Taking a brief look at the marketing tropes of the funderground in 2018 and having some fun in the process. Some bands are okay. Some others not so. Most are not even metal by any standards.
20 CommentsTags: Antaeus, Arghoslent, At the Gates, behemoth, dissection, house of atreus, ihsahn, neckbeard deathcamp, Philip H. Anselmo & the illegals, primordial, Sleep, The Armed, The Sciences, Ulver, watain
article by Empire Algol
When you’re talking about death metal bands that have a great discography, Possessed is likely going to be mentioned. Seven Churches is largely considered one of the greatest albums of the genre, and while Beyond The Gates is generally an inferior work, it still has some good moments. Even the demos from 1991 and 1993, which featured a very different lineup than the “classic” lineup, are a curiosity to listen to.
Tags: Abondoned, jeff becerra, possessed, seven churches, terrible music
The NWOBHM movement defined the basis for what both underground and commercial metal would become, everything was present from the gallops, the harmonized melodies, unconventional song structures and the reverence for the riff above all else. The movement struggled with commercializing itself and so even the more vicious bands were obligated in selling out and writing a ballad or a mid-paced rock song in hopes of being picked up by a major label as there was at that time money to be made. The micro-genre eventually burned out due to two main reasons. First was that the door to mainstream success had been closed permanently for the British bands as the media loved Def Leppard and the like. The second reason was that there were far too many bands releasing the same rehashed material while bands elsewhere were exploring unventured paths and the standards were on average raised as the pub rock riffs of most of the NWOBHM were simply not up to par. Enter Deep Switch, a band that appeared in the scene after the death of the genre and were set to make some of the most bizarre NWOBHM imaginable but falling to the same pitfalls as their predecessors.
3 CommentsTags: Deep Switch, end of an era, Nine Inches of God, NWOBHM
Andrzej Sapkowski’s “The Witcher” series has seen itself appropriated and simplified in the form of a ridiculous TV show and movie that never garnered much respect in its native Poland and has been heavily critiqued by Sapkowski himself. The books find themselves once again simplified and denied of their essence in the form of three large budget video games that do attempt to bring to life the world of the series, but gameplay, endless superfluous content and the lack of understanding from the writers hinder this. Fortunately we are blessed by a truly transcendent series of books that despite the mainstream’s attempts at commercializing them remain unaffected in their message and expression. Enter “The Last Wish” which is the first book of a majestic saga that soars above the common man’s need for digestible media.
12 CommentsTags: Andrej Sapkowski, Classic fantasy, The Last Wish, The Witcher
Continuing our interview with underground modern black metal band Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult…
1 CommentTags: Black Metal, darkened nocturn slaughtercult, interview
Welcome to the second and final part of the second DMU song contest, where we cherish the winners and destroy the losers in what has been a very eventful and varied list of bands.
8 CommentsTags: Chupacabra, death metal, Funeral of God, Minervium, Pheretrum, Salustiano, song contest, Tardus Mortem, Undermine
This split showcases two favorite bands contemplating their next steps. A much-anticipated release, that is nothing sort of provocative and promising. Some have said that Infamous adapt themselves to the style of their fellow bands, yet on this work, it is Cromlech who let loose on punk and black metal influences.
1 CommentTags: cromlech, Hammer of Triumph, infamous, NWOTHM
It is a rare phenomenon when two bands merge, and by doing so they transcend each other’s limitations. Indoctrine is an impressive, albeit experimental record, where noisy Revenge members meet Alan Averill from Primordial, aka violent musicians are enthralled into order by clean vocals and an excellent concept.
7 CommentsTags: Black Metal, Blood Revolt, primordial, revenge, War Metal
The second DMU song contest has been closed and the results have been compiled. More than fifteen contestants ranging from the hilariously bad to the inspiringly potent have shared their works for brutal and honest criticism. Our ever growing Discord community has submitted a few of these compositions,here is a permanent invitation for those wishing to partake in various discussions on the subject of metal and other related Hessian activities.
5 CommentsTags: Asgardsrei, death metal, Hitwood, JOSEFARNO, Peymakalir, S.O.C.O.M.D, Skölhammer, song contest, User 2220902, yass-waddah
As a genre less defined aesthetically than on terms of propaganda, NSBM bears the mark of Cain that stigmatizes bands that express a certain ideology. On the basis that music is pure Will, this article focuses on contrasting a split by Der Sturmer, Malsaint and Blutkult with Spear of Longinus on the grounds of understanding and conviction to their ideas, or, to be less dramatic, on how the need to express grander statements creates grander music.
70 CommentsTags: Black Metal, blutkult, Der Sturmer, Malsaint, nsbm, review, spear of longinus, TYONS
