentum…
Artist: MānbryneCountry: PolandLabel: Malignant Voices / Terratur PossessionsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2023 Mānbryne left a lasting impression as soon as I heard the gorgeous and deceptively simple solo melody of `Pustka, Którą Znam’, a melody that still lingers in my mind…
Artist: Beyond The PermafrostCountry: FranceLabel: Naturmacht ProductionsFormats: Cassette tape / CDYear: 2023 Somewhat earlier this year I was pleasantly surprised by the French band ACOD with their musical presentation of what I ultimately described as a much heavier and more Black…
Artist: Phantom Country: Mexico Label: Inframetal Records Formats: CD Year: 2023 Ever since their inception in 2021 this young Mexican Speed/Black Metal band has been cranking out demos with utterly raw and rowdy material that is worthy of the old…
Artist: Vér Country: Canada Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Year: 2023 Autumn last year was the first time that I heard about this Canadian one-man act Vér. It was part of a three-way split on cassette tape released through the Wilt-Shine…
Artist: Black Edifice Country: Norway Label: Iron Bonehead Productions Formats: Cassette EP Year: 2023 When I first read the name of this new Norwegian band, my thoughts immediately went to Dream Death, this American cult band has a song of…
Artist: Satanism Country: USA Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Year: 2023 In the last couple of months I reviewed two releases of other bands of Scott Thayer (here going under the name of “Preacher of Unholy Blasphemies”) and I think I…
Artist: Kurjuus Country: Finland Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Demo Year: 2023 Although already having been founded in 2017 and having released a good number of demo’s and EP’s, this latest one being the 11th release in total, this is the…
Artist: Fertilizer Country: Canada Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Demo Year: 2023 Last year around the same time I reviewed the first demo, simply called ‘Demo’, of Canadian one-man act Fertilizer and was quite enamored by the mix of styles that…
Artist: Thlipsis (Θλίψις) Country: Greece Label: Floga Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2023 Greek Black Metal, where to start? While the scene may not be too big in terms of the number of bands, their impact on the global…
Artist: Goatkraft Country: Norway Label: Iron Bonehead Productions Formats: LP / CD Year: 2023 Norway, the land of the beautiful landscapes and equally stunning metal. Norway will forever be remembered as the country that has brought us the well-thought out…
Artist: SvartkonstCountry: SwedenLabel: Trust No One RecordingsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2023 Somehow I’ve never come across the work of Rickard Törnqvist’s solo brainchild Svartkonst before, despite the band being active for a little over a decade. But when I came…
Artist: MithrandirCountry: FinlandLabel: Self-ReleasedFormats: Digital EPYear: 2023 Mithrandir’s debut ‘Towards the Spires of Dol Guldur’ was quite a striking debut. Expertly combining their Finnish Black Metal roots of the likes of Satanic Warmaster and Sargeist with touches of Burzum, Darkthrone…
Artist: Grollheim Country: Chile Label: Forbidden Files Records Formats: Demo CD Year: 2023 Over the past few years, I have covered Chilean bands a good number of times, and in recent times the emphasis has overtly shifted from Death Metal…
Artist: Cult Ov Black Blood Country: Poland Label: Rex Diaboli Formats: Cassette tape / CD Year: 2023 Although this band was already founded back in 2015 and released three demos (all compiled on the Total War-released ‘Abhorrence Ov God’ CD)…