Tales From The Underground
Tales From The Underground
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…
Artist: CentinexCountry: SwedenLabel: Agonia RecordsFormats: 12″ EP / Cassette EP / CD EPYear: 2022 You can accuse the Swedes of Centinex of anything, except a lack of underground aesthetics. Despite taking a few years off (from 2006 to 2014), they have been tenacious…
Artist: Severe Torture Country: The Netherlands Label: Season Of Mist Formats: CD EP Year: 2022 Dutch Death Metal is mainly linked to the more classic bands from around the 90’s. Of course, bands like Pestilence, Sinister and Gorefest have been…
Artist: Hulder Country: USA Label: 20 Buck Spin Formats: 12″ LP / Cassette EP / CD EP Year: 2022 EP’s are often used by bands as a taster for a new album, a sort of sop, but it also happens…
Artist: KvadCountry: NorwayLabel: Self-releasedFormats: Digital EPYear: 2022 The debut album ‘Cold & Dark, As Life’, released on cassette via Forbidden Keep Records, was my first introduction to the Norwegian Black Metal band Kvad. The album brought an interesting mix of…
Artist: Hekseblad Country: USA Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital EP Year: 2022 With the Woods Of Ypres-tribute EP as some sort of an interlude, the American Black Metal duo continues with this 1-track EP/single where they left off: the musical narration…
Artist: Hekseblad Country: USA Label: Fólkvangr Records / Grime Stone Records Formats: Cassette EP / CD EP Year: 2022 After a first 1-track demo, ‘The Night Of The Long Fangs’, the American duo of Hekseblad (which is actually Dutch for…
Artist: Hekseblad Country: USA Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital EP Year: 2022 After the release of ‘The Fall Of Cintra’ on last years’ Halloween, the American Black Metal combo of Hekseblad released another EP by the end of that same year…
Artist: Königreichssaal Country: Poland Label: Self-Released Formats: CD EP Year: 2022 This odd Polish trio released its debut-album ‘Witnessing The Dearth’ in 2020 and returns with a self-released EP called ‘Loewen (Podróż Przez Dziesiąty Krąg Piekła)’. Since my Polish isn’t…
Artist: Diabolical OathCountry: USALabel: Sentient Ruin LaboratoriesFormats: 12″ EP / Cassette EP / CD EPYear: 2022 After Shroud Of The Heretic went on a indefinite hiatus by the end of the 10’s some members went on to form this Diabolic…
Artist: Lamentari Country: Denmark Label: Over The Under Records Formats: 12″ EP Year: 2022 Formed in 2019, this Danish six-piece have already released two EP’s, both of which were released by the also Danish Over The Under Records. A professionally…
Artist: Impure Country: The Netherlands Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital EP Year: 2007 The young band Impure from Breda, The Netherlands, releases their first feat with this self-released EP With ‘Blasphemy’, the five-piece band presents itself as a Black/Death Metal band…
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: Malevolent Creation Country: USA Label: Xtreem Music Formats: 10″ EP Year: 2021 Ever since Death Metal band Malevolent Creation formed in 1986 and despite the many ups and downs in their three-and-a-half decade career, the band has always been…
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: 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: 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: Painsaw Country: Canada Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital EP Year: 2022 Ahh, great! Canadian Thrash Metal. Yes, please! Painsaw hail from Fredericton, New Brunswick and presents their first offering: ‘Infinite Violence’. That promises a nice piece of uncompromising Thrash Metal.…
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: Gravecrusher Country: Hungary Label: Xtreem Music Formats: CD EP Year: 2022 In 2013 Swedish underground protagonist Blood Harvest Records released two rather devastating 7” EP’s, ‘Eternal Darkness’ by Necrosodomy and ‘Mutilation Ritual’ by Gravecrusher. Although both EP’s were in…
Artist: Hammerdeath Country: The Netherlands Label: Stageblast Records Formats: Digital EP Year: 2022 In the Dutch metal scene in the 90’s it was pretty much impossible to ignore the presence and influence of the Displeased Productions-label. It presented many a…
Artist: DismaCountry: USALabel: Doomentia Records / Necoharmonic RecordsFormats: 12″ EP / CD EPYear: 2022 Over a decade after the Death Metal sledgehammer that was ‘Towards The Megalith’ (2011, Profound Lore Records), Disma are back with this new ‘Earthendium’-EP. After the…
Artist: CadaverousCountry: USALabel: Frozen Screams ImprintFormats: Cassete EPYear: 2022 At the ass-end of last year this American Death Metal band digitally released their first 3-track EP, which was put to cassette tape by Frozen Screams Imprint a few months later…
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: Mournful Congregation Country: Australia Label: Osmose Productions / 20 Buck Spin Formats: 12″ EP / Cassette EP / CD EP Year: 2022 The extreme Doom Metal scene has always been a small one, since the first notes ever sounded…
Artist: Master Country: USA Label: Xtreem Music Formats: 10″ EP Year: 2020 It is almost impossible and perhaps even morally wrong to leave Master’s legendary 1985 demo-tape out of a series that is called ’10 Inches Of Deathcult’, in which…
Artist: AdramelechCountry: FinlandLabel: Xtreem MusicFormats: 10″ EPYear: 2020 Finnish Death Metal, or ‘Finndeath’ as they like to call it, always had something special compared to bands from other countries who had a lively Death Metal scene. They often had a…
Artist: Incantation Country: USA Label: Xtreem Music Formats: 10″ EP Year: 2020 What can be said about Incantation’s debut demo from 1990 that hasn’t been said before? It has not only been tape traded a zillion times back in the…
Artist: ThanatosCountry: The NetherlandsLabel: Xtreem MusicFormats: 10″ EPYear: 2020 A series that is called ’10 Inches Of Deathcult’ would not be complete without Hollands’ self-proclaimed initiators of Dutch Death Metal. Though the band was already founded as early as 1984…
Artist: AcheronCountry: USALabel: Funeral Industries / VIC RecordsFormats: 12″ EP / CD EP Year: 2022 There aren’t many American Death Metal bands about which opinions are as divided as Acheron. There’s a lot of haters and a lot of fans.…
Artist: Mayhem Country: Norway Label: Century Media Formats: 12″ EP / CD EP Year: 2021 Mayhem’s latest two albums, ‘Esoteric Warfare’ from 2014 and the latest, ‘Daemon’ from 2019, have divided fans and admirers. Both records are far from easy-listening…
Artist: AsphyxCountry: The NetherlandsLabel: Xtreem MusicFormats: 10″ EPYear: 2020 During the late 80’s and early 90’s the Dutch Death Metal scene had a lot of great bands to offer. Many of those bands recorded full-length albums and gained their fame in their respective careers. But…
Artist: TerrorizerCountry: USALabel: Xtreem MusicFormats: 10″ EPYear: 2020 During the second half of the 80’s Terrorizer, along with peers like Repulsion, Carcass and Napalm Death propelled extreme music into whole new levels extremity by pushing the boundaries that were thought…
Artist: Pyrexia Country: USA Label: Xtreem Music Formats: 10″ EP Year: 2020 Around the 90’s American Death Metal bands had a real special thing going on. Other than their European counterparts they were much more vile and brutal. Especially New…