Schizo, Death SS, and Italy's early black metal underground

In 1980s Italy, it wasn't just Necrodeath and Bulldozer making waves with raw black/thrash.  The Sicilian band SCHIZO was also becoming known for blackened thrash in the old-school vein.  Formed in 1984 in the city of Catania, their style leaned a little more toward heavy thrash than did those other two giants of Italian black/thrash.  But make no mistake, it was still an old school black/thrash.

Off of the 1986 demo Total Schizophrenia

With demos such as 1985's Thrash the Unthrashable - Thrash to Kill!, 1986's Total Schizophrenia, and 1987's Main Frame Collapse, Schizo's black/thrash sound spread far and wide in the metal underground.  Then in 1989, they released the cult album Main Frame Collapse (not the same as the demo, obviously).

From 1989's Main Frame Collapse

Schizo continued releasing albums into the 1990s, but (inexplicably) never really became as widely known as Necrodeath.  They are still around to this day, putting out albums.  Their most recent, 2010's Hallucinating Cramps, is more straightforward thrash (think later Sodom or Destruction) than black/thrash.

Select Discography

Thrash the Unthrashable - Thrash to Kill!!! (demo) (1985)

Rehearsal (demo) (1986)

Total Schizophrenia (demo) (1987)

Main Frame Collapse (demo) (1987)

Main Frame Collapse (full-length album)  (1989)

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Pescara's REQUIEM started out as an occult-obsessed blackened/doom metal band before gradually becoming a progressive-sounding doom metal band.  They put out some very hard to find demos--1986's Nunc et Semper and 1987's Per Aspera--before releasing studio albums such as 1988's Ex Voto EP and 1990's Via Crucis.  By the time of those albums, the shift away from black metal was very noticeable.  The band broke up in 1995, with some members going on to form the doom metal band The Black.

This is off of the 1986 demo, Nunc et Semper

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The Hellhammer-influenced BLACK PROPHECIES formed in 1988.  Coming from the area near Genoa, their style was really raw and primitive.  Their first demo, 1988's Azathoth, was really vile-sounding with awful production--in other words, perfect visceral old-school black metal.  After that initial demo, they only put out two other demos before breaking up.

"Mass of the Undead" is from their first demo

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While Italy's scene in the 1980s had other noteworthy bands--like INFERNALIA, CENOTAPH, POSTRIBULUM, and FUNERAL ORATION--there have been a few old-school black metal bands that went on to international renown.  I will make separate entries for bands like Opera IX, Winged, and Sinoath at a later date.  But as a final note on this entry on the early Italian scene, I have to mention DEATH SS.  They're one of those bands that is definitely extreme metal, but don't really fall into one genre or another.

Death SS--from the city of Pesaro--formed in 1977.  They performed a brand a music that might properly be called occult-themed horror metal.  With their early releases (1981's Horned God of the Witches demo, 1982's "Zombie/Terror" and "Night of the Witch" singles, 1983's "Profanation" single, and the 1983 Evil Metal EP), one can hear the influence of all the heavy metal and hard rock pioneers of the seventies like Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, Kiss, and Alice Cooper.  Their methodical, almost doom-like music featured a raw guitar sound, and vocals that were primal yet not screeched.

The demo track "Terror" from 1981

The band members adopted stage names that were drawn from horror and the occult, such as The Death, The Vampire, The Mummy, The Zombie, and The Werewolf.  Their lyrical content was--not surprisingly--heavy on evil, Satanism, the occult, and horror movies.  Some of the members were actual Crowleyans (members of OTO), and this clearly influenced their song-writing.

"Chains of Death" is from their 1983 EP, Evil Metal

To my mind, the sound of Death SS changed somewhat with their first two proper studio albums.  On 1988's In Death of Steve Sylvester and (to a greater degree) on 1989's Black Mass, their sound became less steeped in the seventies styles of the above-mentioned bands, and began to resemble the extreme metal sounds of the 1980s, like speed and thrash metal.  In this regard, one could consider these two albums (especially Black Mass) important releases in the history of old-school black metal.  In the 1990s, Death SS shifted styles away from an old-school occult/black/speed metal to something with a heavy electronic/industrial feel to it.

From the outstanding album, 1989's Black Mass

Select Discography

The Horned God of the Witches (demo) (1981)

"Zombie/Terror" (single) (1982)

"Night of the Witch" (single) (1982)

"Profanation" (single) (1983)

Evil Metal EP (1983)

The Story of Death SS Vol. 2 (demo/compilation) (1987)

In Death of Steve Sylvester (full-length album)  (1988)

Black Mass  (full-length album)  (1989)

Next time: ROOT

Satan's Host

A classic 1980s picture of Satan's Host

American band SATAN'S HOST took almost the opposite trajectory that Kat did.  Whereas Kat went from a more black metal sound to a thrash metal sound, Satan's Host started with a melodic thrash/power metal sound and eventually became a black/death metal band.  Their initial style was a combination of speed metal, traditional heavy metal, and thrash.  They were very overtly Satanic in their lyrical content, and much like Mercyful Fate, they made up in atmosphere what they lacked in black and death metal style.

The title track off of their first album

Satan's Host released Metal From Hell in 1986.  Notorious for its inconsistent production, this is by no means a straightforward black metal album.  The riffing bears some resemblance (but not much) to 1980s black metal, and the vocals are old-school clean singing.  But again, it's the atmosphere which gives this a vaguely black metal feel to it.  For comparison, here is more recent Satan's Host having re-recorded the song "Metal From Hell":

Much more black metal, yes?

After 1986's Metal From Hell, Satan's Host recorded an album that was supposed to be released in 1987, entitled Midnight Wind.  This album was never officially released and is pretty much only available in bootleg form.  It even included a cover of The Animals' "House of the Rising Sun," interestingly enough.

"Witches Return", off of the unreleased Midnight Wind album

After the recording of Midnight Wind, the band broke up.  They reformed in 1999 with a much more aggressive, black/death style.  They are currently signed to Moribund Records and churn out some very good stuff.  Again, for comparison, here is a recent re-recorded version of "Witches Return":

I will definitely do an entry on Satan's Host since their 1999 reformation at a later date, because their newer music is really quite good.  But this entry was just to draw attention to their Satanic/occultic power/thrash metal from the mid-1980s.

Select Discography: 

Metal from Hell (full-length album) (1986)

Midnight Wind EP (recorded 1987)

Next time: POISON

NME

NME, from Tacoma, Washington, formed in 1984, and unlike alot of other extreme bands of the era, their sound owed less to Venom than it did to the punk scene of the late 1970s and early 1980s.  Their sound, then, was a black/thrash with clear punk elements to it.  They released the demo Machine of War in 1985.

In its entirety, here is 1985's Machine of War demo

NME made waves with this demo, and the next year released the full-length studio album Unholy Death.  This is an album that has been cited by many in the black metal underground as being important and influential.  Unholy Death continues with the raw black/thrash sound found on the demo.

Off of the 1986 full-length Unholy Death, this is "Louder Than Hell"

After Unholy Death, one of the band members was arrested for murder and the band went on hiatus.  When they returned in the 1990s, their sound was pretty much thrash/crossover and the black metal elements were gone (or rather, with modern black metal in full swing, NME's sound didn't fit the mold).  I know one of the band members died in 2005, but I do not know the overall status of the band.

Select Discography: 

Machine of War (demo) (1985)

Unholy Death (full-length album) (1986)

Tomorrow: SABBAT

Possessed

Okay, before everyone gets all bent out of shape, yes, I know POSSESSED are considered the founders of death metal.  And yes, their early sound is more of death/thrash than anything really black metal.  But they still belong in the history of black metal because of their influence, and the fluid nature of the early 1980s extreme metal scene.

Possessed hailed from San Francisco, and formed in 1983.  In 1984, they released the now-legendary demo Death Metal.  This is the first acknowledged use of the word.  In this regard, Possessed are credited as the inventors of death metal.  Their sound is very much an old-school death/thrash sound.

After a bootleg rehearsal (the famous "Fallen Angel Rehearsal") in 1984--which was not released until 2003--and a second demo in 1985, Possessed released the seminal album Seven Churches.  This album has all the hallmarks of the day's death/thrash metal that can be heard in bands like Sepultura, Sodom, and Slayer. Like Mercyful Fate, Possessed's occult and Satanic-themed lyrics place them squarely in the black metal tradition.

From their first studio album, this is "Burning in Hell"

After 1985's Seven Churches, Possessed released 1986's Beyond the Gates and 1987's The Eyes of Horror.  These albums more or less continued in the same vein as their earlier stuff, but by this time, the genres of death and black metal had begun to more strongly differentiate themselves from each other.  Either way, Possessed is still hailed as an important band in the history of both death and black metal.

A stronger death/thrash sound is evident...

A Possessed interview--notice the comments on "thrash metal" v. "black metal"

Select Discography:

Death Metal (demo) (1984)

Fallen Angel (rehearsal) (1984)

Demo '85 (demo) (1985)
Seven Churches (full-length) (1985)
Beyond the Gates (full-length) (1986)
The Eyes of Horror EP (1987)

Tomorrow: CELTIC FROST

Mercyful Fate

MERCYFUL FATE is a band that occupies a unique place in the history of black metal.  While their lyrical content, overall aesthetic, and--to a lesser degree--their music clearly show the signs of being old-school black metal, the thing for which Mercyful Fate is most known is a clean singing style that is not really part of the black metal tradition at all.  That being said, they clearly fall within the black metal tradition for the reasons listed above.

 Formed in 1981 in Copenhagen, Denmark by Hank Sherman (aka Rene Krolmark) and King Diamond (aka Kim Bendix Petersen), Mercyful Fate became renowned for their horror- and occult-themed music.  Taking inspiration from heavy metal and hard rock acts like Kiss, Deep Purple, and Uriah Heep, as well as late 1970s punk, Mercyful Fate has a metal sound that is both melodic and evil.

"Doomed by the Living Dead" from the self-titled EP

After a series of demos, Mercyful Fate released their self-titled EP in 1982 (sometimes known as the "Nuns Have No Fun" EP).  This showcased the style for which Mercyful Fate has since become known: a classic metal sound, with evil atmosphere and King Diamond's infamous voice.  King was capable of both crisp, clean singing, and dark, sinister growls.

"Evil"--perhaps their most famous song?

In 1983, Mercyful Fate put out the legendary album Melissa.  This continued the sound pioneered on the demos and the self-titled EP.   This album was pretty well-received by the international metal community.  What made Mercyful Fate so unique was their ability to combine the evil, dark aesthetic associated with the emerging metal underground with a traditional, more melodic metal sound.

In 1984 came the epic Don't Break the Oath.  This solidified Mercyful Fate's reputation.  But at the center of the band was the enigmatic King Diamond.  Known for donning corpsepaint, reveling in occultic imagery, all while claiming to be a LaVeyan Satanist, King himself proved to be as much of an influence on future black metallers as his music.


Mercyful Fate went on to break up in 1985, only to reform in the 1990s (only to go on hiatus again later), but their mark had been made.  Later bands would admit to being influenced by the overall dark atmosphere and aesthetic pioneered by King and Mercyful Fate (Emperor and Darkthrone have explicitly said as much).


I have to admit I am not the world's biggest Mercyful Fate fan.  I have enormous respect for what they did, and think they are insanely talented (their current bassist, Sharlee D'Angelo, might be the best bassist in metal), but could never get past the falsetto King frequently employed.

Select Discography

Burning Cross (demo) (1981)

Mercyful Fate EP (1982)

Melissa (full-length) (1983)

Don't Break the Oath (full-length) (1984)

Tomorrow: SODOM (and other extreme thrash bands)

Thirty years of black metal!

Let me begin by saying I am obsessed with black metal.  I have been a black metal fan since I was 19, and I am now in my thirties.  I am constantly on the lookout for new bands, as well as trying to learn more about older bands that are no more.  This blog will be my year long tribute to the thirtieth anniversary of black metal.

this is Venom, by the way

The story of black metal begins with the English band VENOM.  They formed in 1978, and were interested in playing heavy metal in the vein of bands like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, with some punk influence thrown in as well.  Unlike some of the other NWOBHM bands of the day, Venom had more overtly Satanic lyrics.  1981 saw the release of their first album, Welcome to Hell.  Welcome to Hell was atmospheric, Satanic speed metal.  It was pretty much unlike anything ever attempted before.  Imagine the dark mood and lyrics of early Black Sabbath and the raw intensity of Motorhead, and you've more or less nailed Venom's sound.  This album laid the template for all extreme metal since.  But it was Venom's second album that is of importance here....

Venom's 1982 album, Black Metal, was a continuation of the style of Welcome to Hell, but now this style had a name: black metal.  While thrash metal and death metal drew from Venom, black metal took stylistic elements and the name of their genre from Venom.  After these two albums, 1984's At War With Satan continued this proto-black metal sound.  Venom's sound after that more or less became a more generic speed metal.

This is "Witching Hour" from Venom's first album.  An excellent example of their sound.

 
This is the song that gave its name to an entire genre.

"Warhead", from Venom's 1984 single of the same name.  It's a slower track, but still has that old-school black metal vibe to it.

These songs give you a good idea of what Venom's early work sounded like, as well as how black metal sounded at its birth.  So, with 1982 giving the world the term "black metal", I am celebrating thirty years of black metal in 2012.  I will do a band a day (some bands will get more than one day) until the end of year (or November 1, which is the day Black Metal was released back in 1982).

Select Discography

Demon (demo) (1980)

Welcome to Hell (full-length) (1981)

Black Metal (full-length) (1982)

"Warhead" (single) (1983)

At War With Satan (full-length) (1984)

Possessed (full-length) (1985)

Tomorrow:  BATHORY

HAIL!  \m/