Many have noted the rise of the music in the intersection between martial industrial, synthwave, dark ambient and dungeon synth which has produced a number of offshoot genres. Coming to us from China, Psycho Survivors (失常幸存者) attempt to meld death metal and synthwave music into a new form that has the techniques of industrial with the compositional sensibilities of death metal.
16 CommentsTags: china, demo, psycho survivors, review, synthwave
Review contributed by Seth Berg.
The only available demo from their brief term in black metal, Myrkskog managed to make a simple homage to In the Nightside Eclipse era Emperor whilst infusing it with their own distinct, though simple, mode of expression.
13 CommentsTags: 1998, apocalyptic psychotica, Black Metal, demo, emperor, myrkskog, norway, Norwegian Black Metal, review
Angel Witch has release the 1970s demos that they still hold the rights and tapes to for pay as you go digital download on Bandcamp. The renowned New Wave of British Heavy Metal band did this to benefit the survivors of the recent tenement apartment tower fire in London. All of these tracks were on the now out of print Sinister History CD along with contemporary live recordings. Death Metal Underground strongly advises all fans and downloaders to not pay anything or contribute anything to this funding attempt at social justice warring and undermining western nations.
19 CommentsTags: Angel Witch, anthology, bandcamp, cash grab, demo, demos, flac, Heavy Metal, idiocy, islam, NWOBHM, sjws, social justice warriors, united kingdom
Another previously unreviewed record judged some of The Best Underground Metal of 2016.
Mount Um + 1997 Demo is a digital anthology collecting what Steve Cefala judged to be Dawning‘s strongest material. Half the run-time (“Side A”) is one new, extended track entitled Mount Um in three parts: “Pilgrimage to Umunhum”, “The Albino Bridge Sacrement”, and a melodic bass outro. Mount Um sounds like Summoning worshiping Emperor‘s In the Nightside Eclipse in a lengthy composition reminiscent of Celtic Frost‘s album work. Ambient fantasy keyboards are perverted into pandemonium as if on an arduous journey of great hardship and loss culminating in a bittersweet victory over the uncaring, vicious forces of nature. Mount Um‘s composition is progressive and profound.
11 CommentsTags: anthology, Black Metal, dawning, demo, hate your guts records, mount um + 1997 demo, review, steve cefala
Lord Wind quietly released a new demo late last year for free download on Bandcamp. The Graveland side project’s last album, Ales Stenar, was one of the best of 2012. Hopefully a new record will follow soon.
13 CommentsTags: Ambient, demo, dungeon synth, folk, lord wind, pagan, poland, rob darken
Nuclear War Now! Productions announced that their remastered version of Demoncy’s Faustian Dawn demo from 1993 will be out on CD August 15th with LP two months later on October 15th. The sound was remastered by Ixithra himself and a new cover created by Chris Moyen. Expect a review from our staff shortly too.
No CommentsTags: Black Metal, chris moyen, demo, demoncy, Faustian Dawn, nuclear war now! productions, reissue, remaster
“Detail shows the face of Stela D which rises 12 ft beside the altar of sacrifice with a death god effigy. The stele represents the 13th ruler of Copán, King Waxaklajun Ub’aah K’awiil (in English, Lord 18 Rabbit), showing half of his face as it was sculpted, and the other half stripped as it would look in Death.” – Akherra Phasmatanás
Article by David Rosales.
Desolation is a full-on ambient project that blends simple and solid harmonic backgrounds, repetitive phrases of a dark coloring, with recorded lamentations both human and otherwise. The aim seems to be to produce the whole array of impressions encapsulated within that single word: desolation. The music’s structure is progressive and appears to be segmented in an episodic manner, which normally implies a loss of continuity between sections. This unwanted effect is expertly avoided by providing smooth transitions, interleaving ambient soundscapes, nature sounds, vocal improvisations, all of which bring variety within a strongly directly concept that never loses content density or a strong sense of purpose. Furthermore, the album being simply distributed between two long tracks reinforces its unity and the requirement that the audience listens to the whole work as if commencing a mental journey, which once begun must be seen through to its very end.
6 CommentsTags: 2008, Ambient, chorus from the ruins, dark ambient, demo, demos, desolation, review
Demoncy‘s second demo, 1993’s Faustian Dawn, is being reissued on CD and LP with new artwork from Chris Moyen by Nuclear War Now! Productions. Keep a look out.
3 CommentsTags: 1993, Black Metal, chris moyen, demo, demoncy, Faustian Dawn, nuclear war now! productions, reissue
Article by David Rosales. Occasionally our staff have differing opinions on unpristine works from upcoming or past their prime bands. The editor’s sobering take on Garroted – In the Court of Nyarlahotep was presented in Sadistic Metal Reviews: Taste the Rainbow!
A modernist acoustic guitar intro, an undefined progressive death metal tirade, cavernous vocals and death-grind guitar tones. An exquisite Old School written all over it, and yet, the young Garroted manage to avoid becoming guides in nostalgia trips. Like Colombian Condor, Garroted takes the tools from the past and forges a future strictly on the loyalty to those traditions.
16 CommentsTags: death metal, demo, Garroted, h.p. lovecraft, In the Court of Nyarlahotep, Lovecraft, review, techdeaf, Technical Death Metal
Article by Lance Viggiano.
Innumerable Form’s Frozen to Death is a compelling and brief release which recalls Dark Descent’s roster yet avoids the calculated, clean retro nostalgia trips that mires their outfits. Motifs follow in the Darkthrone tradition of John Carpenter managing menace on a Casio. The melodic component of Innumerable Forms is steeped in Finnish death metal which delivered mystical melodies that sounded as if they were being recited by a saw blade descending into steel. Here the effect greater resembles mental anguish as if one was forced to say, “Yes!” to an incomprehensibly vast and hostile existence. Frozen to Death distinguishes itself from its inspirations in this way.
6 CommentsTags: 2012, death metal, demo, Frozen to Death, Innumerable Forms, review
