For our next band, we return to the land of Hellas, home of some of the world's best black metal. NERGAL, from the city of Piraeus, stands as one of Greece's elite and a purveyor of some truly fantastic black metal.
Formed around 1989, Nergal burst on to the scene as Greek black metal was really coming into its own: Rotting Christ had completed the transition to black metal from grindcore, and Necromantia and Varathron had put out truly cult-worthy demos. Into the mix came some rather unremarkable self-released demos from Nergal in '90 and '91. By the time of their titled demos, including 1992's In the Name of Nergal and 1993's The Talisman of Kioutha, Nergal had begun to carve out a niche for themselves.
This is The Talisman of Kioutha demo
With a dark, mystical aura, and a focus on more rhythmic and melodic guitar patterns, Nergal put their own spin on what we now call hellenic black metal. Lyrically, Nergal was obsessed with evil and the occult, and their songs were constructed with this atmosphere in mind.
In 1993 came the De Vermis Mysteriis EP, which is when the world black metal scene really started paying attention to them. Composed of only four songs (including an intro and an outro), Nergal's style really shone forth on this release: the midpaced riffing, eerily gothic synths, and bass-heavy production helped set them apart from a Greek scene that was awash with poseurs.
In its entirety, here is 1993's De Vermis Mysteriis
After a split release with fellow countrymen Funeral Urn the following year, Nergal entered the studio and composed their masterpiece: the full-length gem The Wizard of Nerath. A unique release, Nerath managed to combine a trebly, necro guitar sound that clearly owes at least a partial debt to Scandinavian black metal, with a penchant for Hellenic black metal-style rhythms and atmospheric synths. While not quite on the level of His Majesty at the Swamp or Non Serviam, Nerath does easily hold its own with For the Glory of Ur or Unspeakable Cults.
From The Wizard of Nerath, this is "My Soul, Blood Will Be Dripping"
Nergal was on track to become of Hellas's black metal elite after the release of Nerath. And yet it was over a decade before they put out its follow-up. One of the things that allegedly put a damper on their music-making activities was harassment from the Greek authorities for the promotion of evil and Satanism in their music.
Whatever the case, Nergal has put out some really thought-provoking hellenic black metal in recent years: 2017's Νυκτα Γεματη Θαματα - Νυκτα Σπαρμενη Μαγια is a fantastic addition to the canon of cult-worthy Greek black metal albums.
Select Discography:
Promo '90 (demo) (1990)
Demo 1991 (demo) (1991)
In the Name of Nergal (demo) (1992)
The Middle Ages Return 7" (1993)
The Talisman of Kioutha (demo) (1993)
De Vermis Mysteriis EP (1993)
Magie Cérémonielle (split with Funeral Urn) (1994)
The more you dig into the depths that is the early 90s Norwegian black metal scene, the more you are able to appreciate the different styles that were pioneered. Case in point: depressive suicidal black metal (DSBM). While many folks think of it as a more recent phenomenon, created by perhaps Shining or Xasthur, this isn't the case. Norwegian band STRID, from the town of Askim, is credited as the inventor of the style.
Formed in 1991 as Malfeitor by band members Storm, Samhain, Lost, and Funeral, the original stated goal was to make music that was true to the nascent black metal ethos that was emerging in Norway. Their self-titled demo--recorded in the drummer's basement--was possessed of that grim, forbidding black metal atmosphere, but it wasn't groundbreakingly unique.
This is 1991's Malfeitor in full
After a second demo (Pandemonium) the following year, the band underwent some line-up and stylistic changes. As a result, they changed their name to Battle, and soon thereafter, to Strid (which is the Norwegian word for "battle"). The stylistic changes are what is worth talking about, as they led to the sound we associate with this band--and the foundations of DSBM.
This is 1993's End of Life
In 1993, Strid released their first demo--End of Life (it was recorded when they were still Battle). Consisting of one eleven minute song (the title track), End was a mid-paced black metal song with riffing that created a sorrowful aura. These melodic riffs were definitely squarely in the traditional Norwegian black style, but by putting them over a moody tempo, an entirely new atmosphere was achieved. The song "End of Life" is a testament to the beauty of darkness.
In addition to the sound and structure of End laying the foundation for one of black metal's subgenres (you can hear Xasthur, Shining, Lifelover, and pretty much any other modern DSBM band in the sound on End), the lyrical content was a shift as well. Obviously suicide and self-destruction had been a part of black metal--think of Mayhem's Dead, for example, cutting himself on stage during live performances. With Strid, though, it became the raison d'etre for their music.
"Nattevandring" comes from the Strid EP
The following year, Strid put out a self-titled EP. Only comprised of two songs--"Nattevandring" and "Det Hviskes Blant Sorte Vinder"--the EP was a melancholic continuation of the sound from End, as you can hear above. The motivation for creating such dark and morose music came from, in the words of guitarist Ravn Harjar, the desire "to isolate from society and the modern world" because they "felt a lot of anger and hate." More than simply the hatred toward Christianity that was, at bottom, the starting point for all black metal, Strid felt animus toward "everything that had contributed to bring our existence to the present situation with decay in more or less every aspect of the world and culture." It's not a big leap from this kind of feeling to self-hatred and self-destruction.
And this was all the music that Strid ever made. The band itself soldiered on for a few more years after the self-titled EP's release, but got put on indefinite hold when life imitated art: founding band member Storm killed himself in 2001. After fellow founding member Samhain died in 2014, the band officially broke up. However, there have been stirrings that Strid does have plans for the future. We shall see.
Select Discography: as Malfeitor:
Malfeitor (demo) (1991)
Pandemonium (demo) (1992)
as Strid: End of Life (demo) (1993) Strid EP (1994)
Southeast Asia is truly a hotbed of great black metal. The black metal-loving masses know Singapore is home to legends like Abhorer, Impiety, Rudra, and As-Sahar, and in recent years some great stuff has come out of countries like Thailand, but one of the best-kept secrets is the early black metal scene in Malaysia. To tell the story of the Malaysian black metal scene in the late 80s and early 90s is also to tell the story of the Watchtower Fraternity Circle.
But first, let's dig into the roots of the scene. While one could point to extreme thrash band BLACKFIRE as the godfather of Malaysian extreme metal (having formed in 1981), I don't know that they ever put out any official demos or albums before they went on hiatus in 1988. But another legendary band stands as the ancestor of Malaysian black metal: old school black/death pioneer RATOR. Hailing from Petaling Jaya, on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, Rator formed in 1987. They played a raw, vicious, and fast old-school style that--like many 80s bands--straddled the line between death and black metal. The sound on their one demo from this era--1989's Evil Symphony--sounds dated by today's standards, but is still a solid extreme metal release. Take a listen:
"Death Metal Warrior" is from Rator's '89 demo
In the late 80s/early 90s world of tape trading, Rator's demo circulated pretty far and wide, with praise coming from artists like Beherit and Rotting Christ. The relative success of this demo led to some complation appearances, but Rator didn't last more than a couple of years past the demo's heyday--they broke up in 1993. The demo took on a life of its own, though, and was reissued numerous times. Rator did eventually reform in the new millenium and has put out new material.
A rare pic of Rator
Following in the footsteps of Rator, extreme metallers NECROFIST formed in 1989, also hailing from Petaling Jaya. Inspired by the old school black/death metal madness of Rator, Necrofist were no slouches themselves. After a rehearsal demo they threw together in 1990, they managed to put out a demo in 1991 that--like Rator's--spread their name far beyond the borders of their native Malaysia.
This is Necrofist's 1991 demo
As a result of the tape trading associated with the old-school black metal scene, Necrofist began corresponding with some of the members of the Norwegian scene. They struck up professional relationships with luminaries such as Fenriz from Darkthrone and Euronymous from Mayhem. The band then changed their name to NEBIRAS in late '91.
"Holocaust of Apocalypse" is from Nebiras's 1993 demo
In terms of underground credibility, the very early 90s were good years for Nebiras. Their connection to Norwegian black metal paid off in spades--they were reviewed in underground zines the world over, and Nebiras mastermind Agathos Daimon even got a shout out in Darkthrone's A Blaze in the Northern Sky. By 1993, Nebiras had put out their first major demo (As the Sky Turns Black), and Fenriz himself had written a poem dedicated to the band that appeared in the demo's liner notes.
Nebiras's sound had evolved from the raw old-school style of their Necrofist days to something cold, vile, and necro. The trebly and lo-fi guitar tone was clearly inspired by Norwegian black metal, as you can hear on their 1994 demo, Our Blood for His Glory:
This is Our Blood for His Glory in full
It was also around this time that the members of Nebiras had joined forces with other Malaysian bands like Bazzah and Conqueror to form the Watchtower Fraternity Circle. Like Norway's Inner Circle, the goal was to spread the evil ethos of black metal far and wide without compromising the extreme nature of black metal.
In this context, Nebiras's star continued to rise. Their connection with global black metal made them underground legends, and this culminated in the release of a proper studio album, 1998's The Great Rites.
Another band that was a member of the Watchtower Fraternity Circle was Raub's BAZZAH. Formed around 1990, Bazzah drew heavy inspiration from not just the Norwegian scene, but you can hear Von and Sarcofago as well in the raw brutal black metal they played in their early years. Their 1993 demo, Necromancy, is testimony to this:
Bazzah, like many other extreme metal bands in Malaysia, often struggled to get their music to the masses because of government oppression. Death is All I See was their first full-length studio album, and they released it in 1996. However, they only managed to sell 300 copies before the Malaysian government destroyed the rest. This has made original copies of this album extremely difficult to find--it can now only mostly be found as a reprint or a bootleg.
"Prince of Darkness" comes from 1996's Death is All I See
By the time of Death is All I See's release, Bazzah's sound had matured. The dark brutality of bands such as Von, Sarcofago, Demoncy had receded in favor of the cold iciness of the classic Norwegian sound--the sharp guitar tone and shrieking vocals are reminiscent of early Emperor. Listen to "Prince of Darkness", above, to hear an example of what I mean.
Their second studio album--1998's Kingdom of the Dead--features more of the same in terms of sound, but the extremely lo-fi production changed their sound pretty radically. As a result, their style on the second album could be described as early 90s Norway fused with Beherit's Drawing Down the Moon.
From Kingdom of the Dead, this is "Abyss"
Since the late nineties, not much has happened with Bazzah. Both Kingdom and Death were re-released on one album by From Beyond Productions in 2004 (with the Kingdom songs being entirely re-recorded versions), and they put out a new demo in 2006, but I don't know what the status of the band is today.
CONQUEROR is one of the lesser lights of Malaysian black metal in comparison with Nebiras and Bazzah, but, as a member of the Watchtower Fraternity Circle, bears investigating. They formed around 1994, and within a year, had recorded what would be their only release--the Cries of the Wolf demo. But it didn't see the light of day until 1997.
Here is the Cries of the Wolf demo in its entirety
As can be heard on the demo, the template for Conqueror's sound was the cold, necro style of classic Norwegian black metal. With a guitar tone and production sound that one might find on a Darkthrone or Burzum album, Conqueror were not shy about wearing their influences on their sleeve. Even the band member's stage names made it obvious---their bassist/vocalist's adopted stage name was Emperor Demysteriis.
Beyond these bands, Malaysia truly did have a thriving extreme metal scene. Other bands worth noting include Ungodly Death, Vulga, and Misanthrope, and since the days of the Watchtower Fraternity Circle's peak popularity, extreme metal has grown by leaps and bounds----depite severe government repression and censorship. Without the groundwork laid by Rator, Nebiras, and the like, bands like Neftaraka, Hayagriva, Mantak, and Filsufatia may never have gotten their start.
Select Discography of early Malaysian Black Metal:
Rator:
Evil Symphony(demo) (1989)
Nebiras:
Rehearsal #1 (demo) (1990) (as Necrofist)
Demo #1 (demo) (1991) (as Necrofist)
Demo '92 (demo) (1992)
As the Sky Turns Black (demo) (1993) Dark Live Collection (compilation) (1993)
Our Blood for His Glory (demo) (1994) Into the Medieval Cults (demo) (1996) The Great Rites... EP (1998)
Bazzah:
Necromancy (demo) (1993)
Death is All I See... (full-length) (1996)
Kingdom of the Dead (full-length) (1998)
Conqueror:
Cries of the Wolf (demo) (recorded 1995, released 1997)
One of my favorite American black metal bands, SUMMON emerged as part of the very fruitful late 1980s Midwest extreme metal scene. Lucifer's Hammer is one band I've already mentioned from that scene (in my post on late 80s American black metal), and that band shared some members with Summon (I know vocalist/guitarist Xaphan was in both bands, for example).
Hailing from Lansing, Michigan, Summon was formed by Necromodeus and Xaphan in 1991. Upon formation , their initial sound was a black metal infused with a death metal aesthetic--imagine Incantation writing old-school black metal. However, they only managed to release one demo (1992's Devourer of Souls) before putting the band on hold in order to focus on their work with up-and-coming band Masochist.
Here is the 1992 demo in full
Only Necromodeus was present in Masochist from their inception (I think Xaphan was still with Lucifer's Hammer), but Xaphan joined close to the end of that band's career. Masochist also had rising USBM star Tchort on the roster. Tchort is primarily known as the mastermind behind cult band Wind of the Black Mountains (more on that group at a later date).
"Feast of the Goat" is from Masochist's 1993 demo
Masochist played a vicious, apocalyptic-sounding black metal that owed a debt to both death and thrash metal. As an example, listen to the above song, taken from their 1993 demo Frost of the Diabolical Forest. From the years 1992-1994, the band recorded a slew of well-received demos and EPs in this style. While hard to find, much of that material was recently released by Moribund Records as the compilation album History. In 1995, Masochist came to an end. The members of the band had other projects they wanted to focus on. Necromodeus, Xaphan, and Supmur revived Summon, and Tchort wanted to put his energy into Wind of the Black Mountains--a band that was fast rising in the USBM underground.
"Fuck Your God" is the title track from Masochist's 1994 seven-inch EP
Summon--as a three-piece--quickly got down to business. They announced their return to the world of black metal by self-releasing the cassette-only album Fire Turns EverythingBlack in 1995 (it was re-released by Grinding Piece Records in '96).
Here is Fire Turns Everything Black in its entirety
Much had changed in Summon's sound since their first demo. The death metal influence was still there, sure, but the production, vocals, and overall sound was more on the black-thrash end of the spectrum (this does make sense, given that the band had cited old school masters like Venom, Bathory, Destruction, and Kreator as inspiration).
Summon's 1997 album is Dark Descent of Fallen Souls
And this would be the template for the future of Summon's style: furiously fast tremolo picked riffs usually laid over a thrash metal pace, with a drum sound that is reminiscent of aggressive black metal, paired with Satanic lyrics delivered in a screeched voice. Fans of traditional black-thrash, aggressive thrash metal, and well-produced black metal will definitely like what Summon has to offer.
From 2000's Baptized by Fire, this is "Visions of Apocalyptic Grace"
Over the course of several albums released in the late 90s and early 2000s, Summon perfected their style. I would argue that they peaked on 2002's And the Blood Runs Black. This album contains many Summon songs from previous albums, but absolutely honed to perfection. The crisp production complements the thrash-influenced black metal well, and it is my favorite album of theirs.
The title track from And the Blood Runs Black
After 2002's Blood, they put out a good (but not brilliant) follow-up with 2005's Fallen. It was a well-executed slab of thrashing black metal, and enjoyable to listen to. But, alas, change was in the wind in the world of Summon.
"Blood Red Skies" is from 2005's Fallen
Xaphan departed the band in 2006 (he had other projects he was more passionate about pursuing, I believe) and so the band decided to go on hiatus. Things ended on good terms, so a few years later (2009, I think), Summon re-formed with the intention of being a fully functional band--new material and all. A few years after re-forming, Xaphan left the band for good after having a fallout with Necromodeus. I'm not sure of their status today.
Select Discography: Summon:
Devourer of Souls (demo) (1992)
Fire Turns Everything Black (demo) (1995)
Rehearsal Tape '96 (demo) (1996)
Dark Descent of Fallen Souls(full-length album) (1997) Promo Tape (demo) (1998)
Baptized by Fire (full-length album) (2000) No Thoughts from the Sky (full-length album) (2001)
And the Blood Runs Black (full-length album) (2002) Fallen (full-length album) (2005)
Masochist:
The Satanic Baptism(demo) 1992
Feast of the Goat (demo) (1992)
Frost of the Diabolical Forest (demo) (1993) Sucking the Tongue of the Ancient One (demo) (1994) Fuck Your God 7" (1994) Nocturnal Practices (demo) (1995)
Next time: NEBIRAS AND BIRTH OF MALAYSIAN BLACK METAL
