Mayhem: Of Lord Satan's Mysteries (1992-1994)

 

Mayhem's masterpiece

The years following Dead's suicide in 1991 were tumultuous ones for MAYHEM. By this time, black metal was beginning to emerge from the underground and establish itself as a legitimate genre. However, Mayhem had some issues they needed to work through. 

The first issue in these times was whether or not the band even still existed. Did Dead's suicide mean the end of Mayhem? Euronymous had begun exploiting Dead's suicide for publicity's sake, including crafting the narrative that it was the posers and trendwhores in the metal underground that drove him to take his own life. Between this and Euronymous's stated intention to use a photo of Dead's corpse as the cover to a future Mayhem release, Necrobutcher had had enough. He quit the band out of frustration. 

Dead without corpsepaint

The second issue Mayhem faced was that Mayhem still had no full-length studio albums to their name. 1987's Deathcrush was technically an EP, and Live in Leipzig had not been released yet. Numerous bootlegs were circulating in the underground, and some of those eventually saw the light of day as officially sanctioned releases. What was to become of Mayhem, and would their music ever see the light of day in a proper release? 

Euronymous took this time as an opportunity to champion the burgeoning Norwegian black metal scene. In a series of interviews in various zines, he (and to a lesser degree, Burzum's Varg Vikernes) laid down what he thought black metal should be and what it could be. He also decided to move forward with Mayhem.

Euronymous in corpsepaint

With no bassist and no vocalist, Mayhem first recruited Occultus (of Perdition Hearse) to fill both roles. While Occultus did contribute, he soon left the band because of personality clashes with Euronymous. Then, Varg was recruited to fill the role of bassist. Some recordings of rehearsals from this time period eventually saw the light of day as the From the Darkest Past bootleg.

This was also around the time that Snorre Ruch and Attila Csihar were recruited. Snorre came on board as a second guitarist and helped write lyrics for a few songs. Attila was recruited as vocalist. At this point, Mayhem's first full-length studio album was almost complete. 

This rough mix of "Funeral Fog" comes from the Life Eternal EP

The resulting album was to be titled "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas", and this was a title that had been up Mayhem's sleeve since before Dead's suicide. Unfortunately, Euronymous would never see the album's release. As is widely known, he was murdered by Varg Vikernes shortly after the completion of the album's recording.

The album was released in 1994. It was hailed as a milestone in black metal, and the album itself has (for better or worse) influenced scores of young musicians to try their hand at this diabolical genre of music. I think that this album is a true masterpiece, and it marvelously captures the essence of early second-wave black metal.

The title track of the album in question

Alas, with Euronymous dead and Snorre and Varg in jail for their criminal activity, Mayhem's roster was once again decimated. Was the band gone for good? Only time would tell..... 

Select discography of this era:

From the Darkest Past (1992 bootleg rehearsal of DMDS)

De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas (full-length) (1994)

Life Eternal (rough mix of DMDS) (2009)

Next time:  ABORYM

Poccolus, Nahash, and the beginnings of Lithuanian black metal

A picture of Poccolus from the mid-90s

As influential black metal took the world by storm, bands began to emerge in the unlikeliest of places. Additionally, world events helped the process along. When the Soviet Union and Eastern European communism collapsed, black metal sprang up soon thereafter. The Baltic states illustrate my point.

Within a few years of the collapse of the USSR, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia all developed thriving scenes. Of those three nations, Lithuania's scene proved the most fruitful. The band at the head of the pack is the old-school black/thrash band NEMESIS, from the city of Kaunas. Nemesis formed in 1991.

While they never produced any official releases (only rehearsals, with only one of them ever seeing the light of day as a demo), this band is where various metal musicians cut their teeth (much like Old Funeral and Thou Shalt Suffer in the Norwegian scene). As a result, when the band broke up in early 1993, the members went on to form such bands as POCCOLUS and NAHASH.

Poccolus started as a more traditional old-school black metal band, releasing a demo in 1993. This was followed by the Kingdom of Poccolus demo in '94. By this time, the world metal scene was turning their attention to Lithuania and recognizing that brilliant black metal could come from anywhere.

"Rudens Miško Šnabždesiai" is from Poccolus's self-titled

Poccolus's only full-length studio album was their self-titled album, released in 1996. By the time of the recording and release of their self-titled, pagan and folk influences had begun to show up in their black metal The music and rhythms of Lithuanian culture had shaped their black metal.

Poccolus didn't last much beyond their one full-length album. A live split album was released in 1997, but when Poccolus began to write and record songs for a planned second album, musical differences led to a break-up.

This is "Wellone Aeternitas II" from Nahash's album of the same name

Nahash--the other band to emerge from the ashes of Nemesis--was a band that began under the influence of black metal (like Bathory and Darkthrone). While they never morphed into pagan metal, they created a black metal style that helped put Lithuania on the map.

After an appearance on the legendary compilation Dark Fire Dancing with other Lithuanian bands in '94, they put out the demo Nocticula Hecate. On this demo, you can hear that the typical stylistic elements of Scandinavian black metal are present, but with a unique twist.

Nahash performing live

After that demo, Nahash released their magnum opus: the 1996 studio album Wellone Aeternitas. A more refined black metal than the demo, the influence of the Norwegians was present. At the same time, the band was not afraid to make it their own with a somewhat progressive approach to the music. Since that album, Nahash hasn't been very prolific. 

Another band that peaked around the same time as Nahash was ANUBI. Formed in 1992 by Skro and Renofer, it was with Lord Ominous's recruitment in 1993 that things really began to take shape. Lord Ominous brought an artistic and philosophical temperament to the creative process. This shaped Anubi's music in new and different ways.

Here is Anubi's demo Mirties Metafora

Drawing on Egyptian mythology but with a focus on death and mortality, Anubi had an almost experimental edge to their black metal. Lord Ominous's artistic background and philosophical training were clearly evident in their nonconformist approach. Simply listen to 1995's Mirties Metafora, above.

Their full-length album--1997's Kai pilnaties akis užmerks mirtis--was even more out there. Odd time signatures, dissonant sounds, unique rhythms were all present on this overlooked masterpiece of an album. It may very well be the rarest gem of Lithuanian black metal. 

"Mirtis" comes from that 1997 album

Anubi was an important chapter in Lithuanian black metal, and was poised to keep pushing the boundaries of the genre, but Lord Ominous unfortunately died in a boating accident in 2002. The band didn't last long after that. 

One final band from the era of classic Lithuanian black metal is OBTEST. Forming in 1992, the band cites genres ranging from traditional heavy metal to thrash to folk to black metal as their influences. On their early demos, the sound owes a lot to the harsh iciness of Norwegian black metal. Listen below:

This is the title track from the demo "Oldness Coming"

After those early demos, Obtest's sound continued evolving. By their first full-length album (1997's Tūkstantmetis), the song structures were less true black metal and more on the pagan side of the genre. Over time they moved further and further away from black metal into a pagan metal sound that resembled traditional heavy metal.

"Vilkalokiai" is from Obtest's debut studio album

By the late 90s, black metal had taken root in Lithuania in a big way. The above-mentioned bands laid the foundation for what extreme metal is today in that part of the world.

Selected discography of classic Lithuanian black metal:

Nemesis:

Black Spirituality (rehearsal demo) (1992)

Poccolus:

Demo 93 (demo) (1993)

Kingdom of Poccolus (demo) (1994)

Dark Fire Dancing (split album with Nahash, Anubi, Akys, Wejdas) (1994)

Poccolus (full-length album) (1996)

Live at Black Friday (live split album with Ha Lela and Skyforger) (1997)

Nahash:

Dark Fire Dancing (split album with Poccolus, Anubi, Akys, Wejdas) (1994)

Nocticula Hecate (demo) (1994)

Wellone Aeternitas (full-length) (1996)

Anubi:

God's Pantheon (demo) (1993)

Mastabos dvelksmas (demo) (1994)

Dark Fire Dancing (split album with Poccolus, Nahash, Akys, Wejdas) (1994)

Mirties metafora (demo) (1995)

Sutemus skambės 7" (1996)

Kai pilnaties akis užmerks mirtis (full-length) (1997)

Obtest:

Reh. Demo (demo tape) (1994)

Oldness Coming (demo) (1995)

Live at Poltergeist (video) (1995)

Prieš audrą (demo) (1995)

Tūkstantmetis (full-length) (1997)

Promo 98 (demo) (1998)

997 7" (1998)

Next time: MAYHEM RETURNS

Xibalba

 

Mexico is not widely known internationally for producing influential black metal bands. The only band you could really make a case for is XIBALBA, from the capital city. Now going by the name Xibalba Itzaes, it was in the early and mid-1990s that this band helped put Mexico on the map when it came to extreme metal.

Brothers Jorge Ah Ektenel and Marco Ek Balam formed Xibalba some time in early 1992 after playing together in deathgrind band Dread. It wasn't long before they recruited their other brother Victor Ehxibchac on bass. While the brothers acknowledge metal influences ranging from Judas Priest and Black Sabbath to Venom and Metallica, Xibalba was about extreme metal that drew on ancient Mayan myths and legends--a far cry from the Satanism of typical death and black metal! 

Here is In Lucescitae Tristis Hiei in its entirety

After only a few months of existence,  Xibalba put out the demo In Lucescitae Tristis Hiei in June of '92. A mix of old school extreme metal and Mayan folk instruments, it was clear that they were trying to do something new. Given that they were named after the underworld of Mayan mythology, this should have come as no surprise.

This demo helped spread their name far and wide in the metal underground. Before long, they were performing shows all over Mexico. Some of these shows were sponsored by label Guttural Records. The band signed with them in order to record their first studio album proper. After struggling to get into the studio (they couldn't find a date that worked for them), they finally recorded their debut album.

"Sign of Eastern War" comes from Xibalba's debut

A true second wave black metal masterpiece, Ah Dzam Poop Ek hit the shelves in 1994. Diving even further into the ancient Mayan worldview with an even heavier folk sound, nothing like this album existed at the time. Where the viking metal bands of Scandinavia drew on pagan beliefs to challenge and upend Christianity's dominance, Xibalba's goal was the same with their focus on Mayan cosmology.

In the wake of this album, they didn't do a lot of touring. They found themselves performing in the same places in and around Mexico City, and they began to notice that the extreme metal scene was filling up with posers and wannabes. This led to the band going on hiatus in the late '90s.

From the Ah Tza EP, this is "Katun"

Shortly after the dawn of the new millenium, the band re-formed with the new name Xibalba Itzaes. This new name was to ensure that they didn't get mixed up with other bands who had the name "Xibalba" (I believe there was a hardcore band with that name who were rising in popularity). That said, they were still a Mayan-inspired, folk-influenced black metal band.

After Guttural Records put out a compilation of Xibalba's old material (2007's Ancients), the band signed with the label Nuclear War Now. Since then, they have remained active and continued to release quality black metal.

Select Discography:

In Lucescitae Tristis Hiei (demo) (1992)

The Crown of Plumes (rehearsal demo) (1994)

Ah Dzam Poop Ek (full-length) (1994

Ancient Blasphemies (split with Avzhia) (1996)

No Life (demo) (1998)

Ancients (compilation) (2007)

Demo 2010 (2010)

Ah Tza! EP (2015)

Ah Tza Xibalba Itzaes (full-length) (2018)

Next time: POCCOLUS

Nehëmah

 

When it comes to quality French black metal, there is so much more than just Les Légions Noires. While underground bands like Ixion and Skullface predate LLM by several years, NEHËMAH, from Savoy, emerged around the time that the Légions were just getting their start.

With a name based on the Sumerian word for the demon Lilith, the band was founded in 1992 by Corven. While there were several other musicians in the band in these early years, the essence of the band really consisted of Corven and Eligor. From the outset, Nehëmah has drawn inspiration from Bathory and other old-school bands. And while there isn't much music from the early years of the band, a 1992 rehearsal did eventually see the light of day as part of a boxed set.

"Black Winds Over the Walls of Csejthe" comes from their 1995 demo

In 1995, Nehëmah put out a now-classic demo, Light of a Dead Star. This demo showcased the raw, stripped-down, minimalist stylings Nehëmah is now known for. The sound clearly bears the stamp of early Bathory as well as Dead-era Mayhem and old Burzum. It's the kind of demo black metal fans live for. Following this demo, Corven chose to put the band on hold so he could focus on other projects (mainly the viking metal band Himinbjorg). 

This is the title track from the 2002 album Light of a Dead Star

Upon re-forming at the dawn of the new millenium, Eligor had departed and Corven had recruited new musicians to round out the band. Corven, Sorghal, and Dargon then became the core of the band. They continued putting out music in the raw, minimalist vein of their '90s demo material (many of the songs from this era were simply re-recorded songs from the early years). In addition to the aforementioned bands, the influence of Darkthrone's early work can also be heard. Simply listen to "Light of a Dead Star" (above).

With 2003's Shadows from the Past..., Nehëmah's vicious black metal was given a smoother production style, for a different effect. Still nasty and evil, the production was more Swedish than Norwegian. That said, there really was no one in the French scene that sounded like them. 

"The Thousand Tongues of Medusa" comes from their 2003 album

2004's Requiem Tenebrae gives us "The Great Old Ones"

Select Discography:

Feigd (rehearsal demo) (1992)

Light of a Dead Star (demo) (1995)

Nehëmah (demo) (2001)

Light of a Dead Star (full-length) (2002)

Shadows from the Past... (full-length) (2003)

Requiem Tenebrae (full-length) (2004)

Next time: XIBALBA