“In the ’90s, people really thought you were a nutcase if you liked Death Metal.”

As new addition to its expanded list of programs, THE PIT VOD platform presents ‘Underground Civilization : the documentary’ : A 100-minute documentary exploring the raw, underground world of Washington D.C.’s 1990s death metal scene — a subculture defined by its sonic extremity, DIY ethos, and the tight-knit community that thrived beneath the shadow of the capital.

The full documentary series is available right now on the platform with a 7-days FREE trial.

Launched in 2003 in Baltimore, just outside Washington D.C., Maryland Deathfest has grown into one of the largest extreme music festivals in the United States, with a lineup rooted in death metal, black metal, and grindcore. But its origins trace back a decade earlier to a little-known scene that took shape in the early 1990s around Washington D.C., led by three pioneering bands: Deceased, Abominog, and Morbius.

These bands ignited a tight-knit, underground movement that would lay the foundation for an entire subculture. The documentary Underground Civilization dives deep into this hidden chapter of American music history, featuring rare live footage of Deceased, Morbius, and Abominog, along with in-depth interviews with key figures such as King Fowley (Deceased, founder of With Your Teeth Records), Doug Souther (ex-Deceased), members of Morbius (Matt Sylvester, Andy Sylvester, Jason Weir, V. Bee Somphone), Pete Reid and Chris Yuastella (Abominog), Vince Matthews (Sadistic Torment), Jon Currle (Meatgrinder), Mike Bossier (Oblivion), and Flo Homer (Gravewürm).

The film also revisits the legendary venues that fueled the scene — including both iterations of the Safari Club (D.C.’s answer to CBGB), Club Asylum, Club Scar, Bender’s Club, Wilmer’s Park, The Bayou, and Jaxx.

More than a historical recount, Underground Civilization plays like an intimate conversation among old friends — musicians reflecting on the scene they built, the moments that defined it, and the energy that made it unforgettable. It’s a compelling and immersive journey into a lost era of 1990s underground metal.