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Unearthing the Metal Underground: Sweden's Unpure

Unpure has been around for decades, and it has garnered a formidable reputation in some quarters. But they’ve essentially existed beneath the surface by and large. The Swedish band initially came together in 1991 as a black metal band prior to developing toward a blend of blackened thrash and speed metal. Between 2004 and 2017, however, the unit was silent. Since then, they’ve only had a couple of releases that featured just a handful of newer songs.

But the long-running metal extremists are poised to release their fifth album, “Prophecies Ablaze,” through Invictus Productions and The Ajna Offensive tomorrow. Unpure decidedly steers clear from the relatively popular “party thrash” approach. True to its black metal roots, Unpure nods and winks toward dark metal’s obvious core elements along the lines of Satanism, the occult and violence. The ensemble, now including newer guitarist Pelle Forsberg of Watain amongst others, churns out savage rippers like the Slayer-esque “Northern Sea Madness” and the jackhammer thrash of “Small Crooked Bones.” “The Witch Of Upsala, “meanwhile, is absolutely magical with its hypnotizing melodies. It’s a shame that Unpure hasn’t reached higher watermarks, in terms of recognition, since “Prophecies Ablaze” is a brilliant slab of timeless blackened thrash.

Jay H. Gorania is a long time metal journalist and sings for Trench Warfare. He also writes for Blabbermouth and Hellbound.ca and has in the past edited for Pit and written for Metal Maniacs, Unrestrained!, Hails and Horns, AMP and Outburn as well as other media outlets.