Tales From The Underground
Tales From The Underground
Artist: OhydaCountry: PolandLabel: Wolfspell RecordsFormats: CD EPYear: 2022 In 2021, the trio of Diabolizer, Bloodwhip and Necheshetrion, together representing the Polish scene in numerous bands, banded together in a new entity called Ohyda. This has so far led to the…
Artist: VeneficesCountry: PolandLabel: Nuclear War Now! ProductionsFormats: Vinyl EP / Cassette EPYear: 2023 The Polish war machine of Venefices was formed in 2019 by Desolator (member of Medico Peste and ex-Bestial Raids) on drums and Sadist (currently in Doombringer and…
Artist: StervelingCountry: The NetherlandsLabel: Self-releasedFormats: Demo tapeYear: 2022 Sterveling is the brainchild of M.vdW, who is or was active in the Avant-garde Metal band Prospectors, Black Metal band Weltschmerz, the Death Metal band Iron Harvest and the dissonant Black Metal…
Artist: KalmankantajaCountry: FinlandLabel: Korpituli Productions / Wolfspell RecordsFormats: Cassette tape / CDYear: 2022 Although the name was very familiar to me, Kalmakantaja from Finland was the sort of band that I never paid much attention to. But when I randomly…
Artist: KalmankantajaCountry: FinlandLabel: Hammerbund / Korpituli ProductionsFormats: Cassette EP / CD EPYear: 2022 On November 30, 1939, three months after World War II had started, the Soviet Union invaded Finland. Three and a half months later on March 13th, 1940…
Artist: KalmankantajaCountry: FinlandLabel: Misantropia RecordsFormats: CDYear: 2022 ‘Ahdistus’ was originally the fourth full-length album by the Finnish Kalmankantaja, which saw a release in 2014 courtesy of War Against Yourself Records. At that time, vocalist Nagh was still part of the…
Artist: KalmankantajaCountry: FinlandLabel: Korpituli Productions / Wolfspell RecordsFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2022 The first full-length album that Kalmankantaja released in 2022 was the, by my count, 20th in the history of the band. Quite a feat considering…
Artist: WitchcraftCountry: FinlandLabel: Down With The Most HighFormats: Demo tapeYear: 2022 ‘Sodomythic Temple’ marks the third and last chapter of a series of demo/rehearsal tapes that Witchcraft released independently somewhere halfway last year and which were reissued by Down With…
Artist: Nihil Invocation Country: USA Label: Nuclear War Now! Productions Formats: LP / Cassette tape Year: 2022 Although the cassette tape version of Nihil Invocation’s fourth album was already released about a year earlier, the vinyl edition only appeared a…
Artist: Chao AbyssiCountry: PolandLabel: Black Death ProductionFormats: CD EPYear: 2023 The Polish label Black Death Promotion presents us with the debut release of their countrymen, Chao Abyssi. This first EP titled ‘Spiritual Essence’ of the otherwise mysterious act comes at…
Artist: WolfpathCountry: PolandLabel: Self-releasedFormats: Digital EPYear: 2023 From the Pagan Vastlands of Warsaw, Poland comes Wolfpath, a new unity in which multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Void is joined by current Acherontas and former Inferno drummer Marcello. After having formed in 2021,…
Artist: WitchcraftCountry: FinlandLabel: Down With The Most HighFormats: Demo tapeYear: 2022 Out of a series of three reissues demo/rehearsal tapes of one of Finland’s best kept secrets, Witchcraft, comes this second tape: ‘Ghastly Demonolatria’. Which was, just like the other…
Artist: NachtgnawerCountry: FinlandLabel: Self-releasedFormats: Digital DemoYear: 2022 Straight from the chasms of the Finnish underground comes Nachtgnawer, a new Black Metal band consisting of two members of Licht Des Urteils, as well as Advorsvs of Sacrificium Carmen, Riivaus, Wömit Angel…
Artist: Strychnos Country: Denmark Label: Dark Descent Records Formats: LP / Cassette Tape / CD Year: 2022 Honestly, Danish Black/Death Metal band Strychnos never really did much to me with the bands’ early (and sparse) releases over the course of…
Artist: WitchcraftCountry: FinlandLabel: Down With The Most HighFormats: Demo tapeYear: 2022 Originally released in only a handful of copies and spread early on in 2022, this rehearsal demo is the first of three of such demos that were reissued by…
Artist: SiniestralCountry: ChileLabel: Self-releasedFormats: Digital DemoYear: 2023 Siniestral is the brainchild of the Chilean multi-instrumentalist Victor L. Zamarca, who had previously released Thrash Metal recordings with his other bands Deathrone and Ectoplasma. With this entity he threads into new territories,…
Artist: Funeral MassCountry: PolandLabel: Marquee RecordsFormats: CDYear: 2022 The Polish Black Metal act Funeral Mass was formed in 2018 by three members of the Blackened Thrash Metal band Deafness. Their first release was the ‘Cold Winds of Desolation’ EP released…
Artist: VargrikeCountry: Hungary / USALabel: Self-releasedFormats: DigitalYear: 2022 Not long after the release of their debut EP, the American/Hungarian duo of Vargrike commenced work on their first full-length album. What exactly determines the line between an EP and full-length is…
Artist: VargrikeCountry: Hungary / USALabel: Self-releasedFormats: CD EPYear: 2021 How the international Black Metal duo came together is unknown, but in today’s day and age it allowed the union of the San Diego, USA based Velsingard and the Budapest, Hungary…
Artist: Nächtlich Country: Canada Label: Inferna Profundus Records Formats: CD EP Year: 2022 Canadian Nächtlich was one of the bands that helped shape the current revival of the (ultimate) Raw or even Lo-Fi Black Metal movement. The band that already…
Artist: Nächtlich Country: Canada Label: Vinland Corpse Formats: Demo Tape Year: 2022 In the band’s preparation for their show at the Summoning Of The Elder Spirits festival earlier in 2022, at which the band appeared alongside acts such as Borda’s…
Artist: …and OceansCountry: FinlandLabel: Season of MistFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2023 The musical legacy of …and Oceans has hardly been one of conformity. From the very earliest album, the band has always given their own distinct and…
Artist: The Mist From The MountainsCountry: FinlandLabel: Primitive ReactionFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2022 The Mist From The Mountains is a new band formed in 2020. But the members behind the band have made their marks in Finnish…
Artist: EinherjerCountry: NorwayLabel: Soulseller RecordsFormats: LPYear: 2022 Some ten years ago, the American The Crypt label reissued both of Einherjer’s pre-album recordings onto one nicely packaged vinyl compilation. But like many of those well-crafted The Crypt releases, they were not…
Artist: NoenumCountry: FinlandLabel: Northern Heritage RecordsFormats: CDYear: 2022 Form in the mid to late 90’s, release a sensational demo or EP, and then disappear for a few decades only to come back with an unexpected debut album. It seems to…
Artist: NécropoleCountry: FranceLabel: Northern Heritage RecordsFormats: CDYear: 2022 Nécropole’s star rose to fame with the rather sensational demos ‘Atavisme’ and ‘Ostara’. Both were examples of a rejuvenated style of French Black Metal that hints back at the infamous past of…
Russian Blackdeath have always been a band to keep an eye on, while their music had a very strong foundation in traditional Black Metal, they never shied away from a somewhat distinctive approach. While the basis might be everyday Black…
Artist: Arnaut PavleCountry: FinlandLabel: Amor Fati Productions / MystiskaosFormats: LPYear: 2023 The 2013 demo by the Finnish band Arnaut Pavle was a pretty sensational release, filled with filthy punky Black Metal heavily inspired by Darkthrone. In the following years the…
Artist: Arnaut PavleCountry: FinlandLabel: MystiskaosFormats: LPYear: 2023 Arnaut Pavle, also known as Arnold Paole, was a Serbian Hajduk living in the town of Meduegna. His particular name was remembered as a curious case study documented by two Austrian doctors. In…
Artist: KringaCountry: AustriaLabel: Terratur PossessionsFormats: CDYear: 2023 Kringa’s ‘Total Mental Desecration’ was a pretty sensational EP. Although the band had released some demos since its inception in 2009, it was probably that specific release that gained the band a bit…
Artist: DødsengelCountry: NorwayLabel: Debemur Morti ProductionsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2022 The unorthodox creativity and impenetrable darkness that Dødsengel managed to evoke with their earliest recordings were of a major influence on the revival of Norwegian Black Metal, so near the end of the 00’s.…
Artist: Sacrificium CarmenCountry: FinlandLabel: Purity Through FireFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2021 For the Tampere, Finland based Black Metal band Sacrificium Carmen, ‘Nekrognosis – Avain Varjoihin’ is their third album. Formed in 2009, the band took a few…
Artist: Morbikon Country: USA Label: Tankcrimes Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2022 That music in general and metal more specifically is something that can bring together the most unlikely people. There are so many great examples of implausible collaborations,…
Artist: Odal Country: Germany Label: Eisenwald Formats: LP Year: 2022 At the tail end of 2022 the German quality label Eisenwald reissued Odal’s debut album ‘Sturmes Brut’ on vinyl. Originally released in 2002 through the Christhunt Productions label, it hasn’t…
Artist: Gouffre Country: Belgium Label: Medieval Prophecy Records Formats: LP Year: 2022 At the very end of 2022 Medieval Prophecy Records released this compilation LP that contains both Gouffre demos, 2019’s ‘1: Grim Spirit’ and ‘Crawling Death’ from 2021. The…
Artist: Half Visible Presence Country: The Netherlands Label: Nuclear Winter Records Formats: 12″ EP Year: 2022 Dutch one-man Black Metal band Half Visible Presence is the brainchild of Arvath, whose musical touch can also be heard in bands like Israthoum,…
Artist: FörgjordCountry: FinlandLabel: Werewolf RecordsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2022 Veterans of the underground Finnish Black Metal scene, Förgjord had undertaken the ambitious project of releasing the ’Ruumissaarna’ trilogy. The songs recorded during these sessions, of which the title translates to…
Artist: FörgjordCountry: FinlandLabel: Self-releasedFormats: CD EPYear: 2021 The Finnish horde of Förgjord was formed as early as 1995, and has featured a stable lineup consisting of original members Valgrinder (guitar and bass) and Prokustes Thanatos (vocals and until 2017 also…
Artist: Harvest Gulgaltha Country: USA Label: Godz Ov War Productions Formats: Cassette tape / CD Year: 2022 The anonymous American trio that is Harvest Gulgaltha returns with their sophomore effort, five years after their debut. The enigmatic Black/Death Metal combo…
Artist: Kamra Country: Slovenia Label: Avantgarde Music / Edged Circle Productions Formats: LP / Cassette tape / CD Year: 2022 After a two-track demo/EP from 2021, this new Slovenian metal band propels itself to new levels with their Avantgarde Music…
Artist: Sacrimonia Country: Poland Label: Self-Released Formats: CD Year: 2022 Sacrimonia is a Melodic/Symphonic Black Metal band from Poland that was founded in 2015 and released a first EP in 2016 but went silent for the following years. It wasn’t…
Artist: Saram Country: Peru Label: Werewolf Records Formats: LP Year: 2023 Despite being officially formed in 1998 in Lima, Peru, Saram’s history goes back many more years. In 1991, the band Neuroparalya was formed which eventually turned into Saram Scivit…
Artist: Outlaw Country: Brazil Label: Drakkar Productions – South American Division Formats: CD EP Year: 2021 Outlaw is an international band made up of band members from at least Brazil and Finland who, despite this EP being my first introduction…
Artist: Thornspawn / MaledictvsCountry: USA / MexicoLabel: Inhuman Assault Productions / Werewolf RecordsFormats: Split cassette tape / Split CDYear: 2021 A split between Thornspawn and Maledictvs is actually a split featuring two sides of the creative duo of Blackthorn (drums, guitars)…
Artist: Manticore Country: USA Label: Hells Headbangers Records Formats: Cassette Tape / CD Year: 2022 One of Hells Headbangers earliest releases was Manticore’s debut album, ‘Bowels Of The Holy Anoint Us In Evil’. Together with a few other of those…
Artist: Sigh Country: Japan Label: Peaceville Records / Ward Records Formats: Cassette EP Year: 2022 Last year, Japan’s most enigmatic metal band, Sigh, now signed to the British Peaceville Records label, returned from a five-year silence. Its latest feat, ‘Heir…
Artist: Eggs Of GomorrhCountry: SwitzerlandLabel: Godz Ov War ProductionsFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2022 Of all the bands that uphold the Ross Bay Cult tradition, I have never found Swiss Eggs Of Gomorrh very convincing. Throughout their career,…
Last year, Dutch Black Metal band Hellevaerder released their debut album ‘In De Nevel Van Afgunst’ through the prolific purveyors of Dutch Black Metal and since VM-Underground is also based in The Netherlands it was only one thought away to…
Artist: Cult Of EibonCountry: GreeceLabel: Iron Bonehead ProductionsFormats: Split LP / Split CDYear: 2022 At the very end of 2022 Iron Bonehead Productions treats us with one of the label’s best releases of the year. While both bands might not…
Artist: Cult Of EibonCountry: GreeceLabel: Azermedoth Records / Regain RecordsFormats: CDYear: 2022 For those who like Cult Of Eibon, or Greek Black Metal in general, but are not into collecting vinyl, this compilation CD is godsend. Because although the ‘Lycan…