Reviews 1991

1991 - 1995

BACTHERION - ' The Miracle of Death'
Demo-tape, self-released 1991, hand-numbered, lyrics included (inverted!)

Slow Necro / Cunt Maggots | The Miracle of Death

This was the first Portuguese Black Metal release. A homemade product (recorded with a 4-track recorder) that has a very obscure atmosphere. The band's Black Doom Metal was heavily influenced by Hellhammer and Necroschizma. Beginning with a slow and distorted intro, the tape proceeds onto a weird track, ‘Cunt Maggots' (originally ‘Count Maggots’ - of which a diferent version entitled 'Herança de Outono' was later released in their mini CD 'A Era do Abutre', having changed their name to Filii Nigrantium Infernalium) and then to the more standard and heavy title track. Belathauzer's screams sound as impressive as they ever did, mainly on the final song. This is a release that manages to sound interesting and original still today, and certainly a piece of history.

‘Black Legions’
Compilation tape, 1994

This tape was released in 1994 by Pedro Martins (of Passion Records, etc.). It features a number of Black Metal bands, namely Ancient Rites, Decayed, Candle Serenade, Opera IX, Accursed, Gorgon, Sigillum Diaboli, Mortuary Drape, Filii Nigrantium Infernalium, Lullaby and Celtic Dance.
During the nineties there was a number of compilation tapes such as this one (like ‘Teach Your Soul With Fire’ or ‘Satanachia’) that I do not include in these reviews because not only are they exceedingly hard to keep track with but also because they usually had no exclusive material, compiling songs from bands’ demos and such. I decided to mention this one, though, because it features two original tracks by two Portuguese bands: Filii Nigrantium Infernalium’s ‘Tormentor’ and Celtic Dance’s ‘In The Cold Lands’.
Filii Nigrantium Infernalium’s song is a WASP cover version recorded live. It is the only time I heard Belathauzer singing in English after Bactherion. I do not believe this was ever released anywhere other than here.
Celtic Dance’s song is taken from a rehearsal and is actually the first appearance of Celtic Dance ever. It was later re-recorded to be released in the ‘Southern Assault Vol. 1’ Compilation CD.
Both are worth more for historic value than any other reason. But they make this tape definitely worth mentioning.

‘Blest by Sekmet’
Compilation tape, Blest by Sekmet 1992, handnumbered, includes separate booklet with lyrics etc.

This is one of the many compilation tapes that the Underground was so prolific on during its golden age, the early nineties. I decided to include it here as a curiosity since it featured the whole of Bactherion’s demo, ‘The Miracle of Death’. It also featured two songs of Thormenthor’s EP ‘Dissolved in Absurd’. The other bands included were Scum, Thornado, Silent Scream and Dinosaur.
The people behind this tape subsequently formed Dark Records.

CANDLE SERENADE - 'Tales From Walpurgis'
Promo-tape, self-released 1994, handnumbered, lyrics included

Tales From Walpurgis

Candle Serenade was the fourth proper Black Metal band in Portugal. Prior to their appearance, the scene consisted of Moonspell, Decayed and Filii Nigrantium Infernalium. This tape was their first release, and it features a great track of melodic and eerily enthralling Black Metal. In fact, I believe the CD they later released, 'Nosferatu's Passion', doesn't quite live up to this tape. True, they were a young band, still with some technical limitations, but they did manage to compose a song in which the atmosphere introduced by the acoustic intro builds up throughout an effective mingling of heavy riffing, the odd keyboard part and solid male and female vocals. The structure focuses more on melody than speed and the style is vaguely reminiscent of what Moonspell had done in their demo days.

This was the first and only CD by Candle Serenade. The music is a very melodic, not very fast Black Metal, but the songs tend to be somewhat erratic and not tight enough. The vocals are sung by a female, Stregoyck, and are suitably aggressive, although occasionally still needing some work. Still, there was clearly a lot of effort put behind the creation of this ambitious CD, which has quite some musical and even instrumental variation. It would have been interesting to observe the evolution of this band, but a follow-up never did happen. The song ‘Valakian Rider’ is misspelled ‘Balakian Rider’ in the back. Influence of Porto’s accent? One wonders.

CELTIC DANCE - ‘Godess of a Thousand Knights’
Demo-tape, Passion Records 1995

Side A – Intro | At My Darkest Funeral | Outro
Side B – Intro | Upon My Throne | Outro

After Filii Nigrantium Infernalium, Moonspell, Decayed, and Candle Serenade, the Portuguese scene was ripe for the appearance of further Black Metal bands. It was in this context that Celtic Dance was formed. Claiming from the beginning to play ‘War Metal’, this is crude and primitive Metal yet not at all devoid of melody. The production is quite bad, and the playing is not perfect (and actually the bass lines are bizarrely erratic), but it still manages to be an interesting first effort.

DECAYED - '...Thus Revealed'
Demo-tape, self-released 1992, lyrics included

Last Sleep | Illusions of Sanctity | Awakened By Hate | Rite Of Cthulhu (Samael cover) | The Trilogy: I)Hallowed Massacre, II)Inquisitor’s Delight, III)Flesh To Ashes

This is Decayed's ominous first release. Despite the somewhat primitive production, there was evidently a lot of promise in these skillfully composed songs. The sound, despite aggressive, was relatively clean, which put all the more in evidence the good technical skills and tightness that this young band precociously demonstrated. The style, being doubtlessly the closest thing to Death Metal Decayed ever did, was even then already tinged with an obscure aura, partly due to the usage of keyboards (in a non-wuss way), in an anticipation of the Black Metal excellence Decayed would subsequently unleash upon the world.

DECAYED - 'The Seven Seals'
7"EP, Dark Records 1993, handnumbered, 600 copies, lyrics included

Side A - Introduction | Moon of a Wolferian Shadow | Valley of Dreams
Side B - Goddess of the Ancient | The Seven Seals

This is an awesome release which was the beginning of a new stage in the Portuguese Underground; its first Black Metal EP (and only the second one of extreme Metal, after the godly Thormenthor 7"EP 'Dissolved in Absurd'). 'The Seven Seals' features some really great songs with a very good sound quality and also the tightness of Decayed's early days' line-up. It paved the way to their phenomenal debut CD 'The Conjuration of the Southern Circle'. Truly a testimony of a time now gone in the worldwide Black scene! If you own one, be sure to treasure it!
The tracks in 'The Seven Seals' were re-released as bonus in Decayed's 1994 CD 'In Lustful Mayhem' in a supposedly remastered version. However, their quality was impaired by unexplainable sound level fluctuations.

Decayed’s debut CD, and perhaps still their finest moment. An amazing release with a killer line-up. The songs kick ass immensely, the vocals are incredibly good, the drumming is nothing short of excellent, and the thundering bass and guitar riffs shred! An absolute milestone in the Portuguese scene! A couple of years later it was released with a slightly different booklet, and in 2002 Hiberica released an LP version. Absolutely killer Black Metal!!
Update: In late 2003 Inner Evil released the ultimate version of this CD, including as bonus tracks the 7”EP ‘The Seven Seals’ and the demo ‘…Thus Revealed’, everything re-mastered with a great sound that finally does their early releases justice.

This was not quite Decayed's second CD but rather an intermediate release to show they were still alive after the departure of drummer JB and vocalist / bass player JM. VJ subsequently left the guitar to take over bass duties, JA took up singing besides the guitar, and a session drummer was hired for the recording of these new songs. And the truth is that it is a disappointing release after the brilliance of 'The Conjuration of the Southern Circle'. There is a number of problems with it: the sound quality is not good (mainly the guitars I find to have a weak sound), and Rogério (Shrine's drummer), being a session musician, is not as inspired a drummer as JB had been (or perhaps not as much into the music style). Besides, JA's singing is merely adequate whereas JM's had been exceptional! And to make things worse, the inclusion of the great 'The Seven Seals' 7"EP, which would indeed be enough to make this CD a must, was a crippled move because the "remastering" originated slight sound fluctuations (the way the sound level drops precisely before JM's scream in 'The Seven Seals' after the slow part is criminal!). Of course, not everything is bad; the new songs are good, and would later be given due credit. Besides, this is also the moment when Decayed decided to once again include cover versions in their releases, which they hadn't done since their demo tape. Not a top release, but still Decayed!

FILII NIGRANTIUM INFERNALIUM - 'Os Métodos do Pentagrama'
Demo-tape, Dark Records 1993, lyrics included (inverted!)

Madonna Negra - A Feiticeira e o Pentagrama | A Lagoa de Pazuzu: Stygia: Águas da Serpente Tiamat | O Gelo | Retorno ao Ritual

I read a few reviews of this demo that agreed that what at a first listening sounds bad manages to subsequently unveil an eery atmosphere that permeates these more than 25 minutes of music. This is a development from Bactherion’s Black Doom that, while keeping the same line, has a much clearer sound and a somewhat different approach. While showing the band still had to improve their technical skills, the sound was actually very original, even weird at times. This was also when Filii decided to start singing in Portuguese (which they have done ever since). The demo’s highlight is perhaps ‘O Gelo’ with some killer ocarina parts. As a special guest doing backing vocals is Langsuyar of Moonspell.

FILII NIGRANTIUM INFERNALIUM - 'A Era do Abutre'
Mini-CD, Monasterium Records 1995, 20m18s, lyrics included

Abadia do Fogo Negro | Herança de Outono | Inverno, Trono Inverno | A Era do Abutre

The venom-spewing Filii Nigrantium Infernalium, the legendary band of apocalyptic Black Metal, released this mini-CD before entering a long period of inactivity which would last until 2002. 'A Era do Abutre' showed a departure from the NecroDoom sound of their demo through the incorporation of some Heavy Metal touches (that are still stronger in their latest release, 'A Queda'). But the atypical elements that always distinguished Filii's original and sometimes downright weird sound are still quite perceptible. From the Bathory-like 'Abadia do Fogo Negro' to the Doom-laden atmosphere of 'Herança de Outono', this is another unavoidable
piece of history.

This is a previous version of the songs that were later released on the CD ‘Rites of the Black Goddess’. The sound here is slightly more primitive and has some differences from the CD version that go from the intro and outro to sometimes different lyrics and titles. But the material is pretty much the same (except for one extra song on the CD, ‘The Dragon Lords’). The vocals are also different; whereas on the CD version they are sung by JA, on this demo I would be willing to bet this is JM (by then vocalist of Decayed). If you want to know about the style etc go read the CD’s review.

MOONSPELL – ‘Anno Satanae’
Demo-tape, self-released 1993, lyrics included

Side A – Intro | Goat on Fire | Ancient Winter Goddess
Side B – Wolves From the Fog | Outro

This demo was the first step in Moonspell’s quick ascension. It granted them great recognition in the international Black Metal Underground at the time, and with it they got the deal for the release of their mini CD ‘Under The Moonspell’ with Adipocere Records. At the time they managed to create a very personal brand of Black Metal, with a very own atmosphere. Their technique was not yet perfect, but the feeling was certainly there. A proof of the impact this tape had was that it was later released in an official version by the Polish tape label Lion Records (with a different cover), and two songs were released as a 7”EP (transparent red vinyl) by the Greek label Molon Lave Records (the songs being ‘Intro / Goat on Fire’ and ‘Wolves from the Fog’). The demo's original version included a separate sheet with the lyrics, a biography and artwork.

MOONSPELL - ‘Under the Moonspell’
Mini CD, Adipocere Records 1994, 21m26s, lyrics included

Allah Akbar! La Allah Ella Allah! (Praeludium / Incantatum Solstitium) | Tenebrarum Oratorium (Andamento I / Erudit Compendyum) (Interludium / Incantatum Oequinoctium) | Tenebrarum Oratorium (Andamento II / Erotic Compendyum) | Opus Diabolicum (Andamento III / Instrumental Compendyum) | Chorai Lusitânia! (Epilogus / Incantatam Maresia)

By the time this CD was released Moonspell were quite a force to be reckoned with in the international Black Metal Underground. Still just a little crude on the production side, this was nevertheless an awesome release of epic Black Metal in which Moonspell were treading their own path and opening way instead of following established formulae. This amazing work was the springboard from which they leaped towards the status they would come to enjoy.

MORBID GOD - 'Serpent Angel'
Promo-track, self-released 1992, lyrics included

Serpent Angel

At the time this was definitely an impressive release! A still primitive but well-crafted Black Metal song that showed that the band that would become Moonspell certainly had promising composition skills. Their characteristic melodic parts were already present in an embryonic form and it was also clear what gifted Black Metal vocalist Langsuyar was. The sound quality is not great, but it's good enough. From here it was all the way up until they stopped being a Black Metal band.

‘Mortuary Vol. 1’
CD, Skeleton 1993, 73m27s

This compilation’s presence in this Black Metal website is justified by the inclusion of a song from Moonspell’s demo ‘Anno Satanae’ in it, but in truth this is almost an excuse for me, as the main reason why this is in my opinion a truly essential release is the fact that it is the only edition in CD format of the three songs of Thormenthor’s 1991 EP ‘Dissolved in Absurd’ and (as if it weren’t enough) also their song from the compilation LP ‘The Birth of a Tragedy’. These four tracks were the crown of glory of Thormenthor’s excellence, since their subsequent CD ‘Abstract Divinity’ was already an obvious departure to a more experimental form of Death Metal that greatly lacked the dark atmosphere of these times.
Other than Thormenthor and Moonspell, the other bands featured also left their mark in the Portuguese Underground, even though they are no longer active: Extreme Unction, Bowelrot and Silent Scream.
Most unfortunately the only Moonspell tracks included are the intro and ‘Goat on Fire’. Had this CD included the whole of ‘Anno Satanae’, its status as a relic from the past would have been much augmented! But still, Thormenthor’s tracks alone make it a must!

NIFLEHEIM - 'Onde Outrora Velhos Corvos Negros Meditavam'
Demo-tape, Passion Records 1995

Side A - Intro / Timeless Hordes in Distant Moonspark
Side B - Intro / Galactic Journey to the Meeth of Conall | Njord

This is a rather chaotic mix of Metal riffs and atmospheric keyboard and acoustic parts. Somewhat experimental, it manages to get quite fast and heavy at times, although the lads still lacked some tightness and technique to get where they were aiming. Sometimes they turn weirdly atmospheric, which is an interesting touch. The sound quality could be better, but we still manage to hear every instrument clearly. They can get downright bizarre, such as in 'Njord', which is a lute piece with a strange accompaniment (and a bad sound quality), some seconds after the end of which there is a discreet keyboard tune. It's funny that on the inlay the demo's name is misspelled as 'Onde Outrora Velhos Cornos Negros Meditavam'.

I’m not going to review every band here since the reason why I include this historic release of Portuguese Metal here lies in three bands alone. Not that there weren’t several other good bands in it, but they fall outside the scope of a Black Metal
website such as this.
These three bands are: Thormenthor, who not being a Black Metal band played a very dark sort of Death Metal as I have mentioned elsewhere. This track was their last of such kind though, since their subsequent full length CD was far more experimental and weird; Decayed, who are also present with a brilliant song in a version that they should re-release in some CD in my opinion, as not only it rules, it is the only Decayed track published before their debut CD other than their first EP and their demo; and Morbid God, the band that would become Moonspell, in their only official appearance. This song was also released as a promo-tape.
A historic release not only for Portuguese Metal in general but also for the Black scene in particular.