Germany

Guides, Primers, and Features

Bestial Invasion: A Guide to Teutonic Thrash Metal

The German thrash metal scene of the 1980s, often called Teutonic thrash because of the old Germanic tribe name, is not the most obscure or overlooked part of metal overall. Bands like Sodom or Kreator are popular and, relatively speaking, commercially successful. In terms of available information, the German metal media also make this scene quite approachable to a new listener: interviews, articles and documentaries are all available today within a few clicks.

This is an invitation to take a look under the hood of a fascinating and very influential scene.

By Quorton, ago
Demo Dungeon

Demo Dungeon: Whetstone – Ancient Metal Review

Just one look at the cover of the demo tape tells us everything we need to know. Scanning the artwork, you see an all black and blood-red aesthetic featuring a medieval warrior sitting upon a throne. Your eyes are drawn to the words “WHETSTONE” and “ANCIENT METAL”. Now I see something like this and it immediately gives me a certain expectation of the band’s sound and luckily, Ancient Metal sounds exactly like it looks.

By Marco, ago
Relisten

Relisten: The Night Eternal – The Night Eternal Review

Over the last few years, there has been a small sect of bands in traditional metal that fused the muscle & melody of the genre with a sense of gothic austerity. Taking inspiration from groups like 70’s Priest and Mercyful Fate’s 80’s output, these bands took the austerity implicit in the early works of those groups (EG Sad Wings of Destiny, Melissa etc), and made it a more explicit part of their approach.

By blondiemacfilthy, ago
Into the Coven

Album Premiere: Front Beast – “Shadows” with an Interview

There is virtue in simplicity. While some modern extreme metal acts try to push the boundaries of the sub-genres (which mostly results in unimpressive ways for me); Avenger, the sole member of Front Beast, pursues the simplicity of the old. Active in many different projects ranging from traditional occult doom to black/thrash to grind or death metal, Avenger focuses his efforts for Front Beast on paying tributes to the forefathers of black metal like Bathory, Venom, or Hellhammer. Shadows is the latest output of this black/thrash/heavy metal act and it stays on the path Front Beast has always consistently been walking on for the past 20 years.

By Rhandgar, ago
Into the Coven

Into the Coven: Diabolic Night – Beyond The Realm Review

Germany. The country where young people into heavy metal, beer, and Satan in 80s took heavy and thrash metal they listened into its logical extreme and laid foundation to what came after: speedy black/thrash metal attack. To this day the country is still a hotbed for similar hybrid sounds with plenty young bands still playing traditional speed or heavy metal touched by more extreme kinds of metal. Diabolic Night have been one of the most promising of these young bands with their pre-debut material and here they have their first full-length effort to build upon the demos.

By Rhandgar, ago