The first whispers of the new band appeared in Divided We Fall zine in late 1986, shortly after Compos Mentis had split. Taking their name from the nine “Ringwraiths” in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, Nazgul embodied the darkness and fury of their namesakes, melding punk’s urgency with metal’s apocalyptic edge. Their songs, like “Nuclear Baby Mutants,” “Private War,” and “Masters,” delivered a potent mix of speed, rage, and dystopian imagery.

Musically, Nazgul drew inspiration from crossover and thrash pioneers such as D.R.I., Corrosion of Conformity, Concrete Sox, Damage, Venom, and G.A.S.H.. As David Clark explained in Anti-System zine, “We aren’t crossing over to metal, but trying to incorporate some of its energy, which seems to be lacking in what is often a punk straightjacket.” The result was what the band called “ultrafast thrash with jagged metal edges.”

Outside the band, Craig and Michelle ran the zine Divided We Fall, which released five issues between October 1986 and July 1987, while David published his own zine, Thrash ’Til Death. Craig also founded Out of Order Records, a DIY label/ disro dedicated to supporting the local punk scene. Its compilation “New Zealand” featured Nazgul’s blistering track “Private War,” which Antisystem praised for its unrelenting power:

“Right from the distorted intro, you know ‘Private War’ is going to be a meanblast… Michelle’s vocals add even more power to the mania! Fuck labelling this, it’s just epileptic fit inspiring, power and speed. Thrash ’til death? I’m in.”

Anti-System #10

Nazgul played around New Zealand between 1987 and 1988, sharing stages with bands like Microwave Babies, Acid Reign, Wazzo Ghoti, Number Nine, Casualty and Sticky Filth. Their 1987 12″ LP Good Demons, released on Out of Order, captured both their studio precision and live chaos. Side A was recorded at Frontier Studio on July 13, 1987, while Side B featured recordings from the “Breakout” gig on August 8, 1987 at Railway Hall.

Before fading out in 1989, Nazgul recorded seven unreleased songs for a follow-up album: “Trick or Treat,” “Lords of Mordor,” “Bloodlust,” “Tournament,” “Black Widow,” “Fear the Night,” and “Nightmare.”