Alastis

In terms of black metal, Switzerland gave the world the brilliant Hellhammer/Celtic Frost and Samael. But not too far below those bands is ALASTIS, from the canton of Valais. Not exactly a household name, Alastis toiled in the black metal underground in one form or another since the late 1980s. Starting off as more of a death/thrash band in 1987 under the name Fourth Reich, these Swiss metal maniacs released a demo entitled Fatidical Date (in 1989). Like many extreme metal bands, Fourth Reich did not actually harbor Nazi sympathies--they just used the name for effect.

Not too long after the release of the Fatidical Date demo, the band morphed into Alastis (they took their name from the demon Alastor). They also changed from a death/thrash sound to a more black metal style with melodic elements. One can even hear the influence of early Celtic Frost on some of their demo material. In their first two years of existence as Alastis they put out the Black Wedding demo (1990) and an untitled 1991 promo.

From the Black Wedding demo, this is "My Suicide"

Before the release of their first studio album--1992's The Just Law--some of their members joined Samael. In fact, Alastis has had many lineup changes over the years. The only constant until their break-up was founder War D.

The title track from 1992's The Just Law

The Just Law was a continuation of Alastis' earlier sound: one can hear the slower, more methodical, Celtic Frost-inspired riffing laid over top an eerie and melodic atmosphere. Over the next few releases they honed this sound, incorporating keyboards for mood, and at times verging on an almost gothic style.

This is "By Thy Name," from 1995's ...And Death Smiled

Notice the more creative use of synths. "In Darkness" is off of 1997's The Other Side

Toward the end of their existence, Alastis did come to resemble mid-period Samael more and more (think Ceremony of Opposites and, to a lesser degree, Passage). They continued the more noticeably rhythmic guitar patterns, melodic atmosphere, and gothic-styled keyboards. They mellowed out even more with their last two releases, 1998's Revenge and 2001's Unity. In my opinion, those last two albums come across as somewhat derivative and uninspired. Shortly after beginning work on what would have been their sixth studio album, Alastis broke up in 2004.

"Burnt Alive" is off of Revenge

Off of Unity, this is "The Elect"

Select Discography

Black Wedding (demo) (1990)

1991 promo tape (demo)

The Just Law (full-length) (1992)

...And Death Smiled (full-length) (1995)

The Other Side (full-length) (1997)

Revenge (full-length) (1998)

Unity (full-length) (2001)

Next time: DECAYED

Samael

In terms of black metal, Switzerland is known for giving the world two bands:  Hellhammer/Celtic Frost, and SAMAEL, hailing from the city of Sion.  Samael formed in 1987, and played in the raw old-school black/death style made famous by their fellow countrymen.  They released several excellent demos in the late 1980s, such as 1987's Into the Infernal Storm of Evil and 1988's Macabre Operetta.  These albums showcased the extreme black/death sound of early Samael.

Samael covering the classic Hellhammer song, "The Third of the Storms"

In 1988, Samael released the EP Medieval Prophecy.  This featured a pretty faithful cover of Hellhammer's "The Third of the Storms" (see above).  Samael's fame in the black metal underground only grew.  In 1989, the demo From Dark to Black just cemented their reputation.  By the nineties, Samael was releasing full-length studio albums, such as 1991's Worship Him and 1992's Blood Ritual.

The very atmospheric "Sleep of Death", off of 1991's Worship Him

Samael's very famous "After the Sepulture"--which is off of 1992's Blood Ritual

After Blood Ritual, Samael began to get more creative with their black metal sound.  Not afraid to incorporate varied tempos, electronic manipulation, and non-traditional black metal vocals, the albums since Blood Ritual have stretched the very idea of what black metal can accomplish.  1994's Ceremony of Opposities is a true masterpiece in this regard.  By the time of 1996's Passage, however, the genre of black metal is barely present in Samael's sound, and they have begun to enter a realm all their own.

"Baphomet's Throne" is Samael at perhaps the peak of their black metal creativity

This track from 1996's Passage shows the shift away from black metal...

Since the time of 1996's Passage (an incredible album in its own right), Samael has simply expanded their sound to include more and more non-black metal elements.  At this point, they are more or less a electronic/industrial metal band with occult/black metal influences.  In terms of the development of black metal, their first few years (1987-1992) are the most noteworthy.

Select Discography:

Into the Infernal Storm of Evil (demo) (1987)
Macabre Operetta (demo) (1988)
Medieval Prophecy EP (1988)
From the Dark to Black (demo) (1989)
Worship Him (1991)
Blood Ritual (1992)
Ceremony of Opposites (1994)
Passage (1996)

Next time: SCHIZO and first wave Italian black metal