Ungod

Germany's UNGOD, hailing from Bavaria, is a band that has made an impact on German black metal, but is not as widely known outside the borders of their native land. Their music in the early 90s helped shape the German scene almost as much as that of Desaster's or Eminenz's, and in that regard, they are an important band.

Ungod was formed in late 1991 by Schiekron (bass), Condemptor (drums), Ancient Blasphemic Grave Invocator (guitar), Angel of Blasphemy (guitar), and Infamist of Tumulus (vocals). Citing old-school masters Hellhammer,  Venom, and Bathory as inspiration--as well as Master's Hammer, Samael, and the early Greek scene--Ungod set about creating vile, blasphemous music shortly after their inception.

Here is their 1992 demo in its entirety

The result was the 1992 demo Magicus Tallis Damnatio. As you can hear above, this demo is raw and primitive black metal that not only bears the imprint of Ungod's aforementioned inspirations, but you can also hear the influence of bands like Sarcofago and Blasphemy. The intense minimalism of their sound also calls to mind the style of Dutch band Bestial Summoning.

Speaking of Bestial Summoning, the release of Magicus caught the ear of The Unsane, vocalist for that Dutch band. After reviewing the demo favorably in his underground zine, he approached  the band with the idea of putting out a full-length album on his label, Heretic Supremacist Records. The band agreed.

This is the title track from Circle of the Seven Infernal Pacts

The resulting album, Circle of the Seven Infernal Pacts, is a refining of their demo sound and a milestone in 1990s German black metal. The influence of Samael and Master's Hammer can be heard pretty strongly, yet the album stands on its own. Heretic Supremacist Records released the album on vinyl in early 1993 before folding. Germany's Merciless Records then put out the album on CD in late 1993.

With this album, Ungod had now established themselves as a force to be reckoned with in German black metal. That being said, they still remained a very underground band. Over the next few years, they only managed to put out splits with other underground bands and the occasional demo. While their cult, underground ethos propeled them forward, they never exploded on the international scene in the way that fellow Germans Desaster or Nagelfar did. Due to personnel issues, the band broke up in 1998.

The 2009 self-titled EP is the source of this song, "Dawn of the Black Apocalypse"

Other than a re-release of the Magicus demo as a split with Baxaxaxa (a band that featured Condemptor and Ancient Blasphemic Grave Invocator) in 2002, there was silence from Ungod for many years. Then, in 2008, members of the band were approached by Kneel Before the Master's Throne Records about re-releasing 1993's Circle. This eventually led to the band re-forming with the original line-up fairly intact (new member Kvaltor was now their sole guitarist, however). Since re-forming, Ungod has been extremely prolific, putting out multiple full-length albums and continuing their tradition of collaborating on split albums with other underground bands.

An example of their recent sound, "Blessed by the Whore" is from their 2016 album, Bewitched by Sins and Lust

Select Discography:

Magic Tallis Damnation (demo) (1992)

Instrumental Rehearsal (demo) (1993)

Circle of the Seven Infernal Pacts (full-length album) (1993)

Conquering What Was Once Ours EP (1995)

Renaissance of the Dark Arcade 7" (split with Cabal) (1995)

Aeon of Sunless Dominion 7" (split with Desaster) (1995)
Promo 1995 (demo) (1995)

Phallus Cult 7" (split with Sadistic Intent) (1998)

Ungod EP (2009)

Cloaked in Eternal Darkness (full-length album) (2011)

Bewitched by Sins and Lust (full-length album) (2016)

Next time: SATYRICON

Bethlehem

Returning to Germany, we encounter one of the most important non-Norwegian bands to make an impact on world black metal. BETHLEHEM, from the North Rhine-Westphalia region, is known for their inventive approach to black metal. Scores of modern bands have drawn inspiration from them.

Formed in 1991 by Jürgen Bartsch and Klaus Matton (after their time in death/thrash bands Morbid Vision and Dark Tempest) when they joined forces with vocalist Andreas Classen and drummer Chris Steinhoff, Bethlehem was conceived of as a way to be an outlet for the morbid, dark, death-obsessed aspects of existence that Bartsch and Matton both struggled with. Suicide, for example, has been a recurring lyrical theme throughout Bethelehem's career.

"Wintermute" is from the 1993 7" Thy Pale Dominion

Bethlehem's initial sound is a visceral black metal style that draws on the band members' time in their earlier thrash bands. The self-titled 1992 demo and the 1993 EP Thy Pale Dominion are excellent examples of this. Yet at the same time, one can begin to hear a doom-oriented riffing style creep into their music. Listen to "Wintermute," above, to hear the fusion of styles in their early work.

1994's Dark Metal gives us "The 11th Commandment"

Bethlehem's long-lasting impact on extreme metal would mostly be a result of their first two full-length studio albums. 1994's Dark Metal, for example, continued the vile black metal style of the demos infused with a gothic/doom aesthetic. At the same time, this album's title would lend itself to the name of a subgenre of black metal. Future attempts to meld the rawness of black metal with the atmosphere and riffing of doom metal would be labeled "dark metal".

"Aphel - Die Schwarze Schlange" (off of their second album) contains some truly vile vocals!

Their second studio album, 1996's Dictius Te Necare (Latin for "you should kill yourself"), took things even further. Not only was Bethlehem's dark metal style present on this album in a big way, but new vocalist Rainer Landfermann helped push their sound to new extremes. His shrill, untamed shrieks remain some of the most tortured ever in the history of black metal!

Between the twisted vocals and dark subject matter, Bethlehem ran afoul of the authorities in their native Germany and abroad. Their music was seen as promoting suicide, and busybody parents' groups expressed concern. To this day, their music explores these darker aspects of human existence, and can properly be characterized as death-obsessed.

Their sound began evolving on their third album...

Select Discography:

Bethlehem (demo) (1992)

Thy Pale Dominion 7" (1993)

Dark Metal (full-length) (1994)

Dictius Te Necare (full-length) (1996)

Sardonischer Untergang im Zeichen irreligiöser Darbietung (full-length) (1998)

Next time: NORWAY--BEFORE THE BLACK METAL BOOM

Falkenbach

One of the most important--and one of the oldest--bands in the history of the Viking/pagan subgenre of black metal is Germany's FALKENBACH. Formed in 1989 by Dusseldorf-born Vratyas Vakyas (real name Markus Tummers), Falkenbach was initially a nameless project designed to be an outlet for an expression of Germanic pagan ideas. The first demo--1989's Havamal--didn't even have a band name attached to it.

Vratyas labored in the underground for several years, churning out a style that can clearly be characterized as a folk-infused pagan black metal. Between 1989 and 1995, Falkenbach released a slew of demos (many of which are next to impossible to find) that show the development of this sound. Check out the 1995 demo Laeknishendr, below:

Following the release of demos such as Laeknishendr in 1995 and ...skinn af sverđi sól valtiva... in 1996, Vratyas was able to sign with German label No Colours Records in order to put out a proper studio album. The result was the epic ...en their medh riki fara... album. Shortly after the release of this album, Vratyas was approached by Napalm Records and he was impressed with the terms of their contact, so he signed with them. Falkenbach has since put out several quality albums through Napalm. During this time period, Vratyas recruited several session musicians to help craft Falkenbach's music. That being said, however, Falkenbach remains the brainchild of Vratyas Vakyas through and through.

"Winternight" is from their 1996 debut album

 Despite the fact that Falkenbach's sound clearly has much in common with other classic viking metal bands--especially Bathory's viking material--Vratyas has said that he has not been influenced by any other metal bands. He has stated that he draws musical inspiration from Romantic composers like Wagner, Grieg, and Franz Grothe. Being that one of the hallmarks of Romantic music is a glorification of the past and pride in one's heritage, it makes perfect sense that Falkenbach would draw on these traditions.

As can be heard in Falkenbach's lyrics, Germanic and Norse paganism is very real, very authentic, and very personally important for Vratyas Vakyas. He has explicited stated that he wants his music to glorify the ancient gods and goddesses of the Northern European tradition, even admitting to being a practitioner of modern-day Asatru. He also writes most of his lyrics in old languages---Old Norse, Old German, Old Icelandic. Falkenbach is first and foremost about Germanic heritage.

Many people consider "When Gjallarhorn Will Sound" to be Falkenbach's best song

Aside from being the mastermind behind Falkenbach, Vratyas Vakyas also ran his own label--Skaldic Art Productions--for a while. Furthermore, Vratyas has stated in interviews though that he doesn't know what the future holds for Falkenbach, and has often thought about just hanging it all up. We'll have to see. In the meantime, we'll enjoy this classic-sounding pagan black metal.

2005's Heralding the Fireblade gives us "Heralder"

Select Discography:
Havamal (demo) (1989)
Tanfana (demo) (1990)
Towards Solens Golden Light (demo) (1991)
Laeknishendr (demo)  (1995)
Promo '95 (demo)  (1995)
...skinn af sverđi sól valtiva... (demo) (1996)
...en their medh riki fara... (full-length) (1996)
...magni blandinn ok megintíri... (full-length) (1998)
Ok nefna tysvar Ty (full-length) (2003)
Heralding the Fireblade (full-length) (2005)
Tiurida (full-length) (2011)
Asa (full-length) (2013)

Next time: OPERA IX

Martyrium and the Early German Black Metal Scene

One of Germany's oldest black metal bands that straddles the line between first and second wave black metal is Osnabruck's MARTYRIUM.  Formed in 1989 in what was then West Germany, Martyrium released a few demos before their one very noteworthy studio album.  After 1992's Invocation of Maat rehearsal, they put out the demos Through the Aeon and Arcanum de Via Occulta.

From the Through the Aeon demo, this is "Invocation of Maat"

The sound on their demos is very raw, but it definitely hearkens back to the old-school, with its mix of atmosphere and intensity.  Their one full-length album, 1994's L.V.X. Occulta, was a definite refinement and improvement over the demos.  Their use of synths to add atmosphere--while still structuring their songs around raging black metal riffs --is certainly one of the things that set them apart.  However, that being said, I think Martyrium's material definitely sounds dated.  They broke up in 1995 and some of their members went on to form Secrets of the Moon.

This is "A Living Ba," from 1994's L.V.X. Occulta

Select Discography:
Invocation of Maat (rehearsal) (1992)
Through the Aeon (demo) (1992)
Arcanum de via occulta (demo) (1993)
L.V.X. Occulta (full-length) (1994)

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Other than Martyrium, the 1980s saw the formation of many other black metal bands in Germany.  Groups like Desaster, Eminenz, and Falkenbach are all important enough to merit their own posts later on, but there were a handful of noteworthy German groups that made enough of a mark on the underground that they deserve a mention here.

Old-school black/thrash being one of the dominant black metal sounds coming out of 1980s West Germany should come as no surprise to anyone, given that Sodom stands at the head of the pack.  The extreme old-school black/thrash hybrid that was evident on such early releases like Witching Metal and Victims of Death influenced many fellow countrymen.  One such band was the band with one of the simplest names of all---HELL. Rumored to feature members of Destruction, Hell's style was chaotic and unrelenting black/thrash at its most raw.  They only ever put out one demo: 1985's Satanic Death.

Hell's Satanic Death demo in full

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One band that formed around the same time as Sodom (and was even from the same area of Germany in North Rhine-Westphalia) was the band with one of the coolest names ever, SEMEN OF SATAN.  Another undergound black/thrash band, Semen of Satan only ever put out one untitled demo in 1984.  Here is a sampling of their sound:

In its entirety, here is their untitled 1984 demo

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Another band known for their demos in the 1980s was Mainz's ANTICHRIST.  An old-school black metal band that had elements of speed and thrash metal in their sound, Antichrist had a real DIY ethos that reminds the listener of 1970s punk and early heavy metal.  Their most noteworthy releases were the demos Slaughter in Hell(1983)and Horror Awakes(1986).  After breaking up in 1986, they actually reformed in 2003 and have put out newer material since.

"Death Life of Eternity" is off of Slaughter in Hell

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Moving forward a few years in time, the later 1980s saw the formation of some bands that had an impact on the 1990s scene in German black metal.  From the Brandenburg state in eastern Germany, SICKNESS was a band that churned out several demos and albums in the early nineties.  Their style is a particularly aggressive black/death, as can be heard on releases like the demos Final Result (1992), Excess (1993), XXX (1993), and Endzeit (1994).  The only full-length studio they put out was 1995's Verbrannte Erde.

From the 1993 demo XXX, here is "Rites".

And off of their full-length album, this is "Lost in Thought"

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Lastly, I want to mention two additional bands that made an impact on the German scene.  DARK SHADES, hailing from Leipzig, formed in 1989 and never signed with any record labels.  Their major releases are 1993's Necromancy and 1999's Hymnen an die Dunkelheit.  Their sound is a melodic kind of black/death that uses synths for effect.  I couldn't find anything by them on Youtube except for one instrumental track that was basically a keyboard-heavy filler piece.  I'll keep looking.

The last band I want to highlight from the earlier years of the German scene is DISSECTION.  Another band from North Rhine-Westphalia, Dissection played a black/death hybrid that is actually reminiscent of some of the Swedish bands from the late 1980s and early 1990s.  They released two demos, 1990's Maniac Depression and 1992's Unrecognizable Human Form, before changing their name to Tsatthoggua in 1993.

"I Spit on Your Grave" is from their 1992 demo

Next time: BAL-SAGOTH

Poison

Okay, first off, this is not an entry on the lame American glam band.  This is the old-school black metal band from Germany named POISON.  They were actually really good, one of the more evil and necro sounding 1980s black metal bands.  If they had landed a major record deal (they sort of got screwed over by Roadrunner Records) and put out many albums of music of the caliber of their demo material, they might rank up there with Sarcofago and early Mayhem as old-school black metal masters.

"Wake the Dead", from one of Poison's early demos

Forming in 1982, Poison put out quite a few demos and rehearsal tapes in the mid-1980s.  1984's Sons of Evil, 1985's Live Terror and Bestial Death, and 1986's Awakening of the Dead are the most important of their earlier demos.  They had a very strong old-school black metal sound, with evil screeched vocals and playing that truly stands the test of time.

"Satan Commands", off of the Awakening of the Dead demo

One particularly interesting aspect of Poison's sound is their really intense drumming.  They were probably one of the first bands to have such blasting drumming in their songs.  You can hear it in the song above about halfway through.

In 1987, Poison was slated to participate on a sampler LP put out by Roadrunner Records.  But in order to participate, they had to sign a contract with Roadrunner forbidding them from talking with any other record labels.  As a result, they were never signed to a label for an actual long-term contract.  Their 1987 demo Into the Abyss was later released as an actual album, in 1993.  It is this demo/album for which they are most famous.

"Slaves (of the Crucifix)"--maybe their best-known song?

Poison is a sadly neglected band in the history of 1980s black metal.  Their material really holds up well, even 20-plus years later.

Select Discography:

Sons of Evil (demo) (1984)

Live Terror (demo) (1985)

Bestial Death (demo) (1985)
Awakening of the Dead (demo) (1986)
Into the Abyss (demo) (1987)

Next time:  FLAMES