TRVE KVLT: A RABBIT HOLE OF DESPAIR
I've gone back down a Black Metal rabbit hole and have unearthed some amazing stuff you need to hear...
Black metal in its various forms has been a significant mouthful of my musical diet since the late 90s. It’s fair to say though, that much of the masticating has been done over fairly well known bands like Immortal, Darkthrone, Marduk, Wolves in the Throne Room, Watain and Gorgoroth etc.
There’s something about the raw liberty of the genre and its commitment to the ‘underground’ that transfixes me. Occasionally I’ll put on my spiky frog-suit and take a deep dive into those murky depths, becoming fully immersed and obsessed for a few months - unable to listen to anything else.
Eventually my ears tire of the shrieks and hisses and I move on for a while, but I always come back.
Normally via Darkthrone.
This is where I have been through May and June.
In the beginning, there was Cradle of Filth. It was early 1998 and I was sent a promo copy of Cruelty and the Beast; a triumphant album that would become their ‘commercial’ breakthrough.
I was interested because they were local to where I grew up. Their mix of blast-beats, orchestration and romantic, well-written poetry was compelling to me. It felt edgy, dynamic and new.
Laughable now, of course; Cradle of Filth would go to become one of the most lushly produced, abundant and popular metal acts in the world. So popular and commercial it feels odd to call them “Black”, which revels in its own obscurity to such a dense degree.
Nevertheless, they were my gateway into a wonderful underground that has played a large part in sustaining me, on and off, for nearly thirty years. I rapidly absorbed as much Black Metal as I could find in the wake of Cradle and found the music, the attitude and the legends entirely engrossing.
Fast forward to today and the genre’s presence can be felt underpinning a much broader taste and spectrum of sounds – in both me and in extreme music generally.
As the genre has grown, so have I. I’m seeing Cradle of Filth live next month, though these days I rarely listen to them; preferring, by some stretch, the more ropey, thin and grainy records the genre that has to offer over the Mall Metal of Cradle, Dimmu Borgir and Behemoth.
I’m not a gatekeeper in any way at all. Nor am I Trve Kvlt.
Whatsoever.
And I’m not pretending to be. All those bands have a place on my sonic smorgasbord.
Of course, probably more than any other genre, there are sketchy elements that reside in the shadows, which I suppose demands a mention or caveat (but not an excuse).
Some bands’ need to out-perform in the shock, evil and wankery stakes - in an ever more extreme scene - means that as a listener, you tread fairly carefully to avoid Nazis, Racists and Cunts wherever you can. It’s not always possible and the line is blurred. Finding a band that you love that are ‘clean’ but guilty by association of other bands, labels or audience is a huge downer that can only be dealt with by drawing a personal line of Art Versus Artist that you can live with.
For me, that line is based on the band’s music rather than their associations and politics. In most circumstances I can separate them; some Burzum records have enriched my life no end, but I find Vikernes’ politics despicable. It tars my fondness, so sometimes I’ll turn away.
Annoyingly, it doesn’t stop the music being (mostly) great, though.
It’s a difficult one to wrestle with and we are beholden to our own conscience, I suppose.
There are Cunts everywhere and the last thing I want to do is support them but I’m not going to dwell on the politics or controversies. This has to be about the music.
I don’t think any of the bands I will mention are sketchy. A couple may have said stupid shit in their youth that they have apologised for. I accept that and move on. We have all been dicks in adolescence. It’s part of the passage. I try not to let it distract me from some of the best music there is to uncover; true Outsider Art and one of the only areas in ‘rock’ that still feels extreme, dangerous and underground.
So underground, in fact, that a couple of the releases I talk about here aren’t even pressed on vinyl.
Particularly with DSBM (Dark Suicidal Black Metal – yes, it’s a thing), self-produced releases are often limited to a digital format or CDRs - at best ending up as a short run of mail-order-only cassettes that sell out to the hardcore fan-base within days.
So; I’m breaking with tradition by necessity - not everything here is available on vinyl.
I’ll specify where that’s the case.
DARKTHRONE: ARCTIC THUNDER
Peaceville, 2016
This particular rabbit hole all began with Darkthrone, as so many of them do. I adore Fenriz and Nocturno Culto more than almost anyone else in my record collection. I even appreciate their shitty albums (and there are a few), for the band’s incessant need to push forward, evolving their style and convey their passion for Metal in all its forms.
Darkthrone haven’t been ‘Black’ for a long time, but in 2016, they began a new phase of their career; a slight return to some blackened elements mixed with Doom and more broadly, pure Heavy Metal.
Despite Arctic Thunder being named after an 80s Norwegian Metal band, the newer run of material is less abjectly retro and not so much an obvious homage compared to the previous few LPs that were obsessed with Crust and NWOBHM.
Arctic Thunder began a run of consistently excellent albums that retain a Black aesthetic (it’s Darkthrone, FFS) but incorporate much more; a certain lo-fi majesty with some of the best Heavy Metal riffs the band have ever committed to tape.
To my ears, this last ten years have delivered the best, most consistent, engaging, addictive and timeless Darkthrone LPs of their career. The band just gets better and better; Arctic Thunder, Old Star, Eternal Hails…, Astral Fortress and It Beckons Us All… are all thoroughly recommended.
But it is the first of these that launched me onto this latest grisly tangent, so it’s the one I’ll focus on here.
For a start, the cover art breaks with tradition. No black and white or grim imagery - this time a blazing (ahem) campfire in all its fiery-tones glory, set against the inky indigo of a northern sky (ahem). I remember seeing it in the racks and being immediately drawn to it.
From the plodding and lurching opening riff of Tundra Leech to the closing Venom-inspired sliding chugs of The Wyoming Distance, Arctic Thunder is a banger that only grows on you the more you listen to it.
Highlights include the pacey Burial Bliss and Arctic Thunder itself, which is so addictive in its slippery riffing and time changes that it always demands an immediate replay from me.
A great example of Darkthrone, beyond the predictability of the Unholy Trinity (and Panzerfaust).
IMMORTAL: BATTLES IN THE NORTH
Osmose, 1995.
It’s almost always Pure Holocaust, their second LP and the one that preceded this one, that gets the Black Metal accolades. They would become thrashier later in their career, from 1999’s excellent In The Heart of Winter onwards, but for the first four LPs, they were bastions of True Norwegian Black Metal and, for my money, this is the best.
Immortal never took themselves as seriously as the others and that’s what I love about them. They deliver the sonic goods, but they clearly know it’s ridiculous and are unique in their self-deprecating sensibilities.
The cover itself is masterful. Stark white. Anti-trad Black Metal of the time. Just Abbath and Demonaz grimacing in their studwork with weaponised guitars.
In some snow.
Amazing.
The thing that always draws me back to this album especially, though, is its waspy production and the fact that Abbath’s drumming (and he’s not the greatest timekeeper) gives it a raw and spontaneous feeling that completely entrances me. More than the “Anyone can do it” cliché of Punk, with Battles In The North, Bergen’s Finest prove that the same is true for Black Metal.
It’s a short LP - just over half an hour – but it seems to fly by in half that - and it is relentless throughout. Abbath’s toady vocals providing a unique hallmark compared to the banshee shrieks of his contemporaries.
Standouts Grim And Frostbitten Kingdoms and Cursed Realms Of The Winterdemons should be acknowledged, but really, there’s not a duff track on here. Put it on repeat and transport yourself to the icy winds of Blashyrkh immediately.
It’s also worth noting, as an addendum, that Abbath left Immortal in Demonaz’ hands in 2015. I never really bothered to listen to the band’s work after that, believing Abbath to be the heart and soul of the band.
Oh silly me.
As part of this deep dive, I got hold of the most recent Immortal LP, 2023’s War Against All (Nuclear Blast, 2023) and it is a true gem. Blackened thrash - and every single song, absolutely killer. The full frontal production work on the drums, especially, is outstanding; meaty, precise and riffy. If you are hankering for a great modern metal LP, give it a go. It is truly compulsive.
GORGOROTH: PENTAGRAM
Embassy, 1994.
Before the controversy of latter-day vocalist Gaahl’s imprisonment, sexuality and general unsettling demeanour, Gorgoroth were the gnarliest and most revolting of the early Bergen bands. Note though there is some controversy surrounding main songwriter Infernus’ short prison sentence for gross negligence, which may affect your willingness to give Pentagram a spin.
If, however, you do, you’ll be assaulted by some nasty, biting second wave Black Metal that hides really melodic lead-lines beneath the heavily distorted and shrieking vocals of Hat - something that dissipates as their musicianship grew more broad and they experimented with a complex and fluctuating succession of different vocalists.
Pentagram is really raw. It’s lo-fi but still meaty, and the songwriting - even at this early stage - was more advanced than many if their contemporaries, with time changes, mood movements and densities all being addressed within single songs, which ends up meaning Pentagram delivers hidden depths that you continue to discover, even when you think you are as familiar as you can be with it.
The march of Drømmer On Død is an immediate example of tonal variance and interesting song structure but pick any track and you will feel the power of primitive rage being conveyed in a multitude of different ways.
Taking themselves much more seriously than their comrades elsewhere, Gorgoroth, and Infernus in particular, are the Satanist’s Satanists - and really exemplify the scandalous and violent headlines that scarred the movement from the start - for good or bad.
1996’s follow-up, Antichrist, is a popular choice for iconic Gorgoroth, and justifiably so, but it is Pentagram that’s been bathing me in goat blood and venomous spittle the most over the last few weeks.
Just as a note of interest - Gaahl’s most compelling band since acrimoniously departing the ranks of Gorgoroth in 2007, Gaahls Wyrd, are also worth checking out. They have an Avantgarde take on Black Metal that presents an unconventional and artistic interpretation of the genre’s stalwart subject matter and emotional spectrum. Something of an icon within the scene, he’s an interesting character who is always worth listening to.
New LP Braiding The Stories is out now and well worth your attention.
Hail.
BLADE AND BATH: ROTTEN IN LONELINESS
Self-Released, 2024
As far as I can tell, the only way to access Blade and Bath’s AMAZING DSBM in a non-digital format is to grab one of the cassettes that were only available to a select few via Bandcamp.
And when I say “select few”, I mean it: Lifesick Lullaby have released two runs of this album on tape.
The first was an edition of 13. The second was 33.
It’s safe to say Blade and Bath wasn’t in it for the money. I use the past tense because Denis, the multi-instrumentalist solely responsible for the band’s music has sadly decided to call it a day, which is a huge loss. Understandable, given the daily stresses living and working in Ukraine must currently provide - as well as any more personal issues that may have affected his decision - but a shame, nonetheless.
Since 2021, Denis has released consistently wonderful digital albums of depressive, majestic and entirely sorrowful music on an annual basis. Before these last few weeks, I was aware of BDSM but hadn’t headed too far in. In a way, I’m glad, because there’s so much great stuff to explore.
I hate that I must listen to it digitally, but all the same - that it’s out there is a resolutely wonderful thing.
The common traits between the more traditional Black Metal I’ve already mentioned and DSBM are the (often) shrieking vocals, lo-fi production values and occasional blasting. However, most of the time, at least where Blade and Bath are concerned, the songs are delivered at a mid-pace; they utilise incessance as a motif to convey the repetition and futility of depression, with super-melodic lead-lines only varying slightly throughout. It’s at once entrancing, immersive, emotionally resonant and undeniably engaging.
Truly beautiful music, uplifting and humbly transcendental with the most sincerely sad lyrical content.
There’s even a truckload of Floyd-esque cleanliness to some of the guitar work, which is the last thing I’d normally recommend, but somehow, here, it works.
Although it’s entirely against principles, I wish there was a vinyl release of this stuff with proper distribution, because I really believe it would affect a multitude of people’s lives in a positive way.
Proof that I’m no gatekeeper, I suppose.
I’m truly blown away by Blade and Bath – more so than anything else that I can think of - certainly from the last few years.
Simply incredible.
Other DSBM that has informed this new-found passion that is worth your attention is Drowning The Light, another one-man enterprise, this time from Australia.
Physical formats are available and much easier to find, with LPs licensed to a wide variety of labels. They’ve become the gold standard of DSBM, it seems - and it’s no surprise once you let the gnawing, melodic majesty if their desperate art penetrate your own emotions. Absolutely marvelous. I started at the beginning, with Drowning and I haven’t unearthed a bummer yet.
Other names worthy of investigation are Decalius and Forgotten Tomb - though well-respected bastions of the genre - Silencer, Shining and Sadness - all held up as influential - I found to be too difficult.
Their vocals were overwhelming and not what I was looking for.
You may think differently, of course.
The path of DSBM led me back into the woods of some atmospheric Black Metal that engages me on a similar, if more dynamic level:
LEVIATHAN: TENTACLES OF WHORRER
Moribund, 2004
I surrender the title to this particular LP but really, I could have listed any of Leviathan’s records, because all of them are great.
From 2002’s Howl Mockery At The Cross to 2015’s Scar Sighted, Wrest, the savant behind everything Leviathan have released, has delivered consistently exciting and deeply disturbing atmospheric Black Metal that has made him as successful in his field as is possible, while staying underground.
Note that I don’t call Leviathan DSBM, despite it often being listed elsewhere as such. For me, it’s harsher, more varied and more within the scope of expectation for a broader Black Metal project than the more surprising off-piste activities of Blade and Bath and Drowning The Light.
Which isn’t to say Leviathan is any less accomplished or engrossing - quite the opposite - the abrasion and anger presents a different kind of depression and low. It’s more extreme and vicious. More mature, probably.
There’s no shitty place to start with Leviathan.
Tentacles of Whorrer comes early-ish in Wrest’s evolution but it is fully formed despair.
Nasty, shrill and thin guitar work rides atop the full meat of bass and drums. The vocals drift from growl to scream and songs snap between different speeds on a whim - and it’s this variance and unpredictability that keeps you coming back, powerless, for more. When it bites, it really bites hard.
Originally based in San Francisco and now relocated to Portland, Wrest (real name Jeff Whitehead) had profoundly dubious legal action taken against him by an ex-girlfriend in 2011, which resulted in a probationary sentence. He has since opened a record store, Devout Rcrds, in Portland with his partner, Stevie Floyd, from the band Taurus, which suggests to me that he’s become slightly more welcoming of fans and ready to engage with them than he apparently once was.
Other picks from The Rabbit Hole of Despair are not limited to, but include Drudkh’s new double LP Shadow Play.
Yet another example of how Ukraine is responsible for some of the best extreme metal in the world right now - alongside Blade and Bath, 1914 (see below), Hate Forest (featuring future members of Drudkh) and Kroda.
Shadow Play cements Drudkh’s reputation for quality - focusing very much on the bleak progressive despair aspect of their sound, more than the folk-tinged elements that can occasionally present themselves.
It’s a super-satisfying listen and will no doubt end up on a ton of end-of-year lists come December.
Go Ukraine.
I’m going to finish this big list triumphantly, with a band that was recommended to me by a Ukrainian friend, Eugene, who writes on here - check his reviews out:
1914: THE BLIND LEADING THE BLIND
Archaic Sound, 2018.
Fuck me. 1914 are awesome. In scale, intent and ability. They sound enormous and hit so emotionally hard it’s difficult to imagine how any band could launch more indignant rage and an empathy than they do. The impact is seismic.
Their music and visage is firmly rooted in World War One, as is evidenced by their name. Their songs focus on the devastating violence and senseless tragedy of that particular war.
They present themselves in the harsh wool uniforms of the era’s armies. Dymtro’s microphone stand is an upturned, historically accurate rifle with a fixed bayonet. His ‘corpse-paint’ is created from trench mud, not greasepaint. Their stage names are the rank-and-file designations of fallen heroes. The band is a vision to behold.
They’re the one band in this article that (I suppose) aren’t Black in the conventional sense. They certainly have elements in their sound, but equally Death and Doom too – that mix is just another way they have created their own thing in 1914 and manage to stand apart from the rest of the scene.
They also play with a wider variety of bands than most - sharing bills with Doom, Hardcore, Black and Mainstream Metal bands as the opportunity presents itself. They are a broad church.
As for The Blind Leading The Blind, it’s a brilliant album from start to end, segueing in and out with 78rpm WW1 recordings to underpin the atmosphere.
But when the band kicks in, it’s a torrent of awesome might; blast-beats, breakdowns and really powerful vocals that aren’t shrieked enough to be black, nor guttural enough for death - so fucking strong, embedded perfectly within the bludgeoning barrage of music that they take on an anthemic aesthetic that forces you to pick up arms and march beside them.
It’s truly impactful - but nowhere more so than on standout track The Hundred Days Offensive - which has justifiably become something of a trademark song for the band. The mix of slow-climbing atmosphere and sampled war-time dialogue adding untold poignancy and emotion to the rolling drums and gritted-teeth riffing.
It HAS to be a modern classic. It’s insanely powerful.
If you’re not moved by it, you should not be here.
Get out.
They're warning us
One respirator for the three of us
Thank your lucky stars that two of us can run
So you can use it all alone
Keep your head down
If you want to stay alive
Forget about honour, forget about pride
And quietly crawl in the mud
I feel it. The fear. The relentless onslaught. Only made more profound by the Ukrainians’ current situation.
They are releasing a new LP in September. I can’t wait. Check out their back catalogue.
It’s immense.
Long live 1914.
Ave, Hellspawn!
Peaceville Records (Darkthrone) Bandcamp
Osmose Productions (Immortal) Bandcamp
Soulseller Records (Gorgoroth) Bandcamp
Dark Adversary Records (Drowning The Light)
Have you heard the "Cruelty and the Beast" remix that came out a few years ago? I always hated the production on that record. The endless extremely loud triggered kick drums especially. I dont know what the hell they were going for and I dont know why everyone else didnt find it as annoying as me. The new mix sounds really good.
My biggest Black Metal discovery the past few years is Departure Chandelier and their Napoleonic Black Metal. Mid tempo Black Metal stuff, which I find a nice change from endless blast beats.
Clicks just right, for me at least.
https://nuclearwarnowproductions.bandcamp.com/album/antichrist-rise-to-power
This was an excellent tour through some great tunes and for once gave me some guilt free ability to enjoy some black metal.