FAQ
What is „Under The Horns"?
Under The Horns is a series of independent documentaries dedicated to Underground extreme metal scenes in lesser-known and smaller countries. With a focus on Black Metal and closely related genres, the films aim to capture the history, the most important protagonists, and the defining bands of each scene, preserving voices and stories that might otherwise remain invisible to the music fans.
What are the goals behind the documentaries?
Under The Horns sets out to create deep, honest insights into lesser-known Underground bands and music, promoting and amplifying art from the fringes of extreme metal. Equally important is the archival mission: preserving the voices of founding figures and early protagonists before they are lost, and creating lasting time documents of scenes that rarely receive outside attention.
How many documentaries are there?
Currently the series consists of three entries:
- Tallinn Under The Horns (2017) — the Black Metal scene of Estonia's capital
- Tartu Under The Horns (2022) — the scene in Estonia's second city
- Czechia Under The Horns (in production) — the Czech Black Metal scene
A smaller work-in-progress project titled „Lithuania Under The Horns" also exists. Future plans include documentaries about Canada and Switzerland.
Who is behind „Under The Horns"?
Under The Horns is a project by the team of the German webzine Undergrounded.de and its YouTube channel Undergroundedtube, which regularly publishes concert footage from underground gigs and smaller festivals. The documentaries are directed and produced by Sebastian Dörner, with Anna Apostata and Phil Keller as core crew. The deep dives into local scenes grew naturally out of years of on-the-ground reporting and friendships built across borders.
For Fans
Where can I watch the documentaries?
All released documentaries are available for free on the Undergroundedtube YouTube channel. Both Tallinn Under The Horns and Tartu Under The Horns are published there in full, the latter was released on YouTube on September 25, 2022, following sold-out premiere screenings in Estonia.
How long are the films?
Tallinn Under The Horns runs approximately 45–46 minutes; Tartu Under The Horns is 54 minutes long. The films are intended as immersive, feature-length dives rather than short-form content.
Are the documentaries subtitled?
Yes. The films feature interviews in the respective local languages (Estonian, Czech, etc.) with English subtitles, ensuring accessibility for an international audience. For Czechia Under The Horns, the team needed to conduct some interviews in Czech rather than English to avoid losing nuance in translation, a decision that required extensive outside help with transcription and subtitling.
For Bands & Scene Participants
How does a band or artist get featured?
The Under The Horns team researches each scene extensively before filming, building connections through multiple visits over time. For the Estonian documentaries, local contacts proved essential in opening doors; for Czechia Under The Horns, initial access came through the Thrash Nightmare festival in Písek and Prague Death Mass. Artists or scene participants interested in being part of future projects are welcome to reach out.
Is participation commercial or editorial?
Under The Horns is an entirely independent, non-commercial project. No band pays to be featured, and no scene is depicted in exchange for sponsorship. The selection of protagonists is purely editorial, based on their significance to the respective scene and its history.
Do bands retain rights to their music used in the films?
This is best addressed by the Undergrounded.de team directly, as licensing arrangements may vary per release. All music featured in the films is credited in the release notes.
For Press
What distinguishes Under The Horns from other metal documentaries?
The documentaries focus specifically on scenes that evolved largely in isolation, communities that developed over decades with little outside influence, only to emerge in a creative outburst. Rather than documenting already-famous bands or scenes, Under The Horns seeks out the overlooked. The films are driven by genuine personal relationships between the filmmakers and the scenes they portray, not by commercial interest. Tartu Under The Horns was explicitly described as having been forged by friendship, camaraderie, and the growing bond between the Estonian and German metal scenes.
What was the reception to the documentaries?
Both released films have been well received within the extreme metal community and beyond. The premiere of Tartu Under The Horns at the Tartu Elektriteater sold out, with a second premiere at Club Black Magic Estonia in Tallinn. Estonia's largest daily newspaper Postimees dedicated a full print page to the film. The project was also featured in the German-language Hartschnack Podcast and covered by international outlets including The Black Planet and Metal Underground. Tallinn Under The Horns holds a rating of 8.2/10 on IMDb.
What is the production budget?
Under The Horns is produced on a micro-budget, Tallinn Under The Horns was reportedly made for approximately 2,000 Euro. The films are passion projects: the value lies in the access, long-standing relationships, and years of groundwork, not in production spending.
What's next for the series?
After Tartu Under The Horns, the team turned its attention to Czechia, a significantly larger challenge given the country's scene complexity and the language barrier. A Lithuania Under The Horns work-in-progress also exists, and future projects targeting Canada and Switzerland have been discussed.