Avenger

 

In the Czech black metal scene, the names of A-list bands like Master's Hammer, Root, and Maniac Butcher ring out. But just below them are bands like AVENGER. Hailing from the South Bohemian Region, they formed in 1992 as Astaroth before changing their name in 1993.

Announcing themselves to the world with demos like 1994's Minister of Madness, they began life as an old-school death metal band. Their sound was unremarkable in this regard, but the best was yet to come. 

Here is Minister of Madness in its entirety

They struggled getting off the ground because of their early line-up instability, but after some label interest, were able to put out their debut full-length album, 1997's Shadows of the Damned. Their sound was still fundamentally an old-school death metal style, but with some black metal elements mixed in (I maintain that some of the riffing in some of the songs would sound more like black metal with slightly different drumming laid underneath).

"Kořeny zla" comes from Shadows of the Damned

Their follow-up album was 1999's Fall of Devotion, Wrath and Blasphemy. The band was initially not happy with the album's sound, so they re-recorded it in 2001 at Hellsound, a studio owned and operated by band co-founder and primary song writer Honza Kapák. Whichever version you listen to, the change in sound from their first album is apparent. It's still a (mostly) death metal foundation, but with some black metal riffs and drumming. Sound-wise, it's as if old-school Swedish death and black metal collaborated. 

From their second full-length album, this is "V Okovech"

As the years passed, Avenger's sound began to incorporate more and more black metal elements. They've become known in metal circles for their blackened death metal style, but they call themselves "Bohemian dark metal" (even going so far as to release an album with that title in 2012). After the release of a sixth album in 2017, they disbanded--only to reform as a new band, Bohemyst.

From 2003's Godless, here is "Execution of the Soul"

Bohemian Dark Metal gives us "Fales a apatie"

Select Discography:

Pandemonium (demo) (1993)

Eternal Voices of Hell (demo) (1993)

Minister of Madness (demo) (1994)

The Black Zone (demo) (1995)

Shadows of the Damned (full-length)  (1997)

Fall of Devotion, Wrath and Blasphemy (full-length)  (1999/2001)

Godless (...Assuming the Throne of Immortality...) (full-length) (2003)

Feast of Anger, Joy of Despair (full-length)  (2009)

Bohemian Dark Metal (full-length) (2012)

Next time: FRANCE'S LES LÉGIONS NOIRES - VLAD TEPES