Tales From The Underground
Tales From The Underground
Artist: GrieveCountry: FinlandLabel: Werewolf RecordsFormats: CDYear: 2022 Grieve from Finland led a short but sweet life. After their formation in 2019, the four-piece released their first EP, a self-titled two-track recording (four if you include the vinyl bonus tracks) that…
Artist: Darkest MindCountry: BelgiumLabel: Immortal Frost ProductionsFormats: CDYear: 2021 This Belgian Black Metal band consists out of three more or less seasoned musicians who also have had some experience in various other Belgian (Black) Metal bands such as Gotmoor, Theudo,…
Artist: TrinitasCountry: Germany / SwedenLabel: Ván RecordsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2022 When I first stumbled upon the band Trinitas in a playlist, I just played the track, enjoyed what I superficially heard and added it to my list of albums to…
Artist: Angra MainyuCountry: SwedenLabel: Self-ReleasedFormats: Digital EPYear: 2022 The story of the Black Metal band Angra Mainyu from Sweden goes way back to the early 90’s, when they were around under the name of Ahriman. Ahriman was an ancient Persian…
Artist: Darkwoods My BetrothedCountry: FinlandLabel: Napalm RecordsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2021 Although Darkwoods My Betrothed was one of the very first Finnish Black Metal bands, with their roots in the first half of the 90’s, first under the beautiful name…
Artist: Vampyric BloodCountry: FinlandLabel: Dark Adversary ProductionsFormats: CDYear: 2022 About five years ago, hypes in the Black Metal scene were whipped up with great regularity via the Nuclear War Now! forums. These included internet battles to get copies of the…
Artist: Meyhnach Country: France Label: Osmose Productions Formats: LP Year: 2022 One of the most appealing and leading figures of the French Black Metal scene is undoubtedly Meyhnach (although I think his mother prefers to call him William). With his…
Artist: Lord BelialCountry: SwedenLabel: Iron Bonehead ProductionsFormats: LPYear: 2022 Earlier this year I spent a few words on Lord Belia’s latest album, ‘Rapture’ (Hammerheart Records), but that wasn’t the only release that was sent out to us that carried the…
Artist: WesenwilleCountry: The NetherlandsLabel: Les Acteurs de l’Ombre ProductionsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2022 Once dubbed “The Svartidauði project” by the band members, the release of the sophomore album ‘II: A Material God’ saw the band Wesenwille take a large step…
Artist: WesenwilleCountry: The NetherlandsLabel: Les Acteurs de l’Ombre ProductionsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2021 Even though the band born as a project meant to honour stalwarts of dissonant Black Metal, Wesenwille didn’t intend to end it there and remain a one-time…
Artist: WesenwilleCountry: The NetherlandsLabel: Les Acteurs de l’Ombre ProductionsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2022 I wonder how many bands are formed after a night with a few beers, friends listening to a record that then decide to play music in the…
Artist: Pyra Country: Italy Label: Immortal Frost Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2022 Founded in 2020, this Italian Black/Death Metal three-piece released a couple of digital singles in prelude to the official release of their self-titled debut EP through…
Artist: UlvhednerCountry: NorwayLabel: Cold Northern Breeze Records / Hellstain Productions / Screaming Skull RecordsFormats: Lp / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2020 When you chose to read this, I don’t need to explain to you that Norway was the hotspot of…
Artist: OfermodCountry: SwedenLabel: Shadow RecordsFormats: 12″ EP / CD EPYear: 2022 Not long ago on these pages, I reviewed Ofermod’s latest full-length album, ‘Mysterium Iniquitatis’. In it, I dwelled at length on the band’s history and the undeniable importance mastermind…
Artist: Weregoat / Eggs Of Gomorrh Country: USA / Switzerland Label: Iron Bonehead Productions Formats: Split LP / Split Cassette EP / Split CD Year: 2022 Simultaneously with the release of Weregoat’s ‘The Devil’s Lust’ 12″ EP, Iron Bonehead Productions…
Artist: HeinousCountry: BelgiumLabel: New Era Productions / Nuclear War Now! ProductionsFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2022 My first introduction to Heinous came with their ‘Demo I’, initially released through Medieval Prophecy Records (cassette) and later by New Era…
Artist: DrudkhCountry: UkraineLabel: Season of Mist Underground ActivistsFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2022 2022 marks the 20th anniversary of the birth of Drudkh, the by now legendary Ukranian band formed by original members Roman Saenko and Thurios and…
Artist: DarkthroneCountry: NorwayLabel: Peaceville RecordsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2022 Obviously Darkthrone needs no introduction. An absolutely legendary band from the Norwegian Black Metal scene, the duo of Fenriz and Nocturno Culto have been spreading their music for well over three…
Artist: YmirCountry: FinlandLabel: Werewolf RecordsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2022 A long, long time ago there was nothing but a deep and wide chasm called Ginnungagap that separated the cold and wild of Niflheim from the heat and fire of Muspelheim.…
Artist: SorgetidCountry: FinlandLabel: Werewolf RecordsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2022 The translation of the Norwegian word Sorgetid to English means something like mourning period, while the title of their debut album ‘Natt av Tusen Dödsfall’ translates to ‘Night of a Thousand…
Artist: Chevallier SkrogCountry: SwedenLabel: Pant Y MeddygonFormats: Cassette tapeYear: 2022 With this second full-length album, the ever-active Chevallier Skrog delivers its sixth achievement of this year. Where many one-person acts from the same Lo-Fi Black Metal corner that keep up…
Artist: Herculean Death Country: USA Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital EP Year: 2022 Herculean Death is a two-piece Black Metal band from Portland, Oregon, USA, and one of the 49 (!!) currently active bands and projects (of which a lot of…
Artist: In Twilight’s EmbraceCountry: PolandLabel: Malignant Voices / Terratur PossessionsFormats: CDYear: 2022 I have a confession to make. Sometimes, without any good reason, I decide to not give music a chance and avoid listening to it. I guess to save…
Artist: FellmoonCountry: NorwayLabel: Self-releasedFormats: DigitalYear: 2022 “Alle er en måne og har en mørk side, som han aldri viser til noen”. This message is left by the entity Fellmoon on their only source of information, their Bandcamp page. The text…
Artist: Sodom Country: Germany Label: Steamhammer Formats: LP / CD Year: 2022 Whether you like Heavy Metal or Black Metal, Thrash Metal or Death Metal, there is no way that your favourite bands from each of those genres has not…
Artist: Givre Country: Canada Label: Eisenwald / Extinctionist Records / Fólkvangr Records / Winter Sky Records Formats: Cassette Tape / CD Year: 2022 In the wake of many a local Black Metal scene, the one currently brewing in Canada, in…
Artist: Givre Country: Canada Label: Eisenwald Formats: CD Year: 2022 At the same time as the Eisenwald-rereleased ‘Le Pressoir Mystique’ the Canadians come up with their sophomore album. On their debut album the band showed that Métal Noir Québécois is…
Artist: Sauron / Lugubre Country: The Netherlands Label: Heidens Hart Records Formats: Split CD Year: 2022 As an avid youngster, I plunged myself into the world of Black Metal towards the end of 1999. As anyone of that age does,…
Artist: RienausCountry: FinlandLabel: KvltFormats: CDYear: 2022 The Finnish word Rienaus literally translates to blasphemy, so in a way it’s not surprising that through the years more than one Finnish band has used this band name. The band in question here…
Artist: BythosCountry: FinlandLabel: Terratur PossessionsFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2020 The Finnish Black Metal scene is about as rich and diverse as any scene, ranging from the ultra raw to the symphonic and melodic. However, for the most…
Artist: Frostmoon Eclipse Country: Italy Label: Immortal Frost Productions Formats: CD EP Year: 2022 As one of Italy’s longest running Black Metal bands, with their roots dating all the way back to 1994, and having released quite an impressive string…
Artist: Blessing LycanthropyCountry: SlovakiaLabel: Pant Y MeddygonFormats: Demo tapeYear: 2022 The first demo from this three-member Slovakian Black Metal band Blessing Lycanthropy was released in June this year. Just one month later, the band is already releasing ‘Demo II’. In…
Artist: Kjeld Country: The Netherlands Label: Heidens Hart Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2021 Northern Netherlands-based Kjeld is not a band in a big hurry. On the contrary. The band was formed back in 2003, but it took them…
Artist: Perversion / Pyromancer Country: USA Label: Hells Headbangers Records Formats: LP / Cassette Tape / CD Year: 2022 “Dies irae, dies illa. Solvet saeclum in favilla“. The first words in the Latin Dies Irae, the Day Of Wrath, they…
Artist: FirtanCountry: GermanyLabel: Act Of PropagandaFormats: LP / CDYear: 2022 Black Metal has always been a genre in flux and development. If you look at the First Wave Black Metal in which bands like Hellhammer, Bathory and Venom ruled the…
Artist: Drowning The LightCountry: AustraliaLabel: Dark Adversary ProductionsFormats: CDYear: 2022 When it comes to highly prolific Black Metal bands, I think anyone who is deep enough into the scene will mention Australian Black Metal trailblazer Drowning The Light as one of those bands…
Artist: Unholy Vampyric Slaughter SectCountry: USALabel: Crown and Throne Ltd. / Livor MortisFormats: 12″ Demo / Demo tapeYear: 2022 Unholy Vampyric Slaughter Sect, often abbreviated to UVSS, was formed as a solo project by Kane in 2015 and soon found…
Artist: Nocturnal Depression Country: France Label: Ars Macabra Audio Formats: CD EP Year: 2022 When I first encountered Nocturnal Depression, a Depressive Black Metal band from France, I was not quite impressed. I have always thought that the term of…
Artist: Prehistoric War Cult Country: Germany Label: Fucking Kill Records / Kellerassel Records Formats: 10″ EP / Cassette EP Year: 2022 Out of the sewers of Osnabrück, Germany, comes this ugly creature named Prehistoric War Cult. Having released a couple…
Artist: Angrrsth / CzortCountry: PolandLabel: Godz ov War ProductionsFormats: Split CDYear: 2022 Once again through the power of eye-catching artwork I stumbled upon a split by the two Polish bands Angrrsth and Czort. I hadn’t heard of Igor Datkiewicz &…
Artist: AngrrsthCountry: PolandLabel: Godz ov War ProductionsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2021 Angrrsth was formed in Toruń, Poland in 2018. After the release of an EP in their year of formation they took the next three years to work on their…
Artist: Angrrsth / CzortCountry: PolandLabel: Under the Sign of Garazel ProductionsFormats: Split CDYear: 2020 Czort is a Polish band from the Silesian Voivodeship, a province of which Katowice is the capital. The band, who shares their name with a horned,…
Artist: Black Altar / TzelmothCountry: Poland / ColombiaLabel: Masters of Kaos ProductionsFormats: Split 7″ EPYear: 2023 Both bands on this split 7” EP, the Polish Black Altar and the Colombians of Tzelmoth, have a long history of sharing a release…
Artist: Black AltarCountry: PolandLabel: Masters of Kaos Productions / Zazen SoundsFormats: CDYear: 2022 As with almost all bands that have a lot of (split) EP’s in their discography, these separate tracks are compiled once in a while on one stand-alone…
Artist: DeathhammerCountry: NorwayLabel: Hells Headbangers RecordsFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2022 Norway’s Deathhammer have taken the Metal world by storm, crushing the masses with their intense Thrash/Speed Metal mix that blends in some of their Norwegian Black Metal…
Artist: Weregoat Country: USA Label: Iron Bonehead Productions Formats: 12″ EP / Cassette EP / CD EP Year: 2022 Upon seeing this new EP, put in a subtle cover by Sadistik Exekution’s Rok, I had dived into my own collection.…
Artist: Black Altar / Vulture LordCountry: Poland / N0rwayLabel: Odium RecordsFormats: Split LPYear: 2022 Being rather prolific throughout the bands’ entire quarter of a century spanning career, it is almost impossible not to have come across Black Altar at least…
Artist: GärgäntuähCountry: The NetherlandsLabels: GoatowaRex / New Era Productions / Tour de GardeFormats: 12″ Demo / Demo tapeYear: 2021 This first demo by Dutch band Gärgäntuäh has already been released back in 2020 by the highly revered labels of New…
Artist: Svor Country: Czechia / United Kingdom Label: Legion Blotan / Pant Y Meddygon Formats: Demo Tape Year: 2022 Svor is a new international band by G.P. (George Proctor) from the UK and MBN from the Czech Republic but residing…
Artist: Goat TormentCountry: BelgiumLabel: Season Of Mist Underground ActivistsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2021 I still vividly remember the first time I saw Goat Torment live. It was 2016, when a small one-time Black Metal festival called Odium Nostrum was held…