Tales From The Underground
Tales From The Underground
Artist: KrolokCountry: SlovakiaLabel: Osmose ProductionsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2022 I remember the artwork for ‘Flying Above Ancient Ruins’ catching my eye in one of the distros that I regularly check. As if that wasn’t enough, finding out that the band…
Artist: KrolokCountry: SlovakiaLabel: Osmose ProductionsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2022 With the signing of the Slovakian band Krolok to Osmose Productions for their new album ‘Funeral Winds & Crimson Sky’, both parties also decided to re-release a large part of the…
Artist: Imha TarikatCountry: GermanyLabel: Lupus LoungeFormats: LP / CDYear: 2022 In the review for ‘Sternenberster’, the previous Imha Tarikat album, from 2020 I already explained that I had the feeling the band never really got the attention the band deserves.…
Artist: Nightfall Country: Greece Label: Season Of Mist Formats: Digital EP Year: 2022 Last summer the Greek Melodic Black/Death Metal band released this digital 2-track EP which they recorded live at the Gagarin Club in Athens in November 2021. Both…
Artist: Nightfall Country: Greece Label: Season Of Mist Formats: LP / CD Year: 2021 Within the enigmatic Greek Black Metal scene Nightfall has always been a little of an outcast, both in terms of personnel as in the way they…
Artist: Hate ForestCountry: UkraineLabel: Osmose ProductionsFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2022 Out of nowhere, Hate Forest returned from the dead in 2020 with ‘Hour of the Centaur’, another showcase of the typical untamed Black Metal aggression bottled up…
Artist: AgathodaimonCountry: GermanyLabel: Napalm RecordsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2022 From the mid 90’s to the first few years of the new millennium, the German Melodic (or Symphonic, if you prefer) Black Metal band released some decent albums, of which especially…
Artist: GrafjammerCountry: The NetherlandsLabel: Black Tapes / Folter Records / RabauwFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2020 Sometimes things get lost. But some things that are too old and too cold should not be forgotten… no, I’m not talking…
Artist: Stormruler Country: USA Label: Napalm Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2022 While I will forever respect Napalm Records for their amazing pioneering work for the development of (extreme) metal, I also regularly scratch the back of my head…
Artist: Grymmstalt Country: Chile / Ecuador Label: Mahamvantara Arts Formats: Demo tape Year: 2022 Grymmstalt is yet another band of the ever-prolific Lord Valtgryftåke. This time the Chilean multi-instrumentalist teamed up with Ecuadorian vocalist Wampyric Strigoi, who also tends to…
Artist: Grymmstalt Country: Chile / Ecuador Label: Signal Rex Formats: LP / Cassette tape / CD Year: 2022 Not too longer after the release of the band’s single demo tape, they are presenting their first full-length album through Signal Rex.…
Artist: GeistlichtCountry: GermanyLabel: Self-releasedFormats: DigitalYear: 2022 In September of 2022, Geistlicht’s debut release ‘Hidden in the Mists’ pleasantly surprised me with beautiful artwork but most of all, a great album filled with atmospheric Black Metal. Possibly equally surprising, the band…
Artist: Hell Militia Country: France Label: Season Of Mist Underground Activists Formats: LP / CD Year: 2022 No less than ten years have passed since Hell Militia’s last album, the rather underappreciated and often misunderstood ‘Jacob’s Ladder’ from 2012. As…
Artist: DawnCountry: SwedenLabel: Cosmic Key CreationsFormats: 10″ EPYear: 2022 The creation of the Swedish band Dawn dates back to 1986, when guitar player Fredrik Söderberg formed the band as a solo project. When he moved to another city and recruited…
Artist: TheudhoCountry: BelgiumLabel: Heidens Hart RecordsFormats: CDYear: 2022 Founded as early as 2002, Theudho is currently one of the longest running Belgian Black Metal bands, and with its rather impressive output, the (now) one-man project left quite a mark on…
Artist: Lucifericon Country: The Netherlands Label: Invictus Productions Formats: LP / Cassette Tape / CD Year: 2022 After releasing three EP’s and one full-length album, the Dutch Black/Death Metal combo Lucifericon is ready to strike again with a new full-length…
Artist: Tchornobog / AbyssalCountry: USA / United KingdomLabel: Lupus Lounge / Vigor DeconstructFormats: Split LP / Split tape / Split CDYear: 2022 Lupus Lounge is presenting a very interesting split LP (also released on CD and on cassette tape by…
Artist: Gurthang Country: Poland Label: Immortal Frost Productions Formats: LP / CD Year: 2021 When I got this album to spend a few words on, I assumed the Belgium Gurthang had arisen from its grave. Which was not a strange…
Artist: Black CrucifixionCountry: FinlandLabel: Fallen Pages Productions / Séance RecordsFormats: Cassette tape / CDYear: 2021 When talking about early Finnish Black Metal, the same names invariably come up: Impaled Nazarene, Beherit, Barathrum and Archgoat. The latter only released two demos…
Artist: Liber Null Country: Italy / The Netherlands Label: Immortal Frost Productions Formats: LP / CD Year: 2022 Liber Null, for those who are not familiar with the band, is another band that has one of Black Metal’s most prolific…
Artist: Black CommunionCountry: ColombiaLabel: Dunkelheit ProduktionenFormats: LP / CDYear: 2020 From Colombia came this Black/Death band, which folded not too long after releasing ‘Miasmic Monstrosity’. With current and ex-band members sporting names like Necro Pervertor, Blasphemer Goatpriest of Virgin’s Impalement, Sadistik Offender and A.C.M Six…
Artist: Depressive WitchesCountry: FranceLabel: WormHoleDeathFormats: CDYear: 2022 After the release of the band’s debut album ‘Bad Flask’ and after getting somewhat used to the band not taking themselves very seriously, we should be ready for Depressive Witches’ second album. Again…
Artist: Depressive WitchesCountry: FranceLabel: Self-ReleasedFormats: CDYear: 2021 Anyone here who has been around a bit longer and knows the Black Metal scene of the 90’s will remember the video clips of the likes of Immortal and Hecate Enthroned. Where the…
Artist: Denouncement PyreCountry: AustraliaLabel: Agonia RecordsFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2022 With Denouncement Pyre’s 20th anniversary approaching and a brand new album under its belt, this is a perfect time to give this underrated band some well-deserved praise. Because although the band has…
Artist: Drowning The LightCountry: AustraliaLabel: Dark Adversary ProductionsFormats: CDYear: 2022 The last two or so years, Dark Adversary Records, run by Drowning The Light mastermind Azgorh, has been reissuing quite a lot of his older material. Some of his older albums saw the…
Artist: Lichtblick Country: Austria Label: Immortal Frost Productions Formats: CD Year: 2022 Lichtblick is German for ‘bright spot’, a symbol for hope, a brighter future. This is in stark contrast to the title of this second full-length from the Austrian…
Artist: Ancient NorthCountry: USALabel: Self-ReleasedFormats: DigitalYear: 2022 After having released two albums and an EP earlier this year, Forlorn, the sole initiator and driving force of the entity that is Ancient North, decided to close off the year with another…
Artist: The Rite / BezweringCountry: Denmark / Italy / The NetherlandsLabel: Headkick MusicFormats: Split 7″ EPYear: 2022 Dutch Bezwering and Danish/Italian band The Rite team up for a split 7” EP that was released just before last summer by rather…
Artist: AnaelCountry: GermanyLabel: Darkness Shall Rise Productions / Into Endless Chaos RecordsFormats: LP / Cassette tapeYear: 2021 Anael has always been a massively overlooked band in the German Black Metal scene. Not only were they able to bring something else…
Artist: Moonlight Sorcery Country: Finland Label: Avantgarde Music Formats: 12″ EP / Cassette EP / CD EP Year: 2022 At the beginning of this year I was completely blown away by the debut EP from Finnish newcomers Moonlight Sorcery. Just…
Artist: WargeistCountry: GermanyLabel: Self-releasedFormats: Digital EPYear: 2022 Not much is known about this new band called Wargeist, except the fact that they are from Germany and recently digitally released their first EP, ‘Altar Of Genocide’. So, instead of digging into…
Artist: Nocturnal Sorcery Country: Finland Label: Kvlt Formats: CD Year: 2022 After the release of two demos and a split with fellow Finnish Daemonblut, Nocturnal Sorcery treats us with their debut album, ‘The Holy Law In Total Ruin’, brought to…
Artist: VarathronCountry: GreeceLabel: Agonia RecordsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2020 In its very lengthy career, Greek forebearers of the so much beloved Hellenic Black Metal sound, Varathron, never released a live album before. So, when the band embarked on a trip…
Artist: Septicflesh Country: Greece Label: Chaos Reigns / Nuclear Blast / Shinigami Records / Ward Records Formats: LP / Cassette Tape / CD Year: 2022 When the band fell apart in 2003 and arose again four years later, they not…
Artist: ZemialCountry: GreeceLabel: Self-releasedFormats: Digital EPYear: 2022 Archon Vorskaath has led his brainchild Zemial through many years of musical transitions and past many great releases. On many occasions, the enigmatic act has managed to surprise fans and critics alike. Looking…
Artist: Drowning The LightCountry: AustraliaLabel: Iron Bonehead ProductionsFormats: LP Year: 2022 In 2019 Drowning The Light released the ‘A Gleam In The Eye Of Set’ mini CD through Azgorh’s own Dark Adversary Records which ended up on this vinyl together with 2022’s ‘Wolrd…
Artist: Funeral WindsCountry: The NetherlandsLabel: NecromanteionFormats: DigitalYear: 2021 By the end of last year the Dutch Black Metal entity Funeral Winds independently released this compilation of “raw sounding Funeral Winds recorings”, which were recorded over the years between 2001 and…
Artist: Vengeance SorceryCountry: USALabel: Nuclear War Now! ProductionsFormats: LPYear: 2022 Recently I dived into the four demo tapes of the illustrious duo of Vengeance Sorcery, going through many minutes of their quirky and captivating blend of Black Metal and Doom…
Artist: Vengeance SorceryCountry: USALabel: Nuclear War Now! ProductionsFormats: Demo tapeYear: 2022 At the very beginning of this year Nuclear War Now! Productions reissued the first demo of American duo Vengeance Sorcery, that originally saw the dark of night in 2019…
Artist: VintertodtCountry: USALabel: Fólkvangr Records / Forest SummonerFormats: Cassette tape / CDYear: 2022 From New York, USA, hails the Black Metal band Vintertodt. Formed in 2018, the band soon recorded their first demo which was released in 2019. ‘Pure Fucking…
Artist: Old Castles Country: Chile Label: Inferna Profundus Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2022 After no less than eight demos and a split release with Moon’s Veneris (yes, Moon’s Veneris, not Mons Veneris), and I am not even counting…
Artist: Katavasia Country: Greece Label: Iron Bonehead Records Formats: 7″ EP Year: 2022 Katavasia was formed in 2014 by Varathron mastermind Stefanos ‘Necroabyssious’ Karasavvas, undoubtedly one of the founding fathers of the famous Hellenic Black Metal sound. And although not…
Artist: NihilvmCountry: PolandLabel: Malignant VoicesFormats: CD EPYear: 2022 Poland’s Nihilvm was formed in 2020, but that’s about all the information that’s out there. Well, that and that the band was signed to the highly esteemed Malignant Voices label, which has…
Artist: Concrete WindsCountry: FinlandLabel: Sepulchral Voice RecordsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2021 At the end of last year Concrete Winds treated us to a new album of extreme violence. I can imagine that you are still recovering from 2019’s ‘Primitive Force’,…
Artist: Cantique LépreuxCountry: CanadaLabel: EisenwaldFormats: 12″ EP / CD EPYear: 2022 Our loyal readers have already seen many a Canadian Black Metal release pass by, it is a scene that is developing rapidly and producing a good number of, often exceptionally good, acts. In particular,…
Artist: Meslamtaea Country: The Netherlands Label: Babylon Doom Cult Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2022 Formed in 1998, Meslamtaea may be considered one of the longest-running Dutch Black Metal acts, but in that almost quarter-century of its existence, main…
Artist: Blood Of The WolfCountry: USALabel: Horror Pain Gore Death ProductionsFormats: CDYear: 2022 The title of ‘IV: The Declaration Of War Eternal’ implies that there were (at least) three chapter preceding this latest album by American Death Metallers Blood Of The Wolf. And while I…
Artist: HelwettiCountry: FinlandLabel: Northern Heritage RecordsFormats: CDYear: 2022 It was quite a surprise that 2021 saw the release of the debut album of the Finnish band Helwetti. Outside some involvement in (live) activities of the cult band Warloghe, the members…
Artist: Necromaniac Country: United Kingdom Label: Invictus Productions Formats: Demo Tape Year: 2021 Originally released in 2015 by Me Saco Un Ojo Records (and already reissued a year later) Invictus Productions thought it was about time to give this demo…
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…