Tales From The Underground
Tales From The Underground
Artist: Tenebro Country: Italy Label: Xtreem Music Formats: Digital EP Year: 2022 About six months after this Italian horror-drenched Death Metal combo released their debut full-length, they return with a new digital EP. While I did like that first album…
Artist: Sépulcre Country: France Label: Invictus Productions Formats: CD EP Year: 2022 Not long after having their name changed from Demonic Oath to Sépulcre, this four-piece came out with their first demo, ‘Ascent Through Morbid Transcendence’, which grabbed the attention…
Artist: AdaestuoCountry: USALabel: W.T.C. ProductionsFormats: CD EPYear: 2022 Formed in 2014, this three-piece band with bandmembers living on different places on earth (Finland, Poland and the USA), surprised with their first EP in 2016 through W.T.C. Productions, which they followed…
Artist: ChasmdwellerCountry: CanadaLabel: Life After DeathFormats: Cassette EP / CD EPYear: 2022 Having started out as Doom/Death Metal band, Chasmdweller developed into a full-on, hard hitting yet quite raw Death Metal of the filthiest kind. The band consists out of…
Artist: Cryptic BroodCountry: GermanyLabel: Bitter Loss Records / Burning Coffin Records / Lycanthropic Chants / Necrolatry Records / Rotted Life RecordsFormats: 7″ EPYear: 2022 While Cryptic Brood by no means is the crème de la crème of todays Death Metal…
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: DismaCountry: USALabel: Seed Of DoomFormats: Cassette EPYear: 2022 Apart from a few purists who continue to swear by the first demo tape, ‘Towards The Megalith’ is commonly regarded as Disma’s best effort. Some go even as far as calling…
Artist: Hellish Country: Chile Label: Dissonant Death Records / Unspeakable Axe Records Formats: 7″ EP / Cassette EP Year: 2021 It was early in the year 2015 when I first heard of this Chilean Thrash Metal band called Hellish, through…
Artist: BenothingCountry: FinlandLabel: Everlasting Spew RecordsFormats: 12″ EP / Cassette EP / CD EPYear: 2021 Originally released at the end of last year on both cassette tape and CD formats, this EP from Finnish Death Metal band Benothing finally found…
Artist: Angra MainyuCountry: SwedenLabel: Self-ReleasedFormats: Digital EPYear: 2022 The story of the Black Metal band Angra Mainyu from Sweden goes way back to the early 90’s, when they were around under the name of Ahriman. Ahriman was an ancient Persian…
Artist: Pyra Country: Italy Label: Immortal Frost Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2022 Founded in 2020, this Italian Black/Death Metal three-piece released a couple of digital singles in prelude to the official release of their self-titled debut EP through…
Artist: Nile Country: USA Label: Hells Headbangers Records Formats: 12″ EP / Cassette EP Year: 2022 Although ‘Festivals Of Atonement’ was actually Nile’s second release, originally unleashed in 1995, and came before the ‘Ramses Bringer Of War’-demo from 1996, Hells…
Artist: Pukewraith / Intestinal Hex Country: Canada Label: Gurgling Gore Formats: Split Cassette EP Year: 2022 On this Gurgling Gore presented split tape we get two Canadian one-man Death Metal acts, each presenting three tracks. Both musicians have been featured…
Artist: Lolth / Bloodfeather Country: USA Label: Cult Of Oblivion Recordings Formats: Digital Split EP Year: 2022 With a title like ‘Hymns For A Blackened Forest’ you might archive this one directly amongst all those other forest dwelling bands, taking…
Artist: Herculean Death Country: USA Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital EP Year: 2022 Herculean Death is a two-piece Black Metal band from Portland, Oregon, USA, and one of the 49 (!!) currently active bands and projects (of which a lot of…
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: Frostmoon Eclipse Country: Italy Label: Immortal Frost Productions Formats: CD EP Year: 2022 As one of Italy’s longest running Black Metal bands, with their roots dating all the way back to 1994, and having released quite an impressive string…
Artist: Nocturnal Depression Country: France Label: Ars Macabra Audio Formats: CD EP Year: 2022 When I first encountered Nocturnal Depression, a Depressive Black Metal band from France, I was not quite impressed. I have always thought that the term of…
Artist: Prehistoric War Cult Country: Germany Label: Fucking Kill Records / Kellerassel Records Formats: 10″ EP / Cassette EP Year: 2022 Out of the sewers of Osnabrück, Germany, comes this ugly creature named Prehistoric War Cult. Having released a couple…
Artist: Black Altar / TzelmothCountry: Poland / ColombiaLabel: Masters of Kaos ProductionsFormats: Split 7″ EPYear: 2023 Both bands on this split 7” EP, the Polish Black Altar and the Colombians of Tzelmoth, have a long history of sharing a release…
Artist: Weregoat Country: USA Label: Iron Bonehead Productions Formats: 12″ EP / Cassette EP / CD EP Year: 2022 Upon seeing this new EP, put in a subtle cover by Sadistik Exekution’s Rok, I had dived into my own collection.…
Artist: Pukewraith Country: Canada Label: Gurgling Gore Formats: Cassette EP Year: 2021 Pukewraith is the solo Death Metal project of Brendan Dean, who is active in various other bands and projects, with Fumes and Gutvoid being the best known. The…
Artist: Father Befouled / ExaugurateCountry: USALabel: Rotted Life RecordsFormats: Split 7″ EPYear: 2021 While preparing for the review for Father Befouled’s most recent album, ‘Crowned In Veneficum’ (Everlasting Spew Records), I noticed that I had missed out on a split…
Artist: Stench Collector Country: USA Label: Redefining Darkness Records Formats: 12″ EP / Cassette EP / CD EP Year: 2021 The artwork for ‘Effluviatorium Du Jour’ gives away what you’re about to get into before you even press the play…
Artist: Plaguefever Country: USA Label: Elvte Kvlt Recvrds Formats: 12″ / Cassette EP / CD EP Year: 2021 This trio from Richmond, Virginia, USA released their debut EP late last year and was picked up not long after by Elvte…
Artist: Lore Liege Country: USA Label: Fólkvangr Records Formats: Cassette EP Year: 2022 When bands sound very much like their great examples, it always generates debate. Is it worship or copycat? Or, in some cases, even scavenging? In all styles…
Artist: BestiariusCountry: PeruLabel: Self-ReleasedFormats: Digital EP Year: 2022 Fresh out of Lima, Peru comes this new EP from Bestiarius. Which is the follow-up to the 2020 demo tape and digitally released by the band itself. With their all-consuming mix of…
Artist: Weathered CrestCountry: AustriaLabel: Fallow FieldFormats: Cassette tape EPYear: 2022 On their first EP and debut album, we were already introduced to Weathered Crest, a Raw Black Metal band from Austria that sprung from the brain of Vritra of Kringa…
Artist: Weathered CrestCountry: AustriaLabel: Födweg / Into Endless Chaos RecordsFormats: 7″ EPYear: 2021 Early last year, the world saw Weathered Crest’s first born, the ‘Broken Column’ EP. Weathered Crest is a side-project of Vritra who continues to kill his time…
Artist: Barbarity / PaganizerCountry: Russia / SwedenLabel: Coyote RecordsFormats: Split 7″ EPYear: 2021 On this split 7″ EP we find a collaboration between Russia’s Barbarity and the Swedish workaholics of Paganizer. Both bands each contribute a song on this EP…
Artist: Poisonous Country: Brazil Label: Ablaze Productions / Morbid Ways To Die Formats: Cassette EP / CD EP Year: 2022 The Brazilians of Poisonous may be toxic, but it is a slow-acting poison. After their 2010 debut, ‘Perdition’s Den’, Poisonous…
Artist: Grimdusk Country: France Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital EP Year: 2022 Out of the wild and dark French forests comes this Black Metal duo that goes under the name of Grimdusk. They are a part of a local Black Metal…
Artist: Fumes Country: Mexico Label: MVIRecs / Sentenced In Hellfire Records Formats: Cassette EP Year: 2022 From Mexico City comes this new four-piece Death/Black Metal band who are releasing their first EP with ‘Stellar Murders Upwards’. However, the four musicians…
Artist: VampirblutCountry: USALabel: Self-releasedFormats: Digital EPYear: 2022 When I think of Black Metal Punk, my thoughts automatically turn to the Darkthrone records of a few years ago. Not all fans were equally happy with those albums, for that matter, some…
Artist: Perverted Ceremony Country: Belgium Label: Medieval Prophecy Records Formats: 7″ EP Year: 2021 We at VM-Underground have given ourselves quite a bit of Belgian Black Metal to review over the past few months, not infrequently I have personally stood…
Artist: Phlegethon’s Majesty / Gouffre Country: Belgium Label: Medieval Prophecy Records Formats: Split 7″ EP Year: 2022 Belgian Black Metal has been on the rise in recent years. The times when we could only name Ancient Rites and Enthroned are…
Artist: Sexmag Country: Poland Label: Dying Victims Productions Formats: 12″ EP / Cassette EP / CD EP Year: 2022 A band with such a name immediately draws attention, add to that this fantastic cover artwork and you have yourself a…
Artist: Grave Troll Country: USA Label: Narbentage Produktionen Formats: Cassette EP Year: 2023 Though having released two demo tapes in 2020 and a split tape with Drug Darkness last year, the anonymous entity of Grave Troll returns this year with…
Artist: WombbathCountry: SwedenLabel: Self-releasedFormats: Digital EPYear: 2022 Pretty soon after the Russian unprovoked invasion of Ukraine last February 24th, many labels and bands expressed their support for Ukraine and its many metal bands. Benefit concerts were organised and special editions…
Artist: DefleshedCountry: SwedenLabel: Regain RecordsFormats: 7″ EPYear: 2021 After a career of almost 15 years, Swedish Death/Thrash band Defleshed threw in the towel in 2005. Up to that point in their existence, the band had released five full-length albums and…
Artist: Deströyer 666Country: AustraliaLabel: Burn RecordsFormats: 7″ EPYear: 2022 Seemingly out of the blue there is this new sign of life from one of the most iconic Black/Thrash bands. Although influential, Deströyer 666 has not been very productive in recent…
Artist: Diabolical FullmoonCountry: PolandLabel: Medieval Prophecy RecordsFormats: 7″ EPYear: 2022 Contrary to what you might expect, this is not an Immortal cover band, nor does it have much to do musically with Norwegian Black Metal. For me, Diabolical Fullmoon’s previous…
Artist: Forbidden Temple Country: Belgium Label: Medieval Prophecy Records Formats: 7″ EP Year: 2022 Formed in 2017, this Belgian Black Metal duo has already treated us to a fairly extensive discography; a large amount of demo and rehearsal tapes, a…
Artist: Bitter LossCountry: RussiaLabel: Self-ReleasedFormats: Digital EPYear: 2022 From St. Petersburg, Russia, comes this five-piece Death Metal band. Last year they spawned a first EP, ‘Oblivion in Ceremonial Void’, which they released on CD themselves and got a cassette tape…
Artist: Rottrevore Country: USA Label: Xtreem Music Formats: 12″ EP / Cassette EP / CD EP Year: 2022 Originally self-released by the band as a digital EP and later as a limited CDR in 2012 (released as ‘Blind Sided Attack’)…
Artist: Golod Country: Canada Label: Ván Records Formats: 12″ EP / CD EP Year: 2021 ‘…To Be Lost And Forgotten, In Solitude’ is the debut EP by this Canadian one-man act that was released upon mankind by Ván Records. And…
Artist: AbythicCountry: GermanyLabel: Iron Bonehead ProductionsFormats: 12″ EP / CD EP / Cassette EPYear: 2022 Abythic’s three albums have all been released by a different label, and certainly not the least. In chronological order, Blood Harvest Records, Xtreem Music and…
Artist: Larvae Country: Romania Label: Dawnbreed Records / Sacred Tomb Records / Unholy Domain Records Formats: 7″ EP / Cassette EP Year: 2022 For me, this ‘Acid Horror Cult’-EP was my first introduction to the Romanian/Italian Larvae, but I wouldn’t…
Artist: Scorching Tomb Country: Canada Label: Dismal Fate Records Formats: Cassette EP Year: 2022 Canadian Death Metal will mainly evoke associations with the mainly technical flank of the genre, bands like Cryptopsy, Gorguts, the more modern Archspire or maybe even…
