Martyrium and the Early German Black Metal Scene

One of Germany's oldest black metal bands that straddles the line between first and second wave black metal is Osnabruck's MARTYRIUM.  Formed in 1989 in what was then West Germany, Martyrium released a few demos before their one very noteworthy studio album.  After 1992's Invocation of Maat rehearsal, they put out the demos Through the Aeon and Arcanum de Via Occulta.

From the Through the Aeon demo, this is "Invocation of Maat"

The sound on their demos is very raw, but it definitely hearkens back to the old-school, with its mix of atmosphere and intensity.  Their one full-length album, 1994's L.V.X. Occulta, was a definite refinement and improvement over the demos.  Their use of synths to add atmosphere--while still structuring their songs around raging black metal riffs --is certainly one of the things that set them apart.  However, that being said, I think Martyrium's material definitely sounds dated.  They broke up in 1995 and some of their members went on to form Secrets of the Moon.

This is "A Living Ba," from 1994's L.V.X. Occulta

Select Discography:
Invocation of Maat (rehearsal) (1992)
Through the Aeon (demo) (1992)
Arcanum de via occulta (demo) (1993)
L.V.X. Occulta (full-length) (1994)

*******************************

Other than Martyrium, the 1980s saw the formation of many other black metal bands in Germany.  Groups like Desaster, Eminenz, and Falkenbach are all important enough to merit their own posts later on, but there were a handful of noteworthy German groups that made enough of a mark on the underground that they deserve a mention here.

Old-school black/thrash being one of the dominant black metal sounds coming out of 1980s West Germany should come as no surprise to anyone, given that Sodom stands at the head of the pack.  The extreme old-school black/thrash hybrid that was evident on such early releases like Witching Metal and Victims of Death influenced many fellow countrymen.  One such band was the band with one of the simplest names of all---HELL. Rumored to feature members of Destruction, Hell's style was chaotic and unrelenting black/thrash at its most raw.  They only ever put out one demo: 1985's Satanic Death.

Hell's Satanic Death demo in full

******************************

One band that formed around the same time as Sodom (and was even from the same area of Germany in North Rhine-Westphalia) was the band with one of the coolest names ever, SEMEN OF SATAN.  Another undergound black/thrash band, Semen of Satan only ever put out one untitled demo in 1984.  Here is a sampling of their sound:

In its entirety, here is their untitled 1984 demo

******************************

Another band known for their demos in the 1980s was Mainz's ANTICHRIST.  An old-school black metal band that had elements of speed and thrash metal in their sound, Antichrist had a real DIY ethos that reminds the listener of 1970s punk and early heavy metal.  Their most noteworthy releases were the demos Slaughter in Hell(1983)and Horror Awakes(1986).  After breaking up in 1986, they actually reformed in 2003 and have put out newer material since.

"Death Life of Eternity" is off of Slaughter in Hell

********************************

Moving forward a few years in time, the later 1980s saw the formation of some bands that had an impact on the 1990s scene in German black metal.  From the Brandenburg state in eastern Germany, SICKNESS was a band that churned out several demos and albums in the early nineties.  Their style is a particularly aggressive black/death, as can be heard on releases like the demos Final Result (1992), Excess (1993), XXX (1993), and Endzeit (1994).  The only full-length studio they put out was 1995's Verbrannte Erde.

From the 1993 demo XXX, here is "Rites".

And off of their full-length album, this is "Lost in Thought"

**********************************

Lastly, I want to mention two additional bands that made an impact on the German scene.  DARK SHADES, hailing from Leipzig, formed in 1989 and never signed with any record labels.  Their major releases are 1993's Necromancy and 1999's Hymnen an die Dunkelheit.  Their sound is a melodic kind of black/death that uses synths for effect.  I couldn't find anything by them on Youtube except for one instrumental track that was basically a keyboard-heavy filler piece.  I'll keep looking.

The last band I want to highlight from the earlier years of the German scene is DISSECTION.  Another band from North Rhine-Westphalia, Dissection played a black/death hybrid that is actually reminiscent of some of the Swedish bands from the late 1980s and early 1990s.  They released two demos, 1990's Maniac Depression and 1992's Unrecognizable Human Form, before changing their name to Tsatthoggua in 1993.

"I Spit on Your Grave" is from their 1992 demo

Next time: BAL-SAGOTH

Sodom (and other extreme thrash bands)

An early pic of Sodom

Forming in 1981, SODOM was making waves in the metal underground around the time Venom invented black metal.  Despite now being known as a thrash band, this German band was initially an important part of early black metal.  With the raw production, the screeched vocals, the evil lyrical themes, Sodom's aesthetic definitely fit the description "black metal".  Their sound mellowed a bit over the years (but they're still more aggressive and raw than your average thrash band) into a more traditional thrash sound, but in the early years, the affinity with black metal can be heard.  With demos like 1982's Witching Metal and 1984's Victims of Death, as well as early albums like 1984's In the Sign of Evil and 1986's Obsessed by Cruelty, Sodom's back catalog definitely belongs on the must-listen list of any fan of old-school black metal.

"Witching Metal", from the 1982 demo of the same name

Select Discography
Witching Metal (demo) (1982)
Victims of Death (demo) (1984)
In the Sign of Evil EP (1984)
Obsessed by Cruelty (full-length) (1986)
Persecution Mania (full-length) (1987)

**************************************************************************

American thrash legends SLAYER may not seem to fit most people's definition of black metal, but it is unmistakeable that their very early stuff (1983's Show No Mercy, 1984's Haunting the Chapel, 1985's Hell Awaits) had a more occultic, sinister vibe to it than the stuff from the mid- to late-1980s.  The themes were more obviously Satanic and evil, the production values very similar in sound to bands like Hellhammer and Bathory, and even the imagery utilized by the band itself seems to fit in with the whole black metal aesthetic.  Slayer has even been cited as an influence by various bands in the black metal scene today.

Off of their first album, this is "Black Magic"

Select Discography

Show No Mercy (full-length) (1983)
Haunting the Chapel EP (1984)
Live Undead (live album) (1985)
Hell Awaits (full-length) 1985)

**********************************************************************

Like Sodom, the German band DESTRUCTION made an impact on the early 1980s extreme metal scene.  Their sound was less black metal than Sodom's, but all of the elements were still there.  You could call their 1984 EP Sentence of Death and their 1985 album Eternal Devastation old-school black thrash, but like Slayer their sound eventually became more of a mainstream thrash sound.

Destruction's legendary song, "Total Desaster"

Select Discography
Bestial Invasion of Hell (demo) (1984)
Sentence of Death EP (1984)
Infernal Overkill (full-length) (1985)
Eternal Devastation (full-length) (1986)

*********************************************************************

The Brazilian legends SEPULTURA might be a bit of a stretch, but I contend that if you listen to the 1985 EP Bestial Devastation and the 1986 album Morbid Visions, there is a very strong old-school black/death feel to them.  At this early point in their career, Wagner "Antichrist" Lamounier was briefly their vocalist before he went on to form Sarcofago, so I'd say their black metal credentials are pretty solid.  Just go back and listen to these two early releases, and you'll see how it connects to old-school black metal.

From 1985's Bestial Devastation, this is "Antichrist"

Select Discography
Bestial Devastation EP (1985)
Morbid Visions (full-length) (1986)

************************************************************************

There are a slew of other extreme thrash bands that had a hand in influencing the development of black metal back in the days before thrash and black and death metal had all formed into distinct camps.  I would say that Quebec's VOOR, Iceland's FLAMES OF HELL, England's DELIVERANCE, and the Czech band TÖRR all had an extreme thrash sound that is part of the story of old school black metal.

Voor's "Evil Metal," from the 1985 demo of the same name

From Flames of Hell's only album, 1987's Fire and Steel

Deliverance's "Tongues of Lies," from 1989's Evil Friendship

Off of their 1987 demo, Witchhammer

One could probably make the case that other extreme thrash and speed metal bands influenced the development of black metal---like Post Mortem and Impaler---but for the sake of space, I won't go into them all.

Select Discography of additional extreme Thrash Bands:

Deliverance, Devil's Meat (full-length) (1987)
Deliverance, Evil Friendship (full-length) (1989)
Flames of Hell, Fire and Steel (full-length) (1987)
Törr, Demo 1984 (demo) (1984)
Törr, Witchhammer (demo) (1987)
Törr, Gang live (demo) (1989)
Törr, "Kult ohně" (single) (1989)
Voor, Evil Metal (demo) (1985)
Voor, Demo #2 (demo) (1985)



Tomorrow: POSSESSED