Unlord

 

The Netherlands may not churn out black metal bands like Norway or Sweden, but when a Dutch band makes an impact, you better believe it's truly awe-inspiring. Of all of the Dutch bands covered so far and all of the Dutch bands to be covered, North Holland's UNLORD is my favorite.

Unlord are another example of a band that formed pretty early but didn't make an impact until later. In fact, there is debate about Unlord's existence and demo output in the early 1990s. While it is confirmed that members of several Dutch death metal bands (such as Nembrionic and Consolation) set those projects to the side to form Unlord, questions remain: did Unlord only produce some early 1990s demos that never saw the light of day because they were only intended to help band members learn songs? Or, as some claim, was the Dutch band BLACK METAL an early incarnation of Unlord, and their 1991 demo Pentagram an example of the early evolution of Unlord's sound? 

Here is Black Metal's Pentagram demo from 1991

Black Metal's sound is clearly rooted in black/thrash and grindcore, and Unlord is known for their raw, scorching fast sound, and both bands share at least one member in common that we know of--so the rumor of the connection is not as outlandish as it seems. Regardless, the only material we have to this day with the name 'Unlord' on it is their official albums released in the late nineties and beyond.

Unlord first revealed themselves to the world under their own name with 1997's Schwarzwald. A blazing fast album of no-holds-barred black metal, it is truly an unsung masterpiece of the late 1990s. Band members have said that in addition to old-school bands like Venom and Bathory, more recent bands like Emperor, Marduk, and Immortal helped influence their sound. I think the speed and technicality of Schwarzwald bear that out.

"Uprising Hordes" is from Unlord's first album

From 1999's Gladiator, this is "Hell's Gates Are Opened"

With the follow-up album (1999's Gladiator), there was (even by the band's own admission) a step up in terms of technicality and sophistication. The focus was no longer just on speed-for-speed's-sake, but on speed in conjunction with new rhythms and structures. That said, the song I have chosen from Gladiator ("Hell's Gates Are Opened," above) is not the best illustration of that! By the time of the recording of Gladiator, Unlord had shrunk from a sextet to a trio. This streamlined version of the band continued on to the recording of what would be their final album, 2002's Lord of Beneath.

"Angel of Fire" is from their last album

In 2003, the band called it a day. The band members acknowledged that their differing musical interests had proved insurmountable. Interest in the band never waned, however, and their albums have been reissued several times, including notably by Hell's Headbanger Records. This continued interest led to the band to decide to re-form in the 2020s. We'll see what the future holds!

Select Discography:

as Black Metal (???):

Pentagram (demo) (1991)

as Unlord:

Schwarzwald (full-length) (1997)

Gladiator (full-length) (2000)

Lord of Beneath (full-length) (2002)

Next time: BURZUM

Funeral Winds

For our next band, we visit a nation not often talked about in black metal circles: Netherlands. One of that country's prime examples of great black metal, Rotterdam's FUNERAL WINDS doesn't compromise in their music. The band was formed in 1991 by Hellchrist Xul (guitar) and Gorgoroth (vocals), but it wasn't long before they recruited Esteban on drums and put out some really vile demo material!

Their first demo (a rehearsal from 1992), circulated only among the black metal elite, but it wasn't long before subsequent demos emerged (1993's La Majeste infernable and 1994's Resurrection...)that spread the band's infamy far and wide. This third demo was even released by cult Polish label Pagan Records. This was also an era where they recruited new members, beginning the trend of a rotating cast of musicians outside of the band's core.

This is 1994's Resurrection... demo in its entirety

While their star was rising in the early nineties, and the band was fairly prolific, all was not well in the band. Hellchrist Xul and Esteban didn't get along, and so the band temporarily broke up before even releasing a full-length album. Gorgoroth went on to form Liar of Golgotha (another Dutch black metal band that would go on to become successful), but eventually the members of Funeral Winds reconciled and regrouped. They then began preparing material for a full-length album.

But old grudges die hard, and it wasn't long before Gorgoroth was out of the band and Hellchrist had recruited a whole slew of new musicians who were all willing to add 'Xul' to their stage names (this is the band's hallmark---'Xul' is, I believe, an ancient Sumerian word for 'evil'). This new line-up was the one that recorded their debut album, 1998's Godslayer Xul.

"Thy Eternal Flame" comes from their debut album

In addition to their constantly rotating lineup, Funeral Winds was also known for truly epic live shows--replete with candles, fire breathing, and self-mutilation, all in the name of their Satanic beliefs. You see, Funeral Winds was a band that didn't just talk the talk, they walked the walk. The Satanism associated with black metal was a very real presence in the lives of these Dutch heavy metal maniacs.

But the years after the release of their debut full-length album were not easy ones. The revolving line-up became an issue for the band, and it was over four years before they were able to put out new material. In '03, they put out a split album, followed by their second full-length studio album in 2004, Koude haat.

Koude haat gives us "When the Funeral Winds

Cry For Revenge"

With a title that means "cold hate", their second album featured more of the angry, vile black metal from their earlier years. With a style that also takes its cues from old-school black/thrash, Funeral Winds is the kind of band that should appeal to all black metallers. Since Koude haat, FW has been consistent---but not as busy. While they have released two solid albums since then, they don't churn them out with regularity.

Their most recent release is 2018's Sinister Creed, and it's as punishing and violent as any FW album. I'd say it's angrier and more aggressive than much of their earlier work. Funeral Winds is definitely a band that should be in the rotation for all fans of true, no-frills black metal.

"The Road to Perdition"--from Sinister Creed--showcases Funeral Winds's style

Select Discography:

Rehearsal 1992 (demo) (1992)
La Majeste Infernable (demo) (1993)
Resurrection... (demo) (1994)

Thy Eternal Flame EP (1994)

Screaming for Grace (split with Abigail) (1995)

Godslayer Xul (full-length album) (1998)
For the Glory of Xul 12" (split with Inferi) (2003)

Koude haat (full-length album) (2004)
Nexion Xul - The Cursed Bloodline (full-length album) (2007)

Next time: JUDAS ISCARIOT

Bestial Summoning

Not known for its black metal, the Netherlands has nevertheless produced some really amazing bands. I absolutely love Unlord, for example, for their raw, in-your-face, blisteringly fast style, and Urfaust's recent work is otherworldly and transcendent while still remaining firmly within the black metal genre. But a lot of early Dutch black metal bands have flown under the radar and were really only known to hardcore fans or those who obsess over every facet of the genre. The highly influential BESTIAL SUMMONING, from the city of Venlo, is one such band.

Formed in 1990 by band members Conscicide, Sephiroth, and The Unsane, Bestial Summoning cited some of the darker and more evil elements of the 1980s black metal underground as their influences: Blasphemy, Sarcofago, Holocausto, and even the recently-formed Beherit. The Satanic bastards of Bestial Summoning were utterly devoted to creating nasty, raw, evil music in the black metal style.

In the early months of their existence, they jammed a few times and even had a few recorded rehearsals circulate as bootlegs. These are extremely difficult to find and I am only aware of one rehearsal ever making it onto a CD: the "Black Rites (Sinister Ritual)" rehearsal, which was a one-song rehearsal from 1990.

This is just a snippet of a 1990 jam session 

Bestial Summoning's rawness in their style was partially due to their DIY ethos--it is said that most of their music is the result of improvisation. After some other noteworthy rehearsal sessions (including one that eventually made it onto the 2008 split with Heretic, Splitting Skulls With Satan), Bestial Summoning put out a demo, Sodomistic Rituals, that quickly became well-known in the darkest circles of the black metal underground.

In its entirety, here is the 1991 demo

The waves that this demo made in the underground led to interest from some pretty noteworthy extreme metal labels, among them the Swedish label No Fashion. The members of Bestial Summoning personally knew the men of No Fashion Records, so that is who they chose to sign with. This led to the release of their one and only full-length album, The Dark War Has Begun.

Off of the full-length The Dark War Has Begun, this is "Victory is Ours"

By admission of the band themselves, their style was more controlled, less chaotic on their full-length album. They still relied heavily upon improvisation, but elements of structure were present in ways that simply were not there on the demo material. That said, Bestial Summoning's trademark rawness was still in full-force on Dark War. In early 1990s black metal,bands tended to polish their sound more and more as they emerged from the underground. This was simply not the case with Bestial Summoning.

They didn't last long after this full-length---just long enough for them to put out an official live tape (known as the "Live in Venray" tape), and for a couple of other bootlegs to surface. But by this time, their mark had been made. Their material has re-surfaced a couple of other times--most recently in the form of a 2008 compilation--thus showing how important they were in the underground.

Select Discography:

"Black Rites (Sinister Ritual)" (rehearsal track) (1990)

Sodomistic Rituals (demo) (1991)

The Dark War Has Begun (full-length) (1992)

Official Live Tape (Live in Venray) (1992)

Next time: EMINENZ