Tales From The Underground
Tales From The Underground
Artist: CutthroatCountry: ChinaLabel: DeadheadzFormats: Cassette tapeYear: 2022 Cutthroat were a Japanese ‘all-star’ band, with members of Abigail, Barbatos and Sigh, featuring genre legends such as Yasuyuki Suzuki (Abigail and Barbatos) and Mirai Kawashima (Sigh, Necrophagia). In the years between 1998…
Artist: Atomic WitchCountry: USALabel: Redefining Darkness RecordsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2022 After having released a couple of singles/EP’s, Atomic Witch releases their first full-length album with ‘Crypt Of Sleepless Malice’, graced in a horrendously nuclear sort of artwork. And after having heard the album…
Artist: ZemialCountry: GreeceLabel: Self-releasedFormats: Digital EPYear: 2022 Archon Vorskaath has led his brainchild Zemial through many years of musical transitions and past many great releases. On many occasions, the enigmatic act has managed to surprise fans and critics alike. Looking…
Artist: Necromaniac Country: United Kingdom Label: Invictus Productions Formats: Demo Tape Year: 2021 Originally released in 2015 by Me Saco Un Ojo Records (and already reissued a year later) Invictus Productions thought it was about time to give this demo…
Artist: ApostasyCountry: ChileLabel: Hammerheart Records / Sentient Ruin LaboratoriesFormats: LP, CDYear: 2022 First appeared in 2021 on both cassette tape and CD formats (by Cabalist Records and Fallen Temple respectively), this third album by Chilean cult thrashers got another run of releases in 2022 by…
Artist: Hellish Country: Chile Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital EP Year: 2022 As an appetizer for their upcoming album, ‘The Dance of the Four Elemental Serpents’ which is set for a release on December 16th of this year through Dying Victims Records,…
Artist: DaevaCountry: USALabel: 20 Buck SpinFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2022 Back in 2019, our chief-editor reviewed Daeva’s first EP, and although he appreciated the offering, it wasn’t all too special for him. Now, a few years ahead…
Artist: Exordium MorsCountry: AustraliaLabel: Praetorian Sword RecordsFormats: LPYear: 2022 When New Zealand is mentioned many people think of those great mountain landscapes in which Peter Jackson filmed his Lord Of The Rings trilogy. But it also has a small but…
Artist: Sarcator Country: Sweden Label: Black Lion Records Formats: LP / Cassette Tape / CD Year: 2022 Usually I am not quite interested in father-son kind of relations, or any other family relations, between musicians. I think that every individual…
Artist: Sodom Country: Germany Label: Steamhammer Formats: LP / CD Year: 2022 Whether you like Heavy Metal or Black Metal, Thrash Metal or Death Metal, there is no way that your favourite bands from each of those genres has not…
Artist: DefleshedCountry: SwedenLabel: Metal Blade RecordsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2022 Not too long ago I spent quite a few words on Defleshed’s 7” EP, ‘Fleshless And Wild’, which was released to reintroduce us to the recently resurrected Defleshed. Arguably Sweden’s…
Artist: DeathhammerCountry: NorwayLabel: Hells Headbangers RecordsFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2022 Norway’s Deathhammer have taken the Metal world by storm, crushing the masses with their intense Thrash/Speed Metal mix that blends in some of their Norwegian Black Metal…
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: Necromutilator Country: Italy Label: Osmose Productions Formats: LP / Cassette Tape / CD Year: 2022 In the 1968 Hammer Horror movie ‘The Devil Rides Out’, Duc Richleau tries to rescue his late friend’s son and his girlfriend from the…
Artist: Ultra SilvamCountry: SwedenLabel: Shadow RecordsFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2022 That Ultra Silvam was a band to watch out for was immediately clear after first hearing their self-titled demo. The band effortlessly combined a ferocious untamed Black Metal…
Artist: Necrohammer Country: Mexico Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital EP Year: 2022 Old School bestial Blackened Speed Metal fans of the world, rejoice! After a 2020 demo tape and a split CD (Bestial Possession, Profanación Sepulcral and Goatslaught) a year later,…
Artist: Sexmag Country: Poland Label: Dying Victims Productions Formats: Demo Tape Year: 2022 After their “tasteful” debut EP ‘Sex Metal’ from 2021, these Poles returned last summer with this new demo tape, which, like the EP, was also released by…
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: Mayhemic Country: Chile Label: Awakening Records Formats: CD Year: 2022 This Chilean Thrash Metal band, formed in 2018, released several demos and EP’s over the past few years. However, none of these releases reached my ears before, so for…
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: Proscriptor McGovern’s Apsû Country: USA Label: Agonia Records Formats: LP / Cassette Tape / CD Year: 2021 One of America’s most iconic Black Metal bands is undoubtedly Absu. The multi-headed monster that originally emerged from several previous incarnations and…
Artist: Dead HeadCountry: The NetherlandsLabel: Hammerheart RecordsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2022 Considering this album was released by the end of April this year, I am a little late to the party with this review. Dead Head has never really changed…
Artist: MorgalCountry: FinlandLabel: Werewolf RecordsFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2021 One of the interesting aspects of reviewing albums is diving into the musical history of a band, going back to the earliest material, and comparing how a band…
Artist: Anal VomitCountry: PeruLabel: Black Legion RecordsFormats: Demo tapeYear: 2022 It was about 17 years ago when I reviewed Anal Vomit’s ‘Demonic Flagellations’ (From Beyond Productions) for VM-Underground’s predecessor and also conducted an interview with the band about these early…
Artist: Krushhammer Country: Brazil Label: Hellprod Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2022 I do love the simple things in life. I am just fine when things are predictable. Admitted, I also like to have a musical surprise every now…
Artist: DestructoCountry: The NetherlandsLabel: Dying Victims Productions / Wolves Of Hades RecordsFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2021 I don’t think I have to tell you that The Netherlands is a rather small country and its metal scene is…
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: 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: Recipients Of Death Country: USA Label: VIC Records Formats: CD Year: 2022 Halfway the 80’s, the absolute heydays of Thrash Metal, many of the founding fathers of the genre released their iconic and classic albums. But it was also…
Artist: Mutilator Country: Brazil Label: Hellven Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2021 When you talk about classic Brazilian Thrash Metal albums, you automatically end up with Sarcófago’s ‘INRI’, Sepultura’s ‘Morbid Visions’ and Mutilator’s ‘Immortal Force’. Of course, they were…
Artist: Sacrifice Country: Canada Label: Cyclone Empire / Marquee Records / War On Music Formats: LP / CD Year: 2009 With the unstoppable stream of returning old Thrash Metal legends (as well as some lesser heroes), you would almost think…
Artist: Motörpenis / Black Torment Country: Portugal / Mexico Label: Iron Bonehead Productions Formats: 7″ EP Year: 2009 This is the first release for Iron Bonehead Productions in 2009, a split record between Motörpenis from Portugal and Mexican Black Torment.…
Artist: Shackles Country: Australia Label: Hells Headbangers Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2009 After releasing two demos (one being re-released on CD on Kneel Before The Masters Throne) and a 7” EP these Australians were ready for their first…
Artist: Dishammer Country: Spain Label: Hells Headbangers Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2008 The announcement of this LP was already enough to get me interested: ‘A perverted overdose of raw diabolic metal punk. Sounds like a fistfight between Hellhammer…
Artist: Assaulter Country: Australia Label: High Roller Records / Iron Bonehead Productions / Pulverized Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2008 This first full-length release for this Australian duo is a collaboration between German labels Iron Bonehead Productions and High…
Artist: Trench HellCountry: AustraliaLabel: Hells Headbangers Records / Home Taping CrueltiesFormats: 12″ EP / Cassette EP / CD EPYear: 2008 After the great “Alcoholic Disaster” EP from four years back, these Australians are back with a 12” consisting of six ultra…
Artist: Magnus Country: Poland Label: Blood Harvest Formats: LP Year: 2007 Sometimes you walk into something that you never heard of and surprises you in a pleasant way. This was the case when I got a package through the post…
Artist: Nunslaughter / Destructor Country: USA Label: Hells Headbangers Records Formats: Split 7″ EP Year: 2007 The old school death metallers of Nunslaugther are slowly going to end up like Japanese Unholy Grave or Sabbat and Belgian Agathocles in terms…
Artist: DesasterCountry: GermanyLabel: Iron Pegasus Records / Metal Blade RecordsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2007 Though they are certainly some kind of worship/’tribute to the gods’ band, Desaster is, in the meantime, one of the longest running German thrash bands. It…
Artist: Death AttackCountry: GermanyLabel: I Hate RecordsFormats: 7″ EPYear: 2007 This is a band that is dead for about a good twenty years now, but still is something that is worth digging up if you’re into old school metal. This…
Artist: ThanatosCountry: The NetherlandsLabel: Areadeath ProductionsFormats: CD BoxsetYear: 2007 Thanatos is one of the oldest still active (death) metal bands from The Netherlands and therefore has got a rather rich history. This boxed set is a fine lesson in history…
Artist: Necrodeath Country: Italy Label: Scarlet Records Formats: CD Year: 2006 This Italian band will certainly ring a bell to old school metallers as they have been a part of a very lively underground scene in the eighties. Having their…
Artist: Axegrinder Country: United Kingdom Label: Peaceville Records Formats: CD Year: 2006 In the early days of Peaceville there has been some truly worthwhile releases that somehow faded into oblivion and are totally unknown to most of the new-school metalheads…
Artist: Deviated Instinct Country: United Kingdom Label: Peaceville Records Formats: CD Year: 2006 Peaceville Records started out as label for punk, crust and hardcore and had cult bands like Doom, Axegrinder, Prophecy Of Doom, Electro Hippies and this Deviated Instinct…
Artist: CorruptCountry: SwedenLabel: Blood HarvestFormats: 7″ EPYear: 2006 After four demos and a split 7” with Necrovation (also on Blood Harvest) that I personally all missed, even the split 7”, I finally got my first release from them in the…
Artist: Lethal Country: Sweden Label: Blood Harvest Formats: 7″ EP Year: 2006 Not to be confused with the American progressive metal band that released a couple of albums from the early to the mid-nineties on various labels this Swedish Lethal…
Dutch Speed/Thrash Metal band Mysto Dysto is as strangely named (after a guitar pedal) as it is cult. They started as early as 1983 and, with two demos and their only LP, ‘The Rules Have Been Disturbed’, have a solid…
Artist: Mysto Dysto Country: The Netherlands Label: Rusty Cage Records Formats: CD Year: 2006 Young as I am, being born in 1983 myself, I haven’t been able to witness the Dutch metal scene in the eighties. But the fact that…
Artist: XI-VoidCountry: The NetherlandsLabel: Self-releasedFormats: Demo CDYear: 2006 This young quartet from the northern parts of The Netherlands plays a mixture of thrash metal and heavy metal. Pretty reminiscent to bands like later Death, Iced Earth, Megadeth and Control Denied.…