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The Official Black Metal Recommendations Thread


RelentlessOblivion

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I was initially a big Mgła fan. I liked Groza, but it wore thin a little quickly, and honestly With Hearts Toward None didn't impress me. I'll check out the new thing, though. 

I love With Hearts Toward None, much more than Groza, which is still a fine album. Their sound is more than the sum of its parts though, its strength lies in its subtlety and underlying vibe produced by the songwriting, and as such, they're definitely mood listens that you can't just turn on at any old time. When you feel them though, you fucking feel them. They were outstanding live at MDF too, so I'm stoked to hear the new one. Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
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I listen to Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult a lot. They are like a breath of fresh air to me and I love their singer Yvonne! She is EPIC! Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult - Nocturnal March

I found this brand new Swedish band recently, Kadaverdisciplin. They have only one song on YouTube yet and are working on their first album. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONAhacu6oRc

 

 

 

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Has anyone actually ever noticed that France has a great black metal scene? With stuff like Aosoth, Glaciation, Peste Noire, Nocturnal Depression, Temple of Baal, Regarde Les Hommes Tomber, Deathspell Omega and now this not so new project called VI is a great candidate for black metal album of the year for me. VI - De Praestigiis Angelorum

 

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I have to check out Unlight, haven't heard of them before. Germany as a lot of great black metal bands as well.

5 minutes ago, Kristiko said:

I'll have to check it out. I haven't listened to many black metal bands from France, but I always liked Blut Aus Nord. 

If you like Blut Aus Nord, I'm pretty sure you'll dig Deathspell Omega and maybe Vi and Aosoth as well.

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14 minutes ago, Yobo said:

I have to check out Unlight, haven't heard of them before. Germany as a lot of great black metal bands as well.

If you like Blut Aus Nord, I'm pretty sure you'll dig Deathspell Omega and maybe Vi and Aosoth as well.

I know Deathspell Omega, I have a few of their albums. I know Temple of Baal too but haven't got any of their stuff. I'll be looking in to all them. Thank you :)

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On 11/30/2015, 5:27:23, Yobo said:

Has anyone actually ever noticed that France has a great black metal scene? With stuff like Aosoth, Glaciation, Peste Noire, Nocturnal Depression, Temple of Baal, Regarde Les Hommes Tomber, Deathspell Omega and now this not so new project called VI is a great candidate for black metal album of the year for me.

 

 

I think I read a review for this album somewhere a couple weeks ago, members of Aosoth right?  Really nice shit

EDIT: welp, quick gander on my folders reveals I actually bought the damn thing too.  Dont drink and bandcamp guys.  Actually, fuck that, do that shit, cuz you find stuff like this in times of silence. 

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Another round for me? Why not.

 

Necrophobic - Darkside:

 

Necrophobic have already made my death metal list with their excellent debut, The Nocturnal Silence, but with their sophomore album, they added a great deal more black metal into their sound. Plenty of death metal can still be heard, and their nationality should be obvious based on the melodies used, so suffice it to say that fans of 90's Swedish black/death metal like Dissection, Sacramentum, Dawn, etc... should find plenty to enjoy here. Their sound here is a bit more straightforward than any of those though, almost more like if Dark Funeral got their shit together, or if Marduk's Opus Nocturne was more death metal influenced. In any case, check out both of their first two albums. The debut is still my favorite, but this album is no slouch either.

Negative Plane - Stained Glass Revelations

Negative Plane are a newer US black metal band that have been making some serious waves with their old school, yet highly original sound. Much of what you can hear harkens back to a time when black metal was still new spreading its wings, specifically in the early 90's, even catching the attention of Rotting Christ for a collaborative release following this one. That wouldn't be a totally distant comparison for Negative Plane's sound, but they have a much more psychedelic tinge to their melodies and atmosphere, almost like a dark hallucinatory trip through the same temple rites described in many a black metal song. Everything sounds rich, deep, and more complex than you might expect. Definitely one of my favorites from the modern era, do not sleep on these guys.

Negura Bunget - OM:

Negura Bunget are a band that I have also mentioned previously, but I'm pretty sure it was in the black metal thread for Iceni, which many of you may or may not have checked out. They certainly merit more mentions though, as their sound is astonishing. Om is typically looked at as their best album, and for good reason. It's an eclectic, but very well developed and powerful album. They're one of the best bands that I've heard at combining black metal with not only progressive influences and songwriting, but also at merging black metal with the native folk sounds of their country, Romania. The result is nothing less than engrossing, absolutely one of the best black metal albums of the 00's. I only have one of their other albums, but it's very nearly as good, but maybe start here to hear their sound in its fully developed glory.

Nehemah - Light of a Dead Star:

Nehemah are a band that often seems to be forgotten among the many wonderful bands to come from the French scene. I'm not sure why this is, as they balance the raw and discordant aspects of that sounds wonderfully and ferociously, but I think any fan of 2nd wave black metal would find this tasty treat enjoyable. Keep in mind that this is from 2002, before bands like Blut Aus Nord and Deathspell Omega were changing the game, but there are some precursors to that sound to be found here. In any case, I'm going to throw the comparisons aside now and just say that you should hear them for yourself. This was a band that I took a chance on (how many times do you hear about faith grabs in this day and age?), and I was not disappointed in the slightest.

Niden Div. 187 - Imperium/Towards Judgement:

Niden Div. 187 is a Swedish black metal band that opted for something different from their contemporaries. Despite having members of Dawn in their ranks, this has more in common with raw black/death metal, or "war" metal bands. There's nothing here but aggression and punishment, this is a short album, and it never really lets up. Despite the constant bludgeoning though, there is enough variety here to keep things interesting, but this is not something you put on when you're looking for something subtle. It's too bad they didn't make more albums, because this one was killer.

Nokturnal Mortum - To the Gates of Blasphemous Fire

Nokturnal Mortum is one of the oldest and most well known Ukrainian black metal bands. Their sound has many facets, combining folky Ukrainian melodies with intense and varied symphonic black metal, a much more intense variety than most that have explored the sound. Surprisingly, the keyboards are pretty high up in the mix, but this does not detract from the aggression on display. I chose to post a clip from this album because it was their first to have decent sound quality, but really all of their albums are great. If symphonic and/or folky black metal are you flavor, you should definitely feel right at home here. If not, give them a try and see if they can break you into that sound with their more furious approach.

Obtained Enslavement - Centuries of Sorrow:

Obtained Enslavement would go on to become one of the flag-bearers of the symphonic black metal sound, and they would also do it better than most others. However, on their debut, they were still raw, nasty sounding Norwegian black metal. That is not to say that they were without melody, as this definitely does sound Norwegian, but that it was much more harsh sounding than what they would craft following this album. You may recognize the vocals of Pest, who would later front Gorgoroth for a couple of albums, but here he is at his most raw. Basically, you know what you're getting with this album, and if you like the sound, you should dig this too.

Old Man's Child - Born of the Flickering:

Most people should at least know of Old Man's Child as the band that Galder was in before he joined Dimmu Borgir. Let's just say that he should have stayed there. His later albums would not hold up to the standard of the debut, which was a pretty great riffy melodic black metal band, and it would have been nice to hear some of this make it into Dimmu's sound, instead of Dimmu's sound tainting Galder's later releases. If you like the really early Dimmu Borgir sound, or melodic black metal in general, or just want proof that Galder is more than just that guy with the cheesy moustache and smile, give this a listen.

Ondskapt - Doden Evangellum:

Ondskapt is a Swedish band that is best known for being one of the front-runners in the "orthodox" black metal sound. This sound would become popularized by Watain, though they did so by making some commercial concessions that you simply won't find here. The melodies here are haunting, the vocals forceful and moody, and the production is pretty clear considering the genre on display. This album isn't exactly as consistent throughout as I would have liked, but that's a minor gripe, as I feel that the highs are worth the couple of places where it drags in the middle. If you want to hear what Watain would sound like with a more raw approach, or just want to hear some well done Swedish black metal, look no further.

Ophthalamia - A Journey In DarknessI):

Ophthalamia is a pretty interesting Swedish black metal project that should not be anywhere near as obscure as it is. This was essentially a super group of musicians from many more well known Swedish bands, the most well known of which is no doubt Jon of Dissection, whose vocals and melodies you can hear quite clearly on this, their debut album. There is a ton going on here, black metal being the base, but there are doom and heavy metal riffs to be found, in addition to progressive and strange melodies and passages. There's really nothing else like this, and it's honestly my favorite album that Jon was ever a part of, despite how awesome Dissection is. The follow up is even more strange, and maybe it's that weirdness that draws me in, but it's definitely not for everyone. This may be a tough nut to crack, but I can assure you that it is well worth your time to try.

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Big "if" I know how insane this time of year is for you.

It seems like there has been a bottleneck in the network, so we still haven't seen much yet. That's why I was able to get some of these done the other day, but based on yesterday, the bottleneck may be breaking loose. Hopefully so, because if we don't get everything in with enough time to catch up, it's going to be a long, crazy few days to get to Christmas.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

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Crom Dubh - no satanic worship here I am afraid, and your church is more than guaranteed to be safe from burning down also.  Fuzzed out, airy guitar tones with raspy vox. Mixture of Cascadian, Post, folky and melodic styles here making for a great listen.

Moderator's note: the original video was removed from YouTube and could not be recovered..

 

Haethen - are from the US  and made a dent in my music library last year with "Shaped By Aoelian Winds" their debut full length.  Steeped in atmosphere and monstrous riffs with a nice use of melody to bbot. Haethen - Shaped by Aeolian Winds

 

 

Lluvia - Mexican BM isn't something you hear everyday and their last album "Eternidad Solemne" made a splash in my BM pool with it's ferocious, raw and harsh sound interspersed with (not always brilliant) acoustic passages. Lluvia - Eternidad Solemne

 

 

 

 

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I looked through this thread and I believe it's lacking a few Brazilian Black/Thrash bands:

 

Chakal- Abominable Anno Domini

Vulcano- "Bloody Vengeance"

Mutilator- "Immortal Force"

Holocausto- "Campo de Exterminio"

 

These are some of the rawest bands you will find. Lastly, I'll embed a compilation of such Brazilian bands called "Warfare Noise". I believed it was released by Cogumelo Records, featuring Sarcofago, Mutilator, Chakal, and Holocausto.

 

On a separate note, I'd like to also recommend this, another more recent Brazilian Black/Thrash band:

Grave Desecrator- "Dust to Lust"

These guys also dwell in the "Bestial" category of Black Metal. 

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