Ophthalamia

Swedish band OPHTHALAMIA represents an unusual chapter in black metal. Much like Abruptum (which featured many of the same members), Ophthalamia was about evil, atmospheric music that had much in common with black metal without being straightforward black metal in the way we understand the term now. But make no mistake, Ophthalamia and their output made a definite mark on not just the Swedish scene of the nineties, but black metal since then.

Ophthalamia was, first and foremost, a brainchild of the man known as IT. Born one Tony Särkkä, IT made his name in various extreme bands of the late 1980s, including thrash band Brejn Dedd (which featured Dan Swanö). While IT formed Opthalamia with guitarist All in 1989 from the ashes of their band Leviathan, this band was fundamentally created to be an outlet for IT to communicate about a fantasy world he himself had concocted. This fantasy world was called Ophthalamia. The name is derived from the word for an eye condition: this is a metaphor for the fact that not everyone can see or perceive the fantasy world. The world of Ophthalamia was populated with various fantasy creatures, had its own language, and even had a dark goddess, Elishia. All of these were created by IT.

"A Lonely Ceremony/The Eternal Walk" is from one of their first recordings, in 1990

In 1991, Ophthalamia put out their first demo, A Long Journey. Ophthalamia's style can best be described as an eerie, melodic, almost doom-paced sound that drew on everything from classic doom metal (Black Sabbath and Candlemass can clearly be heard) to old-school black metal (Bathory). Attempting to communicate their devotion to Elishia and their love of the Ophthalamian mythos, the band created an evil atmosphere with their music above all else.

"A Cry From the Halls of Blood/Empire of Lost Dreams" comes from the 1991 demo

Following the release of a 1992 demo, Journey to Darkness, Ophthalamia signed with Avantgarde Records. They put out their first full-length album A Journey in Darkness in 1994. Featuring newly re-recorded versions of many of their demo songs, this release was produced by legendary musician Dan Swanö and featured Jon Nodtveidt of Dissection fame on vocals. This album contains a darkly melodic sound that fits in well with the 1990s Swedish black metal scene all while being unique in and of itself. To my ears, A Journey in Darkness is Ophthalamia's best work.

Off of their first studio album, this is "Enter the Darkest Thoughts of the Chosen/Agony's Silent Paradise"

Ophthalamia's storied career involves many members leaving or being kicked out (co-founder All, for example), and famous names being involved at various points (producers Dan Swanö and Peter Tagtgren; musicians Ole Ohman, Legion [of Marduk fame], and Jon and Emil Nodtveidt). But as stated above, the band was really about IT's desire to tell the world of the realm known as Ophthalamia, its lore, and its inhabitants. After A Journey in Darkness, Ophthalamia put out a few more albums, as well as the 1997 compilation To Elishia. 

From their last album--1998's Dominion--this is "Time for War"

Select Discography:

A Long Journey (demo) (1991)

Journey to Darkness (demo) (1992)

A Journey to Darkness (full-length) (1994)

Via Dolorosa (full-length) (1995)

A Long Journey (full-length) (1998)

Dominion (full-length) (1998)

Next Time: DENIAL OF GOD

Desaster

Of all of the various black metal bands that arose in Germany in the 1980s, perhaps none have been as important as DESASTER, from the Rhineland-Palatinate area. Taking their name from the Destruction song "Total Desaster," they formed in 1988. For the next two years they toiled in the underground and managed to record a few rehearsals, very few of which have seen the light of day. The goal of the band, according to founding member Infernal in a later interview, was to emulate bands who were "totally possessed by the magic metallic spirit"--bands like Venom, Hellhammer, Celtic Frost, Slayer, Destruction, Sodom, Mercyful Fate, and Bathory. After a live gig in 1989 (which Infernal has characterized as a "total Desaster"--pun intended), the band split up in 1990.

In 1992, Infernal recruited some fellow heavy metal maniacs and re-started Desaster. Among those in this new line-up was Okkulto, who would remain their longtime vocalist, and Odin, who is still their bassist to this day. It was in these early years that Desaster began putting out actual releases. Their Fog of Avalon (1993) and Lost in the Ages (1994) demos were very well received in the metal underground, and circulated widely.

This is the complete Fog of Avalon demo

Desaster's sound has always been about strong, quality black/thrash. From the outset, they wanted to pay homage to the old school. That much is evident on every release they've ever put out. Their sound caught the ear of many record labels, and they signed with Merciless Records. Their first release on Merciless was a split 7" with fellow Germans Ungod. After this, they put out their first full-length studio album, 1996's A Touch of Medieval Darkness.

"In a Winter Battle" comes from that first album

Desaster's sound on Medieval Darkness can definitely be characterized as a blistering, no-holds-barred black/thrash. It's a very riff-oriented style that clearly draws on Venom and Sodom. Over the next several years, with Okkulto still on vocals, they put out two more studio albums (1998's Hellfire's Dominion and 2000's Tyrants of the Netherworld), several EP's and splits, and a 10-year anniversary release.

It was in 2001 that the next big change came for Desaster. Vocalist Okkulto parted ways with the band, and they acquired vocalist Sataniac. Musically, Desaster still played the same old-school inspired black/thrash, but there was a clear difference in vocalists. Okkulto's style could be characterized as more of a black metal style: raspy, raw, and evil. Sataniac's style was more of a traditional old-school thrash metal growl.

I think the opening to "In the Ban of Satan's Sorcery" is one of their best

"Nekropolis Karthago" is trademark Desaster!

In the Sataniac era, Desaster also toured to new places they had never toured before, including all over South America. This was also a time that saw them change record labels from Merciless to Iron Pegasus, and eventually to Metal Blade as their star continued to rise. As black/thrash has made a comeback in the last few years, Desaster has still remained dedicated to the old school.

From 2007's Satan's Soldiers Syndicate, "Razor Ritual" highlights the difference in vocal styles

And from a more recent album--2016's The Oath of an Iron Ritual--this is "Damnatio ad Bestias"

Select Discography:

The Evil Dead Will Rise Again (rehearsal) (1989)  
The Fog of Avalon (demo) (1993)
Lost in the Ages (demo) (1994)
The Hill of a Thousand Souls 7" (split with Ungod) (1995)
A Touch of Medieval Darkness (full-length) (1996)
Hellfire's Dominion (full-length) (1998)
Tyrants of the Netherworld (full-length) (2000)
Divine Blasphemies (full-length) (2002)
Angelwhore (full-length) (2005)
Satan's Soldier's Syndicate (full-length) (2007)
The Arts of Destruction (full-length) (2012)
The Oath of an Iron Ritual (full-length) (2016)

Next Time: OPHTHALAMIA

Barathrum

For our next band, we return to Finland--the home of some of the greatest black metal bands in the world. While early Finnish bands are known for unrelenting brutality (Beherit and Archgoat being prime examples), Kuopio's BARATHRUM is a unique entity in the black metal scene. Their sound is a dark, atmospheric mix of old-school black metal and eerie doom metal.

Barathrum was founded as Darkfeast in 1990 by members Demonos Sova (the one constant member of all Barathrum's incarnations), Aki, and Ilu. By early 1991, Darkfeast had released the Hail Satan demo, and soon thereafter, changed their name to Barathrum. By the end of 1991, Barathrum had put out two demos--including the now legendary Witchmaster demo.

This is the Witchmaster demo in its entirety.

Over the next couple of years, Barathrum continued to put out some crucial demos, including 1992's Battlecry and 1993's Soaring Up From Hell. They also--like many bands in this era--made a name for themselves through shows and tape trading, building their reputation in the underground. As a result of this reputation, Barathrum was courted by a few labels, and there were even rumors of a split album to be released with fellow Finns Archgoat (that never materialized). Apparently, Barathrum also recorded material for an album during this time period, but it never saw the light of day (it eventually materialized as the Warmetal LP in 2014).  Around this time, Barathrum did choose to sign with Nazgul's Eyrie Productions. Through N.E.P., Barathrum put out their first three albums.

This is Barathrum live in 1993 with "Lord of South and Fire"

(which is also a song that can be found on their first studio album)

In 1994, N.E.P. put out Hailstorm, Barathrum's first full-length studio album. Hailstorm contained the dark, occultic sound Barathrum had become known for, but with a deeper, more bass-heavy production sound (compare "Battlecry" on Hailstorm to the same song on the Battlecry demo, for example). Their second album, 1995's Eerie, was very much a continuation of the style of the demos and Hailstorm as well. With 1997's Infernal, a slight shift in sound was evident.

Off of Infernal, this is "Warmetal"

With Infernal, elements of thrash began to creep into Barathrum's trademark black/doom style. One can definitely hear the influence of bands like Sabbat and Venom--two bands that Demonos Sova has said he admires. Following the release of Infernal, Barathrum signed with Finnish label Spinefarm Records, and continued to churn out occultic, creepy blackened doom. 1998's Legions of Perkele was the first of five albums released through Spinefarm.

"Necromantical Ritual" is from Legions of Perkele

With each album, there has been a slight change in their sound. From elements of thrash or old school heavy metal creeping into their sound, to starker, more crisp production values, Barathrum's sound continued to evolve. By the time of 2005's Anno Aspera, Barathrum still sounded like themselves, but a more mature, more evolved version.

From their latest (and possibly last?) studio album, this is "Into Maze of Nightmares"

Since the release of their 2005 album, Barathrum hasn't done much. Aside from a 2009 split, all the material Barathrum has put out is older, unreleased stuff. What does the future hold for these Finns? We'll have to see.

Select Discography

From Black Flames to Witchcraft (demo) (1991)

Witchmaster (demo) (1991)

Battlecry (demo) (1992)

Soaring Up From Hell (demo) (1993)

Hailstorm (full-length) (1994)

Eerie (full-length) (1995)

Infernal (full-length) (1997)

Legions of Perkele (full-length) (1998)

Saatana (full-length) (1999)

Okkult (full-length) (2000)

Venomous (full-length) (2002)

Anno Aspera (full-length) (2005)

Next time: DESASTER

Decayed

Portugal, like many countries, had a small black metal scene in the 1980s. Black Cross--from the city of Barreiro--was one band that made waves with their Venom-like black metal in the mid 1980s, and black/doom band Bactherion (later Filii Nigrantium Infernalium) also helped forge a path.  But it was Lisbon's DECAYED that really put Portuguese black metal on the map.

Starting out as Decay in 1990, they drew upon such extreme 1980s bands as Venom, Sodom, Kreator, Possessed, and Slayer as intial inspiration for their style. With the intention of creating a lasting presence in the extreme metal underground (as opposed to a band that was around for only a short while), Decay immediately got to work recording material. The result was an unnamed 1990 promo tape.

This is Decay's 1990 promo tape in full

The initial sound was raw, vicious, fast. You can definitely hear the debt that is owed to bands like Venom and Possessed. Decay continued in this more thrash-like vein for a while, getting darker and more evil with time. By the time of late 1991's Dark Rehearsal and early 1992's Thus Revealed demos (by which point they had changed their name to Decayed), the sound had evolved to an eerie, death-metal influenced sound that had an occultic atmosphere to it. One can even hear the influence of old-school death metal (think early Death, for example).

This is the Thus Revealed demo in full

Shortly after this, Decayed participated in the legendary metal compilation The Birth of Tragedy (along with other Portuguese luminaries like Filli Nigrantium Infernalium and Moonspell), and then put out such seminal releases as The Seven Seals 7" and then the full-length album The Conjuration of the Southern Circle (both released in 1993). By this time, their sound had matured to a very definite black metal style. The influence of death and thrash metal were clearly present, but this bore little resemblance to the trebly, necro style of Norway, or the melodic riffing of the Swedish scene.

Off of their first full-length, this is "Immortal's Entreaty"

Since its inception in 1990, Decayed has never tried to follow any trends. They have always been about making their own unique mark on world black metal. With releases such as 1996's Resurrectionem Mortuorum and 1999's The Book of Darkness, they continue to push forward their old-school influenced black metal. They have never been afraid to incorporate keyboards (without sacrificing quality), nor have they been afraid to use differing tempos to convey an evil atmosphere.

From Resurrectionem Mortuorem, here is "Archdemon"

This is "The Beast Ascendeth" from 2003's The Beast Has Risen

Portugal's black metal scene has grown quite a bit since the late 1980s and early 1990s, but Decayed still remains at the head of the pack. Their innovation and ground-breaking work paved the way for such crucial modern-day acts as Corpus Christii, Sirius, Morte Incandescente, and Daemonarch.

Select Discography

Dark Rehearsal (demo) (1991)

Thus Revealed (demo) (1992)

The Seven Seals EP (1993)

The Conjuration of the Southern Circle (full-length) (1993)

Resurrectionem Mortuorum (full-length) (1996)

The Book of Darkness (full-length) (1999)

Nockthurnaal (full-length) (2001)

The Beast Has Risen (full-length) (2003)

Next time: BARATHRUM

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

Bathym and other late 1980s American black metal bands...

The American black metal scene has always played second fiddle to the scenes of other countries (especially the Scandinavian nations). And while the truly legendary bands from the US were few and far between, there were still a lot of noteworthy bands toiling in the underground who had an impact on the direction of the genre. One such band was Pennsylvania's BATHYM. Formed in 1989 by members of underground band SATHANAS, Bathym had a black/death sound that not too many in the American underground were creating at the time.

Sathanas gave rise to Bathym. This is their 1988 demo Ripping Evil

After releasing rehearsal demos in 1989 and 1990, Bathym released the Into Darkness demo in 1990 and the Demonic Force single in 1991. For a few years there, Bathym was becoming known in the underground as purveyors of American black/death.  But due to some of the band members losing interest, Bathym called it a day in 1991. Main man Paul Tucker then devoted his energy to Sathanas again.

This is the title track off of the Demonic Force single

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California's NEKROHOLOCAUST originally started out as Necrophagia in 1984. Stylistically, Necrophagia was a fast, raw speed/thrash that--while extreme--wasn't exactly black metal in the strict sense of the word. They released a crucial demo--1987's It Began With a Twisted Dream.

The story as to the name change is a little murky, depending on who you ask. One version is that the band didn't actually change its name. They recorded material in 1988 and 1989 as Necrophagia, but it never saw the light of day until years later as part of a compilation (2005's In Memories of Fire). Allegedly, the record label (Mercenary Musik) demanded the name change. Another version is that the death metal band from Ohio (fronted by horror movie aficionado Killjoy) was rising in popularity, so the name change became necessary.  Either way, Nekroholocaust is how we now know this band.

Their sound was definitely more blackened and evil than the earlier Necrophagia material. Raw, vicious, loud, and fast, it even holds its own compared to later material. And it belongs in any discussion of American underground extreme metal of the 1980s.

Here is the In Memories of Fire compilation in its totality

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Hailing from Michigan, LUCIFER'S HAMMER were a fairly prolific black/death band that formed in 1986. They initialy started in a straight-forward thrash metal style before transitioning to an intense and raw black/death style. The only recording from their thrash metal days was a 1988 demo entitled Tales of the Midnight Hour, and it was destroyed in a house fire.

Lucifer's Hammer put out several key demos as a black/death quartet, beginning with the 1989 demo Descent Into Beyond. This was followed up by 1992's The Burning Church.

This is The Burning Church in its entirety

In 1995, they released the Hymns to the Moon demo. On this demo, they began to veer away from black metal, and offered up a more death metal-influence style. This demo was eventually followed by the 1997 full-length, The Mists of Time. With this album, they completed the transition to death metal.

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There were many other noteworthy (some for their sound, others for sheer historical curiosity) bands to emerge out of the US in the late 1980s, and I could devote an entire blog just to those. However, I chose to just highlight a couple of key bands above. That being said, a few other old-school black/death/thrash bands that helped shape American black metal include INFERNAL DEATH, OCCULT, SAVAGE DEATH, and EXORCIST.

Texas' Infernal Death formed in 1988 and was active for about a decade, with a handful of obscure demos under their belt. Their sound can best be described as an extremely fast black/thrash that owed a debt to Sodom and Venom.

"Satan's Metal" is off of their 1989 demo, Incantations at the Gates

Occult, from New York, only ever released one demo: a very raw and intense slice of noisy black metal. 1985's Bloodthirsty demo has been labeled noisecore by some, and there is some merit to that label. But underneath all of the chaos, there is a black metal template.

This is the entire Bloodthirsty demo

Also from the New York/New Jersey area, Savage Death was a band with stronger death metal credentials than black metal credentials. Formed in 1985, their sound was one that blurred the lines between genres (in a time when this was still standard practice). Resembling a lot of the black/thrash bands of the day, many members of Savage Death later went on to bands like Incantation, Morpheus Descends, and Ripping Corpse.

From 1985's Mass Genocide, this is "Evil Dead"

Exorcist is a bit of an odd band, but their sound was somewhat important in the underground. They were actually a "fake" band with members from other bands that simply recorded under the Exorcist moniker (members included musicians from power/heavy metal band Virgin Steele). However, their sound clearly belongs in any discussion of 1980s black metal. Occult-obsessed speed/thrash might be a better description than black metal, but for 1986 it merits mention in the same breath as, say, Necrodeath or Sabbat. 

Off of the 1986 full-length Nightmare Theatre, this is "Lucifer's Lament"

American black metal didn't really come into its own until the 1990s, and with the exception of NME, Goatlord, Von, and Profanatica, none of the bands mentioned thus far can really be considered truly essential black metal. But that doesn't mean the above-mentioned bands are entirely unimportant--they all made an impact on the scene in one way or another.

Next time: ALASTIS

Impiety

Singapore's IMPIETY play a particularly vicious brand of black/death metal.  Claiming Venom, Sarcofago, Hellhammer, and Possessed as influences, they initially formed in 1988 as Sexfago.  Starting out playing covers of some of their favorite bands, they only lasted two years in this incarnation before changing their name to Impiety.  The only known ouput Sexfago ever released was a (very raw) rehearsal demo from 1989.  Check out the excerpt below:

From Sexfago's 1989 rehearsal demo

In 1990, Impiety consisted of Shyaithan and Necro-Angelfornicator, but the lineup has changed many times since then--with Shyaithan being the only constant. The first Impiety release was a 1991 four-song cassette that, to this day, is extraordinarily rare and hard to find. It was with their 1992 demo, Ceremonial Necrochrist Redesecration, that they really put themselves on the international metal map. Metalheads far and wide began taking note of this brutal black/death coming from southeast Asia.

Off of the 1992 demo, this is "Pentagramathron"

Based on the strength of this release, Impiety signed to Dutch label Shivadarshana Records, and went to work on more material. The result was the 1994 7" Salve the Goat. Announcing their arrival to the world in true extreme metal fashion, Impiety declared in the liner notes of this release that they would "piss all over" the "Norwegian black-metal clowns". They also released their first full-length album on Shivadarshana Records: 1996's epic Asateerul Awaleen.

"Anal Madonna" is from Asateerul Awaleen

A transition in their sound could be hear on Asateerul Awaleen. While the earlier brutality was present, and truly fit the mold of the style associated with the far-east (think Abhorer's Rumpus of the Undead demo), Impiety upped the ante on their first full-length. The raw speed of black metal was present in a way not before heard from these maniacs!

Impiety's journey since the release of Asateerul has been a storied one. They have relocated more than once--to places like Mexico and Italy, for example--and suffered from numerous lineup changes, all while trying to find the perfect record label home for them. It was in 1999 that fate was kind to the band: their album from that year, Skullfucking Armageddon practically made them a household name. It featured more of their now-trademark lightning-fast black/death metal, but the production was the best it had ever been.

"Skullfucked, the Speed Metal Hell" is my favorite song off of Skullfucking Armageddon

Since the dawn of the new millenium, Impiety has kept churning out quality releases that are about furthering their blasphemous agenda. They have toured all over the world, and not let up yet. Here are some samples of their continuing sonic sorcery:

This is "Bloodred Angelshed", off of 2002's Kaos Kommand 696

2007's Formidonis Nex Cultus produced this gem: "Terror, Death, Worship!"

Their 2011 album, Ravage & Conquer, features a more death metal orientation

Impiety has definitely made their mark on the scene. More than any other band from southeast Asia, they have shown the world that there is no limit to black/death brutality.

Select Discography

Rehearsal Tape (demo) (1991)

Ceremonial Necrochrist Redesecration (demo) (1992)

Salve the Goat...Iblis Excelsi EP (1995)

Asteerul Awaleen (full-length) 1996)

Skullfucking Armageddon (full-length) (1999)

Kaos Kommand 696 (full-length) (2002)

Paramount Evil (full-length) (2004)

Formidonis Nex Cultus (full-length) (2007)

Next time: The late 1980s American Scene