Von

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.

Select Discography:

Satanic (demo) (1990)
Satanic Blood (demo) (1992)
Blood Angel (demo) (1992)
Satanic Blood Angel (compilation) (2003)
Satanic Blood EP (2010)
Satanic Blood (full-length album) (2012)

Next time: DISSECTION