The first wave of black metal left an eternal mark of the beast on the world. However, as influential as bands like Venom, Celtic Frost, Possessed, and Sarcofago were, the true infamy that blazes the black sword into today comes from the much more sinister second wave. Yes, it’s true, the second wave of black metal carries an entire litany of historical footnotes: satanic cults, church burnings, blast beats, corpse paint, and murder, just to name a few.
However, as with any movement, while the beginning saw legends, (infamous and disputed, none-the-less), such as Mayhem, Darkthrone, Burzum, and Beherit, once the trend set in, inferior copies popped up. Amongst these black wave riders were bands such as Satyricon, Dimmu Borgir, and the absolutely unlistenable bullshit of Cradle of Filth. By this time, even the unfortunate trend starters had begun to fold under their own bloated weight, and were circling back around to find out what was economically viable to put on new releases.
The hateful souls that burned in the sincerity of the movement found themselves lost and disenfranchised, scattering in all directions for survival. One such Canadian horde decided that, since the harshness of the second wave of black metal could be packaged and commodified so easily, then obviously a wilder, harsher sound was the violent antidote. Calling itself Blasphemy, the group became the first to carry the moniker, “War Metal,” a much-contested sub-genre of black metal. And while its existence may be mocked and questioned in certain circles, it does have a very real sound, and, albeit small, following. The music is chaotic and primitive beyond belief. The growled vocals are almost incomprehensible, and the instrumentation is a non-stop beratement. It’s like the most amazing pure noise, being serenaded by a chainsaw from hell.
Recently, the best metal record label in America, period, Nuclear War Now, unleashed a beautiful re-release of an early, influential war metal album.
The split LP between Conqueror and Black Witchery is once again seeing the damning light of day, with full picture disk treatment.
Before the brilliance of the brutal and dubious two-man militia, that is Revenge, joined the world of the damned, brainchild James Read had another, equally famous war metal duo, Conqueror. Steeped in the tradition of Beherit and Blasphemy, and carrying proudly the severed head of the second wave of black metal in its hand, Conqueror was all the fury and hate a black metal band was supposed to be. After releasing only two demos, one full length, a split, and a best of compilation, the band would become an underground legend in their own right.
On the Hellstorm of Evil Vengeance split, originally released in 2000, on Dark Horizon Records, the sound is as sadistic and guttural as ever. With songs like, “Hammer of Anti-Christ,” and, “Chaos Domination (Conquer the Enslaver),” Ryan Forster and James Read fire off rounds of never ending blast beats, wrapped in a razor wire of cyclical guitars, all the while Read’s vocals harken a deep, unimaginable, beast’s call to war.
The flipside carries the genocidal hymns of one of my favorite black metal bands of all time, Black Witchery. Originally a Bathory cover band called Irreverent, that formed in 1991, then a black metal band named Witchery, by 1996, (that, sadly was forced to change their name by one of those same sad copycat BM bands), finally, by 1999 their current configuration as one of the most sinister war metal bands, Black Witchery, came to pass. With a sizable list of releases, including two DVD’s, they are one of the hardest working underground groups today.
Reinventing the raw power of black metal comes as no surprise, as Black Witchery hails from the heavily metal laden state of Florida, (the home of Deicide, just to name one band). Their sound is just as sadistic and primitive as Conqueror’s, but Black Witchery carry a battering ram of drive and intensity. The guitar and bass tend to lean more in the direction of traditional black metal, as do the vocals. But each one steers off in its own, over the top, original direction. The form is tighter here, but you are just as likely to lose a finger.
Though, ironically, “Hellstorm of Evil Vengeance,” is not on this album, plenty of other blistering calls for murder, such as, “Unholy Vengeance of War,” and, “Summoning of Infernal Legions,” are. They even throw in an excellent cover of Blasphemy’s, “Demoniac,” just to remind you what army they fight for.
The re-release features a quality picture disc with an equally quality cover and insert, the likes of which Nuclear War Now is known for. While the good news is that over 200 of these have already gone out, and the bad news is that, I know that since I didn’t receive a limited addition, ten-year anniversary patch, the best news is that releases like this are still being released. Beyond that, bands like this, that used to live in outskirts of the underground are now, finally have their day of triumph.
It is well worth your time to check out both the bands Conqueror, and Black Witchery, as well as the NWN! label. Then gear up to go to war for Satan……
elivindotorg 
