A photo of Baxaxaxa
Germany has given the world many great extreme metal bands, from thrash metal bands like Sodom or Destruction that influenced first wave black metal to more well-known black metal bands like Desaster or Nagelfar (more on them later). In this post, I want to draw attention to those lesser known second-wave bands of the '90s who never rose to the status of household names. One such band is BAXAXAXA, from Bavaria.
Named after an obscure demon, the band formed in 1992. Their founding members included two members of Ungod, interestingly enough. In that year, Baxaxaxa released the Hellfire demo. This demo was an evil piece of vicious black metal with a great occult-influenced sound.
"Church of the Antichrist" comes from the Hellfire demo
Sadly, the band broke up that same year. Their Hellfire demo, however, remained influential. It was reissued in 2002 as a split with Ungod--and the band didn't even exist at the time. That demo is (rightly) considered a noteworthy album in the development of German black metal. As for Baxaxaxa themselves, they reformed in the 2010s and have actually become quite prolific.
Select Discography:
Hellfire (demo) (1992)
Split (with Ungod) (2002)
The Old Evil (demo) (2019)
Devoted to HIM 7" (2020)
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An ad for Fulgor's early demos, from Merciless Records
Also from Bavaria, FULGOR was formed around the same time as Baxaxaxa. One of the founding members was Ancient Blasphemic Grave Invocator, who also played in Ungod and Baxaxaxa. Fulgor is known for a series of cult demos in the '90s that had an impact on underground German black metal.
"Below the Moon" is from their second demo
With a sound comparable to some of France's Les Légions Noires bands, Fulgor wasn't on the scene long. Their raw, evil sound was unleashed on the world in four demos and one 7-inch EP, all of which were released between 1993 and 1995. One of the more interesting aspects of their sound is their creative use of synths. Some of their songs are on the verge of being dungeon synth, and are sometimes labeled as such.
Here is the 1993 demo Mystical Black Magic Metal
From 1995, this is the Eyequinox EP
In 1995, Fulgor broke up. They had left their mark on German black metal, however. Much of their material was recently re-released as the Mystical Black Magic Metal compilation.
Select Discography:
Reh./Promo 1993 (demo) (1993)
To Be One With the Stars... (demo) (1993)
Mystical Black Magic Metal (demo) (1993)
Our Ten Urphar Visions (demo) (1994)
Eyequinox 7" (1995)
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Another German black metal band of the second wave worth talking about is THA-NORR. Hailing from Lower Saxony, Tha-Norr formed in 1990 but had a very limited output. Their first known release was a song on a compilation in 1993.
Here is the title track from their demo
In 1994, along with additional compilation appearances, they put out the Assault on Aerie demo. On this demo, Tha-Norr played a vicious, brutal style of black metal that clearly owed a debt to the Norwegian scene, but was its own thing at the same time. See above for an example.
The strong reception of their demo led to a record deal with Nazgul's Eyrie Productions. This collaboration resulted in Tha-Norr's only full-length studio album, Wolfenzeitalter. But what an album it was!
From the album of the same name, this is "Wolfenzeitalter"
With a sound that fits in perfectly with second wave black metal, Wolfenzeitalter is a sorely overlooked classic. To my ears, the riffing can be favorably compared to Norwegian bands like Gorgoroth and Burzum. This album didn't exactly take the world by storm, however.
Tha-Norr may have released a top-tier black metal album, but it was also their peak. After some touring in support of Wolfenzeitalter, and some discussions about a split release with Desaster that never materialized, the band broke up in 1997.
Select Discography:
Assault on Aerie (demo) (1994)
Wolfenzeitalter (full-length) (1995)
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MAYHEMIC TRUTH, from the south of Germany, was a true underground phenomenon in the '90s. Formed in 1992 by Leviathan (who later went by the stage name Balor) and Beliar, they cited Bathory as their main inspiration.
From the outset, Mayhemic Truth never wanted to be a household name. They believed that black metal should remain an underground phenomenon, and even scorned any hint of mainstream success. After a supporting slot on the Sons of Northern Darkness tour with Immortal and Marduk in 1994, for example, they admitted that the resulting exposure was more than they wanted.
This is the Promotape '94 demo in its entirety
The band's official releases really only amount to a few demos and EPs in the 1990s, and some retrospective compilations of that same material. Their earliest demos are almost impossible to find, so the best way to listen to them is either the In Memoriam compilation or the R.I P. compilation.
"Cythraw" comes from a 7-inch of the same name
Mayhemic Truth had become true underground legends by the end of the '90s. However, by the year 2000, they were no more. There are conflicting stories about what exactly happened: one version is that they simply changed their name to MORRIGAN. Another version is that Mayhemic Truth broke up in 1999 and started Morrigan as an unrelated project the following year. Either way, Mayhemic Truth is now merely a chapter in the history of German black metal.
"Conspiracy of the Golden Angels" is originally off of a 1996 demo
Here is a live clip from 1995
Select Discography:
Rehearsal Nov. '92 (demo) (1992)
Son of Dawn (demo) (1993)
Promotape '94 (demo) (1994)
Cythraw 7" (1995)
Unreleased Trax (demo) (1996)
Demo '96 (demo) (1996)
Live in Bernhausen (demo) (1997)
In Memoriam (compilation) (1999)
1992-1994/R.I.P. (compilation) (2004)
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A photo of Ninnghizhidda
One interesting band who formed later than these others and wasn't on the scene for very long was NINNGHIZHIDDA, from North Rhine-Westphalia. While they shared some members with Tsatthoggua (more on them later), they were their own thing. Ninnghizhidda had a symphonic sound that wasn't really like anyone else.
"Tear the Crown of Thorns" comes from their first demo
Emerging on the scene with the Horned Serpent demo in 1997, Ninnghizhidda had a raw, old-school sound with synths as a complement. They weren't quite the symphonic black metal of Dimmu Borgir or Emperor, but something rather unique.
Their first full-length studio album followed the next year (Blasphemy), and the synth components on it were even stronger. They managed to create something raw and evil, yet darkly beautiful, without being a carbon copy of the established symphonic black metal bands.
"Of Demons & Witches, Part II" is my favorite song of theirs
While they released one more demo and one more full-length studio album before breaking up in 2003, I would say they peaked on Blasphemy. It (like Tha-Norr's Wolfenzeitalter) is an overlooked gem of '90s German black metal.
Select Discography:
The Horned Serpent (demo) (1997)
Blasphemy (full-length) (1998)
Mistress of the Night (demo) (1999)
Demigod (full-length) (2002)
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Germany produced many great first-rate black metal bands in the 1990s, and while some have already been explored (Desaster, Falkenbach, Eminenz), I'll definitely examine bands like Nagelfar, Mystic Circle, and Nargaroth at a later date. As far as underground and obscure bands of this era go, here is a discography of a few bands I haven't mentioned yet:
ANTICHRIST, Enceclopedia Satanica 666 (demo) (1993)
----, Ghoul Metal Spread His Glory (demo) (1993)
DYING FULLMOON, In Thy Dreams (demo) (1994)
---, Unter dem Thron der Sterne (demo) (1995)
ETERNITY, Born in the Mystical Forests of Sorrow (demo) (1995)
---, Delictum Exceptum (demo) (1997)
HERODEZ, Germanien (demo) (1996)
---, Halbwelt (demo) (1996)
LUROR, Blutkrieg (demo) (1996)
---, Warriors of the Storm (demo) (1996)
Next time: PRIMIGENIUM
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