With the likes of Coffins and Abigail flying the Japanese flag in the underground scene, it was only a matter of time until more promising contemporary acts started to get the attention of the West. Darkcorpse’s black metal angst, fuelled by a DIY passion reminiscent of the punk era may have only started a couple of years ago, but the five-piece already have two demos up their sleeves. After playing in other bands and vocalist Kraahl setting up underground zine, the Japan Metal Guide, the band, now made up of Harbinger and Korvus (guitars), Marax (bass) and drummer Skuld, were able to gig around Yokohoma.

“Playing here has been an amazing experience. The sense of community within the scene is really strong and bands really look out for each other,” explains Skuld. “I suppose the only bad part is how expensive shows are here due to the prevailing pay-to-play system. Actually, this system has a seriously crippling effect on the bands, making it difficult for most bands to scrape together enough money for recording and touring.”

Despite this, Darkcorpse’s independent approach has created two misanthropic records, with a third already in the pipeline. “As a band we tend not to mull over … Read More

2012 is dead and gone, and by the time you read this, it’ll be as distant a memory as the trees who met their doom to give this story life. It was a good year for a lot of things, and a terrible one for others, of course (the passage of time is funny like that), but, to abandon the bigger picture and hunker down into our black metal bunkers for a few hundred more words, it’s been a goddamn fantastic year for the strange little beast known as British black metal. After years of enduring the dread goblin king Dani Filth’s stranglehold on the title, a good number of UK lads got their collective shit together and released a bumper crop of killer jams that roved from Winterfylleth’s grandiose Northern sagas and White Medal’s crippling Yorkshire steel down into Anaal Nathrakh’s Brummie madhouse and further into smoke with the return of London’s grimiest, Necrosadistic Goat Torture. Toss in Wodensthrone, Code and A Forest of Stars, and Blighty’s not doing too poorly. Now that said banner year has ended, one’s holding onto the hope that the trend will continue to bear fruit, and thanks to the Southern boys in Fen, … Read More

A mysterious and ancient curse resides in the bowels of Catalonia, or so it seems when listening to the putrid expulsions of 13th Moon. They sound like the dank, cobweb-infested halls of death; like a Lovecraftian nightmare. In a similar way to fellow countrymen Teitanblood, it appears that this band goes far beyond the act of simply “making music”. Little information can be garnered about this band, save what has recently been advertised online by Exitium Productions, who will be putting out their demo ‘The Pale Spectre Over The Worm’ on cassette in early February. All that can be sourced are a couple of tantalising videos comprised of murky found footage of catacombs, nocturnal witch cults and desolation. The available tracks show such promise that 13th Moon will no doubt become a feared name in the world’s underground scene. We tracked down main man Naashahas to talk about the impetus behind this horrid black/death hybrid, and to shed light on the future. He replied in a suitably obscure manner: “The chthonic call from the depths of the earth-mind.” Inspiration for the name derives from a wealth of interest/practice in the occult: “The Moon represents our dark mother Lilith-Hecate-Lamashtu-Kali… her most violent, dangerous and … Read More

Necroblood’s story reads as a kind of war metal fairytale. Small band from Paris comes together, records a demo’s worth of filthy, VON and Archgoat-worshippin’ tunes, then gets swept off its feet by French black metal royalty MkM and signed to his newly-resurrected label in order to release their debut EP, ‘The Rite of Evil’, in 2011. “MkM offered this deal after stumbling upon our demo and seeing us play in Paris,” an unnamed ghoul intones. “He really liked the music and atmosphere of Necroblood and he honoured us with the resurrection of Spikekult to release an EP. I have to admit that being on a label that released material such as Demoncy or Grand Belial’s Key, and that was obviously only resurrected for us and an Aosoth release, is very flattering. It’s an incredible promotion, which isn’t offered to everybody in this particular black metal scene, and especially for a small local band!” Humility is a virtue, but that’s about the only virtuous thing about this blasphemous horde. Alongside Ritualization, Necrowretch, Affliction Gate, Perversifier and Cadaveric Fumes, Necroblood are leading the charge for a new wave of French extremity. With Deathspell Omega out searching for the philosopher’s stone and Alcest … Read More

Comprised of four London-based devils, namely Peter Benjamin, David Gray, Samuel Loynes and Dan Abela, Voices set out to become “a diverse and experimental black metal band,” so says bassist Pete, although he now admits that “there is no telling where we may end up musically speaking.” These are names you might recognise; David and Peter played together in gentlemanly black metal outfit, Akercocke, while Dan has played with Cradle Of Filth minx Sara Jezebel Deva on her solo work and Samuel jammed with Peter in Diminished Fifth. But this is no supergroup. “We don’t want to be restricted creatively by any scene or genre of music,” scolds Peter. “We want to create cold, unusual and extreme music. From initially just jamming, we quickly moved into a deeply intense improvisational stance within the rehearsal space and then began to piece songs together, which happened naturally.” Elsewhere in this issue of Iron Fist we describe 2012 as a banner year for British black metal; bands like Fen, Winterfylleth, A Forest Of Stars and Wodensthrone breathed life into a scene that had been on its deathbed since, well, Akercocke. So how do Voices feel to be joining this band of blackened brothers? “There seems to … Read More

NUCLEAR WAR! NOW FESTIVAL III BERLIN POSTBAHNHOF-FRITZCLUB

So here we were, apostles at the altars of madness. And thanks to a queue snaking the building’s length, Knelt Rote are missed by most. Anatomia quickly make up for any loss and summon a good start to the festival with their deathly doom. These Japanese magicians have a great sound for so early on and put on an impressive display, knocking out last night’s pre-show cobwebs. Pseudogod’s unholy black death calls the masses once again, but dogged by sound problems from the start, they fail to recover and are plagued until the end with a high end sound, which is inaudible from certain parts of the venue, and no doubt the stage. A real shame, as they are one of the bands with high anticipation surrounding them. Onwards we march, into the shadows, as Antediluvian take us further down into hell. Their ominous sound reverberates from the walls like a swarm, surrounding everything within their dark veil. Clad all in black, their presence is akin to their sound; one of the weekend’s most crushing performances. As the day becomes more chaotic, so does the music and the Italians in Blasphemophagher deliver it by the truckload. Their frantic black/thrash … Read More

It’s difficult to pinpoint what separates one “occult” band from another, especially when it seems like everyone and his nan has started one. The strength of such a band’s convictions, of course, and the depth of their commitment to both their subject matter and their presentation are key factors when it comes to the business of being taken seriously. Without those elements, you’re just another twat in a dress with some hasty pentangles scrawled across your album cover, and metal definitely has no need for any more of those.

Necros Christos have always understood this and taken great pains to ensure that their visual approach matches and accentuates what they’re doing musically. What they’ve been doing for the past decade is crafting multi-faceted, atmospheric, oppressive death metal of the most serious intent. Now, in their 12th year and with a third, and, perhaps, final album on the way, the band clearly have nothing left to prove. To know them is to love them, and to be ignorant of their existence or of their message is to cheat yourself out of one of modern death metal’s most furiously blazing stars.

I’m a massive fan, if you couldn’t tell, and alongside my friend and … Read More

“Sometimes melodies arrive while I’m sleeping so when I wake I’m really stressed trying to remember the melody. Some of the ideas come from dreams and nightmares, or in that time just before I fall asleep,” says Posthum‘s Jon (guitar/bass/vocals). Hailing from Akershus, Norway, an area tipped by many as the new Bergen (“Akershus is both the old and new Bergen!” say the band), Posthum, rounded out by Morten (drums) and Martin (guitar/bass) are set to smash through the black metal glass ceiling with their sophomore full-length ‘Lights Out’. Signed to Indie Recordings, ‘Lights Out’ builds on the foundations of 2009’s ‘.Posthum’ and their 2005 demo, showcasing a tighter, scalpel-sharp approach. So what have the trio been doing with themselves in the interim? “After finishing touring with Dark Fortress, Shining and Satyricon in 2009 we began to think about a second album,” remembers Jon. “The process has been long and darker than before. The album has really got into our heads and has been exhausting at times. It’s been a time of many experiences and different feelings towards life, love and existence in general.”

He’s understating just how dark of a record ‘Lights Out’ truly is. Bleaker than infant death, ‘Lights … Read More

US black metal has always suffered from a ‘Born Too Late’ mentality. Although Possessed undeniably had an influence on the second wave rage and bands like Judas Iscariot and Grand Belial’s Key flew the flag for Uncle Sam, the country has always been slow on the blackened uptake. Recently though Illinois has unleashed a darkened fury in the forms of bands like Nachtmystium, Avichi, Alehammer and now Black September. So, is Chicago the new Bergen?

“No,” is the sullen reply from guitarist Chris Morrow. “I don’t consider Black September a black metal band.” That angry answer is the most black metal response we’ve heard this issue, so we’ll beg to differ, but listeners can decide what genre, if any, BS have to be tethered to after spinning new album ‘Into Darkness’, which summons a dissonance of black metal, Stockholm death metal and English crust.

“We had so many ideas going into this record,” Chris admits. “We started writing soon after the last LP was released, we wanted to start this album exactly where we left off with the last one. ‘The Forbidden Gates Beyond’ had nothing to hide. It was unrefined and to the point. We wanted to add another level of depth … Read More

“A nettle carrier is a spreader of death. Imagine a person walking the earth, smearing nettles on all life,” so says Ciekals, formerly of cult Oslo outfits Neetzach and Lja, bands so underground that they could have served as tectonic plates. When he’s not spending time with punk/BM hybrid Djevel, Ciekals is gleefully conjuring studio magicks with NettleCarrier. A blackened supergroup of sorts, NettleCarrier also features the drumming talents of Dirge Rep (Enslaved, Gorgoroth, Nattefrost, Orcustus) and Koldbrann’s Mannevond on vocals and bass duties. While all three have served time in Djevel, don’t be expecting a carbon copy. “We have less boundaries in this band than in Djevel, which is strictly based upon ancient Norwegian devil worship,” says Ciekals. “In NettleCarrier I draw inspiration from every corner of our occult heritage. Our lyrics are based upon the universal occult history, both future, past and present.”

Indeed, even though Ciekals admits that “I compose both Djevel and NettleCarrier material at the same time,” he feels that “Djevel and NettleCarrier are very different. I instantly know if a song I compose is for Djevel or NettleCarrier and that also applies to the lyrics.”

As to the song structuring process, Ciekals explains it thusly: “I … Read More