In the Woods...

 

Norwegian band IN THE WOODS... represents a unique chapter in the history of black metal. Their style in the late nineties was like almost no one else in the Norwegian scene, and they have unique connections to other crucial black metal bands at the same time. 

ITW formed from the ashes of death metal band Green Carnation in 1991 when band member Tchort went to join Emperor on bass. Green Carnation dissolved and remaining members Anders, Christian, and Christopher formed ITW--recruiting Oddvar and Jan along the way--as an outlet for their nascent black metal sound. Their first demo in 1993 was a raw piece of black metal that didn't do too much to stand out from the pack.

Here is the '93 demo in full

Shortly after the release of that demo, ITW entered the studio with the goal of releasing a second demo. This demo--1994's Isle of Men--was essentially the first demo re-recorded. The sound quality was improved, but this was still the same music: a somewhat raw, midpaced black metal.

This is the 1994 version of "Tell de døde", from the Isle of Men demo

The Isle of Men demo in 1994 proved to be a pretty well-received demo in the black metal underground. It has been reissued by several different record labels as a CD, most recently by Soulseller Records. It is pretty easy to find these days, if you're interested in acquiring a copy.

That said, ITW began pushing the boundaries of their music after the release of Isle of Men. The midpaced black metal sound on their demos eventually gave way to a melodic and progressive folk-influenced style on their first full-length album, 1995's Heart of the Ages. With a sound that reminds the listener of Isengard and older Arcturus, all wrapped up in an atmospheric package, there really was nothing like it in the Norwegian scene at the time of its release.

"...in the woods" is probably the most traditionally black metal song off of Heart of the Ages

Now calling their music 'pagan metal'--despite not having all of the hallmarks of that genre--ITW had really made their mark on the Norwegian scene, and by extension, global black metal. If they had called it a day after releasing this album, they'd still be a noteworthy chapter in the history of black metal. But in this first phase of their existence (they broke up in 2000), they put out two more albums that revolutionized extreme metal.

On 1997's Omnio, they moved away from black metal, but kept a dark, moody aura to their music. With epic, progressive passages painted over a doom-y riffing style, Omnio is a hard album to characterize. Not really like any kind of traditional black metal, fans of modern-day atmospheric and epic black metal like Saor, Aquilus, or Agalloch might find themselves at home on this album.

From 1997's Omnio, this is "Weeping Willow"

On 1999's Strange in Stereo, they moved even further away from traditional black metal. Still possessing the dark, moody atmosphere from Omnio, their music reminds the listener of old-school gothic rock bands like Bauhaus at times. Strange in Stereo is an odd album--one whose name is very apt. This is an album that further alienated hardcore black metal fans, but brought in a whole new audience of open-minded listeners.

"Closing In" is the opening track from Strange in Stereo

But all was not well in the world of ITW. The band members could not agree on the direction to take the band, and these musical differences would prove fatal to the band. In the Woods... broke up in the year 2000 (In the Woods...did get back together in the 2010s, but their music was more in the doom-death vein than it was black metal). But as fortune would have it, some of the band members had recently reconciled with Tchort, and Green Carnation was re-formed as a result. If you listen to the Green Carnation albums from the early 2000s, you can hear some similarities with what ITW was doing on Omnio and Strange. Check out "Light of Day, Day of Darkness," below, to see what I mean.

Select Discography:

Rehearsal (demo) (1993)

Isle of Men (demo) (1994)

Heart of the Ages (full-length album) (1995)

Omnio (full-length album) (1997)

Strange in Stereo (full-length album) (1999)

Next time: IMMORTAL

Summon

One of my favorite American black metal bands, SUMMON emerged as part of the very fruitful late 1980s Midwest extreme metal scene. Lucifer's Hammer is one band I've already mentioned from that scene (in my post on late 80s American black metal), and that band shared some members with Summon (I know vocalist/guitarist Xaphan was in both bands, for example).

Hailing from Lansing, Michigan, Summon was formed by Necromodeus and Xaphan in 1991. Upon formation , their initial sound was a black metal infused with a death metal aesthetic--imagine Incantation writing old-school black metal. However, they only managed to release one demo (1992's Devourer of Souls) before putting the band on hold in order to focus on their work with up-and-coming band Masochist.

Here is the 1992 demo in full

Only Necromodeus was present in Masochist from their inception (I think Xaphan was still with Lucifer's Hammer), but Xaphan joined close to the end of that band's career. Masochist also had rising USBM star Tchort on the roster. Tchort is primarily known as the mastermind behind cult band Wind of the Black Mountains (more on that group at a later date).

"Feast of the Goat" is from Masochist's 1993 demo

Masochist played a vicious, apocalyptic-sounding black metal that owed a debt to both death and thrash metal. As an example, listen to the above song, taken from their 1993 demo Frost of the Diabolical Forest. From the years 1992-1994, the band recorded a slew of well-received demos and EPs in this style. While hard to find, much of that material was recently released by Moribund Records as the compilation album History. In 1995, Masochist came to an end. The members of the band had other projects they wanted to focus on. Necromodeus, Xaphan, and Supmur revived Summon, and Tchort wanted to put his energy into Wind of the Black Mountains--a band that was fast rising in the USBM underground.

"Fuck Your God" is the title track from Masochist's 1994 seven-inch EP

Summon--as a three-piece--quickly got down to business. They announced their return to the world of black metal by self-releasing the cassette-only album Fire Turns Everything Black in 1995 (it was re-released by Grinding Piece Records in '96). 

Here is Fire Turns Everything Black in its entirety

Much had changed in Summon's sound since their first demo. The death metal influence was still there, sure, but the production, vocals, and overall sound was more on the black-thrash end of the spectrum (this does make sense, given that the band had cited old school masters like Venom, Bathory, Destruction, and Kreator as inspiration).

Summon's 1997 album is Dark Descent of Fallen Souls

And this would be the template for the future of Summon's style: furiously fast tremolo picked riffs usually laid over a thrash metal pace, with a drum sound that is reminiscent of aggressive black metal, paired with Satanic lyrics delivered in a screeched voice. Fans of traditional black-thrash, aggressive thrash metal, and well-produced black metal will definitely like what Summon has to offer.

From 2000's Baptized by Fire, this is "Visions of Apocalyptic Grace"

Over the course of several albums released in the late 90s and early 2000s, Summon perfected their style. I would argue that they peaked on 2002's And the Blood Runs Black. This album contains many Summon songs from previous albums, but absolutely honed to perfection. The crisp production complements the thrash-influenced black metal well, and it is my favorite album of theirs.

The title track fromAnd the Blood Runs Black

After 2002's Blood, they put out a good (but not brilliant) follow-up with 2005's Fallen. It was a well-executed slab of thrashing black metal, and enjoyable to listen to. But, alas, change was in the wind in the world of Summon.

"Blood Red Skies" is from 2005's Fallen

Xaphan departed the band in 2006 (he had other projects he was more passionate about pursuing, I believe) and so the band decided to go on hiatus. Things ended on good terms, so a few years later (2009, I think), Summon re-formed with the intention of being a fully functional band--new material and all. A few years after re-forming, Xaphan left the band for good after having a fallout with Necromodeus. I'm not sure of their status today.

Select Discography:

Summon: 

Devourer of Souls (demo) (1992)

Fire Turns Everything Black (demo) (1995)

Rehearsal Tape '96 (demo) (1996)

Dark Descent of Fallen Souls(full-length album) (1997)
Promo Tape (demo) (1998)

Baptized by Fire (full-length album) (2000)
No Thoughts from the Sky (full-length album) (2001)

And the Blood Runs Black (full-length album) (2002)
Fallen (full-length album) (2005)


Masochist:

The Satanic Baptism (demo) 1992

Feast of the Goat (demo) (1992)

Frost of the Diabolical Forest (demo) (1993)
Sucking the Tongue of the Ancient One (demo) (1994)
Fuck Your God 7" (1994)
Nocturnal Practices (demo) (1995)

Next time: NEBIRAS AND BIRTH OF MALAYSIAN BLACK METAL

Carpathian Forest

Although they didn't really become well-known on the international scene until the later 90s, and therefore are not always associated with the initial wave of 90s Norwegian black metal, CARPATHIAN FOREST has been around in one form or another since 1990. From near the city of Kristiansand, they got their start under the name Enthrone, playing a primitive brand of extreme metal that owed a lot to the black and death metal of the 1980s.

Here is Enthrone's Black Winds demo in its entirety

Founded by Nattefrost and Nordavind (who initially went by different pseudonyms) Enthrone managed to self-release one demo, Black Winds, in 1991. By 1992, they had changed their name to Carpathian Forest and recruited Damnatus and Lord Blackmangler to round out the band (near as I can tell, these two didn't do much else in the Norwegian metal scene). During this time period, members of the band had also become involved in some of the happenings surrounding Norway's elite Inner Circle of black metal. But the real turning point of this era of the band's existence was their 1992 demo, Bloodlust and Perversion.

In its entirety, here is the Bloodlust and Perversion demo

A true gem of early 90s Norwegian black metal, Bloodlust and Perversion has taken its place among other classic black metal demos (right up there with Emperor's Wrath of the Tyrant and Satyricon's The Forest is My Throne). It had a dark, old school sound that had less of the necro, trebly guitar associated with early 90s black metal and more of an almost death metal feel to it. It is raw and brutal while remaining true to the black metal ethos.

This demo--and its 1993 successor, Journey Through the Cold Moors of Svarttjern--made Carpathian Forest a key addition to the swelling ranks of Norway's black metal elite. But it still took them a while to release their debut album. They signed with Italian label Avantgarde Music and recorded their debut, 1995's Through Chasm, Caves, and Titan Woods.

"The Pale Mist Hovers Toward the Nightly Shores" is probably my all-time favorite Carpathian Forest track

Through Chasm..., although only an EP and not a full-length release, is a solid entry into the Norwegian black metal canon. In addition to solid riffing that draws on Norwegian masters like Burzum, Mayhem, and Darkthrone, the songs on Through Chasm... also have a bit of a black-thrash aura to them. One thing that also set CF apart from many of the early Norwegian masters was that they managed to incorporate dark synth playing without taking the full symphonic black metal plunge.

Not the most active of bands when it came to interacting with the media, CF didn't give interviews during these years (word is that Nordavind was opposed to it). So it appeared to many that the band was inactive while they were really just laying low, writing music. They finally broke their silence with their first full-length studio album, 1998's Black Shining Leather.

This is the title track from Black Shining Leather

A fantastic album, Black Shining Leather continues the raw, thrash-influenced style of Chasm but in a more mature way. Additionally, the production was heartier, more robust, with a stronger sound in the bass. That being said, this was still a solid offering that fit squarely in the Norwegian pantheon of classic black metal albums.

Around this time period, founding member Nordavind left Carpathian Forest over differences of opinion with Nattefrost. Nordavind wanted to maintain an elitist, underground ethos: no interviews, no live shows, etc. But Nattefrost wanted the band to grow and build off of the momentum set in motion by the release of Black Shining Leather.

"Mask of the Slave"is from 2000's Strange Old Brew

Carpathian Forest--without Nordavind in the roster--then went on to do something often unheard of in metal: they recorded two albums at the same time. The first of these albums, Strange Old Brew, contained songs written in the early nineties and was released in late 2000. The second of these albums, Morbid Fascination of Death, contained material written after the recordings of Black Shining Leather and was released in early 2001.

Here is the title track from 2001's Morbid Fascination of Death

Both of these albums showed Carpathian Forest at their most sinister. The raw, evil sound of their earlier work was present, and the influence of old-school thrash metal was clear as day. Some songs even had an almost Hellhammer/Celtic Frost vibe to them---which makes sense, given that CF has long cited those Swiss maniacs as an influence.

Since those albums, Carpathian Forest has never let up. In a day and age where most of the old-school Norwegian black metal masters have evolved beyond traditional black metal, or called it quits, CF can be counted on to keep flying the flag for true black metal.

Select Discography:

Bloodlust and Perversion (demo) (1992)

Journey Through the Cold Moors of Svarttjern (demo) (1993)

Through Chasm, Caves, and Titan Wood EP (1995)

Black Shining Leather (full-length album) (1998)

Strange Old Brew (full-length album) (2000)

Morbid Fascination of Death (full-length album) (2001)
Live at Inferno (live album) (2001)
Defending the Throne of Evil (full-length album) (2003)
Fuck You All!!!! - Caput Tuum in Ano Est (full-length album) (2006)

Next time: BLACK CRUCIFIXION

Emperor

By 1991-1992, the Norwegian black metal boom of the second wave was in full swing. While some bands date to the 1980s (Mayhem, Darkthrone, Thorns) and others formed in 1990 or 1991 and were becoming more widely known (Immortal, Burzum, Arcturus), some bands didn't form until 1991 or 1992, and therefore were--relatively speaking--'latecomers' to the scene. The almighty EMPEROR could (loosely) be characterized as such a band.

As stated in my entry on the pre-boom Norwegian scene, the core of Emperor centered around members of the recently-disbanded Thou Shalt Suffer. Thou Shalt Suffer was, as mentioned earlier, more on the death metal side of extreme metal than black metal, but they still centered around occultic, evil themes, and had a blackened aura. Samoth and Ihsahn had started crafting black metal compositions in their last few months in Thou Shalt Suffer, and had soon recruited Mortiis on bass.

An early band photo, from 1992

This trio set about writing material that soon would become their 1992 demo Wrath of the Tyrant. Featuring a raw sound very dissimilar to what they would later become known for, this is one of the essential demos of second wave Norwegian black metal. Yet at the same time, it was not a clone of what bands like Mayhem or Burzum or Darkthrone were doing.

"Moon Over Kara-Shehr"is from that 1992 demo

This demo really caught the attention of metalheads worldwide. They were courted by many labels, but ended up signing with the fledgling label Candlelight Records. Having recently recruited Bard "Faust" Eithun on drums, they put out another epic release, their 1993 self-titled EP. This EP was also released as a split album with Enslaved's Hordane's Land EP the same year. This proved to be hugely influential in the black metal scene. Emperor's sound really stood out from the black metal masses on this release: their use of focused keyboards to enhance the music gave the EP an almost mystical feel.

Their self-titled EP gave us "Night of the Graveless Souls"

With this EP, Emperor was now considered one of Norway's black metal elite. They were being mentioned in the same breath as Burzum, Mayhem, and Immortal. Their newfound success that resulted from the self-titled EP led to more opportunities. After replacing Mortiis on bass with Tchort, Emperor was given the opportunity to tour the UK with up-and-comers Cradle of Filth (who were themselves on the cusp of releasing their first full-length album). This helped spread the Emperor name far and wide.

The opening track of Emperor's now-legendary In the Nightside Eclipse

Following this tour, Emperor entered the studio to record their first actual full-length album. The result--1994's In the Nightside Eclipse--is one of the ultimate masterpieces of all black metal. One of the earliest efforts of symphonic black metal, Emperor's use of synths on this album truly enhanced the music, carrying the dark, mystical atmosphere of their earlier work to new heights. Simply listen to "Into the Infinity of Thoughts" (above) to hear how epic the synths complement the metal. This album was truly a game-changer. To my ears, every symphonic black metal release since Eclipse owes at least a partial debt to Emperor.

However, all was not well in the world of Emperor. As the activities of Norway's black metal Inner Circle drew attention to the scene--and not in a good way--the deeds of the musicians caught up to them. Samoth, for example, was implicated in several church burnings and imprisoned for a few years. As the main composer for the band, this put Emperor in a tough spot. At the same time, Tchort was imprisoned for assault and Faust went to jail for a very highly-publicized murder he committed in 1992. This left Ihsahn as the sole member of the band not in prison.

Here is the music video for Emperor's "The Loss and Curse of Reverence"

Samoth was released from prison a few years later, and Emperor resumed their musical activities with newly-recruited drummer Trym Torson (formerly of Enslaved). They quickly reminded the world of their epic style with releases such as the Reverence EP in March of 1997 and their second full-length album Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk in May of 1997. These albums highlighted a new sound for the band. Taking the symphonic darkness of Eclipse in a more progressive direction, Anthems is one of the most well-received albums in black metal history.

The late 1990s saw Emperor basically becoming the face of Norwegian black metal. They also worked on expanding the boundaries of the genre. In 1999, for example, they released a collaboration with Snorre Ruch's Thorns (Thorns vs. Emperor) that featured an excellent cover of Thorns's classic track "Aerie Descent".

This is Emperor's cover of "Aerie Descent"

1999 also saw the release of Emperor's third full-length, IX Equilibrium. This album can be seen as a continuation of the slightly more progressive stylings of Anthems. Emperor had also begun to incorporate clean singing and at times, the influence of death metal could be heard. Their next--and final--studio album (2001's Prometheus: Discipline of Fire and Demise) featured more of the same.

My favorite track from IX Equilibrium, "Decrystallizing Reason"

In the wake of the release of Prometheus, Emperor disbanded. The members of the band simply had different musical visions and wanted to pursue new projects. Ihsahn has since gone on to a self-titled solo project, as well as being a member of bands Peccatum and Hardingrock. Samoth focused his energy primarily on black/death metal band Zyklon, along with Trym.

Emperor has re-formed a couple of times since their initial disbanding, and has played several well-received tours and live shows. In my opinion, Emperor will go down in history as one of the greatest black metal bands ever. Period.

Select Discography: 

Wrath of the Tyrant (demo) (1992)

Emperor EP (1993)

In the Nightside Eclipse (full-length album) (1994)

As the Shadows Rise EP (1994)

Reverence EP (1997)

Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk (full-length album) (1997)

IX Equilibrium (full-length) (1999)

Thorns vs. Emperor (split album with Thorns) (1999)

Emperial Live Ceremony (live album) (2000)

Prometheus: Discipline of Fire and Demise (full-length album) (2001)

Next time: DEIPHAGO