One of the most interesting heathen/NS/black metal scenes recently belongs, in my opinion, to the Ukraine. I'll do a bit of a rundown of the bands that I know:
ARYAN TERRORISM
This is very raw, very... eh... blunt racistic NSBM mixed with oi-punk (I suppose?) and while it's terribly catchy stuff (yes, the chorus of one song goes "shoot the my pals, shoot them fucking all! A national socialistic call!" No, one can't deny that the songwriting is very catchy) it doesn't really seem to have a lot of depth and substance. Not really one of Ukraine's outstanding acts -- really only a way for Varggoth of NM to get out his more raw, violent tendencies that wouldn't fit in NM I think.
ASTROFAES
I've made a separate thread about these guys. The latest two albums "Heritage" and "Ancestors' Shadows" are GREAT, GREAT epic heathen metal with Munruthel from NM on drums. "The Eyes of the Beast", the previous album, is good but not really as good as the latest two, and first album "Dying Emotions Domain" is a bit better (and muchly different -- not entirely different to something like a thrashier "In the Nightside Eclipse") than TEotB but not better than the supreme latest two releases. I'm very, very impressed by this band overall.
DRUDKH
A side-project of Hate Forest, this is EXCELLENT TOTALLY FUCKING MIND-BLOWINGLY GOOD. They released their first album in 2003 on Supernal Music. It contains four tracks (really 3 proper tracks and one with rain noises) of some of the best epic metal I've heard recently. It's like Hate Forest without the death metal influences, mixed with Burzum. Very earthy, with lyrics in praise of nature. This album will make my top 10 for sure. They seem to have another release out, "Autumn Aurora", which I can't find a lot of information about.
DUB BUK
This band has Nokturnal Mortum members and is muchly in the same style. I am actually listening to them for the first time now. You can get some MP3's here: http://mp3.wp.pl/p/strefa/artysta/5580.html
FOREST
This is on the raw, rehearsal-type end of the BM spectrum. A lot like Darkthrone. What I've heard is atmospheric and good but not really outstanding when compared to Ukraine's better acts. I shall investigate further.
HATE FOREST
More death metal-influenced heathen metal which hasn't appealed all that much to me yet, but I'm planning to buy an album of theirs eventually.
LUCIFUGUM
Again, this band has Nokturnal Mortum members and seems to be one of the older Ukrainan bands around. Alas, I haven't heard them yet. Working on it.
MISTIGO VARGGOTH DARKESTRA
Side-project of Knjaz Varggoth. A lot of people only know about the 72-minute symphonic metal affair "The Key to the Gates of Apocalypse" released on The End Records, but there were actually two tape albums released before it. I have one, "Midnight Fullmoon", and it's pure melodic keyboard ambience. Folky, medieval-feeling stuff. Great for resting to. I like it a lot and will buy the 72-min CD and the other cassette eventually.
NOKTURNAL MORTUM
The most well-known, of course, and possibly the greatest of them all. Painfully good all the way from the demo to the latest release.
ARYAN TERRORISM
This is very raw, very... eh... blunt racistic NSBM mixed with oi-punk (I suppose?) and while it's terribly catchy stuff (yes, the chorus of one song goes "shoot the my pals, shoot them fucking all! A national socialistic call!" No, one can't deny that the songwriting is very catchy) it doesn't really seem to have a lot of depth and substance. Not really one of Ukraine's outstanding acts -- really only a way for Varggoth of NM to get out his more raw, violent tendencies that wouldn't fit in NM I think.
ASTROFAES
I've made a separate thread about these guys. The latest two albums "Heritage" and "Ancestors' Shadows" are GREAT, GREAT epic heathen metal with Munruthel from NM on drums. "The Eyes of the Beast", the previous album, is good but not really as good as the latest two, and first album "Dying Emotions Domain" is a bit better (and muchly different -- not entirely different to something like a thrashier "In the Nightside Eclipse") than TEotB but not better than the supreme latest two releases. I'm very, very impressed by this band overall.
DRUDKH
A side-project of Hate Forest, this is EXCELLENT TOTALLY FUCKING MIND-BLOWINGLY GOOD. They released their first album in 2003 on Supernal Music. It contains four tracks (really 3 proper tracks and one with rain noises) of some of the best epic metal I've heard recently. It's like Hate Forest without the death metal influences, mixed with Burzum. Very earthy, with lyrics in praise of nature. This album will make my top 10 for sure. They seem to have another release out, "Autumn Aurora", which I can't find a lot of information about.
DUB BUK
This band has Nokturnal Mortum members and is muchly in the same style. I am actually listening to them for the first time now. You can get some MP3's here: http://mp3.wp.pl/p/strefa/artysta/5580.html
FOREST
This is on the raw, rehearsal-type end of the BM spectrum. A lot like Darkthrone. What I've heard is atmospheric and good but not really outstanding when compared to Ukraine's better acts. I shall investigate further.
HATE FOREST
More death metal-influenced heathen metal which hasn't appealed all that much to me yet, but I'm planning to buy an album of theirs eventually.
LUCIFUGUM
Again, this band has Nokturnal Mortum members and seems to be one of the older Ukrainan bands around. Alas, I haven't heard them yet. Working on it.
MISTIGO VARGGOTH DARKESTRA
Side-project of Knjaz Varggoth. A lot of people only know about the 72-minute symphonic metal affair "The Key to the Gates of Apocalypse" released on The End Records, but there were actually two tape albums released before it. I have one, "Midnight Fullmoon", and it's pure melodic keyboard ambience. Folky, medieval-feeling stuff. Great for resting to. I like it a lot and will buy the 72-min CD and the other cassette eventually.
NOKTURNAL MORTUM
The most well-known, of course, and possibly the greatest of them all. Painfully good all the way from the demo to the latest release.
