Tales From The Underground
Tales From The Underground
Artist: Wyvern Country: The Netherlands Label: Heidens Hart Records Formats: CD EP Year: 2023 After the two demo tapes from 2019 and 2020, both of which saw the light of day via Tour de Garde and Zwartkunst Smederij, the mysterious…
Artist: Weregoat Country: USA Label: Iron Bonehead Productions Formats: 7″ EP Year: 2023 Ahh, Weregoat. The ever-cheerful trio that has been ostentatiously hitting the road since the late 00s is making themselves heard again. Although their previous (and only) full-length…
Artist: Worm Altar Country: USA Label: Gurgling Gore Formats: Cassette EP Year: 2023 Last year, one-man formation Worm Altar already delivered a very attractive piece of Doom/Death Metal with a self-titled demo. Although that particular genre has been troubled by…
Artist: Moonlight Sorcery Country: Finland Label: Avantgarde Music Formats: 7″ EP Year: 2023 Admittedly, I felt a little let down by Moonlight Sorcery’s second EP, ‘Nightwind: The Conqueror From The Stars’ from December 2022. Although having largely the same ingredients…
Artist: Mournful Congregation Country: Australia Label: Osmose Productions / 20 Buck Spin Formats: LP / Cassette tape / CD Year: 2023 We live in a time where everything happens so fast, where all contacts seem fleeting and there seems to…
Artist: ManiakCountry: SwedenLabel: Self-ReleasedFormats: Digital EPYear: 2023 Maniak, not to be confused with the Filipino band of the same name (and even a somewhat similar logo), releases their debut EP with ‘Speed Metal Terrorist’, a more than fitting follow-up to…
Artist: UdrękaCountry: PolandLabel: Self-ReleasedFormats: Digital EPYear: 2023 ‘Zgnij’ introduces us to Udręka, presenting the first 17 minutes of recorded material of the group from Kielce, Poland. During the three songs of the EP, we get a fairly good idea what…
Artist: VerhindererCountry: GermanyLabel: Self-ReleasedFormats: Digital EPYear: 2023 Bettler, the sole member behind this new Black Metal project from Germany, is not only really honest about his musical achievements but very humble too. Maybe not quite self-effacing, but well, blessed are…
Artist: Dying RemainsCountry: CanadaLabel: Maggot StompFormats: Cassette EPYear: 2023 Although I couldn’t relate much to the positive vibe that was created around Detherous, the Canadian Death/Thrash Metal band, and found their album quite a bit of an underwhelming affair, everything…
Artist: Svraoz Country: Indonesia Label: Delusive Records Formats: Cassette EP Year: 2023 From Indonesia comes this new Black/Thrash Metal band Svraoz and with ‘Sacraments Of Evil’ they do present their first recordings, a 7-track EP, clocking in at just under…
Artist: Leather Brigade Country: Romania Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital EP Year: 2023 From Romania comes this four-piece that are releasing their 5-track debut EP ‘Pray To The Knife’. I think that a quick look at both the band name/EP title…
Artist: Sanguine Relic Country: USA Label: GoatowaRex / Perverse Homage Formats: 7″ EP / Cassette EP Year: 2023 A few years back, Sanguine Relic became, whether intended or not, one of the faces of the resurgence of the (ultimate) crude…
Artist: Surgical Invasion Country: Ukraine Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital EP Year: 2023 This Ukrainian Thrash Metal duo makes no secret of their inspiration. The band name and the cover with this EP give it all away, the whole medicine cabinet…
Artist: Schizophrenia Country: Belgium Label: Self-Released Formats: CD EP Year: 2023 Okay, admittedly. I have always kept some distance from this band. I always thought the name was terribly badly chosen. When you choose to name your Thrash Metal band…
Artist: Slakter Country: Indonesia Label: Delusive Records Formats: Cassette EP Year: 2023 Okay, admittedly, the name of this EP is a bit cheesy and rather simplistic. But then again, it is the first EP from this Indonesian band and despite…
Artist: Speedpussy Country: USA Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital EP Year: 2023 With a band name like this and such an old school cover, it was a no brainer to click play. And, yes, of course I simply got what I…
Artist: Serement Country: Greece Label: Theogonia Records Formats: CD EP Year: 2023 ‘Deviation From God’ is the first effort by this new Greek Death Metal band and was self-released digitally at the end of last year, but now gets a…
Artist: Cult Of OrpistCountry: GreeceLabel: Theogonia RecordsFormats: CD EPYear: 2023 The combination of the band name of this EP and especially the cover art, I was allured into checking out this band from new metal band. Why? Because everybody loves…
Artist: CountessCountry: The NetherlandsLabel: Self-ReleasedFormats: Digital EPYear: 2023 One of the very oldest Dutch Black Metal bands is Countess, formed in 1992. There may no longer be any original band members in the current line-up and the band took a…
Artist: Putrifier Country: Chile Label: Iron Bonehead Productions Formats: Cassette EP Year: 2023 This EP, that clocks just under the 18 minute mark, is the debut for Chilean Black/Death Metal band Putrifier. The first thing I thought of when I…
Artist: Mortify Country: Japan Label: Obliteration Records Formats: CD EP Year: 2022 The year 2022 saw Mortify’s ‘Grotesque Buzzsaw Defilement’ EP being reissued on various formats, but it was also the year that this (very) short new EP saw the…
Artist: AzgarathCountry: FranceLabel: ChaoscibelFormats: CD EPYear: 2023 Azgarath’s first EP and debut album were released by France d’Oil Productions, a label run by Dunkel, an active figure in the French Black Metal underground, known among others for Sale Freux, Drakonhail…
Artist: Mortify Country: Japan Label: Headsplit Records / Horror Pain Gore Death Productions / Obliteration Records / Psychocontrol Records / Red Truth Production / Septic Aroma Of Reeking Stench Formats: CD EP Year: 2022 Mortify’s ‘Grotesque Buzzsaw Defilement’, originally released…
Artist: Profanatica Country: USA Label: Hells Headbangers Records Formats: 7″ EP Year: 2022 When it comes to American Black Metal or Black Metal of the most depraved kind, Profanatica is a band to be reckoned with. Ever since their first…
Artist: Desolate GraveCountry: SwedenLabel: Grind To Death RecordsFormats: Digital EPYear: 2022 Desolate Grave is the name of this solo-project by David “Pos” Mauritzon, who has also been in a few other bands, of which the oddly named Belarus Beaver, despite…
Artist: Genocidal Rites Country: USA Label: Hells Headbangers Records Formats: Cassette EP Year: 2023 With one demo and one EP, both originally only released digitally by the band themselves and the latter one also been issued on cassette tape by…
Artist: DeiphageCountry: USALabel: Propagator PropagandaFormats: Cassette EP / CD EPYear: 2023 When I first encountered this band I though, for a very brief moment, that the band name was spelled wrong and that this was new material of the Hells…
Artist: DegravedCountry: USALabel: Gurgling GoreFormats: Cassette EP / CD EPYear: 2023 Degraved’s demo from last year, ‘Exhumed Remnants’ was reviewed on these VM-Underground pages and was concluded to be a “not a bad little demo” to which my colleague added…
Artist: Lividity Country: USA Label: Grinder Cirujano Records / Sindrome Productions Formats: Cassette EP / CD EP Year: 2022 ‘Rejoice In Morbidity’ was Lividity’s first EP, originally released on cassette tape back in 1996 on the short-lived Immortal Records (which,…
Artist: Eternal DarknessCountry: SwedenLabel: Xtreem MusicFormats: 10″ EPYear: 2021 Some of the Swedish Death Metal bands from the early 90’s gained huge amounts of fame, some of which still live on, and others just had too little to offer (or…
Artist: Cult Of FireCountry: CzechiaLabel: Doomentia RecordsFormats: 7″ EPYear: 2023 The recently resurrected Doomentia Records returns with a few new records. The label started with the reissue of Fata Morgana’s ‘Kremace Dábla’ demo from 1992 (with great artwork from Rok).…
Artist: Regnum Tenebrarum Country: Belgium Label: Medieval Prophecy Records Formats: 12″ EP / CD EP Year: 2023 After the 2020 ‘Des Enfers’ EP, also released via Medieval Prophecy Records, things went quiet for a while around Regnum Tenebrarum, who hail…
Artist: Slug Gore Country: Italy Label: Self-Released Formats: Demo Tape/ CD Demo Year: 2023 The slug-themed EP/demo ‘Extraterrestrial Gastropod Mollusc’ of Italian based Death Metal/Grindcore combo Slug Gore, is the band’s first outing. And apparently, with all their sluggishness, they…
Artist: DehiscenceCountry: USALabel: Chaos Records / Pale Magus Productions / Seed of DoomFormats: Cassette EP / CD EPYear: 2023 Dehiscence is a new band comprised of musicians who prefer to be left anonymous, but, if certain sources are to be…
Artist: BeheritCountry: FinlandLabel: Werewolf RecordsFormats: 12″ EP / Cassette EP / CD EPYear: 2023 It always baffles me when I realise that Beherit, as a Black Metal entity, only existed for some 4 years. Their unparalleled and indescribable influence on…
Artist: Ieschure Country: Ukraine Label: Ars Funebris Records / Old Metal Rites Formats: Cassette EP / CD EP Year: 2023 Ever since the inception of Ieschure, back in 2015, this Rivne-based Ukrainian Black Metal act has been on the top…
Artist: Skeletal Earth Country: USA Label: VIC Records Formats: 7″ EP Year: 2022 Together with the reissue of the band’s two full-length albums, VIC Records also reissued Skeletal Earth’s 7” EP from 1993. The rather corny title, ‘Dreighphuck’, is quite…
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: 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: 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: 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: Lie In Ruins / Graveyard Country: Finland / Spain Label: War Anthem Records Formats: Split 7″ EP Year: 2022 The German label War Anthem Records has spawned a considerable amount of nice Old School Death Metal split 7” EP’s…
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: Sex Messiah Country: Japan Label: Austral Holocaust Records / Nuclear War Now! Productions / Sex Desire Records Formats: 12″ EP / Cassette EP / CD EP Year: 2022 I once read an article that Japanese would be the most…
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: Necrophile Country: Japan Label: Xtreem Music Formats: 10″ EP Year: 2021 The Japanese extreme metal scene has always been rather limited in the amount of bands, but they always tended to bring something different to the table. The Japanese…
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: Drowning The LightCountry: AustraliaLabel: Dark Adversary ProductionsFormats: CD EPYear: 2023 In a span of a few days (8th, 10th and 13th of January), Azgorh and his Drowning The Light brought us no less than three new releases. A full-length album and two EPs, of which…
Artist: Sigh Country: Japan Label: Deathheadz Formats: Cassette EP Year: 2022 From such a populous country as Japan, there are remarkably few extreme metal bands. Yet a lively metal scene has existed there since the 1980s, at least, it seems.…