Stronger than Love: A Primer on Latvian Extreme Metal

Welcome to the third installment of the Baltic Metal Primers. Earlier this year, I discussed Lithuanian black metal and Estonian death metal, which included brief overviews of metal in context of Baltic history and culture. These primers primarily focused on Baltic metal in the 1990s shortly after the countries’ independence following the collapse of the USSR (and subsequently ending several […]

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Conspiratio Contra Estonia: A Primer on Estonian Death Metal

While all three of the Baltic States (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia) had active death metal scenes throughout the 1990s and beyond, that of Estonia stands out for three reasons. First, Estonia had the earliest death metal scene of the Baltics and thus laid the blueprint for the other Baltic States. Second, Estonia’s cultural and geographical relationship with Finland led to a […]

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When Death Shall Close Full-Moon Eyes: A Primer on Lithuanian Black Metal

  Shortly after attaining their independence following the collapse of the USSR, a collection of three small states on the southeastern shores of the Baltic Sea became ground zero for an exceptionally diverse and creative black metal scene that lasted from 1993 to 2002. Members of the extreme metal communities in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia launched themselves into a highly […]

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About SUNNbleach

SUNNbleach is the alter ego of Sunbleach that reviews and discusses extreme metal instead of vaporwave. It was originally an April Fool’s Day 2017 feature that included some album reviews and an album-of-the-day before returning to normal programming. SUNNbleach was brought back for three days around Halloween 2017 and included additional articles such as a feature on the Fallen Empire […]

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[Feature] Fallen Empire

Fallen Empire Records is a Portland, Oregon label that specializes in black metal. Founded on 18 June 2011 and operated pretty much entirely by just one guy, Fallen Empire has made a name for itself among message boards and in the experimental underground as a label known for harsh and raw metal in a variety of styles and geographic locations. […]

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Bride of SUNNbleach

This is SUNNbleach, the alter ego of Sunbleach in which we discuss extreme metal music, media, and culture. SUNNbleach originally ran the weekend of April Fool’s Day 2017, and it now takes over the site every year for Halloween. This year, SUNNbleach will run from 30 October through 1 November, after which it will return to regularly scheduled programming. This […]

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