Darkthrone's Early Years

One of the most important black metal bands of all time, Kolbotn, Norway's DARKTHRONE didn't start out as the black metal machine we all have come to know and love.  They formed in 1986 as Black Death, and were a fairly typical-sounding black/death metal band (by 1986 standards).  They put out two demos in two years, Trash Core and Black is Beautiful, before changing their name to Darkthrone in 1987. The name was inspired by a metal zine and the Celtic Frost song "Jewel Throne".  Band members in this time period included Gylve Nagell, Ivar Enger, Ted Skjellum, Anders Risberget, and Dag Nilsen.

This is an example of Black Death's sound from the 1987 demo Black is Beautiful

In the late 1980s, Darkthrone put out a slew of demos that showcased their old-school death metal style.  Their sound was actually pretty similar to what Swedish bands like Nihilist were doing at the time.  It was through these demos that Darkthrone cemented their underground reputation and came to be considered one of Norway's extreme metal elite.  By 1990, they had put out four now-legendary demos (Land of Frost, A New Dimension, Thulcandra, and Cromlech) and caught the ears of record label Peaceville.  They then signed a four album deal with them.  The first album--recorded in late 1990--was 1991's Soulside Journey, a classic that hearkens back to the old-school death metal scene of the 1980s, but still contains the seeds of the black metal sound Darkthrone would eventually become known for.

"Eon" is from the 1989 demo Thulcandra

"Cromlech" is one of their most crucial tracks from Soulside Journey

After the release of Soulside Journey, Darkthrone began recording material for their next album.  However, partway through the recording process, the creative core of Darkthrone--Gylve Nagell, Ted Skjellum, and Ivar Enger--began to become more interested in the emerging Norwegian black metal scene.  They adopted evil pseudonyms (Fenriz, Nocturno Culto, and Zephyrous, respectively) and even took to donning corpsepaint as part of their musical conversion.  This also resulted in their scrapping of  what they had recorded of their second album so far.  They went back to the drawing board and started anew.

"Rex" is from the Goatlord recording sessions

That unreleased material was shelved for several years before being released as the 1996 album Goatlord.  But it was the direction that Darkthrone took in late 1991 that had a huge influence on black metal (especially the Norwegian scene).  Darkthrone shifted from a sound that resembled death metal masters Entombed and Nihilist, to the raw, lo-fi grimness that black metal fans the world over have come to expect from Norway.

As a result of this change in direction, bassist Dag Nilsen left the band.  He is credited as a session player only.  Peaceville Records, too, was shocked to find that the band they had signed was no longer playing the then-trendy death metal.  They initially refused to release this new album, until Darkthrone threatened to have it released through Euronymous'  Deathlike Silence Productions.  Peaceville relented and this album--entitled A Blaze in the Northern Sky--was released in 1992.

"The Pagan Winter" is from 1992's A Blaze in the Northern Sky

With this release, Darkthrone forever changed the black metal landscape.  Hordes of bands would come along and copy the template that Darkthrone laid down on this album.  But few have ever equaled the evil majesty achieved on this epic release.  Darkthrone, however, were just getting started...

Darkthrone performing an early version of "A Blaze in the Northern Sky"

live in 1991

Select Discography

as Black Death

Trash Core '87 (demo)(1987)

Black is Beautiful (demo)(1987)

as Darkthrone

Land of Frost (demo)(1988)

A New Dimension (demo)(1988)

Thulcandra (demo)(1989)

Cromlech (demo)(1989)

Soulside Journey (full-length)(1991)

A Blaze in the Northern Sky (full-length)(1992)

Goatlord (full-length) (recorded 1991, released 1996)

Next time: IMPIETY

Mystifier

After Sarcofago, Salvador's MYSTIFIER is probably the best-known Brazilian black metal band. Beelzeebubth (guitars/bass) decided to form the band after his stint with groups like Death Vomit and Putrefaction, gathering other musicians together to create blasphemous music under the black metal label.  After rehearsals and small local shows, Mystifier put out the Tormenting the Holy Trinity demo.

"Possession" is a song from the Tormenting the Holy Trinity demo

Unlike other old-school black metal bands from Brazil (Sarcofago, Holocausto, etc.), Mystifier's sound was not stereotypically Brazilian.  It was not the raw thrash-influenced style heard on such classics as I.N.R.I. or Campo De Exterminio. Instead, Mystifier's sound was steeped in something more eerie, more occultic, more....mystical. Tormenting the Holy Trinity caught the attention of not just black metal fans in South America, but record labels. But instead of signing with a label, Mystifier kept on toiling in the underground, releasing a single (1990's "The Evil Ascenscion Returns") and another demo (1991's Aleister Crowley).  They then signed with the label Hellion Records to release the 1992 album Wicca.

From Wicca, this is "Mystifier (Satan's Messengers)"

Mystifier's eerie and atmospheric sound continued to gain them attention around the world.  They signed with Osmose Productions and subsequently released 1993's Goetia.  This album was a continuation of their early sound, but showed signs of maturity.  Possessed of a style all their own, Mystifier marched forward with their evil sound.  Following Goetia, they released such cult albums as 1996's The World Is So Good That Who Made It Doesn't Live Here, 1999's Demystifying the Mystified Ones For a Decade in the Earthly Paradise, and 2001's Profanus.

"Caerimonia Sanguilentu (Goetia)" is from 1993's Goetia

From their 1996 album, this is "The Death of an Immortal"

"Superstitious Predictions of Misfortune" is off of Profanus

As can be heard with their somewhat more recent material, Mystifier is not afraid to take chances with their black metal.  They occasionally incorporate clean vocals, odd rhythms, and even riffing that doesn't resemble typical black metal.  That being said, they're still a dark and evil band that has hugely impacted world black metal well beyond the borders of their native Brazil.

Select Discography

Tormenting the Holy Trinity (demo)(1989)

Aleister Crowley (demo)(1991)

Wicca (full-length)(1992)

Goetia (full-length)(1993)

The World Is So Good That Who Made It Doesn't Live Here

(full-length) (1996)

Demystifying the Mystifed Ones for a Decade in the Earthly Paradise

EP (1999)

Profanus (full-length) (2001)

Next time: DARKTHRONE'S EARLY YEARS

Zemial

Archon Vorskaath and Eskarth the Dark One,

the two brothers behind Zemial

When speaking of Greek black metal, not a lot of people know much beyond the "big three": Rotting Christ, Varathron, and Necromantia.  Only the devoted recognize that the Greek scene is bursting at the seams with classic black metal bands.  One of the elite is Athens' ZEMIAL.  Zemial formed in 1989 and toiled in the underground for several years, releasing several cult promos and rehearsal tapes (that are now very difficult to find).  By 1992, Zemial released the now-classic EP Sleeping Under Tartarus.

This is the title track from the Sleeping Under Tartarus EP

Lyrically, Zemial is interested in not just the occult and the demonic, but ancient cultures from the Near East (Sumer, Mesopotamia) and obscure authors like Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe.  As far as sound goes, Zemial's black metal has elements of the early Hellenic style, as well as a black/thrash kind of sound.  I think that this sound is best exemplified by some of the songs off of the 1996 full-length For the Glory of Ur.

Here's "Battle on the Norse Mountains"

Shortly after the release of 1992's Sleeping Under Tartarus, Archon Vorskaath (the mastermind behind the band) decided to continue the project as a one-man band.  In 1994, he then relocated to Australia.  Owing to his desire to remain an underground band, Archon never signed Zemial to any major record labels (despite offers from labels such as Osmose), and this was one of the reasons for the relatively low output.  Afteer the release of 1996's For the Glory of Ur, 1997 saw the release of a demo entitled Necrolatry, followed by the Face of the Conqueror EP in 2003.

This is "Dragon's Touch", from Necrolatry

And from the 2003 EP Face of the Conqueror, this is "Impending Doom"

After For the Glory of Ur, Vorskaath continued Zemial along its Hellenic-sounding black/thrash path.  It was also in this time frame that Zemial had a few tours around Europe, and for this Vorksaath utilized session players (including his brother Eskarth the Dark One).  Some of the session players used on tour also offered some input on future compositions, but Zemial fundamentally remained Archon Vorskaath's.

Since the dawn of the new millenium, Zemial's output has remained somewhat steady.  After the Face of the Conqueror EP and a split with fellow Greeks Kawir, Zemial put out 2006's In Monumentum.  This album represents a shift in sound.  The black/thrash of Ur and Conqueror remains (to a degree), but is augmented by an epic, almost Viking-esque style.  After two EP's (2009's I am the Dark and 2011's Dusk), 2013's full-length NYKTA saw yet another shift in sound, as Vorskaath began to incorporate more experimental elements and even some jazz.

The title track off of In Monumentum is epic listening

"Pharos" has a very progressive feel to it (from NYKTA)

Select Discography:

Enthroned Death (demo) (1990)
Nocturnal Death (demo) (1991)
Sleeping Under Tartarus EP (1992)
For the Glory of Ur (full-length) (1996)
Necrolatry (demo) (1997)
Breath of the Pestilence (unreleased MLP) (1998)
Face of the Conqueror EP (2003)
In Monumentum (full-length) (2006)
I Am the Dark EP (2009)

Next time:  MYSTIFIER

Shub Niggurath

Starting out as Tormentor in 1988 before changing their name to SHUB NIGGURATH in 1990, this Mexico City band played a brutal occult-sounding black/death metal that is not for the faint of heart.  Taking their name from Lovecraftian lore, the madmen of Shub Niggurath cited Morbid Angel, Terrorizer, and Master as influences.  And it is definitely not hard to hear these influences on their first demo, 1990's Horror Creatures.

The title track from Horror Creatures

In the early nineties, Shub Niggurath wasn't extremely prolific in terms of releases, but they became one of the most well-known faces of Mexican extreme metal on the world stage.  With EP's such as 1991's Unknown Adorer, 1992's Blasphemies of Nether World, and 1994's Evilness and Darkness Prevails, you can hear their black/death sound maturing.  It's still more heavily indebted to death metal than black (heavy on the Morbid Angel worship!), but worth listening to nonetheless.

"Zatanazombie" is from Evilness and Darkness Prevails

Shub Niggurath's first phase came to an end with the release of their 1997 album, The Kinglike Celebration (Final Aeon on Earth).  This album marked a definite shift in sound.  While the death metal influence was still clear as day, the band's sound now resembled some other black/death bands more clearly than it used to (Angelcorpse springs to mind).  The production was clearer and less old-school, and this alienated some fans.  However, I think this album is probably the one that fans of old-school black metal would enjoy the most.  Shub Niggurath never played by anyone else's rules, that's for sure.

"...From the Stars, Nyarlathotep" is off of the 1997 album in question

Select Discography:
Horror Creatures (demo) (1990)
Unknown Adorer EP (1991)
Blasphemies of the Netherworld EP (1992)
The Black Goatlike Arise (demo) (1993)
Evilness and Darkness Prevails (demo) (1994)
The Kinglike Celebration (Final Aeon on Earth) (full-length) (1997)

NEXT TIME: ZEMIAL

Sigh

An early photo of Sigh

SIGH, hailing from the capital city of Tokyo, is probably Japan's most famous extreme metal export. Upon their initial formation in 1989, they were primarily a band that covered old-school thrash and speed metal (and Venom, too).  They eventually decided to try to write some original material after months of performing covers, and the result was 1990's Desolation demo.  Desolation can best be described as an old-school black metal style, but with jarring guitar patterns and highly atmospheric keyboard playing.  It was a bit odd, and that oddness would become Sigh's signature over the years.

Here is Sigh's Desolation demo in its entirety

After another 1990 demo (Tragedies), Sigh's unique sound caught the attention of record labels the world over, and they signed with Wild Rags Records and released the Requiem For Fools 7" in 1992.  This, in turn, caught the attention of Mayhem's Euronymous.  He signed Sigh to his Deathlike Silence Productions, and the phenomenal full-length Scorn Defeat was released in 1993.  Scorn Defeat is a unique release, with the dark and evil atmosphere one expects from black metal, but more of their angular and unusual guitar riffing--as well as the aforementioned keyboard playing--made this album stand apart from the then blossoming Scandinavian black metal scene.

Off of Scorn Defeat, this is "Ready for the Final War"

With Scorn Defeat, Sigh had arrived on the world black metal stage.  Unfortunately, the events surrounding Norway's Inner Circle led to the demise of Deathlike Silence Productions, and this left Sigh without a record label. They then signed with Cacophonous Records and released a slew of albums, including a split EP with Greek black metallers Kawir, an EP of Venom covers and their 1995 and 1997 albums, Infidel Art and Hail Horror Hail. While Infidel Art can be seen as a continuation of their 1993 debut, Hail Horror Hail is where Sigh's oddness and slightly avant-garde tendencies began to dominate their sound.

"Desolation" is off of 1995's Infidel Art

Title track from 1997's Hail Horror Hail

Hail Horror Hail marked a definite turning point in their sound.  While the music rested upon an extreme metal foundation, the members of Sigh were not afraid to experiment with epic synth passages that resembled horror movie soundtracks, as well as unconventional instruments. Jazz, funk, even reggae--all of this was fair game. I think it's fair to say that Sigh's appeal to the average black metal fan diminishes more and more with each release.  For the adventurous, however, their more recent output is worth checking out.

An example of their increasing experimentation,

this is "Scarlet Dream" from 2001's Imaginary Sonicscape

Select Discography:

Desolation (demo) (1990)
Tragedies (demo) (1990)
Requiem for Fools EP (1992)
Scorn Defeat (full-length) (1993)
Infidel Art (full-length) (1995)
Hail Horror Hail (full-length) (1997)
Scenario IV: Dread Dreams (full-length) (1999)
Imaginary Sonicscape (full-length) (2001)

Next time: SHUB NIGGURATH

Bal-Sagoth

And now we return to the birthplace of black metal: England.  BAL-SAGOTH formed in Yorkshire in 1989 with the goal of creating "sublimely symphonic black/death metal," in the words of founding member Byron Roberts (aka "Lord Byron").  Despite conceiving of the band in 1989, Roberts had trouble finding a full and stable line-up.  That is why it wasn't until 1993 that the first Bal-Sagoth material saw the light of day in the form of an untitled demo (a demo which was re-mastered and re-released in 2013). Their early sound was very aggressive, and the keyboards definitely give it an epic and eerie feel to it, but it isn't exactly symphonic black metal as we would recognize it today.  There were still several stages in Bal-Sagoth's evolution yet to come.

From their 1993 demo, here is "A Shadow of Mist"

While Bal-Sagoth continued to make a name for themselves in the underground through the circulating of rehearsal tapes, the release of their first album was delayed due to music label machinations.  This album, A Black Moon Broods Over Lemuria, finally saw the light of day in mid-1995.  It was a clear continuation of the style on the demo, but the keyboards were heavier, and one can hear the seeds of a more recognizably symphonic sound.

"The Ravening" is from that first album

Bal-Sagoth's lyrical content differed vastly from other black metal bands of the day.  Frontman Lord Byron was heavily influenced by the science fiction and occult writings of such authors as H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard. With the release of their second album--1996's Starfire Burning Upon the Ice-Veiled Throne of Ultima Thule--the tradition of insanely long song titles was inaugurated.  The sound change was noticeable as well: this album was a definite shift away from a more black/death sound and toward a powerfully epic, synth-driven metal that has a blackened atmosphere. Vocally, Lord Byron gradually eliminated the deathly growls (while keeping raspy black metal vocals) and incorporated gruff spoken word into Bal-Sagoth's songs.

From their 1996 album, here is "The Splendour of a

Thousand Swords Gleaming Beneath the Blazon

of the Hyperborean Empire" (*phew*)

Bal-Sagoth's style arguably peaked on their next two albums, 1998's Battle Magic and 1999's The Power Cosmic.  The synth playing became more imaginative, utilizing sounds that resembled an actual full symphony (horns and all!).  The vocals became more elaborate, with Lord Byron creating entire mythos to go with their powerful and epic blackened metal. Since The Power Cosmic, Bal-Sagoth put out two albums (2001's Atlantis Ascendant and 2006's Chthonic Chronicles).  They have not released any new material since then.

From Battle Magic, here is "When Rides the

Scion of the Storms"

"The Thirteen Cryptical Prophecies of Mu" is

off of 1999's The Power Cosmic

Select Discography:

Demo 1993 (1993)

A Black Moon Broods Over Lemuria (full-length album) (1995)

Starfire Burning Upon the Ice-Veiled Throne of Ultima Thule (full-length album) (1996)

Battle Magic (full-length album) (1998)
The Power Cosmic (full-length album) (1999)

Atlantis Ascendant (full-length album) (2001)

The Chthonic Chronicles (full-length album) (2006)

Next time: SIGH

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