China is big, and just when I think I am familiar with most of the bands in the extreme metal scene, new ones continuously pop up every month or so. At times, I am surprised with what comes out of the country, but with the right tools, influences and mindset, some amazing, albeit malformed things are birthed from the dark womb of the Middle Kingdom.
Many of these bands don’t or cannot use Facebook or Bandcamp, so discovering them is usually through attending a show that they are playing in a dingy bar or at a festival. I would like to leave no stone unturned and cover every extreme band in the country, but it is a daunting task. They all deserve to be unearthed and presented to you, the discerning, ever attentive metal listener.
Narakam – Death Metal
One of China’s oldest death metal bands, Narakam – (Chinese name 冥界乐队) previously went by the name 死亡钟 Bell of Death before disbanding and then coming back together to form Narakam in 1993. The group disbanded again in 2000 and were finally resurrected a final time, like the bloody phoenix that they are, and are still going to this day. Their older material can be found in the Samsara 1993-2008 box set, and after that the band really pushed it into high gear with proper full releases, live albums and all those evil trinkets. A full-length album was apparently lost in 1998 – so this new material is better late than never. As far as Narakam’s sound, their musicality feels more rooted in classic solo-filled 1980s metal, though the vocals bring the roughness foreshadowed by the demonic images on their album covers.
Skyfire – Death Metal
The traditional death metal bands in China are somewhat rare, but along with Narakam, Skyfire brings a purified, meat and potatoes form of death and destruction which wouldn’t sound out of place in a late 80s concert headlined by Cannibal Corpse or Obituary. The band has made sporadic appearances at different metal festivals such as the Brutal Feast events, True Noise Day (put on by Zibo’s grind maestro Impure Injection) and the biggest event of its kind in China, the 330 Metal Festival. Prepare yourself a grave in Tombstone Town.
Deathpact- Technical Death Metal
Beijing’s Deathpact formed in 2010 and has been a technical force to be reckoned with since. The band is a little under the radar – having live shows on a sporadic basis and only releasing one full length and one EP, but the tracks on either release are like audio plans for a villainous mastermind’s siege against humanity. Their full-length effort Reincarnation of Asura Road is a chimera of different styles, each head in a feral, nasty mood. Listen to “36 People’s Death List” and try to figure out who the unlucky ones are.
Globularcyst – Goregrind
Get the vomit bags ready, as even looking at the album cover for Fermented Abscess Proliferation from this “vomiting pathological goregrind band” can make you queasy. Globularcyst are new on the scene (2019) but have been studying the medical textbooks written by Carcass, Disgorge, and Viscera Infest to create what is a sickening copulation of high-speed bloody mucus pounded in by the solid foundation of a trusty masochistic snare drum. Thematically, they go for a disease-ridden atmosphere – the fascination of bodily decay or mutations being something of endless fascination – and what perfect time to read up on disease as right now during a global pandemic?
https://globularcyst.bandcamp.com/releases
Dehumanizing Itatrain Worship – Anime Grind/Slamming Brutal Death Metal
Dehumanizing Itatrain Worship is an anime grind, or anime slam, if you will, band, who produce some honest-to-God intense anime infused brutality. Tracks like “Suicide Happy Holiday” showcase the sense of ironic, cute but morbid sensibility bands like DIW have. Their track "Brutal Rush" has been the subject of a few reaction videos in which the viewers marvel over the level of brutality that is really pushed to the limit – it is almost not humanly possible, but they have certainly pushed the envelope of extreme. Their bio states that they follow death metal acts such as Anal Bleeding, Ingested, Visceral Disgorge, and more. They have also released a split with the band Cheerleader Concubine entitled The Divine Union of Serrated Flesh – showing that the split releases which are so common in the grind community trickle down the pen onto the anime grind canvas as well.
Sexy Oldguys – Postmodern Slam/Noise/Grindcore
Sexy Oldguys are actually three young guys. Their name in Chinese actually translates to “old man back scratcher”, so take that as you will. Their live setup now includes a live drummer. Past shows used electronic drums, which made the sound muffled compared to other bands on a bill. They are now sexier, a little bit older, and kind of more feminine (the guitarist and drummer were wearing lipstick at the last show I caught them at). The sound produced by these strapping young lads is a comedic form of grind interlaced with sarcastic dancing or K-Pop singing mid-song. They call it postmodern and I can’t argue with that. It all seems completely brutal but at the same time irreverent.
Leviathan – Deathcore
Care for a little piano-tinged deathcore? The genre has had many mutations since its inception, and like metalcore and bands like Winds of Plague, deathcore with added keyboard elements makes for a listen that is refreshing, though doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel when it comes to metal. Their name isn’t a new wave in the sea of bands either, as the Leviathan band name has of course been used before, in black metal and punk – but don’t tell these Chinese youngsters, who picked the mythical sea serpent moniker as a reflection to their sound. It’s as if each tentacle on the monster represents a different instrument, not unlike with Chimaira. A few of those tentacles are poison filled, but a few may just want to give the listener a hug, as clean singing is featured on a few of the band’s tracks.
Corpse Cook – Brutal Death Metal
If you thought Rings of Saturn didn’t have enough chops as to open up a black hole in the space-time-continuum, Corpse Cook, with their track “Atrocity from Outer Space” is a violent foray into the unforgiving nature of the cosmos. The unrelenting onslaught of Corpse Cook also involves earthy displeasures, as seen on tracks like “Disembowelment” from the EP of the same name, featuring an image of someone with their intestines pulled out on the cover. They join similarly nasty bands as part of the Brutal Reign Productions label, which has also put out material by Gorepot and Haematemesis. If it’s something truly brutal you’re after, in the spirit of Devourment or Defeated Sanity, sit your carcass down and press play.
Haematemesis – Slam/Brutal Death Metal
When it comes to Chinese artists who are considered of high quality and stand out compared to a lot of the others, many of those come from the city of Shanghai. The art museums in the M50 art district are full of sardonic pieces, and the musicians hold a similar kind of worldly, two-steps ahead philosophy. Just look at Torturing Nurse, Round Eye or Alpaca for examples. With Haematemesis, we get Chinese slam which is second to none. Unpleasant Experiment is the album title, and instead of beakers, rats and a laboratory put to foul use, the band creates their own Unit 731 by way of instruments and a jam room. The pace fluctuates throughout the album, making this a dynamic and highly inventive experiment in noise. Haematemesis is the vomiting of blood, which looks like coffee grounds. A bit fitting, as the vocals here sound like the filter sucking up those last bits of water before the coffee pot is full. Perhaps that coffee blood was put through the old machine when making the album.
Incremate – Death Metal
Wearing dusty cargo pants, with hair as wet as WWE superstars, and with grunts filled with black phlegm, Incremate are a powerhouse of death metal looking to take the country by its red throat. The great thing about Chinese festivals is that they will always give the up-and-coming bands a chance to shine along with the big boys. New blood is ever important in developing the scene, and Incremate personify this notion, recently making their mark on the 2020 version of the 330 Metal Festival in Beijing, playing alongside huge Chinese bands such as Suffocated, Dreamspirit and The Dark Prison Massacre. On stage, they take their position and plow through songs like a firing squad – with precision and without humor, as executing your ears is serious business.
Doppelganger – Slam/Brutal Death Metal
Another artist on Brutal Reign Productions, Doppelganger is like the alternate reality evil self come to fruition – a tethered, carnal monstrosity set out to devour and replace you. The familiar components of slam are here – beast vocals, sick, pummeling breakdowns and groovy drumming, not to mention colorful song titles, logo and album art, but the band puts a technical spin on things, making the songs take the listener on a little slam journey before piledriving them. The band, like The Dark Prison Massacre, knows that catchiness is sometimes key in slam song writing, so don’t be surprised if you catch yourself dancing whilst headbanging at a show.
This was a guest post submitted by Ryan Dyer. Also check out his pieces on Chinese folk metal and Chinese black metal.
