Dead Christ (and other British bands of the early second wave)

A classic photo of Bristol's Dead Christ

Although it is the land in which black metal was christened, the United Kingdom is not much known for its black metal since the days of Venom. While I have talked about some major exceptions (Bal-Sagoth, Salem Orchid), I wanted to draw attention to that time period between the early days of black metal when Venom ruled the land and the era when symphonic black metal band Cradle of Filth became the face of British black metal. The bands were few and far between, but several are worth mentioning.

Hailing from Bristol, England, DEAD CHRIST formed in 1990 and left their brutal mark on the underground in swift fashion. Their style of black metal draws heavily on the brutality of death metal, with a resulting sound that reminds the listener of the nastier side of early Finnish black metal (think Archgoat or Drawing Down the Moon-era Beherit). These blasphemous Brits were around long enough to put out a handful of cult demos and one EP in the early 90s.

This is the intro and title track off of the Mortuary Mass demo

Select Discography:

Demo '91 (demo) (1991)

Mortuary Mass (demo) (1991)

Lex Talionis (demo) (1992)
Satan's Hunger EP (1993)

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Suffolk, England's DECEMBER MOON is probably one of the biggest names in underground British black metal history. Formed in 1992, December Moon is one of a very few early second-wave British black metal bands to actually record a proper studio album. As a result, they're one of the few black metal bands from the UK from this time period to gain wide recognition.

Unlike Dead Christ, December Moon's style is more recognizably black metal. While they utilized a more melodic style, the riffing was more in line with what other major black metal bands were doing at the time.

After a couple of demos that caught people's attention, December Moon recorded and put out a proper studio album: 1996's Source of Origin. This melodic style, replete with brilliantly orchestrated synths, can be regarded as an important  moment in British black metal.

"You Can't Bless the Damned"--from Source of Origin--might be December Moon's best-known song

Select Discography:

Nocturnal Trancendency (demo) (1994)

Rehearsal (demo) (1995)

Source of Origin (full-length) (1996)

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Beyond these two bands, the rest of the British black metal underground in the early 1990s was just that--underground. Beyond a slew of interesting demos, the impact of some of these next few bands was rather limited, but worth noting nonetheless.

WITCHCLAN, from Sussex, only managed to put out two demos in 1993 before breaking up in 1995. Their impact on the scene at the time was relatively minor, but it is important to note that they have since reformed and are as cult as ever. Check out their 2010 demo, Descend Into Darkness, below (some of the music on which had been written in their early 1990s days)

Yorkshire's XAZTUR is another underground band that wasn't around for long in the early 1990s. Their two 1993 demos--Frozen Winter and Pagan Rites--are pretty raw examples of in-your-face old-school black metal. But beyond the music, Xaztur were one of the first British black metal bands to fully immerse themselves in the aesthetic aspects of the scene, as evidenced by their infamous 'graveyard photo shoot' (see below).

Here is 1993's Frozen Winter demo in full

MEGIDDO--hailing from Cheshire--may have formed in 1988, but they didn't record any demos until an unnamed, unreleased one in 1991. After another demo in 1993 (Apocatastasis), they were able to release the 1994 7" The Blistering Glow of My Steel. Megiddo's sound is very reminiscent of some of the more vile, demonic offerings of the Norwegian scene at the time, in my opinion.

"Eldest of Lightnings" comes from Megiddo's 1994 EP

While pagan black metal that draws on Britain's Anglo-Saxon or Celtic heritage may be a relatively common thing these days (Winterfylleth and Wodensthrone come immediately to mind), it wasn't always the case.  RAGNAROK--from Venom's hometown of Newcastle--is the major exception during this era. With a very Bathory-esque sound (I'm thinking of their Viking period, obviously), Ragnarok put out three excellent  demos with a strong pagan vibe. They--unlike many of their British peers in this era--were able to put out a couple of proper studio albums before breaking up.

Here is Ragnarok's 1995 demo, Beloved of the Raven God

Select Ragnarok Discography:

Ragnarok (demo) (1991)

Voluspa (demo) (1991)

Beloved of the Raven God (demo) (1995)

To Mend the Oaken Heart (full-length) (1997)

Domgeorn (full-length) (1999)

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This entry is meant to reflect the minor and lesser-known bands that kept the flag flying for British black metal when there hardly was such a thing. By the end of the 1990s, of course, things had changed. Bands like Cradle of Filth, Hecate Enthroned, Thus Defiled, Adorior and others had taken the black metal world by storm. But more on that at a later time...

Next time: KOROVA

Bal-Sagoth

And now we return to the birthplace of black metal: England.  BAL-SAGOTH formed in Yorkshire in 1989 with the goal of creating "sublimely symphonic black/death metal," in the words of founding member Byron Roberts (aka "Lord Byron").  Despite conceiving of the band in 1989, Roberts had trouble finding a full and stable line-up.  That is why it wasn't until 1993 that the first Bal-Sagoth material saw the light of day in the form of an untitled demo (a demo which was re-mastered and re-released in 2013). Their early sound was very aggressive, and the keyboards definitely give it an epic and eerie feel to it, but it isn't exactly symphonic black metal as we would recognize it today.  There were still several stages in Bal-Sagoth's evolution yet to come.

From their 1993 demo, here is "A Shadow of Mist"

While Bal-Sagoth continued to make a name for themselves in the underground through the circulating of rehearsal tapes, the release of their first album was delayed due to music label machinations.  This album, A Black Moon Broods Over Lemuria, finally saw the light of day in mid-1995.  It was a clear continuation of the style on the demo, but the keyboards were heavier, and one can hear the seeds of a more recognizably symphonic sound.

"The Ravening" is from that first album

Bal-Sagoth's lyrical content differed vastly from other black metal bands of the day.  Frontman Lord Byron was heavily influenced by the science fiction and occult writings of such authors as H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard. With the release of their second album--1996's Starfire Burning Upon the Ice-Veiled Throne of Ultima Thule--the tradition of insanely long song titles was inaugurated.  The sound change was noticeable as well: this album was a definite shift away from a more black/death sound and toward a powerfully epic, synth-driven metal that has a blackened atmosphere. Vocally, Lord Byron gradually eliminated the deathly growls (while keeping raspy black metal vocals) and incorporated gruff spoken word into Bal-Sagoth's songs.

From their 1996 album, here is "The Splendour of a

Thousand Swords Gleaming Beneath the Blazon

of the Hyperborean Empire" (*phew*)

Bal-Sagoth's style arguably peaked on their next two albums, 1998's Battle Magic and 1999's The Power Cosmic.  The synth playing became more imaginative, utilizing sounds that resembled an actual full symphony (horns and all!).  The vocals became more elaborate, with Lord Byron creating entire mythos to go with their powerful and epic blackened metal. Since The Power Cosmic, Bal-Sagoth put out two albums (2001's Atlantis Ascendant and 2006's Chthonic Chronicles).  They have not released any new material since then.

From Battle Magic, here is "When Rides the

Scion of the Storms"

"The Thirteen Cryptical Prophecies of Mu" is

off of 1999's The Power Cosmic

Select Discography:

Demo 1993 (1993)

A Black Moon Broods Over Lemuria (full-length album) (1995)

Starfire Burning Upon the Ice-Veiled Throne of Ultima Thule (full-length album) (1996)

Battle Magic (full-length album) (1998)
The Power Cosmic (full-length album) (1999)

Atlantis Ascendant (full-length album) (2001)

The Chthonic Chronicles (full-length album) (2006)

Next time: SIGH