Thus Defiled

 

Returning to England--the land that gave the genre its name--we encounter THUS DEFILED. Hailing from Worthing, in West Sussex, Thus Defiled is one of the key British black metal bands of the second wave, but sometimes it seems only the hardcore black metal fans know of them.

Having formed in 1992 from the ashes of extreme metal band Unholy Deification, Thus Defiled had the stated goal of creating "bestial blackened metal." Their first salvo of vile blackened metal was unleashed in the form of a 1993 demo, Blasphemous Coven.

This is Blasphemous Coven in its entirety

In this first phase of the band's existence, their sound was more of a death metal with black metal influences (think Crucifier or Acheron). It was evil, angry, satanic--perfect for old-school black metal fans. This demo also caught the ears of record labels and metalheads the world over. Thus Defiled was soon in high demand, and even opened for extreme metal bands like Gorguts and Blasphemy! Their second demo--Enchanted by the Dark One--was yet more brutal old-school black/death. It was also released in 1993. Thus Defiled were off to a strong start.

Their sound continued to evolve, and after some compilation appearances in 1994, they put out their first full-length studio album in 1995 (Through the Impure Veil of Dawn). It was a more recognizable black metal sound. The guitar tone was still close to old-school death metal, as were the vocals, but the song structures were more in the vein of what we call black metal. Check out "Under Blackening Horizons," below:

With the release of 1997's Wings of the Nightstorm, Thus Defiled really had established themselves as one of British black metal's elite. On their second album, their style evolved to an even stronger black metal sound. They still had a guitar tone that drew on old-school death metal, but the riffing and song structures were aggressive black metal.

The late '90s and early 2000s were good times for Thus Defiled, but the band had their struggles as well. While their success led to touring opportunities with such bands as Cradle of Filth, Dissection, and Moonspell, they (like so many extreme metal bands) had trouble maintaining a stable roster. With the recruiting of second guitarist Paul F. in 1998, things stabilized a bit.

"Rapture of Twilight Burning" comes from their 1997 album

With a more stable line-up, the band continued to evolve their black metal sound. In the 2000s, Thus Defiled's output has been a consistent series of good, quality black metal. They have shown the world that the UK can compete when it comes to extreme metal.

From the A Darker Beauty EP, this is "Ebony Thorns Embrace"

Select Discography:

Blasphemous Coven (demo) (1993)

Enchanted by the Dark One (demo) (1993)

Through the Impure Veil of Dawn (full-length) (1995)

Wings of the Nightstorm (full-length) (1997)

A Darker Beauty EP (2000)

Fire Serpent Dawn EP (2002)

Weeping Holocaust Tears (full-length) (2003)

Next time: AGATUS

Dead Christ (and other British bands of the early second wave)

A classic photo of Bristol's Dead Christ

Although it is the land in which black metal was christened, the United Kingdom is not much known for its black metal since the days of Venom. While I have talked about some major exceptions (Bal-Sagoth, Salem Orchid), I wanted to draw attention to that time period between the early days of black metal when Venom ruled the land and the era when symphonic black metal band Cradle of Filth became the face of British black metal. The bands were few and far between, but several are worth mentioning.

Hailing from Bristol, England, DEAD CHRIST formed in 1990 and left their brutal mark on the underground in swift fashion. Their style of black metal draws heavily on the brutality of death metal, with a resulting sound that reminds the listener of the nastier side of early Finnish black metal (think Archgoat or Drawing Down the Moon-era Beherit). These blasphemous Brits were around long enough to put out a handful of cult demos and one EP in the early 90s.

This is the intro and title track off of the Mortuary Mass demo

Select Discography:

Demo '91 (demo) (1991)

Mortuary Mass (demo) (1991)

Lex Talionis (demo) (1992)
Satan's Hunger EP (1993)

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Suffolk, England's DECEMBER MOON is probably one of the biggest names in underground British black metal history. Formed in 1992, December Moon is one of a very few early second-wave British black metal bands to actually record a proper studio album. As a result, they're one of the few black metal bands from the UK from this time period to gain wide recognition.

Unlike Dead Christ, December Moon's style is more recognizably black metal. While they utilized a more melodic style, the riffing was more in line with what other major black metal bands were doing at the time.

After a couple of demos that caught people's attention, December Moon recorded and put out a proper studio album: 1996's Source of Origin. This melodic style, replete with brilliantly orchestrated synths, can be regarded as an important  moment in British black metal.

"You Can't Bless the Damned"--from Source of Origin--might be December Moon's best-known song

Select Discography:

Nocturnal Trancendency (demo) (1994)

Rehearsal (demo) (1995)

Source of Origin (full-length) (1996)

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Beyond these two bands, the rest of the British black metal underground in the early 1990s was just that--underground. Beyond a slew of interesting demos, the impact of some of these next few bands was rather limited, but worth noting nonetheless.

WITCHCLAN, from Sussex, only managed to put out two demos in 1993 before breaking up in 1995. Their impact on the scene at the time was relatively minor, but it is important to note that they have since reformed and are as cult as ever. Check out their 2010 demo, Descend Into Darkness, below (some of the music on which had been written in their early 1990s days)

Yorkshire's XAZTUR is another underground band that wasn't around for long in the early 1990s. Their two 1993 demos--Frozen Winter and Pagan Rites--are pretty raw examples of in-your-face old-school black metal. But beyond the music, Xaztur were one of the first British black metal bands to fully immerse themselves in the aesthetic aspects of the scene, as evidenced by their infamous 'graveyard photo shoot' (see below).

Here is 1993's Frozen Winter demo in full

MEGIDDO--hailing from Cheshire--may have formed in 1988, but they didn't record any demos until an unnamed, unreleased one in 1991. After another demo in 1993 (Apocatastasis), they were able to release the 1994 7" The Blistering Glow of My Steel. Megiddo's sound is very reminiscent of some of the more vile, demonic offerings of the Norwegian scene at the time, in my opinion.

"Eldest of Lightnings" comes from Megiddo's 1994 EP

While pagan black metal that draws on Britain's Anglo-Saxon or Celtic heritage may be a relatively common thing these days (Winterfylleth and Wodensthrone come immediately to mind), it wasn't always the case.  RAGNAROK--from Venom's hometown of Newcastle--is the major exception during this era. With a very Bathory-esque sound (I'm thinking of their Viking period, obviously), Ragnarok put out three excellent  demos with a strong pagan vibe. They--unlike many of their British peers in this era--were able to put out a couple of proper studio albums before breaking up.

Here is Ragnarok's 1995 demo, Beloved of the Raven God

Select Ragnarok Discography:

Ragnarok (demo) (1991)

Voluspa (demo) (1991)

Beloved of the Raven God (demo) (1995)

To Mend the Oaken Heart (full-length) (1997)

Domgeorn (full-length) (1999)

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This entry is meant to reflect the minor and lesser-known bands that kept the flag flying for British black metal when there hardly was such a thing. By the end of the 1990s, of course, things had changed. Bands like Cradle of Filth, Hecate Enthroned, Thus Defiled, Adorior and others had taken the black metal world by storm. But more on that at a later time...

Next time: KOROVA

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/