Tales From The Underground
Tales From The Underground
Artist: AtlatCountry: MexicoLabel: CDFormats: DigitalYear: 2022 Metal has always been a genre that has been heavily involved in (local) historical topics. Already in the early days of Iron Maiden, the genre has skilled amateur historians, but it is mainly the Black Metallers who have…
Artist: Bloodlet ThroneCountry: USALabel: Nocturnal DissonanceFormats: Cassette tapeYear: 2022 The American musician behind Bloodlet Throne, who goes by the name of Malacath, comes out with ‘Sovngarde’, his debut album, released on cassette tape on the obscure Nocturnal Dissonance in only 25 hand-numbered copies. It’s not…
Artist: Vampiric SolitudeCountry: USALabel: Self-releasedFormats: Digital demoYear: 2022 Vampiric themes have been all the rage in recent years, indeed, within underground Black Metal it is currently the most popular subject. The times that only Black Funeral was involved in this…
Artist: Serpent Noir / SargeistCountry: Greece / FinlandLabel: W.T.C. ProductionsFormats: Split LP / Split CDYear: 2022 While split releases can be stellar, they often lack a sense of coherence when two bands just do their thing on their respective sides…
Artist: BogatyrCountry: RussiaLabel: Self-ReleasedFormats: Digital demoYear: 2022 Black Metal is pre-eminently the genre for one-man bands and projects. I can’t even count how many of those I’ve come across over the years. But it is something that very often seems…
Artist: BegravCountry: SwedenLabel: Self-ReleasedFormats: Digital EPYear: 2022 Begrav is a one-man Black Metal act from Gävle, Sweden and released something under his ‘own’ name of Äbaddohn already, but this ‘Black Art & Magick’ is the first offering under the moniker…
Artist: Firunwinta Country: Austria Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital EP Year: 2022 Austrian one-man act Firunwinta presents their first offering: a 23-minute EP of bleak Black Metal in old school fashion. The cover to this digital EP shows a forest in…
Artist: Destruction RitualCountry: France / USALabel: End All Life Productions / Norma Evangelium DiaboliFormats: LP / Cassette tape Year: 2021 The last time we heard any new material featuring French Black Metal vocalist MkM was the release of Antaeus’ relentless…
Artist: KrolokCountry: SlovakiaLabel: Osmose ProductionsFormats: LP / Cassette Tape / CDYear: 2021 Krolok’s debut album, `Flying Above Ancient Ruins’, was an impressive release of Eastern European Black Metal that left me excited for follow-up material. The Slovakian band, whose members…
Artist: Grond Country: Germany Label: Rotting Misery Formats: LP Year: 2021 Originally released on CD in 2000 through Folter Records, this is the long overdue vinyl reissue of a German Black Metal album that can easily be considered overlooked and/or…
Artist: Hellevaerder Country: The Netherlands Label: Zwaertgevegt Formats: LP / Cassette tape / CD Year: 2022 ‘Je bent niks waard!’, screams vocalist Miranda Visser in the very first second of this album. It translates to ‘You are worthless’ and sets…
Artist: I, Of The Trees And Wind Country: Sweden / United Kingdom Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Demo Year: 2022 This oddly named new band is a collaboration of Swedish and British musicians, who put together this 2-track demo of cold…
Artist: Lord Ov Chaos Country: USA Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital EP Year: 2022 Lord Ov Chaos is one of the two solo-projects of this creative creature, Caleb Bernatchez. A musician from Amqui, Quebec, Canada. He uses this vehicle to reflect…
Artist: Sammorra Shadow Country: Ukraine Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Demo Year: 2022 Ukraine has been a country that has delivered many a great Black Metal band, most of these bands have a rather distinctive and recognizable sound. This Sammorra Shadow…
Artist: AbbathCountry: NorwayLabel: Season Of MistFormats: LP, CD, Cassette tapeYear: 2022 After Abbath left ‘his’ Immortal and continued under his own name, a lot has happened. Not only is Abbath already at his third album with this ‘Dread Reaver’, despite…
Artist: Grand Belial’s Key Country: USA Label: Weltenfeid Formats: CD Year: 2022 Vocalist Grimnir Heretik (Richard Mills), who died of an overdose in 2006, abruptly ended Grand Belial’s Key after fourteen years – a band much talked and written about.…
Artist: Kawir Country: Greece Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital EP Year: 2022 This (so far) digital-only EP was released with a special purpose. Before we dive into the musical content of the EP, it might be good to also pay attention…
Artist: Varathron / UngodCountry: Greece / GermanyLabel: Iron Bonehead ProductionsFormats: Split 7″ EPYear: 2022 Both Greek Varathron and German Ungod have been around for over three decades in the Black Metal scene and each of them have a rich history…
Artist: Graveland / Commander Agares Country: Poland / Finland Label: Inferna Profundus Records Formats: Split LP / Split cassette / Split CD Year: 2022 About a year after Graveland’s latest opus, ‘Hour of Ragnarok’ (Inferna Profundus Records, 2021) they return…
Artist: DecayedCountry: PortugalLabel: Lusitanian MusicFormats: Cassette tape / CDYear: 2021 The veterans of the Portuguese Black Metal scene, Decayed, are back from never having been away. This is their 14th album from an otherwise bulging discography and with that it…
Artist: Wömit AngelCountry: FinlandLabel: Godz Ov War ProductionsFormats: Cassette tape / CDYear: 2022 With ‘Sadopunk Finland’, the Finnish (d’oh) Wömit Angel, which was formed in 2010, already delivers their fifth album. So although the band already has a reasonable track…
Artist: TrolldomCountry: Iron Bonehead ProductionsLabel: Iron Bonehead ProductionsFormats: 12″ LP / CDYear: 2022 The sole member of Trolldom is the illustrious figure of Swartadauþuz. Anyone delving into the extreme (Black) metal scene of today will at least stumbled once upon…
Artist: TrolldomCountry: Iron Bonehead ProductionsLabel: Iron Bonehead ProductionsFormats: 12″ LP / CDYear: 2022 One of the two albums that got released at the very same time by Swedish Trolldom, the brainchild of Swartadauþuz. One of the brainchilderen, actually. As this…
Artist: CandelabrumCountry: PortugalLabel: Hells Headbangers RecordsFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2022 When the mid-10’s were rocked by an unexpected resurgence of raw, primitive and often quite low-fi Black Metal, introduced mainly by a handful of bands from an equally unexpected corner of the…
Artist: Hats Barn Country: France Label: Osmose Productions Formats: LP / CD Year: 2022 Although they have been around for 17 years now, it could very well be that the Black Metallers of Hats Barn from Lille, France, is a…
Artist: Morrigan Country: Germany Label: Werewolf Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2022 By the turn of the century, the German (cult) metal band Mayhemic Truth folded and out of its ashes rose Morrigan. It depends on what source you…
Artist: Nattehimmel Country: Norway Label: Hammerheart Records Formats: Demo tape Year: 2022 Although Nattehimmel is a new band, none of its members are newbees, so to speak. Both Botteri brothers are involved, both were co-founders of In The Woods… and…
Artist: Lord BelialCountry: SwedenLabel: Hammerheart RecordsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2022 A somewhat unexpected return. After no less than fourteen years Swedish Lord Belial is back with a new album. With this year marking their 30th anniversary (though quiting and reforming…
Artist: ArmageddaCountry: SwedenLabel: Nordvis ProduktionFormats: LP, CDYear: 2019 It was 18 years ago when I reviewed Armagedda’s ‘Ond Spiritism…’ for Vampire-Magazine (this zine’s predecessor) and while that is half a life ago, it still feels like it has been only recently that I heard this…
Artist: SarvekasCountry: FinlandLabel: Soulseller RecordsFormats: 12″ EP / CD EPYear: 2020 AA and JL formed Sarvekas in late 2018 and at the dusk of 2020 their first EP release ‘Of Atavistic Fury and Visions’ saw the light through the Dutch…
Artist: Khold Country: Norway Label: Soulseller Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2022 It is strange how some things get into a certain position or context without a logical reason or string of events. Like these Norwegian Black Metallers Khold,…
Artist: Fides InversaCountry: ItalyLabel: World Terror CommitteeFormats: LP / CDYear: 2020 The Italian Black Metal band Fides Inversa doesn’t exactly work at a high pace, but they have consistently improved their craft since the formation in 2006. Their first album…
Artist: Deathspell OmegaCountry: SwedenLabel: Norma Evangelium DiaboliFormats: LP / CDYear: 2022 You can safely say that Deathspell Omega is one of the most prolific bands in the current Black Metal scene. Initially releasing more standard, but very good, Black Metal…
Artist: Dark FuneralCountry: SwedenLabel: Century MediaFormats: LP / CDYear: 2022 What is the point in introducing Dark Funeral? No, there is none. A band that has drawn as much praise as it received rejection. Rejection because the band isn’t matching…
Artist: Black Fucking CancerCountry: USALabel: Sentient Ruin LaboratoriesFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2022 After having released their debut album in 2016 through Osmose Productions, this subtly named power trio from California found a new home at Sentient Ruin…
Artist: Supremative Country: Spain Label: Crimson Tide Productions Formats: LP Year: 2022 Although I already picked up the reissue of Supremative’s first demo on 7”, which was released by Blood Harvest Records back in 2016, I still had to check…
Artist: AcheronCountry: USALabel: Funeral Industries / VIC RecordsFormats: 12″ EP / CD EP Year: 2022 There aren’t many American Death Metal bands about which opinions are as divided as Acheron. There’s a lot of haters and a lot of fans.…
Artist: VampireaCountry: BrazilLabel: Depressive Illusions Records / Floppy Tales RecordsFormats: Cassette EPYear: 2022 Obscurity is the keyword here. Vampirea Spawned out of the mind of its sole member (Giuliano Paulin). Started in 2022 and presenting its first self-titled 3-track demo…
Artist: Mayhem Country: Norway Label: Century Media Formats: 12″ EP / CD EP Year: 2021 Mayhem’s latest two albums, ‘Esoteric Warfare’ from 2014 and the latest, ‘Daemon’ from 2019, have divided fans and admirers. Both records are far from easy-listening…
Artist: Midnight Country: USA Label: Metal Blade Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2022 Much has changed since the inception of Midnight. Going from a side-project that was initially only releasing (split) EP’s through various underground labels, Midnight went to…
Artist: Nidernes Country: Portugal Label: Black Gangrene Productions Formats: LP / Cassette Tape / CD Year: 2022 When it comes to Black Metal, Portugal has never been much of a fertile breeding ground. Apart from bands like (very) early Moonspell…
Artist: Embrace Of ThornsCountry: GreeceLabel: Iron Bonehead ProductionsFormats: 7″ EPYear: 2022 Quite out of the blue comes this nice 7” EP from these Greek veterans with a career spanning over two decades already. During this long career they have delivered…
Artist: DoodswensCountry: The NetherlandsLabel: Svart RecordsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2022 Anyone with a little interest in the Dutch Black Metal scene must have stumbled upon Doodswens at some point over the last past two years or so. But although it is rather unique to have…
Artist: YggCountry: UkraineLabel: Ashen Dominion / Darker Than Black RecordsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2020 Hailing from Kharkiv, Ukraine, Ygg shares not only their hometown with bands like Nokturnal Mortum or Drudkh, but also their musical roots. For a country of…
Artist: Moonlight Sorcery Country: Finland Label: Avantgarde Music Formats: 12″ EP / CD EP Year: 2022 At some point in the history of Black Metal it was something that was laughed at exclusively: melodic Black Metal, or symphonic Black Metal…
Artist: Yoth IriaCountry: GreeceLabel: Pagan RecordsFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2021 Though Yoth Iria introduced themselves with a great EP (released on 10” and 12” vinyl formats, as well as on CD and cassette) and a split 7”…
Artist: Nokturnal Mortum Country: Ukraine Label: Heritage Recordings / Oriana Music Formats: LP / CD Year: 2022 One of Ukranian most prolific bands will definitely be Nokturnal Mortum, with their folk-drenched black metal they are a strong influence on many…
Artist: Graveland Country: Poland Label: Forever Plagued Records / Inferna Profundus Records / The Oath / White Wolf Productions Formats: LP / CD Year: 2021 Unquestionably one of the most prolific bands in the Polish underground Black Metal scene is…
Artist: Funeral Mist Country: Sweden Label: Norma Evangelium Diaboli Formats: LP / CD Year: 2022 Like always is the case with Funeral Mist, all of a sudden there is a new album. I was pleasantly surprised by 2018’s ‘Hekatomb’-album, which…
Artist: Drowning The LightCountry: AustraliaLabel: Dark Adversary ProductionsFormats: CDYear: 2020 When all light is consumed, your soul is putrefying and only ghouls, specters and vampires are left to take over to feast upon your woefully existence, Drowning The Light’s Azgorh is there to compose yet…