Jump to content

Weird obscure black metal bands nobody's heard of


Os Abysmi Vel Daath

Recommended Posts

  • 2 months later...
  • 1 month later...
  • 1 month later...
  • 3 months later...

One of the most obscure black metal projects that I ever came across, back in the day, was a British band called Redeemer.  Virtually nothing was known about them, (I don't know if that's still the case!) whether it was intentional or not on their part, I don't know.  But I ended up buying it from a guy in the UK that happened to know one of them by chance.  From what I remember the demo was called 'Sorg' an archaic Norse word, which I found interesting, because I'm a Norwegian guy.  

Anyway, the demo turned out to be a real gem, a curious mixture of old school black metal and the depressive sub-genre that was just starting to take root at that time.  In fact it was really reminiscent of the Norwegian Black Metal band Strid (another obscure band).  Quite rare as well, only 150 copies were circulated.  

Update: A quick google search reveals that they're active again:  http://www.redeemer.lt 

  153810.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

Drudkh, Mgła, Cobalt, Barshasketh and Misþyrming are among my faves at the moment... particularly Sitra Achra by Barshasketh... some of these you may be scared off of due to being associated with NSBM, drudkh for instance due to their lyrical themes, but all their lyrics are in Ukrainian anyway, I don't really care too much what they're screeching about tbh, I'm all about the music... Barshasketh's lyrics on Ophidian Henosis II tho, I absolutely love as I really relate to them, (they're not one of the bands associated with NSBM btw)... hope someone falls in love with these bands as much as I did! Enjoy!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Sabazios said:

Drudkh, Mgła, Cobalt, Barshasketh and Misþyrming are among my faves at the moment... particularly Sitra Achra by Barshasketh... some of these you may be scared off of due to being associated with NSBM, drudkh for instance due to their lyrical themes, but all their lyrics are in Ukrainian anyway, I don't really care too much what they're screeching about tbh, I'm all about the music... Barshasketh's lyrics on Ophidian Henosis II tho, I absolutely love as I really relate to them, (they're not one of the bands associated with NSBM btw)... hope someone falls in love with these bands as much as I did! Enjoy!!

Have Drudkh ever released any of their own lyrics?  It was my understanding that they only revealed lyrics when they were using poems composed by others.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 Here is a band that I have been wanting to share here for a while: Mirkvid

The Burning Night:

Unser Reich:

This is definitely one of the most obscure bands that I have come across, but I cannot recommend it enough.  Mirkvid is fast-paced, industrial black metal with excellent vocals.  It is also one of the few black metal bands that I have come across that could ever be described as "danceable."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Ashdautas, belongs to the Crepúsculo Negro circle. This is probably one of the best black metal tracks ever recorded:

 

Kermania: Outstanding atmospheric black metal from Germany. One of the bands that were formed from the ashes of Nagelfar.

Tarihan: Weird and obscure viking metal from switzerland. Their sound is actually shit, but the compositions itself are awesome.

Zorn, short living band from Germany and not to be confused with the more famous one. The sound and especially the vocals style remember me to Nagelfars Hünengrab im Herbst, although Zorn have a different origin.

 

Arsen aka König der Monster. Raw and atmospheric stuff.

 

One Eyed God Prophecy. Sombre and desperate atmospheres. This is the only LP recorded by this band.

 

It is worth to mention that last three bands have actually absolutely nothing to do with black metal at all, although they feature a similar monotonous riffing and dark atmosphere. Anyway, these bands could be still interesting for any BM listeners.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...
  • 1 year later...

Vinterkrig - Härskare över stjärnorna och mina drömmar

This is the debut album by Swedish Vinterkrig that was recorded in 1997 in Abyss studios, but never released. Up until now it's only been available on a youtube video with horrible sound quality and fifth generation tapes. This year Graveless Souls released a remastered version on cassette and digital. Awesome melodic black metal just like they did it in the 90's, featuring members of Opeth and Lucifer.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Not a lot of people seem to know Arallu or Abazagorath, which surprises me because they both did some pretty interesting things like the former mixing Middle Eastern music with black metal and the latter writing a concept album that seems to lift ideas from Salman Rushdie's controversial novel "The Satanic Verses". I mean, I don't know if either of these bands are not well known (Arallu has some music videos on YouTube) but I actually can't think of any real obscure bm bands off the top of my head aside from two LPs I own: No Sun Rises "Ascent/Decay" and Jotnarr "s/t", the former being more along the lines of post-rock influenced bm & the latter of which sort of mixes like powerviolence/real screamo with bm elements. I got these two both from an independent record label that used to be based out of my area.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 hours ago, NokturnalBoredom said:

Not a lot of people seem to know Arallu or Abazagorath, which surprises me because they both did some pretty interesting things like the former mixing Middle Eastern music with black metal and the latter writing a concept album that seems to lift ideas from Salman Rushdie's controversial novel "The Satanic Verses". I mean, I don't know if either of these bands are not well known (Arallu has some music videos on YouTube) but I actually can't think of any real obscure bm bands off the top of my head aside from two LPs I own: No Sun Rises "Ascent/Decay" and Jotnarr "s/t", the former being more along the lines of post-rock influenced bm & the latter of which sort of mixes like powerviolence/real screamo with bm elements. I got these two both from an independent record label that used to be based out of my area.

Haven't heard of any of those, but Jotnarr sounds pretty sketchy. I don't know how PW would marry with black metal?

I was introduced to Emanation recently, apparntly it's one of the guys in Teitanblood's sideproject from way back. It's really cool in marrying hypnotic backwards guitars, ordinary bm and general chaos. Feels like music to enjoy in a darkened room.

Emanation - The Emanation of Begotten Chaos from God

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Sheol said:

but Jotnarr sounds pretty sketchy

I'm into a lot of different kinds of music, so I actually like the album (the fact that I got it for $10 definitely helped). They say "Black Metal Screamo" but Screamo is a loaded term now that doesn't mean what it used to mean, so I went with powerviolence instead. There are definitely black metal riffs and hooks, but the vocals don't really try to be black metal as much as they're old school screamo vocals.

You can find it on bandcamp, so I'd definitely check it out with an open mind.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Oh yeah...this is the thread for me

Crude and tinny as hell with the production, but this album was surprisingly awesome. Now if only I could find a copy somewhere

Grole - With a Pike Upon my Shoulder

 

 

Pure early Darkthrone worship...but really, really good Darkthrone worship

Gauntlet Ring - Upon The Wings Of The Black Eagle

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's the worst when you find something you really like that's so fucking kvlt you can't actually get ahold of it digitally or physically. Then because you can't have it, you just can't stop thinking about it. Drives me nuts.

Hadn't visited this thread yet 9 months in, I tend to use the Activity tab at the top of the page and post mainly on threads that have recently been posted on. But maybe I should come use this one more often so the mainstreamers won't have to scroll past so many of my obscure black metal vids.

But then I probably have a fairly skewed idea of what's obscure. In fact I was informed just recently on these very pages that there's no such thing as the underground anymore, so I guess that means everything's mainstream and nothing's obscure anymore. So I'll probably keep putting it on the WAYLTN thread.

Nice to see you've finally found your way over here Surge.  🍻

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is that where everyone posts?...I'm still trying to figure out where everything is located

Yeah...I saw a bit of that conversation about the underground disappearing, but like I said over there in a reply, I don't think that's accurate. Underground metal isn't just one big blob, there's degrees to it. Most of the underground stuff that gets noticed by wider audiences is stuff that's essentially become so buzzed about that it really can't helped but get noticed. In other words, it's really only underground in name only by that point

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Degrees yes exactly, that was always my point. We needed a name for bands that had sort of outgrown the underground but were still completely unknown to the normies. Those in between bands that all of us probably consider household names but they still play small clubs to 150 people. And there's perspective to this as well. It really depends where you're sitting as to how underground or obscure something might seem. I remember when Blood Incantation blew up a few years ago when Human History came out and some of us referred to them as "mainstream" meaning they had become big well known fish in the underground metal pond. So well known and talked about that even some mainstream outlets were starting to pick up on them. And we were told that they were in no way mainstream, that exhalted title was reserved for the Metallicas and the Iron Maidens and the Mastodons of the world. Now this year I'm being told there's no such thing as underground anymore because the internet and people like us I suppose on forums talking about bands in convos that come up on Google searches have made this formerly "obscure" shit so bloody easy to find. Even though there really aren't that many of us looking for it in the big scheme of things. So I don't know anymore and I don't really care tbh. When I use the term "underground" I'll just assume everyone knows what I mean, and that's all I really care about is being understood. Maybe I should adopt UINO as an acronym for underground in name only.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


  • Join Metal Forum

    joinus-home.jpg

  • Our picks

    • Whichever tier of thrash metal you consigned Sacred Reich back in the 80's/90's they still had their moments.  "Ignorance" & "Surf Nicaragura" did a great job of establishing the band, whereas "The American Way" just got a little to comfortable and accessible (the title track grates nowadays) for my ears.  A couple more records better left forgotten about and then nothing for twenty three years.  2019 alone has now seen three releases from Phil Rind and co.  A live EP, a split EP with Iron Reagan and now a full length.

      Notable addition to the ranks for the current throng of releases is former Machine Head sticksman, Dave McClean.  Love or hate Machine Head, McClean is a more than capable drummer and his presence here is felt from the off with the opening and title track kicking things off with some real gusto.  'Divide & Conquer' and 'Salvation' muddle along nicely, never quite reaching any quality that would make my balls tingle but comfortable enough.  The looming build to 'Manifest Reality' delivers a real punch when the song starts proper.  Frenzied riffs and drums with shots of lead work to hold the interest.


      There's a problem already though (I know, I am such a fucking mood hoover).  I don't like Phil's vocals.  I never had if I am being honest.  The aggression to them seems a little forced even when they are at their best on tracks like 'Manifest Reality'.  When he tries to sing it just feels weak though ('Salvation') and tracks lose real punch.  Give him a riffy number such as 'Killing Machine' and he is fine with the Reich engine (probably a poor choice of phrase) up in sixth gear.  For every thrashy riff there's a fair share of rock edged, local bar act rhythm aplenty too.

      Let's not poo-poo proceedings though, because overall I actually enjoy "Awakening".  It is stacked full of catchy riffs that are sticky on the old ears.  Whilst not as raw as perhaps the - brilliant - artwork suggests with its black and white, tattoo flash sheet style design it is enjoyable enough.  Yes, 'Death Valley' & 'Something to Believe' have no place here, saved only by Arnett and Radziwill's lead work but 'Revolution' is a fucking 80's thrash heyday throwback to the extent that if you turn the TV on during it you might catch a new episode of Cheers!

      3/5
      • Reputation Points

      • 10 replies
    • I
      • Reputation Points

      • 2 replies
    • https://www.metalforum.com/blogs/entry/52-vltimas-something-wicked-marches-in/
      • Reputation Points

      • 3 replies

    • https://www.metalforum.com/blogs/entry/48-candlemass-the-door-to-doom/
      • Reputation Points

      • 2 replies
    • Full length number 19 from overkill certainly makes a splash in the energy stakes, I mean there's some modern thrash bands that are a good two decades younger than Overkill who can only hope to achieve the levels of spunk that New Jersey's finest produce here.  That in itself is an achievement, for a band of Overkill's stature and reputation to be able to still sound relevant four decades into their career is no mean feat.  Even in the albums weaker moments it never gets redundant and the energy levels remain high.  There's a real sense of a band in a state of some renewed vigour, helped in no small part by the addition of Jason Bittner on drums.  The former Flotsam & Jetsam skinsman is nothing short of superb throughout "The Wings of War" and seems to have squeezed a little extra out of the rest of his peers.

      The album kicks of with a great build to opening track "Last Man Standing" and for the first 4 tracks of the album the Overkill crew stomp, bash and groove their way to a solid level of consistency.  The lead work is of particular note and Blitz sounds as sneery and scathing as ever.  The album is well produced and mixed too with all parts of the thrash machine audible as the five piece hammer away at your skull with the usual blend of chugging riffs and infectious anthems.  


      There are weak moments as mentioned but they are more a victim of how good the strong tracks are.  In it's own right "Distortion" is a solid enough - if not slightly varied a journey from the last offering - but it just doesn't stand up well against a "Bat Shit Crazy" or a "Head of a Pin".  As the album draws to a close you get the increasing impression that the last few tracks are rescued really by some great solos and stomping skin work which is a shame because trimming of a couple of tracks may have made this less obvious. 

      4/5
      • Reputation Points

      • 4 replies
×
×
  • Create New...