Immortal

 

The legendary Norwegian scene of the early 1990s continues to astound us, even to this day. It is hard to imagine black metal of any shape or size without the groundbreaking work done by IMMORTAL, for example. After his stints in both Old Funeral and Amputation, Abbath went on to form Immortal with Demonaz in 1990.  They were initially more death metal than black metal, as is evident on the 1991 self titled demo.  It wasn't until the Immortal 7" EP (also released in 1991) that they changed their style to something more recognizably black metal.

"The Cold Winds of Funeral Frost" is off of the self-titled 7-inch

Immortal's sound clearly owed a debt to the sound of late 1980s and early 1990s Mayhem, but at the same time, it was a unique style.  Elements of Bathory (think Under the Sign of the Black Mark) also being present, Immortal went on to release a full-length album in 1992.  Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism is one of the best 1990s Norwegian black metal debut albums.  Immortal set themselves apart from the hordes of other black metal bands because they incorporated winter-themed lyrics.  Winter, cold, frost, and other climatic elements made perfect sense given Norway's harsh and unforgiving weather.

"Call of the Wintermoon" is one of Immortal's best known early songs

The big shift for Immortal in these earlier years was with the release of 1993's Pure Holocaust.  This album continued some of the stylistic elements of the material from Diabolical and the self-titled 7-inch, but at the same time, Immortal began to push the black metal style forward.  Blastbeats were featured prominently, and the overall speed was ratcheted up a notch unlike almost any other black metal band before this time.

This is "Storming Through Red Clouds and Holocaustwinds"

When Immortal released this album on the world, it truly changed the black metal landscape forever.  There had been fast black metal before (think Sarcofago, for example), but no one had put blastbeats into black metal to such a degree before.  Pure Holocaust stands, in my mind, as one of the technical highlights of all Norwegian black metal--indeed, of all black metal PERIOD.

While Pure Holocaust is one of their most influential albums, I hold that Battles in the North (Immortal's 1995 follow-up) is the superior release. On Holocaust, you can hear Immortal still figuring out what to do with and where to put their blastbeats. There are numerous places where the speed and blastbeats feel like an afterthought. Battles, on the other hand, had songs that were meticulously crafted, and the speed felt necessary and intentional. With each release, the black metal world was forced to sit up and take notice as Immortal changed the game again and again. Battles in the North, to my ears, ranks as a pure masterpiece of the highest order

Here is the title track from '95's Battles in the North

With their next release (1997's Blizzard Beasts), Immortal sought to push the boundaries of the sound they had innovated. Gone were the well-structured songs of Battles. Instead, the blastbeats were used to achieve a chaotic, almost tech-death approach. This album proved divisive among fans. Some loved how over-the-top it was, but some saw it as a step backwards from Battles.

"Winter of the Ages" showcases the insanity of Blizzard Beasts

This was a transitional time for Immortal, as Demonaz had to step down from his guitar-playing duties due to severe tendonitis in his arms. He was unable to play the extremely fast black metal riffing that Immortal's music required and was now relegated to the role of writer. This was also the time frame when drummer Horgh joined the band, and remained their long-time drummer  (they had had a rotating cast of drummers prior to him). But more change was on the horizon.

That change took the form of their 1999 album, At the Heart of Winter. A radical shift in their sound, this album managed to be too radical in sound for some of the old-school fans. But at the same time, many saw this as Immortal's peak. The album managed to incorporate all of the elements from previous albums, but the song structures clearly drew on Viking-era Bathory and classic heavy metal. Listen to the gorgeous soundscape that is "Withstand the Fall of Time":

This is off of 1999's At the Heart of Winter

2002's Sons of Northern Darkness gave us the masterful "Antarctica"

Immortal fully embraced this new sound on their next two albums, 2000's Damned in Black and 2002's Sons of Northern Darkness. Epic, sprawling black metal that meandered across multiple motifs, all while bringing to mind the inevitable evil of a true fimbulwinter is how I think of Immortal in this phase. Sons of Northern Darkness showed the world what black metal was capable of, in terms of artistry.

That said, this began a time of uncertainty for Immortal. They broke up not long after the release of Sons. In the following years, they would re-unite and break up several more times. This culminated in a legal battle for the rights to the name of the band, as Demonaz and Abbath had competing ideas about the future direction of Immortal. Demonaz did eventually win the legal battle, and he and Horgh are now the current core of Immortal. 

Select Discography:

Immortal (demo) (1991)

Immortal 7" (1991)

Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism (full-length) (1992)

Pure Holocaust (full-length) (1993)

Battles in the North (full-length) (1995)

Blizzard Beasts (full-length) (1997)

At the Heart of Winter (full-length) (1999)

Damned in Black (full-length) (2000)

Sons of Northern Darkness (full-length) (2002)

All Shall Fall (full-length) (2009)

The Seventh Date of Blashyrkh (live video) (2010)

Next time: UNLORD

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

Marduk

 

After giving it much thought, I realized it didn't make much sense to break up MARDUK's story into multiple posts. Hailing from Norrköping, Sweden, they formed in 1990, with guitarist Morgan Steinmeyer Hakansson being the main driving force behind the band.  At the time of the band's formation, Jocke Gothberg (aka Joakim af Grave) was on drums, Richard Kalm was on bass, Andreas Axelson was on vocals, and the aforementioned Morgan was on guitars.  Their initial style was an old-school black metal style that relied heavily on early Bathory with a death metal influence.  They released the infamous Fuck Me Jesus demo in 1991.

"Departure from the Mortals" is off of Fuck Me Jesus

Also in 1991, Marduk recorded a second demo, but it didn't see the light of day until 1997 as the Here's No Peace EP.  It was a continuation of the sound on the first demo, but with slightly different (some might say better) production.

"Within the Abyss" is from the Here's No Peace album/demo

1992 saw the release of Marduk's legendary first studio album, Dark Endless.  This is one of the true landmarks of early 1990s black metal, and a milestone in Swedish black metal.  Produced by Swedish genius Dan Swano, Dark Endless offers up a slab of black metal which contains elements of the old school but also hints toward the newer emerging sound of the 1990s at the same time.

"The Black" comes from their first full-length album

One thing that Marduk wrestled with in their early years was lineup stability. After Dark Endless, Andreas Axelson left, with Joakim af Grave now pulling double duty on drums and vocals. Also, Richard Kalm left the band and B. War was recruited on bass. After these lineup changes, Marduk put out their second album, 1993's Those of the Unlight. On this release, we see Marduk moving away from the old-school, death metal-influenced sound of their early years to something more recognizably second wave. 1994's Opus Nocturne was even more recognizably second wave, with a sound that bore a slight resemblance to some of the Norwegian offerings of the same era.

One of their most famous songs off of Those of the Unlight, this is "Burn my Coffin"

"Sulphur Souls" is off of their 1994 album

The years after Opus Nocturne saw some major changes with Marduk. First off, Joakim af Grave left the band, and newcomer Legion took over on vocals. Many Marduk fans consider this their 'classic' line-up, much in the same way that Mayhem's Dead-era lineup is considered their classic lineup. Also, they decided that they wanted an entirely new sound and began using Peter Tägtgren's Abyss Studios for production.

From their 1996 album, here is the classic "Beyond the Grace of God"

The result was 1996's Heaven Shall Burn When We Are Gathered. A landmark release, this album showed that it was possible to have clean, crisp production without sacrificing the evil, Satanic aura of a black metal album. It was a truly seismic shift in black metal music making.

From this point forward, Marduk churned out some fantastically evil, yet well-produced albums. With 1998's Nightwing, 1999's Panzer Divison Marduk, and 2001's La Grande Danse Macabre, Marduk completed their 'Blood-Fire-Death' trilogy, modeled after the Bathory album of the same name.

From 1998's Nightwing, here is "Of Hell's Fire"

This is the title track from 1999's Panzer Division Marduk

After these albums, 2003's World Funeral underwhelmed fans. The production sounded lazy, and Legion's vocals felt sloppily executed. This resulted in yet another major shift for Marduk. They changed vocalists to Mortuus (known as Arioch for his work with Funeral Mist). Mortuus's vocal performances and contributions to lyric writing helped usher in a new phase for Marduk. Albums such as Plague Angel, Rom. 5:12, and the brilliant Serpent Sermon showcased this fantastic new era of Marduk.

"Serpent Sermon" is from the 2012 album of the same name

Select Discography:

Fuck Me Jesus (demo) (1991)

Here's No Peace (demo) (recorded 1991, released 1997)

Dark Endless (full-length album (1992)

Those of the Unlight (full-length album) (1993)

Opus Nocturne (full-length album) (1994)

Heaven Shall Burn...When We Are Gathered (full-length album) (1996)

Live in Germania (live album) (1997)

Nightwing (full-length album) (1998)

Panzer Division Marduk (full-length album) (1999)

Obedience EP (2000)

Infernal Eternal (live album)  (2000)

La Grande Danse Macabre (full-length album) (2001)

World Funeral (full-length album) (2003)

Plague Angel (full-length album) (2004)

Warschau (live album) (2005)

Rom. 5:12 (full-length album) (2007)

Wormwood (full-length album) (2009)

Iron Dawn EP (2011)

Serpent Sermon (full-length album) (2012)

Next time: IN THE WOODS...

Morbosidad

 

MORBOSIDAD, who formed in Oakland, California, despite the band members being from Mexico, is a raw and brutal band known for a style that blends elements of war metal and black/thrash. There has been some debate about when they formed, with the band insisting they didn't form until 1993, but Tomas Stench (the mastermind behind the band and the one constant in the band) realizing they had actually formed in 1991 after finding an old interview in a 'zine from that year!

Regardless, it wasn't until '93 that their first demo was released. Their follow up, 1994's Santísima Muerte, was what made the extreme metal underground sit up and take notice. Featuring a sound that was heavy on the death metal side, Morbosidad's lyrics were also noteworthy for being highly blasphemous, in the vein of Profanatica.

Here is the complete 1994 demo

Just as things were starting to take off, tragedy struck. Their drummer died in a freak explosion in 1995. The band was devastated, and put things on hold. They didn't return to making music until 1999.

When they returned on the scene with new material in 2000--including their self-titled full-length album--their sound was still primitive and raw and evil.  However, they were less death metal and more like what we now know as war metal. 

From their self-titled album, this is "Bestial y Morboso"

Morbosidad is nothing else if not consistent. They wear their influences--Sarcofago, Beherit, Blasphemy, Archgoat--on their sleeve.  Each release features that insane war metal style, with ultra-blasphemous lyrics in Spanish (because, according to Tomas Stench, "it gives our music a more primitive, evil, and blasphemous sound"). Even among American war metallers, very few bands sound like Morbosidad.

From their 2004 album, this is "Sangriento Sacrificio Cristiano"

Since their re-emergence in 1999, Morbosidad has consistently released brutal black/death brilliance on album after album. Even when drummer Goat Destroyer fell out of a window and died in 2009, the band soldiered on. In fact, they actually put out albums in his honor, including a split with Manticore.

"Poseido por el Diablo" comes from 2008's Profana la cruz del Nazareno

Select Discography:

Demo '93 (demo) (1993)

Santísima Muerte (demo) (1994)

Morbosidad (full-length album) (2000)

Bajo el egendro del crucificado EP (2002)

Cójete a Dios por el culo (full-length album) (2004)

Legiones bestiales EP (2006)

Profana la cruz del nazareno (full-length album) (2008)

Next time: MARDUK

Darkthrone's classic years

 

Members of Mayhem and Darkthrone in an early '90s photo

DARKTHRONE'S release of A Blaze in the Northern Sky in 1992 was an earth-shattering event in the history of black metal. The Norwegian scene hadn't put out many full-length studio albums yet, and Darkthrone's first album was basically death metal, not black metal. Darkthrone now consisted of three members since Dag Nilsen had left: Zephyrous, Nocturno Culto, and Fenriz. However, they had a renewed focus now that they were committed to black metal.

The follow-up to Blaze is the 1993 classic Under a Funeral Moon. On this album, Darkthrone (by their own admission) moved even further away from their death metal roots. They acknowledged that they had still used a death metal template for some of their songs on Blaze, but had now jettisoned that foundation. Even Fenriz himself admitted that Blaze was "a lot of death metal with some black metal parts." 1993's Under a Funeral Moon, however, was "pure black metal."

Here's "Unholy Black Metal," from Under a Funeral Moon

With Under a Funeral Moon (even more than Blaze), the classic second wave black metal template began to solidify. The primitive, blasting drums; the raw, screeched vocals; the tremolo picking riffs....all of it was present in a way that felt new and fresh. It has even been called the "blackest black metal" album that Darkthrone has ever made.

Soon after its release, Darkthrone entered the studio to record its follow-up. At the time, however, things had changed in the Norwegian scene. In 1991 and 1992, things in the Norwegian black metal scene had been relatively organic and tightly knit. There were few actual black metal bands and the focus was on the music. But by 1993, the church burnings and murders associated with the Inner Circle had begun to distract people from the music. It also attracted media attention and resulted in the scene being flooded with black metal posers. This state of affairs greatly influenced Darkthrone's mindset as they recorded their next album.

"Slottet I Det Fjerne" is one of their most famous tracks from Transilvanian Hunger

Now a duo (Zephyrous left the band after a car accident), Darkthrone released album number four in early 1994. This album--Transilvanian Hunger--was another masterpiece that changed the face of black metal. Even more raw, with an aura of misanthropic darkness (which resulted from a dark, ultra lo-fi production), Hunger had blazingly fast songs that influenced a generation of black metallers. Within the span of three years, Darkthrone had revolutionized black metal.

One source of controversy was the band's messaging on the album itself. On the back cover of the album, the band labeled their music as "Norwegian Aryan Black Metal," and in the liner notes they noted that anyone who criticized their music was behaving in a "Jewish" fashion. Years later, Fenriz himself noted that this kind of language was unacceptable and even called it "disgusting."

Off of Panzerfaust, this is "Hans siste vinter"

While Darkthrone's first three black metal albums (Blaze, Funeral, Hunger) are sometimes called their 'unholy trinity' because of how influential and revolutionary they were, I like to lump in their 1995 release, Panzerfaust, as well. The structure laid down on Hunger and Funeral were present, to some degree, but the production values were notably different. The vocals had a more vile, trebly feel to them than in previous albums, giving the entire album an angry rawness that was less present on the earlier releases. All told, Panzerfaust is just as essential as Under a Funeral Moon or Transilvanian Hunger.

Select Discography:

A Blaze in the Northern Sky (1992)

Under a Funeral Moon (1993)

Transilvanian Hunger (1994)

Panzerfaust (1995)

Next time: MORBOSIDAD

Abusiveness (and other Polish bands)

 

Poland is a country with an absolutely incredible black metal scene. While I have already talked about the titans of classic Polish black metal--Graveland and Behemoth--I'd like to talk about some noteworthy mid-tier level bands of the early second wave. Let's start with ABUSIVENESS, from the city of Lublin.

Founded in 1991, Abusiveness emerged at the time when Soviet bloc countries were transitioning to Western-style democracies. In places like Poland, this saw a flourishing of previously-banned ideologies, like pre-Christian paganism. Abusiveness embraced paganism with a passion, and those once-outlawed ideologies become their raison d'etre.

Despite forming in '91, Abusiveness's first sonic assault on the world didn't emerge until 1994. The demo Parentalia was a lo-fi slab of black metal with a heavy dose of synth for atmosphere. Listen below:

Here is the complete Parentalia demo

The '90s saw Abusiveness remain a mostly underground phenomenon, with a slew of demos and a split with fellow countrymen Hefeystos (see below). By the early 2000s, though, they had signed with major labels and begun releasing studio albums proper.

From Krzyk świtu, this is "Mogila"

On albums like 2002's Krzyk świtu and 2007's Hybris, Abusiveness played a style of black metal that was the perfect mix of raw, in-your-face evil, and majestic synths, with lyrics praising their Slavic heritage. In the Polish scene, there are few that sound like them.

"Fame of Arkona" comes from the album Hybris

Select Discography:

Parentalia (demo) (1994)

Visibilium Invisibilium (demo) (1996)

Dwie twarze mroku (demo) (1997)
Watrajar (split with Hefeystos) (2000)

Krzyk świtu (full-length album) (2002)

Hybris (full-length album) (2007)

Trioditis (full-length album) (2010)

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HEFEYSTOS--already mentioned in connection with their split album with Abusiveness--is an important band in the Polish scene, despite their limited output. Formed in 1994, Hefeystos became known relatively quickly for their gothic-tinged symphonic black metal. After a self-titled demo, they went on to release a self-titled album in 1996.

"Magiczny strumień" comes from their 1996 album

Their self-titled album was a moody gothic black metal masterpiece. Comparable to Moonspell, Opera IX, or perhaps even early Cradle of Filth's more synth-heavy moments, 1996's Hefeystos was a testament to the true beauty in darkness.

After this release, Hefeystos's second full-length album was a little too experimental for most black metal fans. But they still remain a crucial band in the history of second-wave Polish black metal.

Select Discography:

Hefeystos (demo) (1995)

Hefeystos (full-length album) (1996)

Vilce sjen (split with Abusiveness) (1997)

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MASTIPHAL, from Katowice, is kind of the flip side of the coin that is Hefeystos. Where Hefeystos used synths to achieve a mystical, gothic atmosphere, and the guitar playing complemented it, Mastiphal went in the opposite direction. Their angry, evil guitars set the tone for their music, and instrumental, synth-heavy passages merely hinted at a folksy mood.

From their major '90s album, this is "Flames of Fire Full of Hatred"

After going on hiatus for over a decade, Mastiphal returned with a vengeance in the late '00s as blasphemous as ever. I especially recommend their song "Rituals" from the great compilation of Polish black metal Silesian Black Attack, below:

Select Discography:

Sowing Profane Seed (demo) (1994)

For a Glory of All Evil Spirits, Rise for Victory (full-length album) (1995)

Promo '96 (demo) (1996)

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Perhaps my favorite mid-level Polish band from this time period is NORTH. Hailing from Toruń, North formed in 1992. Their raw, stripped-down version of pagan black metal has been compared to some of Norway's best and brightest (or darkest?).

This is the title track from their first demo

What I love about North is their unique guitar tone. I can think of few mainstream black metal bands that have such a vile tone. I like to think of it as the black metal equivalent of the buzzsaw Swedish/Sunlight Studios sound, with a hint of Darkthrone's Transilvanian Hunger. Listen below: 

"The Heretic Kingdom" is from North's first full-length

Select Discography:

Entering the Dark Kingdom (demo) (1993)

As my Kingdom Rises (demo) (1993)

Promo reh. '94 (demo) (1994)

Thorns on the Black Rose (full-length album) (1995)

Jesienne szepty (split with Sacrilegium) (1996)

Sovereigns of Northernlands (split with Grom and Marhoth) (1996)

From the Dark Past (1998)

**********************************************************************

Other bands from the early second wave of Polish black metal worth a mention are GROM, SACRILEGIUM, THEMGOROTH, and SAURON. They all made their mark on Polish black metal,  but never quite achieved legendary status. 

Select Discography:

(in alphabetical order)

GROM, Na granicy dwoch swiatow (demo) (1995)

SACRILEGIUM, Sleeptime (demo) (1994)

---, Wicher (full-length album) (1996)

---, Recidivus (demo) (1998)

---, Embrace the Darkness (demo) (1999)

SAURON, Hellish Requiem (demo) (1993)

---, The Baltic Fog (demo) (1995)

THEMGOROTH, Demo '94 (1994)

---, Gate to the Unknown... (full-length album) (1995)

---, Highway into the Unknown (full-length album) (1998)

Next time: DARKTHRONE hits their peak

Belial

 

Part of that brutal scene of early nineties Finnish black and death metal, BELIAL is one of those bands that doesn't get the respect they deserve. From the city of Oulu, Belial's members never really went by evil stage names. Perhaps this was because of their close connection to fellow Finns Impaled Nazarene, all of whose members went by their regular names. In fact, when Belial did eventually break up, some of their members went on to play in Impaled Nazarene.

Forming in early 1991, it was their first demos--especially Gods of the Pit, released in October of that year--that really made them known in the extreme metal underground. Limited to 500 copies, this cassette-only demo featured a raw and brutal black/death style that compares favorably to fellow countrymen Archgoat. In terms of genre, even the members of Belial themselves have acknowledged that it was "basic death metal...with a flirtation in the direction of black metal."

This is their first demo, simply titled Rehearsal. It was released in August of '91

From the Gods of the Pit demo, this is "Voices Beyond"

Their brutal sound caught the ears of a few labels. Belial signed with Lethal Records with the intent of entering the studio to produce actual albums. The result was 1992's Wisdom of Darkness EP. The sound was a refined version of their demo brutality, cleaned up a little with better production values. 

"The Hypocrisy of God's Sons" is a killer track from Wisdom of Darkness

This was also the time when the band began unraveling. They kicked out guitarist Jukka Valppu because of differing artistic visions (he then joined black/death band Mythos), but then the entire band went on hiatus because they wanted to do something different musically. However, Lethal Records reminded them of their contractual obligations, so they entered the studio and recorded their one official full-length album of black/death, Never Again.

The music on this album was more brutal black/death madness, but some of the songs leaned in the direction of modern death metal. It's almost as if Blasphemy tried to incorporate Swedish death metal riffs. It's still a brutal underground Finnish release, though.

Off of Never Again, here is "As Above So Below"

After the release of Never Again, the band started moving in a new direction. They began experimenting more with a grunge- and electronica-influenced sound. This resulted in their second major album, 3. Having not heard this album, I cannot comment on it. That said, it is not well-liked and it is not black metal.

As Belial's popularity peaked in 1992-93, the American label Moribund Records sought to capitalize on it and wanted to release the Gods of the Pit demo as an album. The result was Gods of the Pit II (Paragon So Below), an EP with some of the demo's songs in a slightly better sound. This release has been re-issued by Moribund Records several times, including as recently as 2023!

After the release of 3 and Gods II, Belial broke up. As noted above, many of their members went on to play in Impaled Nazarene.

Select Discography:

Rehearsal (demo) (1991)

The Gods of the Pit (demo) (1991)

The Wisdom of Darkness EP (1992)

Never Again (full-length) (1993)

The Gods of the Pit Pt. II (Paragon So Below)  EP (1993)

Next time: ABUSIVENESS