Explore the sacred domains

Collars is a raw black metal band from Italy, formed in 2023 and currently active. The project operates independently and remains unsigned, with no publicly listed location, lineup, or discography as of now.

🕯️ Overview

• Origin: Italy

• Formed: 2023

• Genre: Raw Black Metal

• Status: Active

• Label: Unsigned / Independent

• Themes: Not disclosed

🕸️ Aesthetic & Intent

The name Collars evokes imagery of restraint, submission, or symbolic bondage — themes often explored in raw black metal through minimalist production, abrasive sound, and transgressive symbolism. While no lyrical themes are officially listed, the genre suggests a focus on nihilism, rebellion, or existential decay, possibly delivered through lo-fi instrumentation and harsh vocals.

Collars emerged from the Italian underground as a raw black metal project shrouded in anonymity, active since 2023 but musically rooted in an earlier creative phase. Despite the project’s minimal public presence, its aesthetic is unmistakably aligned with the harsher, more abrasive side of black metal: lo‑fi production, claustrophobic atmosphere, and a thematic focus on psychological erosion, decay, and the darker corners of human experience. The name itself—Collars—suggests imagery of restraint, domination, and symbolic confinement, elements often reflected in the project’s stark visual presentation and suffocating sonic approach.

While no lineup has been disclosed and the project maintains complete independence, Collars has already produced two full‑length albums that circulate within niche underground circles. Tracoma (2020), though predating the project’s official formation date, represents its embryonic stage: a raw, diseased‑sounding work built on distorted layers, distant screams, and a suffocating, almost feverish atmosphere. The album’s title evokes infection and blindness, themes mirrored in its oppressive sound.

Hauntology (2022) expanded the project’s conceptual depth, drawing on the idea of lingering ghosts—memories, traumas, or cultural remnants that refuse to die. Musically, it leans into a more atmospheric but still abrasive form of raw black metal, with repetitive, hypnotic riffs and a spectral ambience that gives the record a haunted, disembodied quality. Listeners noted its ability to evoke dread and emotional dislocation without abandoning the genre’s primitive foundations.

Collars remains an enigmatic presence: no public members, no live activity, and no clear geographic anchor beyond its Italian origin. This anonymity reinforces the project’s ethos—raw black metal as a vessel for isolation, negation, and the dissolution of identity. Its discography, though small, positions Collars as a project committed to the uncompromising, shadow‑dwelling spirit of the genre.

 

• Tracoma Full-length 2020
  Hauntology Full-length 2022