Greetings to all metalgirls and metalboys of our beloved MetalBite community! As of recently, the MetalBite crew has expanded with our new member Levi from Poland, whose background includes (between many others) writing for the polish Musick Magazine and also singing in a death metal band Neolith. Please join us in wishing a metal welcome to our 'new guy' who will from now on run a section of the website called South Of Heaven where he'll cover metal bands originating in Poland. We would also like to thank Piotr Dorosinski from Musick Magazine for the help making this happen and Total Death Art for an awesome logo. We salute you!! Thank you both and without further ado the first part of South Of Heaven is posted below.

Part - 1 INTRO

Whether someone likes it or not, the Polish metal scene is growing and developing every day. And what is very pleasing is that more and more domestic bands are signing papers to publish their materials in the West. Of course there also remains a lot of medium or completely low quality bands that have to start over from scratch, or the ones that unfortunately didn't get the talent from the Devil. Fortunately, nowadays, before buying a physical material, we can check "what's going on" on the internet and this is where the first installment of online South Of Heaven, to which I would like to invite you right now, comes in.

MARTYRDOOM - As Torment Prevails - Memento Mori

Martyrdoom from Warsaw is the second Polish band after Eternal Rot that stole the hearts of Memento Mori management and it is thanks to them that the second album of this formation was released in the fall. I really like their work and I can't hide that I was happy about this news. And even more so, about the music contained on "As Torment Prevails". This is pure and class death metal, in which, despite that you can still find inspirations from a million bands, starting with Obituary through Grave and ending with Autopsy (whose cover of 'In The Grip Of Winter' ends this album), you can hear more and more of their own and characteristic features that I hope over time will become a staple reconnaissance of Martyrdoom. Guys from Warsaw feel great in slow and  mid pace, but the quick bursts of speed or sudden accelerations work equally good for them. Oh! how I enjoy such records, and even more so when they come from my country, and especially when you hear the sincerity of the message's natural feeling. And this is definitely the case with "As Torment Prevails".

VENGEANCE - Sewer Surge - Dying Victims Productions

Warsaw again and again a foreign and classy publisher. Vengeance is a band with personal ties to Armagh, who recently released their last album on this label. And since Dying Victims know what they're doing, I don't think they needed much convincing. And very well that it happened, because "Sewer Surge" is pure heavy/speed metal set in the atmosphere of the 80s, when bands such as Razor, Exciter, Iron Angel were at the peak of their abilities. Maybe I would add some atmosphere from the beginnings of the Brazilian scene. Really great playing that you can never have enough of. I think that Fukkin' Vengeance will be talked about way more not only in our country, but also, and perhaps especially, in the West. That's what I wish for them with all my heart.

VERITI RITUS - Defixiones - Independent

This material was published a few months ago, but somehow it escaped my attention. However, I think that the fans of the so-called metal climates would not forgive me for skipping "Defixiones" in South Of Heaven. Especially since it's really good material. Maybe not entirely to my taste, but I think there are a lot of supporters of this type of playing. Veriti Ritus is a band composed of musicians associated with bands such as Eternal Deformity, Popioły and Cień. And that should be enough of a recommendation. But as we know and have seen many times, names alone do not play instruments and it also often involves 'clipping coupons'. Fortunately, it's different here and it seems to me that the guys focused much more on progressive elements, experimentation and less banal playing than in domestic formations. So, apart from the typical death/doom songs, there are also a lot of references to black metal and even industrial. There's a lot of experimentation and mixing of different genres and forms of expression. I read somewhere that "Defixiones" is for fans of Alchemist and Phlebotomized, but I would also add the middle period of Samael's work, a bit of progressive and we will get a quite pleasant mix. I don't recommend it to orthodox people, but for those who are looking for something interesting in metal music, this album may turn out to be a very good choice.

KARPATHIAN RELICT - Never Be After - Musiko Eye

The third album of this very interesting band that has its roots in Ukraine. However, later the musicians settled in Sanok, Podkarpackie, and it was in this area that the line-up for the last album crystallized. And you can hear that the band rehearses regularly, because their death metal, despite all its complexity and complex form, has the proverbial 'arms and legs'. Unfortunately, I don't predict a great career for them, because Karpathian Relict's music is too complicated and multi-threaded for an ordinary metalhead. The music on "Never Be After" includes Necrophagist-style breaks, brutal playing a'la Aborted, progressive licks and even extended solo parts. All this is tied into a death metal by strong growls, which sometimes take on a more screaming form, or, as in 'Bury The Past', some dark melo-declamations and wheezes. Generally, very interesting, but quite difficult to understand material.

DOMINANCE - Slaughter Of Human Offerings In The New Age Of Pan - Putrid Cult

The debut album of the pack from Szczecin, created by former or current members of: Raped Christ, Garota, Czernina, Wishmaster, brings us just over half an hour of brutal and crazy black metal straight from the mid-90s. On the one hand, extremely poisonous, raw and brutal playing, but most of the songs contain some well-known and liked melodies that can stay in your head for a long time. It reminds me of the music from the first Marduk or Dark Funeral albums and can really please any black metal purist who loves this type of music. At times you can also hear a lot of brutal thrash metal and it all gives a really explosive dose of hellish metal. Kudos to Putrid Cult for another discovery.

PAINFUL INSOMNIA - Death Icon - Independent

The second full-length project created by a man named Thorn. 9 numbers and 16 short but juicy shots in the face that can be described as brutal/death/grind. There seems to be nothing original, in fact - I'd say more - everything according to proven patterns, but the foot is tapping on its own and there is no feeling of boredom or the impression that everything has already been done. Maybe because the whole thing is so short and you won't get a chance to get bored with it? Or maybe because "Painful Insomnia" is a creation that can really bring out everything that is interesting in this type of music? I leave the answer to these questions to you.

MARY - Mary - Independent

I don't buy what Gruzja, Wesele and hundreds of other bands from our country create, which, under the guise of black metal, try to smuggle in some homely and unleavened, most often over-intellectualized atmosphere. The situation is different with the debut material of a band from near Warsaw called Mary. I somehow trust them that they do it with the right approach, that it is not forced or forced to show that they are different. And maybe let's put aside ideological and textual issues, although this is an important part of Mary's work - I believe that as soon as the material sees the light of day, you will see it for yourself. Musically, however, it is a conglomerate of black metal and punk, played on D-beat. This is great to listen to. People who like Owls Woods Graves or Voidhanger should definitely like it. Although the list of inspirations is definitely longer, there is a lot of Mötorhead's coolness, a bit of old Furia, the punk of native Moscow or The Corpse, as well as something from the more metal albums of The Exploited. I'm glad that such a formation appeared on our scene. I hope that they will manage to make quite a stir in the future and that we will be humming hits like 'Wapno' or 'Lutkówka' while shaving. That's what I wish for them.

ZØRZA - IEI - Independent

The debut material of a duo from Grodzisk Wielkopolski. 4 numbers of black metal with a very strongly developed melody. It's definitely not one of those brutal, harsh types of things. It's playing based on a large number of melodies, created mainly by the guitar with quite strong reverb. Maybe you can hear some early Dissection here, but these are probably just distant associations. A pretty cool black metal vocal floats above everything, also with a lot of reverb. Closing the material, title track, is definitely the best, the most diverse, but above all having a nice atmosphere. The programmed drums are a bit irritating, which makes the music lose its naturalness, but it's not bad for a debut.

SELBSTMORD - WarSign Out Of The Dungeon - Independent

I think this formation is well known to black metal maniacs in our country. This is their 5th album, and previously some of the members were playing in bands such as Ohtar and Dark Fury. As I mentioned, this is another album by them, but you can still hear the atmosphere straight from the mid-90s. A bit of Scandinavia, a bit of homely atmosphere and generally everything according to a proven recipe and at the highest level. A very brutal, raw and uncompromising approach to black metal. I admit that there is definitely too little of such material on our scene.

CZARNA TRUMNA - Kult Sfer Maleficznych - Czertog Prom.

The debut album of this band from Słupsk. Very simple, primitive even playing, which, however, has its own specific atmosphere that many bands can envy. This atmosphere reminds me of old horror films, as well as black metal from the 80s, and maybe a bit later, the first materials of Samael, Varathron, Necromantia. A bit of the beginnings of our Kat. Well, this is a really very good playing, and certainly rare, especially nowadays. They got me from the first listen, but I love the Devil's music, and Czarna Trumna plays exactly such notes.

PLEŃ - Przechrzta - Old Temple

Pleń is a new creation on the black metal map of Poland. And I think that their debut will be successful and its reception will be truly worthy. Especially since it's really good playing. Maybe not entirely original, but apart from saying that it is pure black metal, it contains a lot of inspirations. Because there is some Scandinavian music here, some trance music in the style of Mgła, some punk-black dirt in the style of Owls Woods Graves. And it's all served with taste, sensitivity and, most importantly, no calculation whatsoever. And this is the most important thing for me, that you listen without suspicion and with pure pleasure.

DAMNATORUM - In Umbra Mortis - Independent

Another debut album, although its creators cannot be called debutants in any way, because part of the crew are members of Bydgoszcz veterans from Scarecrow and Indulgence. As for the musical content, I must admit that "In Umbra Mortis" is one of the most interesting death metal materials released this year in our country. Brutal and classic, but at the same time highly technically advanced death metal, strongly reminiscent of Morbid Angel. Perfectly arranged, masterfully played and sounding good. What more could you want? Well, nowadays a bit of luck and a good publisher who would push this material a little further, because it really deserves it. It's been a long time since I listened to domestic death metal that was so fresh and played with such feeling and power.