DEAD METAL

All from bands that haven't been featured before... Samael ( Switzerland ) - Blood Ritual (Century Media, 1992): Varathron  ( Greece ) - His Majesty At The Swamp ( Cyber Music, 1993 ): Rotting Christ  ( Greece ) -  Thy Mighty Contract   ( Osmose, 1993 ): Thou Art Lord  ( Greece ) - Eosforos   ( Unisound, 1994 ): Rotting Christ ( Greece ) - Non Serviam ( Unisound, 1994 ): Unanimated  ( Sweden ) -  Ancient God Of Evil  ( No Fashion, 1995 ): Rotting Christ ( Greece ) -  Triarchy Of The Lost Lovers ( Century Media, 1996 ): Cardinal Sin ( Sweden ) - Spiteful Intents ( Wrong Again, 1996 ): Mortuary Drape  ( Italy ) -  Secret Sudaria  ( Nazgul's Eyrie, 1997 ):

This Greek band formed in 1990, and their earliest output is the focus of this post. More specifically... 1. 1991's Temple Of The Lost Race EP (originally released by Black Power , and more recently reissued along with the also-excellent Forgotten Path demo by Floga ); and 2.  Mystic Places Of Dawn  -  the debut full-length, released on Holy Records in 1994 (and it is the original pressing you will want to hunt down, because it sounds way better than any of the remastered reissues). ...both of which can be heard in their entirety below. People tend to pigeonhole these Septic Flesh offerings as death metal, and the early work of many of their countrymates ( Rotting Christ, Varathron, Thou Art Lord ) as black metal, but they sit beside each other very comfortably indeed. They share doom elements, and powerful synth work, and plenty more besides.

The Darkening is Belgian band that existed between 1993 and 1999. Following a demo in 1995, they self-released their one-and-only full-length in 1996. Awake is death metal with strong doom and black metal elements, and some tasty synth action. The album has something of a Greek sound, it could certainly be filed next to early Rotting Christ . Original copies are  rare , but a bootleg version has recently hit the market. You can preview this lesser-known gem in full below.