The Magus - Guitars, Vocals
The Penance - Drums
The Usurper - Guitars
The Condemned One - Bass

Deathwards is a Death/Thrash Metal band from Rancagua, Chile, formed in 2017 with the intention of resurrecting the dark and dangerous spirit that surrounded extreme Metal during the second half of the 1980s. Rather than approaching old-school Metal as a purely nostalgic exercise, Deathwards draw inspiration from the formative period when the boundaries between Thrash Metal and the emerging Death Metal movement were still blurred.

The band was originally spawned by The Magus and Extravasation, musicians already familiar with Chile's underground Metal scene. Their musical direction was shaped by a shared admiration for early Slayer, Possessed, Morbid Angel, Incubus, Slaughter Lord and Voivod, among others. The aim was to combine violent Thrash Metal riffing with the sinister atmosphere and primitive aggression that characterized the earliest stages of Death Metal.

Drummer The Penance soon joined the ranks, establishing the core of the band. During 2018, after the instrumental tracks for their first demo had been recorded, Hellavenger was brought in to perform vocals. His presence added a distinctly archaic character to the recordings, but his tenure proved short-lived as he eventually departed to concentrate on other musical activities. The Magus subsequently assumed vocal duties in addition to bass and guitar, his darker vocal approach ultimately becoming an integral part of Deathwards' identity.

Rhythm guitarist The Usurper also joined during this early period, further strengthening the band's lineup.

Deathwards' first major statement was the demo Towards Death. Its five tracks presented a vicious mixture of Thrash and embryonic Death Metal, emphasizing sharp riffing, aggressive tempos and an ominous atmosphere reminiscent of the period when extreme Metal was rapidly mutating into increasingly hostile forms. The release also included a cover of Infernäl Mäjesty's “Overlord”, an appropriate tribute considering the Canadian band's influence on the darker and more extreme development of Thrash Metal.

The band's influences extended beyond straightforward Thrash. Elements associated with early Pestilence, Sadus, Sindrome and similarly adventurous late-'80s acts could be heard alongside the more primitive aggression, giving Deathwards' music a technical and occasionally progressive edge without sacrificing its raw character.

Further material appeared through Rehearsal MMXIX. Recorded at Equinox Media in Rancagua, the recording captured Deathwards in an intentionally rough and immediate form. By this point the lineup consisted of The Magus on vocals and bass, Extravasation on lead guitar, The Usurper on rhythm guitar and The Penance on drums. Shortly afterwards, Extravasation departed for personal reasons, ending the earliest incarnation of the group.

Despite the limited amount of material released during their formative years, Deathwards gradually established a reputation within the international underground. Their approach stood firmly against polished modern production trends, instead embracing the sinister atmosphere, violent riffing and organic performances associated with the years when Death Metal was first emerging from Thrash Metal's increasingly extreme underground.

In 2026, German underground label Sepulchral Voice Records brought Deathwards' early recordings back into circulation with In Deathlore 2017-2019. The compilation assembled the Towards Death material together with the 2019 rehearsal recordings, presenting nine tracks from the band's formative period with improved sound. Released on CD, vinyl and digitally, the collection served both as a document of Deathwards' beginnings and as an introduction to a new chapter in the band's existence.

The lineup also expanded with bassist The Condemned One joining in 2025, alongside longtime members The Magus, The Penance and The Usurper.

After years spent developing their material in the underground, Deathwards finally prepared their first full-length album, Realms of Sin. Scheduled for release through Sepulchral Voice Records on October 30th, 2026, the album represents the long-awaited culmination of the band's fascination with the violent transformation of Thrash and Speed Metal into primitive Death Metal during the late 1980s.

Musically, Deathwards remain deliberately rooted in that transitional era: razor-edged Thrash riffs collide with primitive Death Metal aggression, sinister melodies, untamed guitar leads and venomous vocals. Yet their music is more than simple imitation. The band uses the language of early extreme Metal as the foundation for its own songwriting, retaining the unpredictability and sense of danger that characterized the genre before Death Metal developed clearly defined conventions.

With themes revolving around necromancy, death and occult lore, Deathwards have carved out an identity firmly connected to the darkest traditions of the South American underground while simultaneously drawing inspiration from the pioneering extreme Metal scenes of Europe and North America.

Deathwards ultimately belong to that rare breed of contemporary bands attempting not merely to reproduce the sound of old Death/Thrash Metal, but to recapture its atmosphere – a time when Thrash Metal was becoming darker, faster and increasingly malignant, and Death Metal itself was only beginning to crawl from the crypt.

Towards Death (Demo, 2018)
Rehearsal MMXIX (Demo, 2019)
Realms of Sin (Album, 2026)

Death Metal/Thrash Metal
Chile