Agatus

 

Once again, we return to Greece to explore the incredible hellenic black metal scene. Ranking up there with excellent mid-tier Greek bands like Zemial and Deviser is AGATUS, hailing from Athens.

Where Zemial was the brainchild of Archon Vorskaath with Eskarth the Dark One as a supporting musician, Agatus was the reverse. Formed in 1991, Agatus burst onto the scene with a folk-inspired demo in 1993, A Night of the Dark Ages.

Here is the entire A Night of the Dark Ages demo

With carefully placed synths, this demo had a sound that wasn't entirely hellenic, yet still bore some resemblance to what other Greek bands were doing (some similarities to Deviser, perhaps?). Some of Varathron's mid-paced songs are sometimes cited as a point of reference.

Like any good demo, Dark Ages opened doors for the band. They were pursued by record labels and soon entered the studio in 1994 to record their first full-length album. The immediate result was a two song promo entitled Black Moon.

"Black Moon's Blood" comes from their 1996 debut album

1994 was also the year the two brothers relocated to Australia. This relocation was one of the factors that delayed the release of their first full-length studio album. Although it was recorded in 1994 (and gave birth to the above-mentioned promotional demo), it was 1996 that finally saw the album's release. 

Dawn of Martyrdom continued the medieval-influenced black metal of the first demo. Like some other great Greek black metal albums of this era (think Wizard of Nerath or Unspeakable Cults), Dawn showcased creative use of synths and thrash-like riffing. It is an album that should be in the rotation of any true black metal fan.

Here is 1997's Rite of Metamorphosis

Almost immediately after the release of Dawn, the band recorded the 7-inch EP Rite of Metamorphosis. A strong continuation of the band's style from the full-length debut, this EP was released in limited number and is hard to find even to this day. 

The band's second full-length album (2002's The Weaving Fates) featured a more nuanced sound: riffing derived from melodic death metal and clean vocals abounded. Yet, it was still more in the black metal vein, and clearly resembled Agatus's earlier work.

The Weaving Fates gives us "Era of Tiamat"

Since the release of Fates, the band has been less active. They "remained dormant" (Eskarth the Dark One's words) for several years until some unique touring opportunities arose. Following this, they became active again in the 2010s.

All in all, their early work is classic second-wave black metal that is crucial for the development of the hellenic sound. Any fan of Deviser, Zemial, or Nergal needs to know this band. 

Select Discography:

Rehearsal '92 (rehearsal demo) (1992)

A Night of the Dark Ages (demo) (1993)

Black Moon (demo) (1994)

Dawn of Martyrdom (full-length) (1996)

Rite of Metamorphosis 7" (1997)

The Weaving Fates (full-length) (2002)

Next time: BAXAXAXA

Nergal

 

For our next band, we return to the land of Hellas, home of some of the world's best black metal. NERGAL, from the city of Piraeus, stands as one of Greece's elite and a purveyor of some truly fantastic black metal.

Formed around 1989, Nergal burst on to the scene as Greek black metal was really coming into its own: Rotting Christ had completed the transition to black metal from grindcore, and Necromantia and Varathron had put out truly cult-worthy demos. Into the mix came some rather unremarkable self-released demos from Nergal in '90 and '91. By the time of their titled demos, including 1992's In the Name of Nergal and 1993's The Talisman of Kioutha, Nergal had begun to carve out a niche for themselves.

This is The Talisman of Kioutha demo

With a dark, mystical aura, and a focus on more rhythmic and melodic guitar patterns,  Nergal put their own spin on what we now call hellenic black metal. Lyrically, Nergal was obsessed with evil and the occult, and their songs were constructed with this atmosphere in mind.

In 1993 came the De Vermis Mysteriis EP, which is when the world black metal scene really started paying attention to them. Composed of only four songs (including an intro and an outro), Nergal's style really shone forth on this release: the midpaced riffing, eerily gothic synths, and bass-heavy production helped set them apart from a Greek scene that was awash with poseurs.

In its entirety, here is 1993's De Vermis Mysteriis

After a split release with fellow countrymen Funeral Urn the following year, Nergal entered the studio and composed their masterpiece: the full-length gem The Wizard of Nerath. A unique release, Nerath managed to combine a trebly, necro guitar sound that clearly owes at least a partial debt to Scandinavian black metal, with a penchant for Hellenic black metal-style rhythms and atmospheric synths. While not quite on the level of His Majesty at the Swamp or Non Serviam, Nerath does easily hold its own with For the Glory of Ur or Unspeakable Cults.

From The Wizard of Nerath, this is "My Soul, Blood Will Be Dripping"

Nergal was on track to become of Hellas's black metal elite after the release of Nerath. And yet it was over a decade before they put out its follow-up. One of the things that allegedly put a damper on their music-making activities was harassment from the Greek authorities for the promotion of evil and Satanism in their music.

Whatever the case, Nergal has put out some really thought-provoking hellenic black metal in recent years: 2017's  Νυκτα Γεματη Θαματα - Νυκτα Σπαρμενη Μαγια is a fantastic addition to the canon of cult-worthy Greek black metal albums.

Select Discography: 

Promo '90  (demo) (1990)

Demo 1991 (demo) (1991)

In the Name of Nergal (demo) (1992)

The Middle Ages Return 7" (1993)

The Talisman of Kioutha (demo) (1993)

De Vermis Mysteriis EP (1993)

Magie Cérémonielle (split with Funeral Urn) (1994)

The Wizard of Nerath (full-length album) (1995)

Next time: ARGENTUM