# Black Tongue
**Black Tongue** is a British deathcore band formed in January 2013 in [Kingston upon Hull](https://www.edgepedia.org/kingston-upon-hull), England, known for extremely slow, low-tuned songwriting that the band itself describes as "Doomcore".[1](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/8cfeaa08-6209-421b-958c-178921afe437) • [2](https://eumetalindex.com/band/black-tongue) The group is widely credited as a defining act in downtempo deathcore, a style built on very slow, dense breakdowns layered with atmospheric passages drawn from doom metal and, on later records, black metal.[2](https://eumetalindex.com/band/black-tongue)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Origin | Kingston upon Hull, England; formed January 2013[1](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/8cfeaa08-6209-421b-958c-178921afe437) |
| Style | Downtempo deathcore the band calls "Doomcore"; doom metal, sludge, and black metal influences[2](https://eumetalindex.com/band/black-tongue) • [3](https://ninecircles.co/2015/09/11/album-review-black-tongue-the-unconquerable-dark/comment-page-1/) |
| Members | Aaron Kitcher (drums), Eddie Pickard (guitar), James Harrison (guitar), Alex Teyen (vocals); former bassist Lloyd Newton[4](https://www.spirit-of-metal.com/en/band/Black_Tongue) |
| Other band | Kitcher and Pickard also play in Infant Annihilator[4](https://www.spirit-of-metal.com/en/band/Black_Tongue) |
| Releases | EPs Falsifier (2013) and Born Hanged (2014); albums The Unconquerable Dark (2015) and Nadir (2018)[1](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/8cfeaa08-6209-421b-958c-178921afe437) |
| Label | Century Media, which released the Born Hanged/Falsifier redux compilation digitally in 2014[5](https://www.teethofthedivine.com/reviews/black-tongue-the-unconquerable-dark/) |
| Tunings | Nadir tracks tuned anywhere between drop C# and double drop B[6](https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/78720/Black-Tongue-Nadir/) |
## Formation and early EPs
The band's founding members came from [Infant Annihilator](https://www.edgepedia.org/infant-annihilator) and Acrania, and drummer Aaron Kitcher and guitarist Eddie Pickard remain members of both projects.[2](https://eumetalindex.com/band/black-tongue) • [4](https://www.spirit-of-metal.com/en/band/Black_Tongue) The debut EP *Falsifier* appeared in 2013 and the second EP, *Born Hanged*, followed in 2014.[1](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/8cfeaa08-6209-421b-958c-178921afe437) These two short releases established the band's template of extremely low tunings and slow, heavy breakdowns, and they became sought-after collector's items among deathcore fans, reaching high resale prices.[5](https://www.teethofthedivine.com/reviews/black-tongue-the-unconquerable-dark/) On the strength of the EPs and the members' prior Infant Annihilator notoriety, the band signed with Century Media, which issued a combined *Born Hanged / Falsifier [Redux]* compilation digitally in 2014.[1](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/8cfeaa08-6209-421b-958c-178921afe437) • [5](https://www.teethofthedivine.com/reviews/black-tongue-the-unconquerable-dark/)
## The Unconquerable Dark (2015)
The debut full-length, *The Unconquerable Dark*, was released in 2015.[1](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/8cfeaa08-6209-421b-958c-178921afe437) Reviewers described it as a blend of funeral doom and deathcore, with creeping, atmospheric passages and morbid mood; Metal Hammer noted that tracks such as "Young Gloom" captured the spirit of early [Paradise Lost](https://www.edgepedia.org/paradise-lost) while others were deathcore slowed to a punishing crawl.[7](https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/black-tongue-the-unconquerable-dark) Guest appearances came from [Suicide Silence](https://www.edgepedia.org/suicide-silence) vocalist Eddie Hermida on "Vermintide" and [Thy Art Is Murder](https://www.edgepedia.org/thy-art-is-murder)'s Chris McMahon.[7](https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/black-tongue-the-unconquerable-dark) Reception was divided: one Sputnikmusic review scored it 2.5, calling it a poor foray into "heaviest album ever" territory with scarce riffs, while praising vocalist Alex Teyen's ability to convey hatred in his delivery.[8](https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/71698/Black-Tongue-The-Unconquerable-Dark/) The Nine Circles review credited the band with breathing life back into deathcore while noting that the songwriting still prioritized breakdowns over the more experimental elements.[3](https://ninecircles.co/2015/09/11/album-review-black-tongue-the-unconquerable-dark/comment-page-1/)
## Nadir (2018)
The second album, *Nadir*, released in 2018, marked a broadening of the band's sound. It is a concept album narrating the journey of a man who killed himself through purgatory, hell, and later into the void, with each track focusing on a life being forced to answer for its wrongdoings.[6](https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/78720/Black-Tongue-Nadir/) • [9](https://metal.academy/reviews/32050/18297) The record incorporates doom metal, black metal, and grindcore alongside the band's slow, heavy sections; the opening of "The Cathedral" uses blast beats (very fast drumming alternating bass drum and snare) and tremolo picking, and "Contrapasso" adds shrieks and tremolo-picked guitars.[6](https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/78720/Black-Tongue-Nadir/) • [10](https://www.sleepingvillagereviews.com/olde-reviews/black-tongue-nadir) It includes a cover of [Celtic Frost](https://www.edgepedia.org/celtic-frost)'s "A Dying God Coming Into Human Flesh", the only song on the record with singing.[6](https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/78720/Black-Tongue-Nadir/) • [10](https://www.sleepingvillagereviews.com/olde-reviews/black-tongue-nadir) Critics received it markedly better than the debut: Sputnikmusic users rated it 3.8 ("excellent") across 185 ratings, and reviewers described it as a transformation from the earlier "breakdown factory" approach, with Metal Academy calling it one of the more mature offerings in the genre.[6](https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/78720/Black-Tongue-Nadir/) • [9](https://metal.academy/reviews/32050/18297)
## Style
Black Tongue's music is built around heaviness achieved through extreme slowness and very low guitar tunings rather than speed or technical display. A Sputnikmusic review of *The Unconquerable Dark* wrote that the band exists "to be as sluggishly heavy as a band physically can" and awarded it the "lowest tuning contest".[8](https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/71698/Black-Tongue-The-Unconquerable-Dark/) Reviewers classify the band variously as downtempo deathcore, doomcore, or sludge-influenced deathcore; a Metal Archives reviewer discussing [The Acacia Strain](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-acacia-strain)'s doom-influenced deathcore described Black Tongue's "doomcore" as deathcore with doom influences and called it very unique.[2](https://eumetalindex.com/band/black-tongue) • [11](https://www.metal-archives.com/reviews/The_Acacia_Strain/Failure_Will_Follow/1139429/RadiantToblerone/1764431) The black metal influence, present on *Nadir* in blast beats, tremolo picking, and shrieked vocals, is described by reviewers as pushed to the forefront of many songs on that record.[10](https://www.sleepingvillagereviews.com/olde-reviews/black-tongue-nadir)
## Status since 2018
No new Black Tongue release has followed *Nadir*. The band's discography still stands at two EPs, one compilation, and two albums, with the most recent singles dating to 2018.[1](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/8cfeaa08-6209-421b-958c-178921afe437) Although the band has been inactive, Black Tongue still holds a strong standing within the deathcore scene; a user review on Album of The Year calls them likely among the genre's most notable acts of recent years, even though they have not released anything new lately.[12](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/179694-black-tongue-the-unconquerable-dark/user-reviews/)
## References
1. [Black Tongue, MusicBrainz](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/8cfeaa08-6209-421b-958c-178921afe437)
2. [Black Tongue, European Metal Index](https://eumetalindex.com/band/black-tongue)
3. [Album Review: Black Tongue – The Unconquerable Dark, Nine Circles (2015)](https://ninecircles.co/2015/09/11/album-review-black-tongue-the-unconquerable-dark/comment-page-1/)
4. [Black Tongue, Spirit of Metal](https://www.spirit-of-metal.com/en/band/Black_Tongue)
5. [Black Tongue – The Unconquerable Dark, Teeth of the Divine](https://www.teethofthedivine.com/reviews/black-tongue-the-unconquerable-dark/)
6. [Black Tongue – Nadir (album review), Sputnikmusic](https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/78720/Black-Tongue-Nadir/)
7. [Black Tongue: The Unconquerable Dark, Louder / Metal Hammer (2015)](https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/black-tongue-the-unconquerable-dark)
8. [Black Tongue – The Unconquerable Dark (album review), Sputnikmusic](https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/71698/Black-Tongue-The-Unconquerable-Dark/)
9. [Review by Vinny for Black Tongue – Nadir (2018), Metal Academy](https://metal.academy/reviews/32050/18297)
10. [BLACK TONGUE – Nadir, Sleeping Village Reviews (2018)](https://www.sleepingvillagereviews.com/olde-reviews/black-tongue-nadir)
11. [Failure Will Follow – Review by RadiantToblerone, Encyclopaedia Metallum](https://www.metal-archives.com/reviews/The_Acacia_Strain/Failure_Will_Follow/1139429/RadiantToblerone/1764431)
12. [Black Tongue – The Unconquerable Dark, User Reviews, Album of The Year](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/179694-black-tongue-the-unconquerable-dark/user-reviews/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Music scenes › Transnational genre scenes › Heavy metal scenes › Artists, groups, and people: Heavy metal scenes › Modern Metal & -core › Deathcore artists*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license