Tales From The Underground
Tales From The Underground
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: 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: 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: 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: CryptopsyCountry: CanadaLabel: Xtreem RecordsFormats: 10″ EP / CD EPYear: 2021 ‘Ungentle Exhumation’ is undoubtedly one of the most important demos from the Canadian metal scene. It marked the start not only of Cryptopsy, but actually of a whole tradition…
Artist: Fleshcrawl Country: Germany Label: Xtreem Music Formats: 10″ EP / CD EP Year: 2021 Before the band would become known as Fleshcrawl, one of Germany’s best and longest-running Death Metal bands, they were known as Morgöth and subsequently Suffocation.…
Artist: Atomic AggressorCountry: ChileLabel: Xtreem MusicFormats: 10″ EPYear: 2021 Long before the Chilean extreme metal scene would really explode into hundreds of more than interesting Black Metal, Death Metal and Thrash Metal bands, there were a few individuals paving the way for what would…
Artist: Macabre End Country: Sweden Label: Xtreem Music Formats: 10″ EP Year: 2021 The only Macabre End recordings are the three tracks from the 1990 ‘Consumed By Darkness’ demo tape, released a year later by Corpse Grinder Records on a…
Artist: Roots Of The Old Oak Country: United Kingdom Label: Hammerheart Records Formats: Demo Tape Year: 2022 Roots Of The Old Oak is a Doom/Death Metal trio from the UK, that released their first four-track demo tape last summer through…
Artist: Aeon FurnaceCountry: FinlandLabel: Ancien CulteFormats: Demo tapeYear: 2022 Out of nowhere comes Aeon Furnace, a Finnish four-piece that features members with illustrous pseudonyms like K.V.U. Mycophagous on bass, That Which Dwells in the Pit on guitars, drummer and vocalist…
Artist: Rotten Moon Country: Finland Label: Ancien Culte Formats: Demo Tape Year: 2023 The uncontrollable work ethos and creativity of Heinous Soul in mainly channelled through his musical main vessel of Circle Of Ouroboros where he is responsible for all…
Artist: Impetigo Country: USA Label: Xtreem Music Formats: 10″ EP / CD EP Year: 2021 ‘Giallo’ is basically where it all started. Although ‘Giallo’ is not the first Impetigo recording, it was preceded by the 1987 release ‘All We Need…
Artist: Severance Country: USA Label: Xtreem Music Formats: 10″ EP / Year: 2021 Xtreem Music offers another dive into the deepest underground Death Metal of the early 90’s with the reissue of Severance’s ‘Afterbirth Of Infamy’ demo from 1991. It…
Artist: Forgotten SwordCountry: USALabel: Elderblood ProductionsFormats: Digital DemoYear: 2022 Forgotten Sword is a Dungeon Synth artist from Russia, having released quite a number of releases in that style since 2020. But the ties between Dungeon Synth and Black Metal are…
Artist: Vital RemainsCountry: USALabel: Xtreem MusicFormats: 10″ EPYear: 2021 One of the most underrated American Death Metal bands might be Vital Remains. Sure, they have a loyal fan base, but I’ve always felt that the band never reached their full…
Artist: Niaisny Country: Belarus Label: Medieval Prophecy Records Formats: Demo Tape Year: 2022 The Belarussian band Niaisny released their first demo tape in 2021, just like this second one also through Medieval Prophecy Records. On that first offering they presented…
Artist: MegaslaughterCountry: SwedenLabel: To The Death RecordsFormats: Cassette tape / CDYear: 2022 To this day, albums and demos from the early 90’s are still re-released or unearthed from moldy cassette graveyards. Releases of bands that were forgotten, or never quite…
Artist: Vas SatanasCountry: FinlandLabel: Werewolf RecordsFormats: Demo tapeYear: 2022 Vas Satanas is a Finnish band consisting of Exxxiler (Morgal and Bergilmir) on drums and Vorr (Daemonlust, Nefarious Rites, Nocturnal Sorcery and Persekution) on vocals and guitars. Their self-titled demo was…
Artist: Gorgasm Country: USA Label: Brutal Mind Formats: CD Year: 2022 When it comes to the more brutal sort of Death Metal with a distinct technical slant, there are very few bands that come close to the ingenuity of Gorgasm…
Artist: Graveater Country: Estonia Label: Filth Junkies Records / Headsplit Records Formats: Cassette EP Year: 2022 Graveater is a new band from Estonia consisting of two members that gained their experience in bands such as Sküllfükk SS, Degeneratör and Ziegenhorn.…
Artist: Phlebotomized Country: The Netherlands Label: Hammerheart Records Formats: LP / Cassette Tape Year: 2022 One of the most original bands that helped shape the ‘famous’ Dutch Death/Doom Metal scene was certainly Phlebotomized. With their 1992 ‘Devoted To God’-demo tape…
Artist: VoidCeremonyCountry: USALabel: 20 Buck SpinFormats: Demo tapeYear: 2022 The exact purpose of this demo is unclear to me, the Californian based VoidCeremony already released their debut album ‘Entropic Reflections Continuum: Dimensional Unravel’ in 2017 through the same label, 20…
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: Blood LossCountry: USALabel: Self-ReleasedFormats: Digital demoYear: 2022 Not too long ago I was poring over the ‘Visions Of A Darker World’-demo, which came out early this January, and now for the second time this year I have the honour to say a few words…
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: 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…
Artist: Last Retch Country: Canada Label: Self-Released Formats: Demo Tape / Demo CD Year: 2021 Last Retch is a Hamilton, Ontario, Canada based Death Metal band consisting of five people that have no big or noteworthy history in other bands,…
Artist: Morbus Grave Country: Italy Label: Self-Released Formats: Demo Tape Year: 2021 At VM-Underground we already shined our light on Morbus Grave’s compilation of two of the band’s early demos (‘Throne Of Disgust’ from 2016 and ‘Awakening Of The Dead’…
Artist: Hammer Of Gore Country: Germany Label: Brutal Insanity Records Formats: Demo tape Year: 2022 About a year after the release of their ‘Mutilated And Forgotten’-demo, German Death Metal combo Hammer Of Gore returns with a new demo. This 3-tracker…
Artist: Ruach Raah Country: Portugal Label: Signal Rex Formats: Cassette EP Year: 2022 Ruach Raah, which translates to something ‘Spirit Of Evil’ from Hebrew, has been around for about a decade now and continues to release their stripped down Black…
Artist: Maliënkolder Country: The Netherlands Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Demo Year: 2022 Maliënkolder, Dutch for habergeon, is a new band from The Netherlands, formed by a duo that goes under the names of Knevelaer and Geerling. I am not sure…
Artist: Hell Wehrwolf Country: Russia Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Demo Year: 2022 ‘Under Moon’ is no less than the 14th demo from this Russian Raw Black Metal act. They also released a digital split with Kёtkh Trёamёrh, Hlidskjalf and Волот…
Artist: Fossilized Country: USA Label: Nuclear Winter Records Formats: Cassette EP / CD EP Year: 2022 Although this 3-track EP, or demo if you like, was already made available digitally by the band last year and it also previously received…
Artist: Nile Country: USA Label: Hells Headbangers Records Formats: 7″ EP / Cassette EP Year: 2022 Before Nile took the Death Metal scene by storm with its debut album ‘Amongst The Catacombs Of Nephren-Ka’ in 1998 and their sophomore album…
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: Sépulcre Country: France Label: Invictus Productions Formats: 12″ EP / Cassette EP / CD EP Year: 2020 French Death Metal band Sépulcre, which began as Demonic Oath and already released the excellent split LP with Cadaveric Fumes under that…
Artist: Symbtomy Country: Czechia / United Kingdom Label: Souls Of Underworld Records Formats: Demo Tape / Demo CD Year: 2022 With a logo in which a guitar pedal is depicted and above which it reads ‘Old School HM-2 Death Metal’,…
Artist: Blood LossCountry: USALabel: Self-ReleasedFormats: Demo CDYear: 2022 With only their 2021 demo and a 1-track promo (an Asphyx cover) under their belts, this young American squad is already coming up with a new demo, ‘Visions Of A Darker World’. This was my first introduction…
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: Suicidal Solitude Country: Slovakia Label: Pant Y Meddygon Formats: Demo Tape Year: 2022 With a band name like Suicidal Solitude you might not expect the brightest and most uplifting music. And… guess what, you are right. Although I am…
Artist: Ceremoniële WalgingCountry: The NetherlandsLabel: Babylon Doom Cult RecordsFormats: Demo tapeYear: 2022 Although this first demo from the Dutch band Ceremoniële Walging was self-released in digital form in 2021, these four first tracks did not see a physical release until…
Artist: Daemoniac EcstasyCountry: USALabel: Self-ReleasedFormats: Demo tapeYear: 2022 Having been quite impressed by the ‘Crescendos Of Ululation’ demo-tape from earlier this year, I now throw myself at this 1-track promo, simply christened ‘Promo MMXXII’. This promo was released in an…
Artist: Opiumortem Country: Bulgaria Label: Self-Released Formats: Demo Tape Year: 2022 This self-titled demo is the follow-up of the ‘Lethargia’-demo tape that was released last summer. That short little demo had three tracks of interesting and dismal Lo-Fi Black Metal…
Artist: Smyrtonos Country: Bulgaria Label: Narbentage Produktionen Formats: Demo Tape Year: 2022 ‘Endless Fury’ is Smyrtonos’ swansong as it was released posthumously after the project’s disbanding last summer. At least, Todorac had it released digitally only 4 days prior throwing…
Artist: BokkerijdersCountry: BelgiumLabel: Babylon Doom Cult RecordsFormats: Demo tapeYear: 2022 For the Dutch and Belgians, the name ‘Bokkerijders’ is something that still evokes some magic. It is best translated as ‘Goatriders’. In folk belief, these were figures who rode through…
Artist: Opiumortem Country: Bulgaria Label: Self-Released Formats: Demo Tape Year: 2022 From Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria comes this one-man act Opiumortem, run by someone who goes under the name of Todorac who is also active in a few other…
Artist: Daemoniac EcstasyCountry: USALabel: Realm And RitualFormats: Demo tapeYear: 2022 What we have here is another fantasy-drive one-man act from the USA, Pennsylvania in this case. It is astonishing to realise that I am reviewing multiple American one-man acts each…