Norrköping, Sweden's MARDUK is basically my favorite black metal band of all time. They formed in 1990, with Morgan Steinmeyer Hakansson being the main driving force behind the band. At the time of the band's formation, Jocke Gothberg (aka Joakim af Grave) was on drums, Richard Kalm was on bass, Andreas Axelson was on vocals, and the aforementioned Morgan was on guitars. Their style was an old-school black metal style that relied heavily on early Bathory in terms of sound. They released the infamous Fuck Me Jesus demo in 1991.
"Departure from the Mortals" is off of Fuck Me Jesus
Also in 1991, Marduk recorded a second demo, but it didn't see the light of day until 1997 as the Here's No Peace EP. It was a continuation of the sound on the first demo, but with slightly different (some might say better) production.
"Within the Abyss" is from the Here's No Peace album/demo
1992 saw the release of Marduk's legendary first studio album, Dark Endless. This is one of the true landmarks of early 1990s black metal, and one of the best Swedish black metal releases of all time. Produced by Swedish genius Dan Swano, Dark Endless offers up a slab of black metal which contains elements of the old school but also hints toward the newer emerging sound of the 1990s at the same time.
"The Black" is one of Marduk's most well-known early songs
Since I am such a huge Marduk fan, I am going to have multiple Marduk entries in the future. This is merely the beginning of the entries on these Swedish sonic extremists...
Discography of Marduk's early years:
Fuck Me Jesus (demo) (1991)
Here's No Peace (demo) (recorded 1991--released 1997)
My first survey--What is the best 1980s black metal album?--closed a few days ago. Not many people participated in it (there were four total votes). Of those four votes, one vote was for Mayhem's Deathcrush, one was for Blasphemy's Blood Upon the Altar, and two were for Bathory's Under the Sign of the Black Mark. To be honest, this is not much of a surprise to me.
I will have another survey soon. Hopefully more than four people will vote. \m/
As we enter the 1990s, the legendary Norwegian scene takes center stage. After his stints in both Old Funeral and Amputation, Abbath went on to form IMMORTAL in 1990 (along with Demonaz). They were initially a death metal band, as is evident on the 1991 self titled demo. It wasn't until the Immortal 7" EP (also released in 1991) that they changed their style to black metal.
"The Cold Winds of Funeral Frost" is off of the self-titled 7-inch
Immortal's sound clearly owed a small debt to the sound of late 1980s and early 1990s Mayhem, but at the same time, it was a unique style. Elements of Bathory (think Under the Sign of the Black Mark) also being present, Immortal went on the release a full-length album in 1992. Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism is one of the best early 1990s Norwegian black metal albums. Immortal set themselves apart from the hordes of other black metal bands because they incorporated
winter-themed lyrics. Winter, cold, frost, and other climatic elements made
perfect sense given Norway's harsh and unforgiving weather.
"Call of the Wintermoon" is one of Immortal's best known early songs
The big shift for Immortal in these earlier years was with the release of 1993's Pure Holocaust. This album continued some of the stylistic elements of the material from Diabolical and the self-titled 7-inch, but at the same time, Immortal began to push the black metal style forward. Blastbeats were featured prominently, and the overall speed was ratcheted up a notch unlike almost any other black metal band before this time.
This is "Storming Through Red Clouds and Holocaustwinds"
When Immortal released this album on the world, it truly changed the black metal landscape forever. There had been fast black metal before (think Sarcofago, for example), but no one had put blastbeats into black metal to such a degree before. Pure Holocaust stands, in my mind, as one of the highlights of all Norwegian black metal--indeed, of all black metal PERIOD.
With Pure Holocaust, Immortal entered a new phase in their sound. This phase will be explored at a later time....
The story of BURZUM is so well-documented, I'm not sure how much detail to go into. Varg Vikernes (the mastermind behind Burzum) began a solo project called Uruk-Hai sometime around 1988 or 1989, after he had only been playing the guitar for a couple years. To my knowledge, there are no known recordings from that time period. In later years (sometime in the later 1990s), some recordings emerged of Uruk-Hai material, but this was not actually from the years 1988-1989--it only claimed to be. After the early Uruk-Hai years, Vikernes joined the Norwegian death/black metal band Old Funeral. They were active from the years 1990-1991. This band included Abbath (later of Immortal fame) and Jørn (later of Hades fame).
After the demise of this band, Vikernes revived the Uruk-Hai project under the name Burzum, which is the word for "darkness" in the Black Speech of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. This was more or less an old-school black metal project, but with the touch of that occultic edge that 1980s Mayhem had.
From the first untitled Burzum demo, this is "Lost Wisdom"
Vikernes put out two untitled demos in 1991 under the Burzum name. They included many songs which went on to become classics, such as "Lost Wisdom," "Spell of Destruction," "A Lost Forgotten Sad Spirit," and "Feeble Screams From Forests Unknown." Many of these songs were instrumental, with no vocals. Nonetheless, they highlighted the emerging Norwegian sound. Bearing resemblance to what Mayhem had done up to this point, while maintaining some uniqueness, these Burzum tracks helped lay the template for many black metal bands to come.
This is from the 1992 self-titled album...
In 1992, Burzum released a self-titled album. This was put out on Euronymous's label Deathlike Silence Productions. The back story to this is very complicated, and if you want the full details, the internet has so many sites devoted to this it isn't even funny. In terms of black metal sound, the self-titled album was a continuation of the the sound pioneered on the demos, but at the same time an improvement. I think that Vikernes' vocals were more tortured, more insane-sounding than pretty much any other black metal vocalist up to that point in history. That first album is one of black metal's all-time greats.
From 1993's Aske EP, this is "A Lost Forgotten Sad Spirit"
The following year, Burzum put out the Aske EP. With a name meaning "ashes", the cover art featured one of the burnt churches that the Norwegian black metal Inner Circle members had torched. This material was very much in the same vein as the self-titled material. Aesthetically similar, it sounded like a continuation of 1992's Burzum. In fact, the Burzum and Aske albums have been packaged as a double release many times since 1993.
In the following years Vikernes put out some very important albums. These, however, shall be dealt with at a later date. I feel like the years 1993-1996 were the peak of Burzum's brilliance, and as such, they merit their own entry.
Continuing black metal's obsession with goats, we have Finland's mighty ARCHGOAT! Emerging around the same time as Beherit, Archgoat--from the Finnish city of Turku--was one of the founders of the Finnish scene. They formed in 1989, and by 1991 had put out the demo Jesus Spawn.
Off of the Jesus Spawn demo, this is "Death and Necromancy"
Archgoat's style was fast and brutal, reminiscent of such underground luminaries as Blasphemy, Von, and the aforementioned Beherit. With dark, growled vocals (instead of the Satanic screeching vocals more common in black metal) and a heavily percussive sound, Archgoat set themselves apart from the mass of black metal bands.
After the 1992 demo Penis Perversor, Archgoat put out the now-infamous Angelcunt EP in 1993. This short album was eventually made a split release with Beherit (their Messe des Morts EP). It continued their heavy, brutal black metal sound. Alas, Archgoat sadly broke up after this release.
A fan-made video for "Black Messiah", off of Angelcunt
Luckily for black metal fans, Archgoat--much like fellow countrymen Beherit--re-formed in the new millenium. Unlike Beherit, however, their style seemed fairly intact. Releases such as 2005's Angelslaying Black Fucking Metal, 2006's Whore of Bethlehem, and 2009's The Light-Devouring Darkness still showcased the raw, fast, brutal sound Archgoat had become known for.
"Apotheosis of Lucifer" is off of The Light-Devouring Darkness
Select Discography:
Jesus Spawn (demo) (1991) Penis Perversor (demo) (1992) Angelcunt (Tales of Desecration) EP (1993) Angelslaying Black Fucking Metal EP (2005) Whore of Bethlehem (full-length) (2006) The Light-Devouring Darkness (full-length) (2009)
Moving right along, we come to Sweden's DISSECTION ---arguably one of the most important black metal bands of all time. You could even make the argument that they are Sweden's second-most important black metal band after Bathory.
They formed in late 1989, with members Jon Nodtveidt, Ole Ohman, and Peter Palmdahl being present at the beginning. By mid-1990, they had a rehearsal tape (Severed Into Shreds) circulating in the underground. Their first demo, The Grief Prophecy, was recorded in that same year, and saw the light of day in late 1990.
"The Call of the Mist" is from their 1990 demo (note the death metal sound)
Their sound on these early demos/rehearsals was more like the currently popular Swedish death metal, and less like the black metal sound pioneered by Bathory. They had that guitar tone that was reminiscent of the Sunlight Studios buzzsaw sound, and growled vocals. At the same time, the lyrical content was a little more gore-focused than traditional black metal.
From Dissection's 1991 EP, Into Infinite Obscurity
In 1991, Dissection released the Into Infinite Obscurity EP. On this, the sound had begun to shift away from death metal, and to a more black metal sound. The buzzsaw guitar tone was still present, but the song structures bore more resemblance to black metal at this point. Dissection's sound continued to mature on the 1992 demo The Somberlain and the full-length album of the same name that came out in 1993.
"Frozen" is one of Dissection's best songs off of The Somberlain
The Somberlain was great melodic black metal, and by this time, there were barely any death metal elements present in the songs. Dissection had truly created a sound all their own. They could not be accused of copying anyone. I would argue that Bathory and Dissection did the most to put Swedish black metal on the map in terms of its own sound (and this is coming from a die-hard Marduk fan).
"Unhallowed", from Dissection's Storm of the Light's Bane
In 1995, Dissection released what is one of the gems of all black metal: the full-length album Storm of the Light's Bane. This saw the perfection of their style, and is perhaps the pinnacle of all Swedish black metal. Everything Bathory did, everything subsequent bands had done (Marduk, Nifelheim, Dark Funeral, etc.), the sound on this album encapsulated it perfectly. The tremolo riffing associated with black metal, but with a darkly melodic edge to it is the best short way to describe Dissection's sound. With this album, they peaked.
In the years immediately following this, Dissection put out a rarities collection, a live album, and the Where Dead Angels Lie EP (which was shaped like an inverted cross!). Jon Nodtveidt and the rest of the band seemed to have differing visions as to how they wanted the band to proceed. They were on the verge of breaking up when Jon was arrested and sentenced to prison for being an accomplice to murder.
From 1997 to 2004, Jon served his prison term. When he got out he re-formed Dissection and wanted to focus on his Satanic beliefs. The resulting music--the "Maha Kali" single and the Reinkaos full-length--was more melodic death metal than black metal. I personally found it derivative and somewhat boring.
After some moderate success with this re-formed Dissection, Jon Nodtveidt killed himself in 2006. According to those who knew him best, this was part of his plan from the outset. His suicide was part of a Satanic pact, allegedly.
Playing the legendary "Night's Blood" live
Select Discography:
Severed Into Shreds (demo) (1990) The Grief Prophecy (demo) (1990) Into Infinite Obscurity (demo) (1991) The Somberlain (demo) (1992) The Somberlain (full-length album) (1993) Storm of the Light's Bane (1995) Where Dead Angels Lie EP (1996) Live Legacy (live album) (2003)
"Maha Kali" (single) (2004) Reinkaos (2006)
VON--originally having formed in Hawaii, but soon relocating to San Francisco--is a pretty legendary band in the history of USBM. They formed in 1987 and were well-known throughout the underground by the early 1990s. The demos that put them on the map were 1990's Satanic demo, 1992's Satanic Blood demo, and the unreleased Blood Angel demo (recorded around the same time as Satanic Blood).
Their fame in the underground grew into near-mainstream notoriety after Burzum's Varg Vikernes mentioned them in an interview as an influence on the emerging black metal scene of the 1990s. Confusion arose, however, when Varg used the acrostic "Victory-Orgasm-Nazi" to ensure an interviewer properly spelled their name. This resulted in Von being accused of having Nazi sympathies, which is simply not the case.
The title track off of 1992's Satanic Blood demo
Von's style is simple, raw black metal with no-frills. The focus is on raw brutality and an overall stripped-down aesthetic. Perhaps most similar in style to some of Beherit's or Blasphemy's darker moments, Von's style of black metal is still a rarity, even today. The Norwegian and Swedish templates are followed far more often than that of this unique American band.
Here's a Von live performance from 1991
After officially breaking up in 1992, Von's early material (especially 1992's Satanic Blood) saw re-release several times. After the dawn of the new millenium, both Satanic Blood and Blood Angel were made available on CD as Satanic Blood Angel. This release also included a live performance from 1991. Since that time, Von has re-formed and put out an EP entitled Satanic Blood. Two related projects from current and former Von members also emerged: Von Goat and Venien.
Aside from Sadistik Exekution, another foundational Australian extreme metal band is ANATOMY. From the suburbs of Melbourne, they formed in 1989. In sharp contrast with SadEx, they played a more brutal death metal-influenced style. Their early material--demos like 1991's Dark Religion and 1992's For Those Whose Eyes Are Black--showcases the death metal elements of their music rather heavily.
"Carrion of Jesus" is from 1992's For Those Whose Eyes Are Black
With 1993's Twisting Depths of Horror EP, Anatomy's sound clearly matured, but they could still be described as a black/death hybrid. With riffage calling to mind developments in the current death metal scene, as well as some of the old-school 1980s black metal bands, Anatomy was neither and both.
From the 1993 EP
In 1996, Anatomy put out a full-length album, Where Angels Die. This was followed by 1999's The Witches of Dathomir. On these albums, their sound moved away from a brutal black/death sound to a more overt and straight-forward black metal style. 1996's Angels featured sprawling, majestic black metal soundscapes with hints of death metal and brutality; 1999's Witches featured a rawer black metal sound.
Note the difference from the earlier material
Anatomy broke up around the turn of the millenium (2001? 2002?), but many of their members have been or are currently involved in other prominent extreme metal bands from Australia, such as Hobbs Angel of Death, Gospel of the Horns, and Bestial Warlust.
A pretty cool promo pic of the band
Select Discography:
Dark Religion (demo) (1991) For Those Whose Eyes Are Black (demo) (1992) Twisting Depths of Horror EP (1993) Where Angels Die (full-length) (1996) The Witches of Dathomir (full-length) (1999)
The British scene didn't really produce a good deal of noteworthy black metal in the 1980s after Venom. The infamous Bal-Sagoth formed in 1989 (more on them later), but they didn't put out anything that I know of until a 1993 demo. London's SALEM ORCHID, however, put out demo material in the years 1990-1991. This black/death metal band would go on to form Akercocke after breaking up in the mid-nineties, so in that respect, their material is a critical part of the UK scene.
From their untitled 1990 demo
After an untitled 1990 demo, the band put out a 1991 demo that contained "Sempiternal Suffering" and "Nirvana of Agony". These are two songs the band would become famous for. Salem Orchid's style isn't either straightforward black metal or death metal. The structures of the songs themselves do resemble old-school death metal, but the more experimental sections of the songs have an evil, black metal atmosphere to them.
The infamous "Sempiternal Suffering"
Salem Orchid's long, almost gothic-feeling songs would frequently meander through numerous motifs over their sometime more than ten-minute length. This feature of their style carried over to the later band, Akercocke. Satanism also featured prominently in their sound.
Following the 1991 demo, Salem Orchid put out two live demos in 1991 as well. The band managed to catch the attention of record label Cacophonous Records, and was on track to sign a record deal, but disputes between current and former members of the band over who owned the name of the band derailed this deal. After breaking up and re-forming a few times during the early nineties, Salem Orchid broke up for good in 1995. Before some members went on to form Akercocke, the band Church of Satan served as a stopping point for former members of Salem Orchid. Their style was a much odder black/death combo than Salem Orchid's was, very aggressive.
An example of what Church of Satan sounded like
Select Discography:
untitled 1990 demo A Fictional Experience Between Drowning Lovers (demo) (1991) Demo '91 (demo) (1991) Live (live demo) (1991) Demo '92 (demo) (1992)
From New York, PROFANATICA was one of the most important underground American black metal bands in the early days. In the late 1980s, bands like Toten and Abomination began putting out black metal demos, but it wasn't until the members of these bands went on to form Profanatica that their music began to make a larger impact on the USBM scene.
They formed around 1990, some of their members having played in death metal band Incantation. Their vicious, no-holds-barred brand of black metal was still a rarity for 1990. Profanatica's style carried the rawness of black/thrash to its logical extreme. With demos in 1990 like Putrescence Of... and Broken Throne of Christ, Profanatica unleashed their unholy sound upon the world.
From their demo, Putrescence Of...
Listening to Profanatica, one can hear the death metal influence in their sound. Lyrically, Profanatica is all about blasphemy and being as blatantly anti-Christian as possible. The main man behind Profanatica, Paul Ledney, is not shy about his views on religion. In addition to blaspheming Christianity, Ledney's lyrics frequently involved sexual defilement of all things holy.
Here is the 1991 EP Weeping in Heaven
After 1991's Weeping in Heaven EP, Profanatica managed to land a record deal with Osmose Records. Their first release on Osmose was a split with Colombian band Masacre entitled Tormenting Holy Flesh. This would end up being their last official studio release of new material for a while. Later that year (1992), the master tapes for what was to be their first official full-length (with the working title "The Raping of the Virgin Mary") were allegedly destroyed. Shortly thereafter, the band broke up.
"Spilling Holy Blood" comes off of that split with Masacre
After the demise of Profanatica, Paul Ledney attempted to continue their blasphemous vision with the band Havohej (Jehovah spelled backwards). Havohej merits their own entry, so more on them later. But while Havohej was putting out extreme black metal albums, new Profanatica material occasionally cropped up. In 1993, the Putrescence Of... demo was re-released by Osmose as the EP As Tears of Blood Stain the Altar of Christ. In 1999, some rehearsal material from around 1991 was put out as part of a split with Impiety. And after the turn of the new millenium, a live album was put out that was a compilation of three live shows, as was a compilation of most of their previously released material entitled Collection.
Profanatica live, in 1992
Profanatica re-formed in 2001. Since that time, they have put out tons more new material. The "Broken Jew" single (one of their best songs, in my opinion), multiple studio albums, a 2008 live studio recording (The Grand Masters Sessions), and some old, previously unreleased material (Years of Pestilence and Sickened By Holy Host) are the highlights of this era in Profanatica's existence. Profanatica is perhaps one of the most blasphemous bands in existence, yet one of the most important in the history of USBM.
The 2002 song "Broken Jew" from a single of the same name
Select Discography:
Rehearsal '90 (demo) (1990) Putrescence Of... (demo) (1990) Broken Throne of Christ (demo) (1990) Weeping in Heaven EP (1991) Tormenting Holy Flesh (split with Masacre) (1992) Unholy Masters of Darkness 7" (split with Impiety) (1999) Live (live album) (2001) Collection (compilation) (2001)
"Broken Jew" (single) (2002)
"Passion of a Liar" (digital single) (2004) The Enemy of Virtue (compilation) (2006) Profanatitas de Domonatia (2007)
