Unlord

 

The Netherlands may not churn out black metal bands like Norway or Sweden, but when a Dutch band makes an impact, you better believe it's truly awe-inspiring. Of all of the Dutch bands covered so far and all of the Dutch bands to be covered, North Holland's UNLORD is my favorite.

Unlord are another example of a band that formed pretty early but didn't make an impact until later. In fact, there is debate about Unlord's existence and demo output in the early 1990s. While it is confirmed that members of several Dutch death metal bands (such as Nembrionic and Consolation) set those projects to the side to form Unlord, questions remain: did Unlord only produce some early 1990s demos that never saw the light of day because they were only intended to help band members learn songs? Or, as some claim, was the Dutch band BLACK METAL an early incarnation of Unlord, and their 1991 demo Pentagram an example of the early evolution of Unlord's sound? 

Here is Black Metal's Pentagram demo from 1991

Black Metal's sound is clearly rooted in black/thrash and grindcore, and Unlord is known for their raw, scorching fast sound, and both bands share at least one member in common that we know of--so the rumor of the connection is not as outlandish as it seems. Regardless, the only material we have to this day with the name 'Unlord' on it is their three albums released in the late nineties and beyond.

Unlord first revealed themselves to the world under their own name with 1997's Schwarzwald. A blazing fast album of no-holds-barred black metal, it is truly an unsung masterpiece of the late 1990s. Band members have said that in addition to old-school bands like Venom and Bathory, more recent bands like Emperor, Marduk, and Immortal helped influence their sound. I think the speed and technicality of Schwarzwald bear that out.

"Uprising Hordes" is from Unlord's first album

From 1999's Gladiator, this is "Hell's Gates Are Opened"

With the follow-up album (1999's Gladiator), there was (even by the band's own admission) a step up in terms of technicality and sophistication. The focus was no longer just on speed-for-speed's-sake, but on speed in conjunction with new rhythms and structures. That said, the song I have chosen from Gladiator ("Hell's Gates Are Opened," above) is not the best illustration of that! By the time of the recording of Gladiator, Unlord had shrunk from a sextet to a trio. This streamlined version of the band continued on to the recording of what would be their final album, 2002's Lord of Beneath.

"Angel of Fire" is from their last album

In 2003, the band called it a day. The band members acknowledged that their differing musical interests had proved insurmountable. Interest in the band never waned, however, and their albums have been reissued several times, including notably by Hell's Headbanger Records. This continued interest led to the band to decide to re-form in the 2020s. We'll see what the future holds!

Select Discography:

as Black Metal (???):

Pentagram (demo) (1991)

as Unlord:

Schwarzwald (full-length) (1997)

Gladiator (full-length) (2000)

Lord of Beneath (full-length) (2002)

Next time: BURZUM