text: Dawid Krosnia
Godz Ov War Productions
Touch of the underground
From time to time, I get a massive urge to dig into the extreme metal underground. With hundreds releases every month, there must be something fresh and exciting out there, something that will blow your mind. Recently, I was quite impressed by latest releases from the Polish record label, Godz Ov War Productions. They seem to have this thing for bands that are highly extreme and dangerous but original at the same time. You would think that, as a Polish label they would explore and promote ever growing Polish metal scene, how wrong you would be! Their present and back catalogue includes more international bands and releases than expected. I’ve decided to pick four acts and listen to them and see how I would feel about. So there you go, prepare yourself for total black metal extravaganza!
First band that came to my attention was Animus Mortis. This five piece comes from Chile. Their second, 2014 record Testimonia is simply excellent. Black metal these days has many shapes and forms, sometimes when you listen to a new band, you can automatically compare it with other bands that have done similar things before. Animus Mortis is very original in the musical approach. It’s hard to categorise them. Testimonia has many creatively arranged tempo changes that work perfectly with the vocals. The vocals sound haunted and out of this world. The darkness spread across all seven tracks is filled with misanthropy and hellish fire. Definitely worth checking them out!
ANIMUS MORTIS ON FACEBOOK
ANIMUS MORTIS ON BANDCAMP
The next band, Invocation, is also from Chile. Their first demo, Seance Part: I was released a couple days ago in a very limited format of 100 cassette copies. From the first riffs of the first song, there’s an instant punch in your face. The dirtiness and heaviness of the sound makes your head spin. These guys are totally inspired by the early Blasphemy, Incantation, Angelcorpse doings. And before you say anything, it’s not a rip off. The old school unpolished sound works amazingly with the vocal arrangements. Nineteen minutes of pure evilness!
INVOCATION ON FACEBOOK
INVOCATION ON BANDCAMP
The third discovery is from Bangladesh. Yes, Bangladesh! How often do you hear about the bands from that part of the world, huh? Serpent Spells is a death metal band with hints of black metal influences. The new EP, Mantras Within Ascending Fire is filled with heavy and rotten riffs, it looks like those guys love the early Swedish sound, especially in the Scourge Heretic Consecration. The EP is definitely not long enough, short intro and three songs that leave you begging for more. It’s going to be very interesting to see how they progress musically with the next release.
The last offering to you is the Swiss duet, Dakhma. The Passageways to Daena (The Concomitant Blessings Putrescing Impurity) is a blackened death metal blasphemy. I was gobsmacked that there was only two guys doing it. If you check them out, you must remember to play it loud. The guitars and drums complement each other quite well. The only thing about I’m not sure about are vocals – do they sound too evil to me? That’s what I call pure underground. If you’re a fan of Anaal Nathrakh, this 2015 record is something you must get familiar with. Period.
DAKHMA ON FACEBOOK
DAKHMA ON BANDCAMP
Just to summarise things, I absolutely love looking into the metal underground. And Godz Ov War Productions, I think, became one of my top providers of the unknown! My advice to you is to start searching and looking around, find bands and musicians that not many know about, do it! There is so much concealed underneath the thick layer of the average bands that blend which each other making metal plain and boring.
THE GOAT TAVERN 