Singapore Black and Death Metal

by u/Ave_Lucifer

Singapore's Black/Death metal: a primer for beginners

To coincide with this underground friday and the death of he who they call Christ, I have written a primer on Singapore's Black/Death metal bands. As it is intended for a more general audience as an introductory guide, I'm only going to cover bands with at least one full length album. It's a shame because there are incredible bands such as Nuctemeron, Xasthur, and Libation that never released a full length. There's definitely enough material in the demo/EP bucket for another article and more.

Historically, the good stuff in Singapore's metal scene is interesting and very interesting. A lot of classic stuff is somewhat similar to classic Aussie and South American stuff such as Bestial Warlust, Sarcófago and Mystifier. Obviously there's also a lot of similarities with other Southeast Asian bands such as from Malaysia and Thailand. There are also more modern bands but a lot of them are quite generic and honestly aren't worth the time. Maybe if you're attached to that sound, or to the local scene. But on a global level they just aren't worth the time.

Impiety

Their newest album, Ravage and Conquer, was released in 2012 by HHR. It's mainly a modern death metal album, with a slight tinge of black metal most notable in the cover art done by Sickness 666. Who also is the vocalist for Zygoatsis. Very nice cover art in the trope of a satanic goat figure sitting on a throne, like a Satanic Abraham Lincoln. Par for the course for the genre, and this album presumably received a fair bit of attention on an international stage partly due to the wider reach of HHR. If you've been paying attention to the significant releases within mainstream metal you've heard their newest album, but that's only an evolution of what they've been doing for the longest time. They're pretty much the most longstanding metal band from Singapore, and of the generation that was active in the 90s only frontman Shyaithan has been consistently around.

Historically they've been known best for their blackened death metal sound as heard on their newest album, only with more necro production. Their most seminal album in that sound is 2002's Kaos Kommand 696. Earlier on they also had other very solid material with slight differences in sound. 1999's Skullfucking Armageddon has slightly thrasher material comparable with early Desaster, most evidently on Torment in Fire. 1992's demo Ceremonial Necrochrist Redesecration is also considered absolutely essential for its primal bestial BM sound. All 3 of these releases are essential listening and if you've listened to their latest album already, I would recommend going in reverse chronological order. So Kaos Kommand 696, Skullfucking Armageddon, then Ceremonial Necrochrist Redesecration.

Reference points include Infernal War, early Black Witchery, Surrender of Divinity, early Profanatica, and early Absu.

Christfuckingchrist (Kaos Kommand 696)
Torment in Fire (Skullfucking Armageddon)
The Seventh Goatspawn (Ceremonial Necrochrist Redesecration)

Abhorer

Abhorer is most popular among fans of primarily war metal, and really do embody that bestial sound. They actually came from the same era as early Impiety and their first drummer Iblyss was a founding member of Impiety and played on Impiety's first demo and first album. As well as some other EPs, but let's not get ahead. That same guy, called Tombcrusher in Abhorer, actually has been seen recently in the local scene though I'm certain it won't mean new recorded material as the rest of the band has long left metal. But it did mean a rerelease of material on a compilation titled Cenotaphical Tri-Memoriumyths, which is a good thing for me even though it's a digipak. That one includes their demo, EP and album. So that's everything officially released since all of the splits are just demo/EP material re-released with other bands. There's also a cassette version, and I'm guessing eventually it'll be released on vinyl as well, seeing how crazy collectors can be. They also have a rare '91 rehearsal tape floating around on the tape trading circuit, and you can still find and purchase tape dubs of it if you're lucky.

Abhorer was a very short lived band, and only had 5 releases during their lifetime. But honestly, their only essential releases are 1989 demo Rumpus of the Undead and 1996's full length Zygotical Sabbatory Anabapt. Which you should listen to first is really a matter of how you handle production. If you prefer raw production, go with the demo first. Otherwise, go with the full length. Though honestly, I much prefer the demo, especially on cassette. They're a very good example of the kind of music that benefits from the audial artefacts on cassettes. The hiss and everything make it very "noisy", which adds to the chaos of the release.

Reference points include Corpse Molestation, early Beherit, Blasphemy and early Black Witchery (notice a trend yet?)

Repudiated Faith (Rumpus of the Undead)
Abandonment Of Chastity (Zygotical Sabbatory Anabapt)

Draconis Infernum

Draconis Infernum are probably Singapore's best black metal band after the generation that included Impiety. They play a very cold, Scandinavian inspired black metal sound. I've heard of reviewers calling their music orientally influenced but that is absolute bullshit made up by people hearing their own preconceived notions in a search for cultural objects to fetishise.

So far they've released 3 albums, a single and a greatest hits album. I have absolutely no idea why they released the Proclamation of Encroachment single, because it isn't essential. I thought it was a fund raiser for the second album Rites of Desecration & Demise, and that's why I bought it. I would call their most recent 2 albums the best ones, and their debut album Death in My Veins is really melodic in an immature way though it definitely was an album I listened the fuck out of when I was younger. They've certainly gotten better at writing riffs since then, and there's been a lineup change as well. The current vocalist, Serberuz Hammerfrost, was their drummer on the debut album which is kinda interesting but not unheard of. The current drummer Profanator also drums with Aussie hellhordes Belligerent Intent and Cemetery Urn, which really hints at what you could expect from his drumming style in Draconis Infernum.

I usually insist on listening only to full releases, and look down on compilations. But their recent compilation The Ashes Of The Old is actually quite well assembled, and is streamable on bandcamp. Try that out, then if you liked that go through their albums. Reverse chronological order isn't a bad idea here, and if you don't like compilations either go ahead and listen to their most recent album The Sacrilegious Eradication.

Reference points include Urgehal, Tsjuder, and Marduk. Not Black Witchery for a change.

Proclamation of Encroachment (Rites of Desecration & Demise)
The Dying Light (The Sacrilegious Eradication)

Vrykolakas

Southeast Asia as a whole and Indonesia in particular has always had a taste for Death Metal. There's always been a million generic slam death metal bands stupid enough to wear track pants and hoodies in the summer heat, and I've heard the smell of Hammersonic festival is something else indeed. Probably helps that it's usually sponsored by Djarum clove cigarettes, which helps to kill your sense of smell. But this band is legit stuff. They've always had a good underground reputation as far as I've known, helped by one of them owning a small record label. I don't know if they're ever still active, and I've heard no news. I don't know too much about the minutiae of their career, but from zine reports and tape trading lists they definitely were one of the bigger death metal names about local tape trading circles.

Their stuff isn't very easy to find. I personally own only 2011's full length Unleashing Vrykolakas on Mankind, and 2008's compilation Nocturnal Demons of Death. That one's just a rarities comp and honestly isn't very good. It's alright for a collector, and I don't like too much that it's on digipak. Because fuck those easily damaged digipaks. I certainly recommend Unleashing Vrykolakas on Mankind though, and this really feels to me like a band where I'll be interested in the full lengths and nothing more. The full length I own is good so I would definitely be interested to listen to the debut album Spawned from Hellfire and Brimstone.

Reference points include Kaos Kommand 696 era Impiety, Morbid Angel's good albums, and early Deicide. Maybe even Deicide's work as Amon.

Unleashing the Plagues of Annihilation (Unleashing Vrykolakas on Mankind)
The Lazha Awaits (Spawned from Hellfire and Brimstone)

Rudra

Rudra are famous for doing the "Vedic metal" thing, which is kinda folk influenced death metal. Though they're really between death metal and melodic death metal. They generally have a relatively modern and well produced sound, and they're certainly a good live band. They're definitely one of the more well known bands to come out of Singapore, though I feel that half of the hype around them on the Internet is based on cultural exoticism on part of the meme metal crowd. I think it's a shame, because this band can be and is more than a pub trivia question.

They've got a really interesting concept album trilogy between 2005's Brahmavidya: Primordial I, 2009's Brahmavidya: Transcendental I, and 2011's Brahmavidya: Immortal I, that is certainly interesting. Certainly not a bad choice if you're interested in exploring concept albums. Since I probably am not, I don't really think that musically holds up as much and it suffers from the same problem as Embrace of Thorns. Too many non riffy sections that make it feel over indulgent especially on their latest album, 2013's Rta. I would also recommend 2001's The Aryan Crusade as a decent standalone full length if you don't wanna sit through a whole trilogy. If you're interested in more old-school and riffier stuff, try out their self-titled debut album instead. One of my biggest metal regrets is not buying it on cassette back in 2007 when I had the chance. It was sitting on that store shelf together, and to be fair who could foresee that years later I would develop such a thing for cassette collecting.

I'm very hesitant to name any reference points, because most of the time it's just knee jerking to whatever meme metal band is vaguely brown enough to look similar. But think of Orator, or later Absu. Their metal archives page lists Melechesh, which doesn't really make sense at all.

Intro/Aryaputra (The Aryan Crusade)
Wareligion (Rudra)

Nechbeyth

Nechbeyth are a more recent band with much less of a social presence, which often can be a good thing in black metal. Too many dickheads whoring their bands out on Facebook, posting more pictures of them drinking kopi after their weekly fruitless rehearsal session than they actually have songs. They're yet another war metal band, more on the Blasphemy side than the Archgoat side. A few NS rumours floating about, and it's kinda amusing to see black suns floating about with Singapore's lion head emblem superimposed on it. A logo I more often seen printed on plastic shopping bags later recycled as trash bags. Also very suggestive that their 2003 demo Total Battle Supremacy was released and discontinued by InCoffin productions after Whatayakorn found that they'd used a 3rd Reich hymn as an intro. I haven't heard that, and I wonder which it is. Regardless, they've been building up a reputation for solid aggressive war metal and I'm certainly waiting for more.

They've released a few demos, an EP and an album. I haven't heard the demos and think they'll probably not be worth the time and effort it would take to track them down. Especially seeing how much war metal I've already burned through. But the full length and the EP are both good stuff. 2011's Blood.Axis.Domination is good stuff that looks like a Revenge wannabe, but sounds a bit closer to Conqueror. But 2014's EP Coerce Creed is more musically mature and refined. It's an interesting possibility that their change of record label had some effect on that. Their debut album was released on Vrykolakas's Vrykoblast records while their EP was released on Iron Bonehead. From a death metal label to one more accustomed to handling black metal, and I believe when their next release comes out it would be on Nuclear War Now. At the very least, I'm certain that having access to a bigger recording budget on a $ to song basis had some effect. I would recommend you go to the EP first before the album. The EP is free on bandcamp anyway. Oh and the album was on digipak as well. Fuck digipak.

Reference points include Damaar, Conqueror, Diocletian, and Black Witchery (Surprise surprise).

Ruination Conquest (Coerce Creed)
Echelons of the Elite (Blood.Axis.Domination)

Infernal Execrator

Infernal Execrator are also another more recent band, with an ok number of releases. They're currently on tour in Europe supporting Necrowretch so there's a fair bit of interesting band photos on their Facebook page. Antichristo Xul has a fucking killer jacket. I am interested to see the reception they get from their audience, as my impression is that people in Europe to do not automatically jump on this sound as readily as people do in Southeast Asia. However they're playing a few shows in Poland, home to Infernal War. So who knows, huh? They can be generic though, and there's definitely a whole host of such generic black/death metal bands from Singapore. Not too fond of a lot of those bands, because they're often more pretence than music quality. But I guess Infernal Execrator would be one of the best.

This band's got 1 demo, 3 splits, 1 compilation, 2 EPs, and 1 full length. Considering that of the 3 splits 2 of them are with Imperial Tyrants who are pretty much also a project involving frontman Ashir and bassist Antichristo Xul, it feels very masturbatory. Admittedly I do own both those splits, Amalgamation of Imperial Demonization and MCBL Heathen Blood Cult, as well as their full length Ad Infinitum Satanic Adherent. But they didn't cost very much at all, so who really cares too much huh. I haven't listened to the stuff I don't own, but they seem very much like filler than solid material worth putting time and effort into. I would recommend skipping ahead and listening to their full length, 2015's Ad Infinitum Satanic Adherent. It's already quite representative of their sound and unless you're especially interested in that sound, it's really all you need to understand this band. If you'd like to go on for more, listen to 2010's split with Infernal Tyrants MCBL Heathen Blood Cult which features a very charming image of a demon beheading an Imam outside a mosque. If you'd want to see it that way, it's a refreshing change from seeing people for which Christianity makes little or no relevance taking on their own religious perspectives in black metal. Though this definitely isn't "anti-Islamic black metal" in the sense of Damaar or Svolder.

Reference points include Impiety on Formidonis Nex Cultus, Infernal War, Zygoatsis.

Baphometerror Invocation (Ad Infinitum Satanic Adherent)
True Anti-Religious Elites (MCBL Heathen Blood Cult)

Thanks everyone for reading this writeup. I've tried to keep it only to the important bands, and I've also considered several other bands but decided not to write about them for various reasons. There's definitely more worth listening to if you're willing to dig and put in the effort, as it is with every underground scene. I will automatically downvote any mention of Wormrot as they are neither Death metal nor Black metal, and pretty much hang out mostly with the Crust punks anyway.

Have a very meaningful long weekend, and may we all be touched by the black flame of Lucifer forevermore.