Tales From The Underground
Tales From The Underground
Artist: Hail Conjurer Country: Finland Label: Bestial Burst Formats: CD Year: 2023 The multi-talented Harri Kuokkanen is a restless person with a clear excess of creativity, if he’s not busy with some of his other bands, he seems to dedicate…
Artist: Mystic Circle Country: Germany Label: Fireflash Records Formats: LP Year: 2023 Alright, here it is. Already. In my review of the remastered reissue of ‘Drachenblut’ earlier this year I predicted that this album would see a remastered version of…
Artist: SieliunvihollinenCountry: FinlandLabel: Hammer of Hate RecordsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2023 Leading melodies aren’t exactly a stranger to a large part of Finnish Black Metal bands. Often inspired by the pioneering works of Satanic Warmaster, Horna and Sargeist, that sense…
Artist: Infernal Curse Country: Argentina Label: Iron Bonehead Productions Formats: LP Year: 2023 It has been about ten years ago since Infernal Curse first crossed my path, back then it was the also Iron Bonehead Productions released ‘The End Upon…
Artist: Profanatica Country: USA Label: Season Of Mist Underground Activists Formats: LP / CD Year: 2023 Ever since the band’s resurrection in 2001 and especially after their first full-length album ever, 2007’s ‘Profanatitas de Domonatia’, the nefarious Black Metal entity…
Artist: WaldgeflüsterCountry: GermanyLabel: AOP RecordsFormats: 12″ EP / CD EPYear: 2023 Autumn equinox is here, and to celebrate the beauty of the leaves turning shades of red, green and bronze, Germany’s Waldgeflüster offers us with their latest EP, ‘Unter Bronzenen…
Artist: Bloody Run Country: USA Label: Self-Released Formats: CD EP Year: 2023 Earlier this year the trio that is Bloody Run, hailing from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, presented their third release. ‘The Revenge’ is an (extremely) short affair, clocking in at…
Artist: AegrusCountry: FinlandLabel: Osmose ProductionsFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2023 With the release of ‘Invoking the Abysmal Night’, Aegrus follows up their excellent ‘The Carnal Temples’ EP with seven new songs. And with it, it also follows the…
Artist: Nachtgnawer feat. WulfseerCountry: FinlandLabel: Purity Through FireFormats: CD EPYear: 2023 Nachtgnawer’s ‘Eternal Curse of the Blood’ still stands as one of my favorite demos of last year. Taking a familiar Finnish formula of earlier Satanic Warmaster but by adding…
In the Owl interview I recently published, I mentioned that there are more than just a handful of real gems to be unearthed in the deeper, mouldy and shadowy layers of the Dutch Black Metal scene. Duindwaler, also a one-man…
Artist: Death Worship Country: Canada Label: Nuclear War Now! Productions Formats: 12″ EP / CD Year: 2023 Not including a demo and a promotional tape, this is EP number three from Canada’s Death Worship (which seems to be headquartered in…
One of the longest running Dutch Black Metal bands is Sammath, who, in the form of ‘Grebbeberg’, recently unleashed their seventh onslaught upon mankind. The album, which in my humble opinion is their strongest to date, again has the war…
Artist: ManiiCountry: NorwayLabel: Terratur PossessionsFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2023 When Manes’ debut album ‘Under ein Blodraud Maane’ came out in 1999, most of the groundbreaking Norwegian Black Metal records of the second wave had already been released.…
Artist: Abysmal Spite Country: USA Label: Narbentage Produktinen Formats: Cassette EP Year: 2023 Last year the American Black Metal duo of Abysmal Spite presented a short but fine demo tape under the name of ‘Demo MMXXII’, of which I concluded…
Artist: Salacious Gods Country: The Netherlands Label: Hammerheart Records Formats: Vinyl / CD Year: 2023 It is remarkable to realise that the time that was between the first and last time I heard from Salacious Gods is many times shorter…
Artist: Vomit Messiah Country: Spain Label: In Pulverem Mortis Productions Formats: Demo Tape Year: 2023 Just as the band needed remarkably few words to title this debut demo, it can sometimes be as easy to write a review. This brand-new…
Artist: Wooden ThroneCountry: FinlandLabel: Purity Through FireFormats: CDYear: 2023 Mikko Lehto isn’t exactly a stranger to atmospheric Black Metal. Since the inception in 2001, he has released six full-length albums with October Falls, initially as a solo project but since…
Artist: NoitilaCountry: FinlandLabel: Nordvis ProduktionFormats: CDYear: 2023 Noitilahti is a bay on the Lahnaselkä lake in Kuusamo, a municipal located in the Northern Ostrobothnia region in North-eastern Finland. Translating to Witches’ Bay, the scenery of dense pine forests and vast…
Artist: WitchfukkerCountry: The NetherlandsLabel: Destruktion RecordsFormats: Demo TapeYear: 2022 With a band name like Witchfukker, nothing less than extremely non-subtle music will do. And the Dutch duo do not disappoint. Reeking of a primitive scent of Extreme Metal that walks…
Anyone who delves a little into the caverns of extreme metal knows that beneath the surface of the more well-known bands you can often find the roughest diamonds. If you have ever really put your shovel deep into the Dutch…
Artist: EndstilleCountry: GermanyLabel: Ván RecordsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2023 You cannot deny a band that released several songs with the title ‘Monotonus’ some sense of self-reflection, and for that matter, consistency. Monotonous isn’t a bad quality anyway, and in case…
Artist: MardukCountry: SwedenLabel: Century Media RecordsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2023 Five years. There hasn’t been this much time between two Marduk studio albums in the 33 years of their existence. Not that the best rested idly in the intermediate period.…
Artist: Ancestors Blood / Heimdalls Wacht Country: Finland / Germany Label: Heidens Hart Records Formats: Split LP / Split CD Year: 2023 On the verge of the end of winter and the beginning of spring this year, Heidens Hart Records…
Artist: DHG/DødheimsgardCountry: NorwayLabel: Peaceville RecordsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2023 That Dødheimsgard has been pushing the boundaries of Black Metal has been clear from the earliest works. Perhaps that’s why the influence of their classic albums ‘Kronet Til Konge’ and ‘Monumental…
Artist: Owl Country: The Netherlands Label: Zwaertgevegt Formats: Cassette Tape Year: 2023 Although The Netherlands is a small country, it still hosts an interesting Black Metal scene that manifests itself in the most unexpected places. Take for instance the very…
Artist: Urfaust Country: The Netherlands Label: Ván Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2023 Ever since their inception in 2003, Urfaust has been the most unique entity within the Dutch Black Metal scene – which, on its own, can already…
Artist: RiutujaCountry: FinlandLabel: Self-releasedFormats: DigitalYear: 2023 Full of melody and harmony, ‘Kuolonkerjuu’ is the debut album for Riutuja. Sorrowful Black Metal with Varg-like vocal outcries, intensely varying drums and dominant layers of guitar melodies, even within a realm of music…
Artist: NidvinterCountry: NorwayLabel: Self-releasedFormats: Digital EPYear: 2023 ‘Winter Wars’ is the first EP of the band Nidvinter, an Oslo-based band that arose from the ashes of Hexenkeit in early 2023. It follows an earlier released demo on which the band…
A little over a decade since their previous album, Cruel Force comes back to bring the power back into the Metal. With their latest scorching album ‘Dawn of the Axe’ the band once again professes their adoration for the glory…
Artist: Tempest Country: Mexico Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital EP Year: 2023 Under the moniker Tempest, this trio, admittedly with modest experience in extreme metal, puts out a thoroughly enjoyable first EP. ‘Unending Torment’, a self-released 4-tracker with a total length…
Artist: Triclavian Country: Canada Label: Serpents Head Reprisal Formats: Cassette EP Year: 2023 While this trio from Canada may be a somewhat arcane entity, with all three members appearing only by their initials, the fact that this demo (or EP,…
Artist: DikasterionCountry: BelgiumLabel: Amor Fati ProductionsFormats: 12″ EP / CD EPYear: 2023 Dikasterion’s ‘Demo MMXVIII’ left an immediate mark once I first heard it; a raw fist from the Belgian Underground with its chaos-embodying Black Metal in the spirit of…
The combination of enchanting atmospheric Black metal and profound lyrics dealing with the Belgian area of Kaggevinne were just a few of the many obvious qualities of the band Oerheks. To delve into what moves the band and what lies…
De combinatie van de bezwerende atmosferische Black Metal en diepgaande teksten over de Belgische streek Kaggevinne waren slechts enkele van de in het oog springende kwaliteiten van de Belgische band Oerheks. Om verder te duiken in wat de band beweegt…
Artist: Chamber Of UnlightCountry: FinlandLabel: Werewolf RecordsFormats: CD singleYear: 2023 The 2021 debut album of Chamber of Unlight was quite a hammer blow. The Finnish band was started by Necrosis (Ajatarra, Deathchain, Chaosweaver) and later shaped into a trio by…
Artist: Cruel ForceCountry: GermanyLabel: Shadow Kingdom RecordsFormats: LP / Cassette / CDYear: 2023 If you hadn’t heard about Cruel Force before, chances are you missed out. Between 2010 and 2011 the band released two rather stellar albums with ‘The Rise…
Artist: KalmankantajaCountry: FinlandLabel: Wolfspell RecordsFormats: CD EPYear: 2023 With the release of ‘Unohdettu’, Kalmankantaja is up to their third release of 2023. After two full-length albums the latest addition to the discography is an EP, although with a total playing…
Out of the depths of the Dutch underground Black Metal scene crawls Perfide. With a basis of old school Norwegian Black Metal mixed with an atypical bass-oriented sound, the band impressed with their debut album ‘De Republiek der Zeven Verenigde…
Uit de krochten van de Nederlandse Black Metal underground kruipt Perfide. Met een basis van old school Noorse Black Metal vermengd met een atypisch bas georiënteerd geluid maakte de band indruk met hun debuutplaat ‘De Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden’.…
Formed as early as 1997, we can definitely say that Burning Winds is a band that more than deserves the term ‘Cult Band’. Although always at the ultimate underground level, the band has undoubtedly contributed heavily to what we now…
Artist: HedenskfridCountry: FinlandLabel: Hellthrasher ProductionsFormats: CD EPYear: 2023 A cover showing a view through the trees on a lake with far away hills is certainly a captivating sight. And the same nature-inspired approach seems to have taken a deep root…
Artist: StangarigelCountry: SlovakiaLabel: Medieval Prophecy RecordsFormats: 12″ EP / Cassette EP / CD EPYear: 2023 After a stunning debut album, Stangarigel returns with their latest EP ‘Metafyzika Barbarstva’. Still strongly influenced by the earliest works of Satyricon and Ulver, the band…
Artist: The ChamberlainCountry: FinlandLabel: Self-releasedFormats: Digital EPYear: 2023 With experience in several acts including Aesthus, Malum and Norrhem, it’s no wonder that new Finnish band The Chamberlain sounds far from rookies to the scene. On their first EP ‘Dominus Noctis’…
The ever-active Grafjammer have been steadily making their way within the Dutch Black Metal scene for several years now. Although new work is always on the way, with some recent reissues on vinyl (via the Zwaertgevegt label, among others) this…
Artist: Chemin De Croix Country: Canada Label: Cosmic Cause Productions Formats: Demo Tape Year: 2023 Over the course over the past two years or so the Pant Y Meddygon label has been issuing an impressing amount of interesting releases. While…
When, after much deliberation, you decide to go solo and then deliver a very good debut album almost unannounced, you can of course be very content. But if you then strike out mercilessly with a rock-solid successor, you can definitely…
Artist: Beenkerver Country: The Netherlands Label: Vendetta Records Formats: Cassette EP Year: 2023 Last year we could already enjoy the by no means insignificant ‘Ontaard’, the debut album of this new musical project by Niels “Beenkerver” Riethorst, who we previously…
Artist: Order Of Nosferat / Lunar Spells Country: Germany & Finland / Greece Label: Northern Silence Productions Formats: LP / CD Year: 2023 Because both bands on this Northern Silence presented split LP released full-length albums fairly recently, with Order…
Artist: Chamber of MirrorsCountry: USALabel: Drakkar ProductionsFormats: LP / Tape / CDYear: 2023 On their second album, US-based Chamber of Mirrors presents a well-crafted mix between raw and symphonic Black Metal. Consisting of the sole member Mortem, ‘Moonlight Decay’ follows…
Artist: NoenumCountry: FinlandLabel: Northern Heritage RecordsFormats: 10″ EPYear: 2023 In late 2022 came the unexpected return of the Finnish duo of Noenum after an absence that lasted well over a decade. However, upon the release of their debut full-length album…