Tales From The Underground
Tales From The Underground
Artist: Ancient NorthCountry: USALabel: Self-ReleasedFormats: Digital Year: 2022 There were only two weeks between the release of this American one-man act’s debut, ‘The Gates’, and the ‘Berzerker’ EP. And now, just two months after that EP it is already coming…
Artist: Ancient NorthCountry: USALabel: Iron Bonehead ProductionsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2022 This American one-man act Ancient North gives away what to expect even without having heard a single note. One look at the cover of ‘The Gates’ and the comparison…
Artist: Ancient NorthCountry: USALabel: Self-ReleasedFormats: Digital EPYear: 2022 Only two weeks after the release of Ancient North’s debut album through Iron Bonehead Productions, the one-man Black Metal act is already back with a new release. This time Forlorn, the young…
Artist: CoscradhCountry: IrelandLabel: Invictus ProductionsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2022 Leave it to Invictus Productions to present us with the finest of the savage Black/Death Metal bands the world has to offer. Among these underground gems are the fellow Irish lads…
Artist: Lord Valtgryftåke Country: Chile Label: Mahamvantara Arts Formats: Demo Tape Year: 2022 Under various different names the music of Lord Valtgryftåke could have already reached you, as he has been a very active figure in the Chilean underground Black…
Artist: Lord Valtgryftåke Country: Chile Label: Inferna Profundus Records Formats: CD Year: 2022 Not long after the release of Lord Valtgryftåke’s ‘Renaissance From A Bitter Twilight’-demo, digital and on tape-format through Mahamvantara Arts Records, the Lithuanian Inferna Profundus Productions picked…
Artist: NahtrunarCountry: AustriaLabel: Altare Productions / Symbolismus WerkeFormats: LP / CDYear: 2022 Insiders might know Austria’s Nahtrunar from the excellent debut album `Symbolismus’, a work that was heavily inspired by the spirit of 90s Norwegian Black Metal. Follow-up `Existenz’ mostly…
Artist: Satanic WarmasterCountry: FinlandLabel: Werewolf RecordsFormats: CD singleYear: 2022 Since Satanic Warmaster’s formation, now almost a quarter of a century ago, the band has been one of the leading Black Metal acts from Finland. With each new album, Werwolf, for…
Artist: MortuusCountry: SwedenLabel: W.T.C. ProductionsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2022 Sometimes an album just leaves a lasting impression. You don’t have to listen to it weekly, monthly, or even yearly; it somehow remains flawless in your mind. I never played Mortuus’…
Artist: BeenkerverCountry: The NetherlandsLabel: Vendetta RecordsFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CD Year: 2022 From the ever-fertile Dutch underground comes this new act, Beenkerver. And although the band name may not instantly ring a bell, the name of the man…
Artist: BottenbergCountry: The NetherlandsLabel: Heidens Hart RecordsFormats: Demo tapeYear: 2022 Unearthed from the soil of the Dutch Twente-region comes Bottenberg. A new one-man Black Metal band, led by the illustrious figure who calls himself De Bottenboer. For non-Dutch readers: Bottenberg…
Artist: Runespell Country: Australia Label: Iron Bonehead Productions Formats: 12″ / CD EP Year: 2022 Nightwolf, the man behind Black Metal act Runespell, keeps up a healthy work ethic. The first feat dates back to 2017, the ‘Aeons Of Ancient…
Artist: Nordgeist Country: Russia Label: Escafismo Records / Kunsthall Produktionen Formats: LP / Cassette Tape / CD Year: 2021 Black Metal always had something to do with cold and wintery themes. Many band names, song titles and album covers have…
Artist: Saor Country: United Kingdom Label: Season Of Mist Formats: LP / Cassette Tape / CD Year: 2022 With Saor celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, it’s safe to say that Andy Marshall has (much) more to offer than just…
Artist: Graveland Country: Poland Label: New Era Productions Formats: 10″ EP Year: 2021 Originally released on a 7″ EP in 2002 on Vinland Winds Records, which was run by Grimnir Wotansvolk (Grand Belial’s Key), ‘Blood Of Heroes’ has seen a…
Artist: Naked Whipper Country: Germany Label: Iron Bonehead Productions Formats: LP / CD Year: 2022 Once in a while Iron Bonehead Productions digs up something from the German underground, earlier we saw for example Ungod, Baxaxaxa, Moonblood and Fulgor. With…
Artist: Naked Whipper Country: Germany Label: Iron Bonehead Productions Formats: LP / CD Year: 2022 Together with the re-issue of the bands’ first and only album, ‘Painstreaks’, Iron Bonehead Productions releases this compilation of both the ‘Moloch-Acid Orgy’ 12″ (1995,…
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…