Mussorgski

As I've said many times before, black metal has a wide range of styles---it's so much more than Darkthrone/Burzum/Mayhem clones or brutal Beherit/Blasphemy imitators. One oft-overlooked subgenre that gets little respect is industrial black metal. In that regard, Poland's MUSSORGSKI is a true pioneer.

Formed in Poland in 1990, Mussorgski has always been--since its inception--driven by mainman Khorzon. Khorzon is mostly known for his work as the guitarist for the raw black metal band Arkona, but Mussorgski actually predates the formation of that band by  several years.

Khorzon, the man behind Mussorgski

In 1991, they released the Mussorgski/Nazichrist demo. Their sound on this demo can be characterized as raw and atmospheric in its use of harsh guitars, but with eerie and repetitive synths that give it that overall industrial feel. The next couple of years saw the recording of two additional demos, 1992's The Bath in the X-Rays and 1993's The Unholy Stories.

This version of "Ice In My Heart" is from the 1993 demo The Unholy Stories

1995 saw the release of Mussorgski's absolute masterpiece, In Harmony With the Universe. This is a ground-breaking work that--much like some of the work by Arcturus and Thorns--shows that black metal has much more porous boundaries than its fans will admit. The eerie, odd synths; the electronic beats; the cosmic aura.....all of these elements managed to give Mussorgski's magnum opus a creepy, harsh industrial edge to its black metal.

From 1995's In Harmony With The Universe,  this is "Victim"

Mussorgski didn't last long after the release of Harmony. Khorzon chose to focus his energies on Arkona (but resurrected Mussorgski in 2009). I think that the seeds for some truly epic sounds  had been sown. It would be hard to imagine some of today's so-called "cosmic black metal" bands--like Mesarthim, Progenie Terrestre Pure, or Alrakis--existing without the foundation laid by Mussorgski.

"Paradisum" is a recent Mussorgski song--from 2016's Creatio Cosmicam Bestiae

Select Discography: 

Mussorgski/Nazichrist (demo) (1991)

The Bath in the X-Rays (demo) (1992)

The Unholy Stories (demo) (1993)

In Harmony With the Universe (full-length) (1995)

Next time: BESTIAL WARLUST

Arcturus

One of black metal's more unique bands, ARCTURUS formed in 1990, predating the Norwegian explosion by a couple of years. They initially formed as an off-shoot of death metal band Mortem with the intention of creating a more atmospheric, eerie-sounding music. The initial line-up featured some of the Norwegian scene's more well-known musicians: Hellhammer (of Mayhem fame), Sverd (later of Ulver and Covenant), and Marius Vold (of Thorns). 

Their first release was the 1991 single "My Angel". The title track showcased the eerie, atmospheric vibe that Arcturus were striving for. At the time, it didn't really resemble anything else in the Norwegian scene, but it still had a strongly occultic feel to it.

This is 1991's "My Angel"

Some major line-up changes happened not too long after the release of the "My Angel" single. Marius left the band, and Sverd decided to switch over to keyboards/synths. As a result, they soon recruited Samoth (guitarist from Emperor) and Garm (from Ulver) on vocals. Newly reinvigorated with this line-up, they released the Constellation EP in 1993.

"Du Nordavind" is a classic track off of Constellation

This EP expanded on their earlier sound in a rather noteworthy way. With a cold, unforgiving  guitar sound to complement the creepy synths, Arcturus entered into new territory for black metal. Their style was strongly atmospheric in a way few bands had been.

After some additional line-up changes the following year, Arcturus set about recording their first full-length album: 1995's Aspera Hiems Symfonia. With a title that translates from Latin as "harsh winter symphony," Aspera is one of the absolute classics of Norwegian black metal.

"Wintry Grey" may very well be Arcturus's best song

Aspera Hiems Symfonia takes black metal in a different direction. By the time of its release, the Norwegian black metal boom was in full swing,  and all of the features associated with black metal were well-established: tremolo picking, lo-fi production values, screeching vocals, etc. However, Aspera didn't aspire to these stylistic norms: clean vocals, epic symphonic passages, and varied tempos abounded. It is a darkly beautiful album that transcends the label 'black metal'.

Aspera Hiems Symfonia marked an important transition for Arcturus. The seeds for a more avant-garde direction, one not bound by genre labels, had been sown. 1997's La Masquerade Infernale was a radical departure from black metal, but with an eerie, haunting atmosphere all its own. And since that album, Arcturus has continued to challenge people's ideas of what extreme metal is capable of.

"Chaos Path" is very representative of the avant-garde sound of Masquerade Infernale

Select Discography:

"My Angel" (single) (1991)

Constellation EP (1993)

Aspera Hiems Symfonia (full-length) (1995)

Next time: INQUISITION