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