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

Behemoth

Behemoth's classic 1994 demo, ...From the Pagan Vastlands

One could argue that in addition to Graveland, the mighty BEHEMOTH--hailing from Gdańsk--is the most important Polish black metal band of the early second wave. It is no secret that they are one of the biggest metal bands in the world right now, but they are predominantly known for their blackened death metal more than straightforward black metal. Their early years, however, saw them hone a rawer, more necro black metal style that had a particularly sinister edge to it---a far cry from their sound today.

Formed as Baphomet in 1991 by Holocausto and Sodomizer (born Adam Darski and Adam Muraszko, respectively--both of whom would later change their stage names to Nergal and Baal Ravenlock), the band soon realized that there was a glut of 'Baphomets' in the extreme metal underground. They quickly changed their name to 'Behemoth'. The band members still in their teens, they managed to cobble together a raw, unpolished demo in the form of Endless Damnation. This demo--as well as their 1993 follow-up, Return  of the Northern Moon--featured a stripped-down, no frills style of black metal that resembled the Norwegian scene more than anything in Poland.

"Rise of the Blackstorm of Evil" is from that 1993 demo

It was their 1994 demo, however, that really put them on the map. ...From the Pagan Vastlands marked a serious step forward in terms of musicianship and quality. Still retaining that raw, necro edge that the first two demos had, it cleaned up the sound a little bit while crafting songs that were clearly indebted to the now-thriving Nordic scene. This, coupled with a wider release, courtesy of upstart label Pagan Records, made Behemoth the new face of true Polish black metal.

"Thy Winter Kingdom" is a classic track off of 1994's Pagan Vastlands

While this demo opened doors and created opportunities for Behemoth, it also marked the beginning of a shift. Whereas the Polish scene--like many other early black metal scenes--had been somewhat incestuous up to this point (with members of many different bands playing on each other's demos and playing live in each other's bands at early shows), now different camps began to form. Rob Darken and his peers in Graveland began to insist on an ideological purity in their brand of pagan, ethno-nationalist black metal, but Nergal and Behemoth had decided to distance themselves from this type of thinking. To Behemoth, Slavic paganism only made sense in the context of Satanism's war against Christianity.

Behemoth's first full-fledged studio release was an EP--late 1994's ...And the Forests Dream Eternally--and it saw them solidify the musical direction of the demo. But it was 1995's mighty Sventevith (Storming Near the Baltic) that truly heralded the arrival of something special. This was a full-length album that not only owed an immense sonic debt to Norway, but also showed masterful originality. The creative incorporation of symphonic elements--thanks to synth player Demonius--gave these songs a new mystical aura to them. One can hear the influence of Dimmu Borgir and Emperor, yes, but these Poles managed to put their own spin on it.

Sventevith gives us this great song, "From the Pagan Vastlands"

After the success of this awesome full-length album, the next few years saw some rather exciting developments for Behemoth. The follow-up to Sventevith was 1996's epic Grom. An album that sought to expand what Behemoth had done before, Grom was characterized by a crisper, cleaner guitar sound that showed the influence of death metal (courtesy of newly added guitarist Les, of Polish death metal band Damnation), as well as variations in tempo and rhythm that were not common in Norwegian black metal at the time.

My favorite track off of 1996's Grom is "Thou Shalt Forever Win"

Yet more changes were in store. Long-time member and founder Baal Ravenlock left the band and was replaced on drums by death metal prodigy Inferno. This has had a huge impact on the direction of Behemoth's evolution. Inferno is a technical wizard on the drums, and as a result, there are no limits to what Behemoth is capable of---technically-speaking. This lead to the release of 1998's masterful Pandemonic Incantations, which showcased a sound that drew on Behemoth's black metal roots while incorporating some more technical and death metal elements. It is--with good reason--one of Behemoth's most critically acclaimed albums.

"With Spell of Inferno" highlights Behemoth's more death metal-influenced sound from Pandemonic Incantations

Since the recruitment of Inferno, Behemoth has continued to carve a very unique and fruitful path. The have a death-influenced style that is heavy on the black metal elements, yet it really doesn't resemble too many other bands out their. With the additional recruitment of bassist Orion and Nergal's lyrical exploration of his complex Satanist personal philosophy, Behemoth has crafted a niche for themselves that no one else can fill.

2004's brilliant Demigod gives us "Conquer All"

"Chant for Ezkaton"--one of their best-known blackened death metal songs--is here performed live

Select Discography:

Endless Damnation (demo) (1992)

The Return of the Northern Moon (demo) (1993)

...From the Pagan Vastlands (demo) (1994)
And the Forests Dream Eternally EP (1994)

Sventevith (Storming Near the Baltic) (full-length album) (1995)

Grom (full-length album) (1996)

Bewitching the Pomerania EP (1997)

Pandemonic Incantations (full-length album) (1998)

Satanica (full-length album) (1999)

Thelema.6 (full-length album) (2000)

Zos Kia Cultus (full-length album) (2002)

Demigod (full-length album) (2004)

Next time: PRIMORDIAL