Now for a journey to the land down under! The Australian scene is one of the most prolific scenes in existence. Like all extreme metal scenes, this one got its start in the 1980s. Early bands like the extreme thrash groups Hobbs Angel of Death and Slaughter Lord more or less paved the way for later bands. But it was the mid- to later 1980s that saw the emergence of death and black metal bands in Australia. SADISTIK EXEKUTION was one such band.
Sadistik Exekution are truly odd bastards...
Sadistik Exekution formed in 1986, in Sydney, Australia. They supposedly recorded their first album, The Magus, that same year, but it didn't see the light of day until 1991. In the 1980s, the only SadEx release that did see the light of day was a 1987 demo. See below for a sampling of what that demo sounded like:
Here is their 1987 demo in full
In 1991, SadEx pummeled the world with their demo Suspiral, the "Sadistically Exekuted" single, and the long-delayed The Magus full-length album. Their style was chaotic, insane, and ridiculously fast. The uninitiated might go far as to call it noise. The influence of extreme thrash as well as punk can be heard.
"Lupercalia" is off of their first album
Following the 1992 demo Agonizing the Dead, SadEx has put out a fairly steady stream of releases every few years or so. Full-length albums such as 1996's We Are Death...Fukk You!, 1997's K.A.O.S., and 2002's Fukk simply continued the chaotic, over-the-top style of SadEx. To some, their songs border on the ridiculous.
Over-the-top doesn't even begin to describe this song from 2002's Fukk
EXMORTES is kind of an odd selection, this is true. This Dutch one-man band (Jan List being the one man in question) is somewhat notorious in the underground for being raw to the point of being bad. But one man's treasure is another man's trash. Exmortes put out two demos, 1988's Hear the Saw...Coming Near and 1989's Fuckin' Nightmare. Most of the songs that appeared on those demos later appeared on Exmortes' few EPs.
From the EP--not the demo--Fuckin' Nightmare
One listen to Exmortes' material and you can hear why some people think their rawness is so terrible. The drums overpower the mix to the point where the guitar is hardly audible. Some have gone so far as to label this style "raw black noise," and if you listen to more recent black noise bands (Stalaggh, TOMB, Gnaw Their Tongues, etc.) you can hear resemblances.
From 1990's "Lord of Temptation"single
After those two demos (which I have not heard), Exmortes put out the Fuckin' Nightmare EP in 1989. This had four of the six songs from the demo of the same name. In the following year, Exmortes put out a single, "Lord of Temptation" which contained the title track and "Forced to Be Silent".
Someone managed to upload the entire 1991 EP, Hear the Saw...Coming Near
In 1991, the EP Hear the Saw...Coming Near was released. Followed by only one more release (the Total Hate split with Apator, also released in 1991), Exmortes was on the scene only briefly. I think that any fan of raw black noise can hear the influence Exmortes left on the scene. The rawness of these early releases has seldom been equalled, in my opinion.
Canada's scene has always been sadly neglected by the mainstream metal press. With extreme bands like Voor, Razor, Infernal Majesty, Slaughter, and Procreation, the 1980s in Canada was a very good time for extreme metal. In terms of black metal, the band that stands at the head of the pack is British Columbia's BLASPHEMY.
Although they formed in 1984, it wasn't until 1989 that they released their first demo, Blood Upon the Altar. Upon first forming, they played covers of bands like Sodom, Slayer, and Bathory. During the years between formation and the release of the demo, they did manage to make a name for themselves performing live shows. One of the other things holding them up was that some of the band members served jail time. The band members also adopted ritualistic stage names like Nocturnal Grave Desecrator and Black Winds (vocals/bass), Caller of the Storms (guitar), 3 Black Hearts of Damnation and Impurity (drums), and Black Priest of the Seven Satanic Blood Rituals (guitars).
The 1989 demo track "Blasphemy"
Blasphemy's style might be one of the most brutal in the history of black metal. One can clearly hear the influence of not only the early black metal underground, but also death metal. With the pounding drums, the guttural, demonic vocals, and the guitar playing that mixed the speed of early black/thrash with the ferociousness of old-school death metal, Blasphemy had a unique sound. They did not think of themselves as black metal, but labelled their sound "war metal".
"Demoniac" might be Blasphemy's best known song
In 1990, Blasphemy put out the full-length album, Fallen Angel of Doom. With a grittier production, the sound on this album was a little more intentionally raw, evil, and demonic. It also featured re-recorded versions of several demo tracks, including the now-infamous "Demoniac" (see above). Blasphemy declared in an interview years later that their intention was always to "pound the world like a demon with a battering ram" with their music, and I think they come damn close.
"Emperor of the Black Abyss" is from 1993's Gods of War
In 1993, Blasphemy not only put out another legendary album--Gods of War--but they also went on the infamous "Fuck Christ" tour, with Immortal and Rotting Christ. I can only imagine how amazing those shows were (Rotting Christ at their most evil, Immortal having just released Pure Holocaust, and Blasphemy at the peak of their creative powers?). This next clip is a taste of that tour:
After this tour, Blasphemy got put on hold because of trouble with the law (I think the drummer went to jail). During the down time, members of Blasphemy attempted to initiate new projects such as Necrosleezer. At the urging of fellow Canadian war metallers Conqueror, Blasphemy re-formed and put out the live album Live Ritual: Friday the 13th in 2001. There is a also a bootleg entitled Return of the Hooded Demons that is a recording of a rehearsal from 2001, and it features new material.
While the band we today know as NECROMANTIA is one of the pre-eminent Greek black metal bands, they originally got their start as extreme death/thrash metal band Necromancy. Forming in Athens in 1986, they put out two demos (1988's Rehearsal and 1989's Vision of Lunacy) before breaking up and more or less re-forming as Necromantia.
Off of the 1989 demo Visions of Lunacy
As Necromantia, they released the demo Promo Tape 1990 which showcased their more occult-oriented, black metal style rather well. As opposed to the straightforward speed-oriented approach of all of the 1980s black/thrash bands, Necromantia crafted an eerie atmosphere. Using carefully placed riffs, and demonic vocals, Necromantia's style was about conveying the evil feel of black metal rather than pummeling the listener with violent music.
The very famous "The Family of Dog (Feast of Ghouls)"
After the 1992 demo Vampiric Rituals, Necromantia put out a split with fellow countrymen Varathron (more on them later) entitled The Black Arts. Continuing in the occultic, atmospheric style of their earlier demos, this split has become somewhat legendary in the Greek scene and the international black metal scene as well.
"Lord of the Abyss" is off of that famous split with Varathron
It was in 1993 that Necromantia put out their first full-length studio album, Crossing the Fiery Path. This was more of the style they had established in the underground with their earlier material, but at the same time, the speed of older-school black metal was evident as well. The Greek scene has always been about atmosphere more than raw, in-your-face intensity or a particular style of guitar playing. Since their first studio album they have continued to put out pretty consistent and dark albums. 1995's Scarlet Evil Witching Black, 2000's IV: Malice, and 2007's The Sound of Lucifer Storming Heaven are all excellent black metal albums.
"Unchaining the Wolf (At War)", off of Crossing the Fiery Path, is my favorite Necromantia song
An example of their sound off of Scarlet Evil Witching Black
Select Discography: as Necromancy:
Rehearsal (demo) (1988) Visions of Lunacy (demo) (1989)
as Necromantia: Promo Tape '90 (demo) (1990) Vampiric Rituals (demo) (1992) The Black Arts 12" (split with Varathron) (1992) Crossing the Fiery Path (1993) Scarlet Evil Witching Black (1995) Ancient Pride EP (1997) IV: Malice (2000) The Sound of Lucifer Storming Heaven (2007)
Czechia (formerly the Czech Republic) had some pretty important bands back when black metal was getting started. Törr, Master's Hammer, and the rather unique ROOT, coming from the city of Brno, are the most noteworthy. Not a lot of countries can claim three important old-school black metal bands making an impact on the scene before 1990. Root formed in 1987 and began putting out demos in 1988--including War of Rats and Reap of Hell.
Off of the 1988 demo Reap of Hell, this is "Pisen Pro Satana"
After two more demos in 1989 (Messengers From Darkness and The Trial), Root put out their first full-length studio album with 1990's Zjeveni. Root's style was always less about pure, primitive speed and more about an evil atmosphere. Their particular type of black metal never felt like the speed/thrash-oriented sound of the Venoms, the Sodoms, the Bulldozers, the Sarcofagos. There was a doomier, more meticulous quality to their style.
"Aralyon"--off of Zjeveni--highlights their unique style
Root never lived up to the expectations of the black metal underground. Their song structures, vocal style, and even riffing clearly had the evil rawness of black metal, but differed sharply from the expected nonetheless. The unique evilness that is Root continued on such albums as Hell Symphony (1991) and Temple of the Underground (1992). From 1996's Kargeras and onwards, Root began to branch out from black metal significantly and venture into more conceptual and progressive territory.
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.
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.
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 of 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)
In terms of black metal, Switzerland is known for giving the world two bands: Hellhammer/Celtic Frost, and SAMAEL, hailing from the city of Sion. Samael formed in 1987, and played in the raw old-school black/death style made famous by their fellow countrymen. They released several excellent demos in the late 1980s, such as 1987's Into the Infernal Storm of Evil and 1988's Macabre Operetta. These albums showcased the extreme black/death sound of early Samael.
Samael covering the classic Hellhammer song, "The Third of the Storms"
In 1988, Samael released the EP Medieval Prophecy. This featured a pretty faithful cover of Hellhammer's "The Third of the Storms" (see above). Samael's fame in the black metal underground only grew. In 1989, the demo From Dark to Black just cemented their reputation. By the nineties, Samael was releasing full-length studio albums, such as 1991's Worship Him and 1992's Blood Ritual.
The very atmospheric "Sleep of Death", off of 1991's Worship Him
Samael's very famous "After the Sepulture"--which is off of 1992's Blood Ritual
After Blood Ritual, Samael began to get more creative with their black metal sound. Not afraid to incorporate varied tempos, electronic manipulation, and non-traditional black metal vocals, the albums since Blood Ritual have stretched the very idea of what black metal can accomplish. 1994's Ceremony of Opposities is a true masterpiece in this regard. By the time of 1996's Passage, however, the genre of black metal is barely present in Samael's sound, and they have begun to enter a realm all their own.
"Baphomet's Throne" is Samael at perhaps the peak of their black metal creativity
This track from 1996's Passage shows the shift away from black metal...
Since the time of 1996's Passage (an incredible album in its own right), Samael has simply expanded their sound to include more and more non-black metal elements. At this point, they are more or less a electronic/industrial metal band with occult/black metal influences. In terms of the development of black metal, their first few years (1987-1992) are the most noteworthy.
Select Discography:
Into the Infernal Storm of Evil (demo) (1987) Macabre Operetta (demo) (1988) Medieval Prophecy EP(1988) From the Dark to Black (demo) (1989) Worship Him (1991) Blood Ritual (1992) Ceremony of Opposites (1994) Passage (1996)
Next time: SCHIZO and first wave Italian black metal
