Shub Niggurath

Starting out as Tormentor in 1988 before changing their name to SHUB NIGGURATH in 1990, this Mexico City band played a brutal occult-sounding black/death metal that is not for the faint of heart.  Taking their name from Lovecraftian lore, the madmen of Shub Niggurath cited Morbid Angel, Terrorizer, and Master as influences.  And it is definitely not hard to hear these influences on their first demo, 1990's Horror Creatures.

The title track from Horror Creatures

In the early nineties, Shub Niggurath wasn't extremely prolific in terms of releases, but they became one of the most well-known faces of Mexican extreme metal on the world stage.  With EP's such as 1991's Unknown Adorer, 1992's Blasphemies of Nether World, and 1994's Evilness and Darkness Prevails, you can hear their black/death sound maturing.  It's still more heavily indebted to death metal than black (heavy on the Morbid Angel worship!), but worth listening to nonetheless.

"Zatanazombie" is from Evilness and Darkness Prevails

Shub Niggurath's first phase came to an end with the release of their 1997 album, The Kinglike Celebration (Final Aeon on Earth).  This album marked a definite shift in sound.  While the death metal influence was still clear as day, the band's sound now resembled some other black/death bands more clearly than it used to (Angelcorpse springs to mind).  The production was clearer and less old-school, and this alienated some fans.  However, I think this album is probably the one that fans of old-school black metal would enjoy the most.  Shub Niggurath never played by anyone else's rules, that's for sure.

"...From the Stars, Nyarlathotep" is off of the 1997 album in question

Select Discography:
Horror Creatures (demo) (1990)
Unknown Adorer EP (1991)
Blasphemies of the Netherworld EP (1992)
The Black Goatlike Arise (demo) (1993)
Evilness and Darkness Prevails (demo) (1994)
The Kinglike Celebration (Final Aeon on Earth) (full-length) (1997)

NEXT TIME: ZEMIAL

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