Triple Dungeon Synth Feature: Thangorodrim, Deorc Weg, Old Tower

Excision: "The Drowning Tear"

A gem of death metal with few side steps

A band like Excision from Netherlands never really got an international break and is as such one of those well-hidden gems of the metal underground. Even a split with Paul Speckmann's Master from 1996 and the Dreamality full length album from the same year couldn't give them a true breakthrough, but there's some definite quality in their quirky darkness.

Deathlord: "Maximum Perversion"

Irrefutable evidence that death metal doesn't need to be fancy

When you get down to business and back to basics with death metal, what you're left with is indisputable. Stomach churning vocals, gut wrenching instrumentals, loathsome melodies and ass kicking drums. It's been like that since day one with Possessed, Death and their lot. There's absolutely nothing abstruse or profoundly intelligent about it, and neither does there need to be. That is indeed the modus operandi of the Dutch band of death metal motherfuckers known as Deathlord. Even the name itself seems to be giving the finger to overly thought out metal.

Countess: "Ancient Lies and Battle Cries"

This album is the very definition of hit-and-miss

Countess from the Netherlands has released an almost unbroken line of black metal albums since the early 90s, each being met by the band's cult following with enthusiasm. The band has for the most part been a one man project by songwriter Orlok, but the release of Ancient Lies and Battle Cries in 2014 marks the return of Countess as an actual band with the return of guitarist Zagan to the lineup, who had previously played on a 1997 EP.

Brutus: "Murwgebeukt"

The pay-off that came six years late

Murwgebeukt, Dutch for 'battered", is an album that has been in the music equivalent of development hell for quite some time. Originally is was supposed to have come out in 2010, following their performance at Wacken Open Air. Many people had pre-ordered the album, only to find that after the performance the band went silent.

Countess: "On Wings of Defiance"

Anti-cultural assault of epic proportions

There are bands that, no matter what you do, just don't sit right with you. Then there are bands so obnoxiously awful that you have no idea why they've continued for so long or why, in fact, they even have fans. I may not be the biggest fan of The Beatles, but I can see why most find their easy-going style appealing. What I can't see is why anyone gives a hoot about Countess, a Dutch black metal band that has at the point of release of "On Wings of Defiance" steadily been releasing albums for almost twenty years.