Primordial

While the British Isles gave birth to black metal in the form of England's Venom, it took a while for the farthest reaches of the islands to join the fray. It was 1987 when Pól MacAmhlaigh (along with his brother D. on drums) and Ciarán MacUiliam formed PRIMORDIAL in Skerries, on the outskirts of Dublin. Initially going by the name Forsaken, they, like a lot of bands formed by teenagers during the 1980s, were just about passion and paying homage to the bands that inspired them. These early years were lean years, with covers of thrash and death metal bands like Slayer, Metallica, Sepultura, and Death serving as their lifeblood.

The end of the eighties saw the death metal explosion begin to influence Forsaken/Primordial's sound (they specifically cite Autopsy, Morbid Angel, Pestilence), but they still lacked a reliable full-time vocalist. This changed in the early nineties with the recruiting of Alan Averill. Averill--who goes by the stage name Nemtheanga--was hugely knowledgeable of the extreme metal underground. This led to a seismic change in the band's orientation. This was also the around the time where the band changed their name to Primordial.

The classic "To Enter Pagan" originally appeared on their '93 demo

In 1993, Primordial had managed to scrape together enough money to put out a demo, the now-classic Dark Romanticism. With a rather well-produced sound for a demo, Dark Romanticism not only wears its old-school black and death metal influences on its sleeve (you can definitely hear Bathory and Celtic Frost in their songwriting), but there is a darker, doomier edge to it, courtesy of these Irishmen's obsession with doom metal pioneers Candlemass.

This demo led to a lot of courting from underground metal labels, like Candlelight, Peaceville, and Unisound, but not much happened. Luckily, Dani Filth (of Cradle of Filth) pushed his label, Cacophonous Records, to sign these evil Irish upstarts. After the release of a live demo in 1994, Primordial signed with Cacophonous. The result of this union was their first studio album, Imrama.

1995's Imrama is the source of "Infernal Summer"

While continuing the sound of Romanticism, Imrama also began to showcase folkier elements that clearly drew from Irish culture. This, then, would become the hallmark of Primordial's sound over the years. But some major changes were to come before the band soldiered on with their sound.

In 1997, they underwent some major personnel changes, recruiting a new drummer and a second guitarist. This, combined with the signing to a new label (Misanthropy Records) lent a sense of urgency to Primordial's new phase. As Nemtheanga himself notes, the band did not feel ready when they entered the studio to record the follow-up to Imrama. Yet the masterpiece that resulted does not sound like a band unprepared.

"Autumns Ablaze" is classic Primordial (from 98's Journey's End)

1998's A Journey's End is a brilliant masterpiece that still bears the mark of the black metal foundation Primordial carved in the early 90s, all the while crafting something wholly new. The songs began to take on a sweeping, epic feel that not only have an occultic black metal aura to them, but the folk elements are even more pronounced. Also, by Nemtheanga's own admission, his interest in historical and cultural topics led to lyrics that moved beyond Satan worship and pagan occult themes. This album formed the template for what Primordial would do on the next several albums.

Following Journey, Primordial sought to spread their name far and wide by touring, all while having to deal with yet more label trouble. Misanthropy Records folded, but Primordial landed with esteemed underground label Hammerheart Records, where they would put out three solid albums (1999's The Burning Season MCD, 2000's Spirit the Earth Aflame, and 2002's Storm Before Calm).

Following the collapse of yet another record label, Primordial signed with Metal Blade Records. This marked the beginning of a new era for the Irishmen. 2005's The Gathering Wilderness was a mature, sober offering from Primordial that caught the attention of a wider audience than ever before. Its 2007 follow-up, To the Nameless Dead, is arguably the band's magnum opus, and elevated them to new heights.

2005's "The Coffin Ships" might be Primordial's best-known song

2007's "Empire Falls", on the other hand, might be their best, period

For the black metal purist, Dark Romanticism is a true second wave classic that simply must be heard. For those who want to see all that black metal has to offer, and revel at the creative direction bands can take, they should seek out some of Primordial's more recent work.

Select Discography:

Dark Romanticism (demo) (1993)

Demo '94 (demo) (1994)

Imrama (full-length album) (1995)

A Journey's End (full-length album) (1998)
The Burning Season MCD (1999)

Spirit the Earth Aflame (full-length album) (2000)

Storm Before Calm (full-length album) (2002)

The Gathering Wilderness (full-length album) (2005)
To The Nameless Dead (full-length album)  (2007)

Next time: CRADLE OF FILTH

Behemoth

Behemoth's classic 1994 demo, ...From the Pagan Vastlands

One could argue that in addition to Graveland, the mighty BEHEMOTH--hailing from Gdańsk--is the most important Polish black metal band of the early second wave. It is no secret that they are one of the biggest metal bands in the world right now, but they are predominantly known for their blackened death metal more than straightforward black metal. Their early years, however, saw them hone a rawer, more necro black metal style that had a particularly sinister edge to it---a far cry from their sound today.

Formed as Baphomet in 1991 by Holocausto and Sodomizer (born Adam Darski and Adam Muraszko, respectively--both of whom would later change their stage names to Nergal and Baal Ravenlock), the band soon realized that there was a glut of 'Baphomets' in the extreme metal underground. They quickly changed their name to 'Behemoth'. The band members still in their teens, they managed to cobble together a raw, unpolished demo in the form of Endless Damnation. This demo--as well as their 1993 follow-up, Return  of the Northern Moon--featured a stripped-down, no frills style of black metal that resembled the Norwegian scene more than anything in Poland.

"Rise of the Blackstorm of Evil" is from that 1993 demo

It was their 1994 demo, however, that really put them on the map. ...From the Pagan Vastlands marked a serious step forward in terms of musicianship and quality. Still retaining that raw, necro edge that the first two demos had, it cleaned up the sound a little bit while crafting songs that were clearly indebted to the now-thriving Nordic scene. This, coupled with a wider release, courtesy of upstart label Pagan Records, made Behemoth the new face of true Polish black metal.

"Thy Winter Kingdom" is a classic track off of 1994's Pagan Vastlands

While this demo opened doors and created opportunities for Behemoth, it also marked the beginning of a shift. Whereas the Polish scene--like many other early black metal scenes--had been somewhat incestuous up to this point (with members of many different bands playing on each other's demos and playing live in each other's bands at early shows), now different camps began to form. Rob Darken and his peers in Graveland began to insist on an ideological purity in their brand of pagan, ethno-nationalist black metal, but Nergal and Behemoth had decided to distance themselves from this type of thinking. To Behemoth, Slavic paganism only made sense in the context of Satanism's war against Christianity.

Behemoth's first full-fledged studio release was an EP--late 1994's ...And the Forests Dream Eternally--and it saw them solidify the musical direction of the demo. But it was 1995's mighty Sventevith (Storming Near the Baltic) that truly heralded the arrival of something special. This was a full-length album that not only owed an immense sonic debt to Norway, but also showed masterful originality. The creative incorporation of symphonic elements--thanks to synth player Demonius--gave these songs a new mystical aura to them. One can hear the influence of Dimmu Borgir and Emperor, yes, but these Poles managed to put their own spin on it.

Sventevith gives us this great song, "From the Pagan Vastlands"

After the success of this awesome full-length album, the next few years saw some rather exciting developments for Behemoth. The follow-up to Sventevith was 1996's epic Grom. An album that sought to expand what Behemoth had done before, Grom was characterized by a crisper, cleaner guitar sound that showed the influence of death metal (courtesy of newly added guitarist Les, of Polish death metal band Damnation), as well as variations in tempo and rhythm that were not common in Norwegian black metal at the time.

My favorite track off of 1996's Grom is "Thou Shalt Forever Win"

Yet more changes were in store. Long-time member and founder Baal Ravenlock left the band and was replaced on drums by death metal prodigy Inferno. This has had a huge impact on the direction of Behemoth's evolution. Inferno is a technical wizard on the drums, and as a result, there are no limits to what Behemoth is capable of---technically-speaking. This lead to the release of 1998's masterful Pandemonic Incantations, which showcased a sound that drew on Behemoth's black metal roots while incorporating some more technical and death metal elements. It is--with good reason--one of Behemoth's most critically acclaimed albums.

"With Spell of Inferno" highlights Behemoth's more death metal-influenced sound from Pandemonic Incantations

Since the recruitment of Inferno, Behemoth has continued to carve a very unique and fruitful path. The have a death-influenced style that is heavy on the black metal elements, yet it really doesn't resemble too many other bands out their. With the additional recruitment of bassist Orion and Nergal's lyrical exploration of his complex Satanist personal philosophy, Behemoth has crafted a niche for themselves that no one else can fill.

2004's brilliant Demigod gives us "Conquer All"

"Chant for Ezkaton"--one of their best-known blackened death metal songs--is here performed live

Select Discography:

Endless Damnation (demo) (1992)

The Return of the Northern Moon (demo) (1993)

...From the Pagan Vastlands (demo) (1994)
And the Forests Dream Eternally EP (1994)

Sventevith (Storming Near the Baltic) (full-length album) (1995)

Grom (full-length album) (1996)

Bewitching the Pomerania EP (1997)

Pandemonic Incantations (full-length album) (1998)

Satanica (full-length album) (1999)

Thelema.6 (full-length album) (2000)

Zos Kia Cultus (full-length album) (2002)

Demigod (full-length album) (2004)

Next time: PRIMORDIAL