Black metal outfit Watain emerged from Uppsala, Sweden, in 1998, quickly gaining underground credibility with an uncompromising 7" release titled The Essence of Black Purity, then solidifying their commitment to the dark metal arts via 2000's thematically shocking (i.e., frequent odes to Satan and his pals) but instrumentally accomplished Rabid Death's Curse album. This has since been followed by incrementally lauded but always reliably extreme releases such as 2000's Ritual Macabre live album, 2001's The Misanthropic Ceremonies split single with Diabolicum, 2003's Casus Luciferi LP, 2007's Sworn to the Dark, 2010's Lawless Darkness, 2013's The Wild Hunt, and 2018's Trident Wolf Eclipse. And, bucking underground metal tradition somewhat, Watain's lineup has remained consistently stable throughout these many years and releases, featuring vocalist/bassist Erik Danielsson (also known as the editor of the Hellish Massacre zine and the artist behind Cold Seed Creations), guitarists P. Forsberg and Set Teitan, bassist Tore Stjerna (an occasional producer and owner of Necromorbus Studio), and drummer H. Jonsson. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia