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I am a huge horror geek and thought it'd be cool to discuss our favorite films. My top 10 favorites are: Cannibal Holocaust Green Inferno Nekromantik Hostel Psycho Eraserhead (Or anything directed by David Lynch really the man is a genius) Texas Chainsaw Massacre (original only) The Hills Have Eyes The Amityville Horror American Mary If there is another related thread I apologize.

One of the most popular gothic metal bands of all time, with 'Bloody Kisses' apparently selling over a million copies and Peter Steele gracing covers from Metal Hammer to Playgirl. Yet I've always found them a mixed bag, and it's time they were dealt with properly in the place they (mostly) belong - the gothic metal forum. Requiem's Unsuccessfully Coping with the Ranking of Type O Negative's Albums from Infidelity to Druidess (worse to best). 6. Dead Again (2007) In all honesty, I can't remember this album very well, because my friend and I burnt and destroyed our copies in a flaming ritual in his backyard many years ago. I think Peter Steele was so emotionally dishevelled at this point that any greatness that I personally found in the music was long since gone. The title track is a sad reminder that his days were numbered. Unfortunately, he left his musical legacy on a deep, deep low. Strange album cover of Rasputin. You can't kill that guy, but my friend and I sure smashed the shit out of the crappy album. 5. Life is Killing Me (2003) This album escaped the unholy destruction of 'Dead Again', but there's not much to like about this one either. Tracks like 'Anesthesia' and the instrumental 'Drunk in Paris' are great, but don't make up for the foolish knucklehead songs like the homophobic 'I like Goils' or the infantile cover of 'Angry Inch'. A lot of people like Peter's humour and his sardonic take on things - I find it outrageously foolish and not a little embarrassing. The lyrics on this album are just appalling and the songwriting has no love or artistry about it. Album cover is actually a pretty good idea with the green heart monitor thing flatlining. The fucking album flatlines, that's for sure. 4. Slow Deep and Hard (1991) This album stands head and shoulders above the previous two in this list. The debut has a huge dose of the gothic keyboard density and romance that gives this such great atmosphere, and while Peter doesn't often use his unparalleled baritone - preferring to shout, hardcore style - there are just wonderful moments all the way through this imaginative and artistic album. There's less embarrassing self-pity here and more a mix of anger about failed romance and romantic passion that shouts life rather than death. 'The Origin of Faeces' is a rehash of much of this so doesn't get its own entry. Foolish album cover of sexual penetration, but fortunately it's green and acceptable and better than 'The Origin of Faeces' cover. Like, what the hell is wrong with Peter Steele? 3. World Coming Down (1999) I find parts of this a little bland, but the brilliant parts here are well worth it. 'White Slavery' is my favourite - it's an anthem that to me is about far more than cocaine, while tracks like 'Everyone I Love is Dead' and 'Everything Dies' are glorious gothic journeys, if a little down at the mouth compared with their best work. Another great highlight is the Beatles medley at the end of the album, which is a fabulous gothic movement. Unfortunately this would be the beginning of the end for my love of the band though, with several skippable tracks mid-album. Fairly boring but kind of nice cover of the Brooklyn Bridge in Type O green. Pretty cool, but they've done better. 2. Bloody Kisses (1993) 'Bloody Kisses' and 'October Rust' are monuments, absolute monuments, of gothic glory and odes to love. I prefer the Roadrunner Records re-release digipak of this album that removed the 'joke' songs and rearranged the track order - at the behest of the band. What we're left with are classics like 'Christian Woman', 'Summer Breeze', 'Black No 1' and the title track. In fact, every song here is utterly amazing. Gothic metal perfection. The slow epic songs, the huge church organ keyboards and Peter Steele's smooth voice are transcendent. Brilliant cover of two girls together - the digipak shows them kissing, which doesn't bother me in the slightest. 1. October Rust (1996) This is actually my favourite album of all time, from any genre and band. That's how much this means to me, and from the moment I heard it in 1996 I fell in love with it. This is the ultimate romantic album, with songs like 'Love you to Death', 'Wolfmoon' and the greatest Christmas song ever, 'Red Water (Christmas Mourning)' reaching unassailable heights of emotion and atmosphere. Listen to 'Haunted' and you are transported, utterly transported. A young Requiem discovered what love and lust were truly about, and I haven't been the same since. Amazing production, and so much good taste and sophistication. It's a miracle that a band who can produce such juvenile trash at times can also release this mature exploration of yearning and sexuality. Evocative album cover of thorns like prison bars. Thoughts on Type O Negative, this list and Peter Steele?

Trees of eternity are a doom metal band that only release one album features members of katatonia swallow the sun. And fronted by Aleah Stanbridge who passed away from cancer. Their only album is hour of the nightingale one of best doom metal releases of 2016 Here is one of their songs

Hi, everyone. I'm Lia. Glad to be here and meet other like-minded people who love music/metal as much as I do! Have listened to hard rock/metal pretty much my whole life. I love most genres of metal, but I prefer gothic, doom (especially funeral doom), melodic, and folk. Stoner metal like Electric Wizard is amazing as well. Some of my top favorite bands are Type O Negative, Swallow The Sun, Trees of Eternity, Mournful Congregation, Funeral Mourning, Abyssmal Sorrow, Paradise Lost, Insomnium, Slumber, Soilwork, Draconian, and Eluveitie. I also love bands like Death, Darkthrone, and Bathory. There are so many though and I'm always looking for new artists to listen to. A bit about myself - I'm in love with all forms of art and dabble in photography & collage. Introvert. Music-obsessed. I love the outdoors; nature is my sanctuary. Also love traveling and exploring new places when I can, especially anywhere where there's good food, wonderful architecture, and history. Also enjoy horror films and all things spooky. Cheers! \m/

I think you can probably find them on Youtube if I'm not mistaken. A Jap horror film I always recommend is Reincarnation (Rinne). Check it out if you get the chance!

I want to say that I like Japanese horror (I like a lot of Japanese things actually), but I have never been able to see the originals because my local libraries don't have copies. Still, I think the American remakes are excellent movies in their own right.

They're superb. I usually prefer the originals, but I think for those two the re-makes were better. Do you like Japanese horror films?

Probably my two most favorite horror movies of all time, though Sinister was great too.

I naively thought that maybe a sliver of good could come out of this horror show, that the severity of it and our obvious lack of preparation for it would jolt everyone back into thinking about the common good and finding ways to help each other. I didn't realize how deep the axe was buried. I can still barely believe it. I loved city life, but I found myself being less and less social after we moved away from it, and this situation has really strengthened those tendencies. I didn't realize how much I secretly dreaded social situations until I didn't have to deal with them anymore. I probably miss rehearsal more than anything else.

Welcome to the forum. I see you've been digging around and finding topics of interest already, hope you enjoy your stay.

I was born with that instinct, and it has only become stronger over time. I escaped the city some years ago, but I think full solitude might well be on the cards for me in the not too distant future. Can't say the global pandemic has had any measurable impact on that, though. And lockdown has suited me just fine - keep your distance, EVERYONE ? God I hate that phrase. Also "ramp up"; and "unprecedented". Urgh. I've avoided the news for a while now, and am a lot happier for it ?

Traveller, nature lover, introvert. That's just to name a few things we have in common. Nice to meet you and welcome!

I did! Amazing film and lighting!

Masters of industrial Metal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(IMO)

My Dying Bride - Turn Loose The Swans Nevermore - This Godless Endeavor Obsequiae - The Palms Of Sorrowed Kings Opeth - Deliverance Pan.Thy.Monium - Dawn Of Dreams

The Best Of Testament

Hello, I'm Taaniel, at the moment 22 years old. I was born on the island of Saaremaa, Estonia. (An ancient viking island in the Baltic Sea) I haven't been a metal fan for a very long time, only about 6-7 years. About 10 years ago I started playing guitar, mostly punk but then I found some friends in high school who led me to metal. Some of my favourite bands are Slipknot, A7X , In flames, Lost Society, Jinjer, Avatar, Alter Bridge, Metsatöll. I play rhythm guitar in a band called osilian and also sing and play guitar in a local punk band called Sitaharakas. Stay metal!

Came out the same day as the jewel case lame version, I believe. Choose your listening partners well, I always say. The digipak is the best version by far. Still Playing: Type O Negative - 'Bloody Kisses' Digipak tracklist version exclusively. I couldn't understand a word...

I'll give them a go on my next workout! Cheers! My Dying Bride - Songs of Darkness Words of Light.

Hello everyone! I go by the name of Styx. Been a metalhead since early childhood, mostly thanks to my dad who introduced me to bands such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. These two in particular as well as many other from that era still hold a special place in my heart but I've developed my own taste so my preferred bands today are mostly female fronted (or at least clean vocals) symphonic metal bands. I do enjoy heavy riffs and growling/screamo too, as long as it doesn't go overboard, then it ruins the song for me. My other passion is classical music. Other than that I'm a bass player, a medical student, a PC games and a weirdo that's interested in everything radioactive. The main reason I joined this forum is that I don't have enough metalheads in my life so I can't wait to get to know y'all!

Anyone into retro horror movies? New horror shot on film with no CGI, usually in the 70s or 80s vein. It usually fits some of that criteria. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtXtSGRV0xc&app=desktop https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEl4OEXTMzM&app=desktop https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTUBkIHBRb4&app=desktop https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkmSNt4moNg&app=desktop https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H21V4vaBjvA&app=desktop I can't get enough of this stuff.

38.. Somehow ageing doesn´t really give me any sort of anxiety whatsoever, where others really seem to struggle with the concept. It is what it is, make the best of it.. we are meaningless, irrelevant creatures here only for a tiny visit anyway. Enjoy the things you can, Do something with the things you can do something about, and stop worrying about the things you can´t effect. My motto right there.

If it's horror or horror related i'll (basically) watch it. I've been a huge horror nerd ever since i was like 7 years old. I remember watching stuff like "Dawn of the Dead" and "Phantasm" with my older brother on his super 8 projector back in the day. Ever since then i'm hooked and i've been watching everything from early 20's German expressionist movies like "Das Kabinett Des Doktor Caligari" to European horror movies and numerous 80's slasher movies. Unlike most people i'm still stuck in the age of phsyical media. I still buy super 8, 16mm, VHS, blu ray's and 4K discs on a regular basis. The counter should be somewhere around 2500 movies at the moment. I just recently converted my basement into a man cave so i can fit all my movies and movie related stuff in one place. Don't ask me to name my favorite movie or genre cause there is so much stuff i love. Although i do have serious weak spot for the early Universal Horror movies (Frankenstein, Wolfman, Mummy, etc), Hammer horror films and European horror cinema in general (Spanish and Italian movies mainly). If i had to choose an all time favorite it would probably be the Blind Dead movies by Amando De Ossorio or Fulci's Hell trilogy (City of the Living Dead, House by the Cemetery and The Beyond).

*Sigh* I miss Pete... Type O Negative were such a unique & interesting band to listen to... October Rust still gets a regular spin in this house to this day.

Bump. I think it comes down to what tickles your emotional fancy when it comes to Type O favourites. For instance, I love gothic and doom bands that lyrically dwell on romance and the fairer sex, so ‘October Rust’ and ‘Bloody Kisses’ are easily favourites. Once you hit ‘World Coming Down’ the party is over, so to speak and the tracks are about drugs and decay. This is cool too, but I prefer the ladies.

My brother recently introduced me to these by requesting I record a cover of one of their teacks. They are wonderful. One of those bands I can't seen to get out of my head no matter how many times I listen to their stuff on repeat!

@Requiem : You know how I feel - World Coming Down and Life Is Killing Me are my two favorites. I think Pete took his songwriting to a new level on those albums. Compared to the rest of their catalog, they also flow better as full albums IMO. His arrangements got better, his song structures retained their sprawl but got more focused, his riffs and melodies got more intricate and idiosyncratic, and his lyrics (at their best) got more personal and revealing without losing their self-deprecating humor. I guess you either get it or you don't. It took me a while to get used to each new album, though, and if you're looking for that one specific thing you liked about that one specific album that they don't really do anymore, I can see how you'd find it difficult to warm up to them. Surprised you don't at least like "Nettie" and "The Dream Is Dead" off LIKM, or "Creepy Green Light" and "All Hallows Eve" off WCD. Hats off to Will for mentioning "IYDKMIGTHTKY", another of my favorite tracks. Origin Of The Feces and Bloody Kisses (either version) would occupy the second tier for me, if I was ranking them. I think some of the Slow, Deep, And Hard versions of those first Type O songs are more energetic, but Pete's more melodic vocal approach and the ridiculous "crowd noises" and "banter" have made OOTF a longtime personal favorite. The rawness, simplicity, and memorability of those early albums is unmatched, and that material had just as much vigor in a live setting. You haven't really heard "I Know You're Fucking Someone Else" until you've heard it played at unconscionable volumes in the back room of L'Amour with a packed house singing along to every word. By contrast, October Rust seems plodding and repetitive to my ears, not to mention overly polished, spiked with filler, and shot through with adolescent fantasies that take themselves too seriously (Be My Druidess? My Girlfriend's Girlfriend? Aside from fun at karaoke night, I'll pass...). There are a handful of songs on there that I love anyway (Love You To Death, Haunted, Wolf Moon), and I don't want to take away from those, but I could do without most of the others. That "Cinnamon Girl" cover is what skip buttons are for. I will be fair here and say that context counts for something - I can get into some of the weaker songs on this album if they come up in a playlist, and they're not so far off from individual tracks on the following albums. But man, this one is a a slog for me. Dead Again is a fun album for me as a fan of the band, but it's one of their least memorable and inventive - more like a retrospective exhibit of previously covered territory than the rest of their catalog, which always seemed to be striving for something new. The weirdo Catholic pushiness of the lyrics is a bit much, and all the jilted-lover stuff is wearing thin - a cautionary tale about a man who got too wrapped up in one facet of his autobiography. For all that, it's got a lot of cool parts and good energy. I don't love it, but I like it a lot. Also nice to hear a real drummer on a Type O album for the first time since Bloody Kisses. After all the work Johnny put in, I'm happy he got to nail down a solid studio performance before it went tits up. Given that it turned out to be their swansong, I'll overlook the fact that it's too fucking long. Also, let's not forget about the three previously unreleased tracks available on The Least Worst - "It's Never Enough", "12 Black Rainbows", and "Stay Out Of My Dreams". I don't really care for collected radio edits and alternate versions of tracks I already have, but those tracks by themselves are a solid 21-ish minutes of good songwriting from my favorite period of theirs - basically an EP. Bottom line - Pete was a gifted songwriter with a unique voice, a strong sense of direction, and a willingness to bare uncomfortable personal truths in the service of his music. He managed to combine fun, rage, and gloom in a way I haven't heard anyone else pull off. Some of his songs are downright iconic. And the band was with him every step of the way. I look up to him as a musician, and I would have loved to hear what Type O did next. The world seems a bit emptier without them.

I'd probably have put Slow, Deep and Hard/Origin Of The Faeces first. To me it has an attitude and hard-hittingness to it that no other album matched entirely. I'd also have put Life is killing me more towards the front of the list (around second or third), I like the couple of punkyer songs on that album and IYDKMIGHTKY is also a pretty awesome song. Also, I think "I Like Goils" was a humerus attempt to clear up questions on his sexuality bought up by his playgirl appearance. Apart from that, my list would be pretty similar.

Really? I've never heard it called that before. Here's a great band from Russia, Who Dies in Siberian Slush:

I like horror movies that rely on psychology and atmosphere. Session 9 The Babadook The Silence of the Lambs The Thing The Fly (this is much more gore but it's good) The Shining The Conjuring Misery 28 Days Later Ginger Snaps Dead Silence Eraserhead (I don't see this as a horror, more like some weird atmospheric dread abstract Lynch trip)

'Square Hammer' and 'Cirice' are the reasons why I purchased 'Meliora'. Those two tracks are amazing ('Square Hammer' is on a bonus disk for some reason and not the main album which is annoying). They seem to have great songs hidden away in a lot of filler. It makes buying an album really hard. They do have some great songs though. Check out these two modern classics:

Weirdly enough, I'm sort of in the mood for folk metal right now, which hasn't struck me for some time. Seeing as I've only ever posted one batch of videos here, I may as well do another: Finntroll - Jaktens ho: Finntroll is probably a super obvious choice, but I don't care, they're still one of my favorites in the folk metal genre. Their early work is their best work, especially this album, where the synthesis of aggression and goofy, fun as hell folk metal come together. Is it goofy? Fuck yes, but take off the corpse paint, remove the inverted cross from your sphincter, and try having some fun for once. Hades - The Dawn of the Dying Sun: Hades was one of the earliest viking metal bands, along with Bathory, Enslaved, Helheim, etc..., and are one of my absolute favorites. The sound here is quite simple and repetitious, similar to Bathory's Hammerheart, but the atmosphere here is just massive. This was recorded at Grieghallen in the early 90's in Norway, so it bears some sonic similarities to Norwegian black metal, but one listen to the folky melodies, riff structures, epic songs, and old-world pagan mood will tell you that this is viking all the way. They were more raw than most who followed, but in the best way possible. Helheim - Av Norrøn Ætt: Helheim is another one of those often forgotten early viking metal bands, along with countrymen Hades. The sound on their early works is akin to a more bombastic early Enslaved, with a bit more of a folk drive in their melodies and compositions. They were also more experimental early on, with some less straightforward passages found here than on an album like Frost. The drumming here is a bit sloppy, but I feel that the songs don't suffer from it. Definitely a great addition to the collection of any viking metal fan. Hellveto - Zmiersch: Hellveto is a one man symphonic viking/black metal band from Poland. Playing in this style and hailing from Poland may bring acts like Graveland to mind, but while I can definitely hear the influence, there is a lot more going on here than on the average Graveland song. Other than the keyboards, the pieces themselves tend to be fairly basic, but the strength of Hellveto is in weaving many layers together into a rich and beautiful tapestry, with some magnificent keyboard work being one of the highlights of the sound. Now, I love keyboards when done correctly, but seldom will you hear me describe them as one of the best parts of the band, but that's definitely the case here. In conclusion, this is more symphonic and layered than your typical viking metal album, but it still retains all of the epic feeling and rousing atmosphere of a more basic release despite its more elegant approach. Isengard - Hostmorke: Isengard was a fairly short lived project from Fenriz of Darkthrone. Isengard wasn't massively different from Darkthrone musically, but the biggest difference has got to be Fenriz' clean baritone vocals. Also, while you can still hear plenty of Celtic Frost and other influences in the riffs, they're constructed with a more folky outlook and fit the vocals well. One of the more black metal entries on this list, but the feeling evoked here is much more folk oriented than standard black metal, so I felt it belonged here. Kampfar - Heimgang: Kampfar is another of Norway's early entries into viking/pagan metal, and are one of the few from that time that still exist in a largely unchanged way (Helheim, Enslaved, and Hades all became much more futuristic and modern sounding). I use the term "pagan metal" to differentiate this from viking metal, as this doesn't feel as grandiose and epic as viking metal, but also uses just as much, if not more, folk influence in their melodies. Pagan metal aesthetically shares the most with black metal among these genres in structure and technique, but as you can tell, this has much more in common with Moonsorrow than Darkthrone. Anyway, Kampfar is a simplistic, but rewarding band that should win over both black metal and folk metal fins with their catchy riffs and melodies, regardless of what you want to call them. Kivimetsän Druidi - Shadowheart: Kivimetsän Druidi is a Finnish (unsurprisingly) folk metal band with a bit of a different take on the formula. Most folk metal either focuses more on the black/death side of the side, while others opt for a more melodic and symphonic/happy take, while these guys mash both together. The result is kind of chaotic, but has a great way of combining the fun aspects of folk metal with a larger metal base to sink your teeth into. Lots of blastbeats and speedy passages contrast the keyboard and clean female vocal driven sections, and it really makes for a surprisingly enjoyable listen. Mithotyn - In the Sign of the Ravens: Mithotyn were yet another great early Swedish viking/folk metal band, and one that is too often relegated to a historical footnote due to the success of Falconer, the band that they would form after Mithotyn's demise. Falconer isn't bad, sort of a power/folk metal hybrid, but I vastly prefer Mithotyn's more raging formula. You can hear some power metal in the sound as early as their debut here, which set the apart from the pack and gave them a more accessible identity to their peers, without sacrificing the more extreme vocals and drumming. As usual, if you like the style you should find plenty to enjoy here, but this would also be a good gateway band for those into the less harsh sounding side of folk/viking metal to cut their teeth on. Moonsorrow - Kivenkantaja: Moonsorrow is one of the most well known and respected names in viking metal for a good reason, they're one of the most consistent and awesome bands in the genre. While the genre is known for building an epic atmosphere of grandeur, Moonsorrow takes it t another level, with a sound that's as engrossing as it is massive. Heavy riffs, excellent keyboards, and simply stunning songwriting across their entire career. Even when writing sprawling epics, some of which are over 30 minutes long, there is so much to hear and indulge in that my attention never wanders. Simply one of the masters of their craft, every viking metal fan should have own their whole discography IMO. Suidakra - Crogacht: Suidakra are a bit unusual for a folk metal band, as using a melodic death metal base to integrate folk influences upon doesn't happen very often. However, they do so quite impressively, with excellent musical chops, seamless integration of folk melodies into their guitar and bass lines, awesome acoustic breaks, and a great deal of energy and enthusiasm. The folk metal used here is of a more Celtic variety than the typical Scandinavian sound that you would hear, adding another element of originality to their already varied and unique sound. I could definitely see this being a good fit for both fans of folk metal and melodeath.

Agalloch - The Mantle: Agalloch are a dark/folk metal band from the USA, specializing in making very moody and serene sounding music. Their sound is akin to a mixture of Ulver's Bergtatt with bands like Opeth, Katatonia (Brave Murder Day), and Anathema (The Silent Enigma), though they definitely expand upon these influences. There are lots of acoustic guitars, clean vocal passages, and beautiful sections to contrast the harsh dark metal vocals and riffs. A very captivating band, and this is my favorite album of theirs. This is much more somber and serious sounding music than that created by most jovial and upbeat sounding folk metal bands, and I quite enjoy it. Asmegin - Hin Vordende Sod & So Asmegin are a Norwegian folk metal band that combine black/death metal with more traditional folk metal, to a pretty unique effect. Most folk metal bands have a power or black metal back drop, but hearing the lower vocals and heavier riffing of Asmegin painting across their folk canvas isn't very common, but they execute it well. Especially of note here are Lars Nedlund's clean vocals, which are wonderful as always, but that's not to say that the harsh vocals are bad. Good stuff here, though I can't comment on their second album. Bathory - Twilight of the Gods Bathory are most well known as a black metal band, however, they were also the first viking metal band starting with Hammerheart, and were one of the earliest metal bands to incorporate folky influences into their music. Their sound here is slowed down a great deal from their black metal period, focusing on an epic heavy metal base, but made even more grandiose. There are lots of acoustic guitars and folky melodies here, in addition to the pagan/viking imagery. Bathory were one of the best metal bands ever, and being innovators and masters of two very different styles (black and viking/folk metal) would count as one of my reasons why they're so highly revered. Borknagar - Empiricism: Borknagar are one of the best known folk metal bands from Norway, and are also one of my favorites. Their early sound was much more black metal aligned, when Garm of Ulver was their vocalist, but he was replaced by Vortex (Dimmu Borgir), and then Vintersorg. This is from their first album with Vintersorg, who was also instrumental in making their music much more progressive, and increasing the presence of clean vocals. Vintersorg's clean and harsh vocals are both great, and provide an additional layer of awesome over the complex, progressive folk metal on display here. This is top notch stuff, and though I don't have all of their albums, I can say that I love all that I've heard from Borknagar. Crimfall - As the Path Unfolds: Crimfall are a Finnish symphonic folk metal band, which emphasize heavy usage of keyboards and female vocals, but there are still harsh male vocals to offset this. They're not the heaviest folk metal band out there, but their compositions are engaging and their music is definitely well performed. This would definitely be good for power and symphonic metal fans who don't mind harsh vocals and folk music mixed with the aforementioned styles, or people into more keyboard heavy folk metal bands like Turisas. Cruachan - Tualha na Gael: Cruachan are one of the more well known folk metal bands out there today, but their sound has certainly changed since this, their debut album. The production here is not very good, but buried beneath a crappy mix is a actually a very good black/celtic/folk metal hybrid, and the black metal element would be phased out of this band's sound almost entirely after this album. I haven't heard more than a few songs from the band's newer sound, but from what I remember, I definitely liked this style better. This is well written black/folk metal, with a pretty solid integration, as opposed to black metal bands that use random folk passages between songs. Einherjer - Blot: Einherjer are one of many Norwegian viking/folk metal bands, but are a bit different than many of their peers, as they don't have anywhere near as much black metal in their sound as many others. The vocals could certainly fit the bill, but the musical backdrop is more akin to heavy/thrash metal, with a few progressive and technical touches, and would end up starting a thrash metal band after Einherjer disbanded. This is good stuff though, very catchy and memorable folk/viking metal, and with enough originality and variety to stand out from the pack. Ensiferum - Ensiferum: Ensiferum are a very well known folk metal band, and while I do feel that they're overrated, I still like some of their music. Their debut, in particular, as a pretty catchy and fun folk metal album, with the base of their sound lying in the realm of harsher power metal ala Children of Bodom and melodeath. Their melodies here are pretty well written though, and actually remind me of melodies that Amorphis frequently uses (not surprising as they covered an Amorphis song later on), which can't really be a bad thing. Not my favorite band, but they have their moments, and their debut probably contains more of them than any of their other albums. Enslaved - Frost: Enslaved are often grouped into the black metal category, and while that's not entirely incorrect since they do have a great deal of black metal in their sound, they were actually one of the first viking metal bands. Bathory would be the first to claim that epic, triumphant viking sound, but Enslaved coined the term on this, their second album Frost. While the vocals, production, and some of the instrumentation may remind you of black metal, the gallop of these riffs, the native Norwegian melodies, and strong pagan imagery paint a much more viking picture. It's also worth noting that Enslaved are probably my favorite metal band all things considered, with stunning songwriting, a totally original and constantly evolving sound (becoming much more progressive starting with their fifth album), and a startlingly consistent track record. These guys come with the highest recommendation, all of their albums are great IMO, and you can see many of them on my top 10 lists throughout the years. Falkenbach - ...Magnr Blandinn Ok Megantiri: Falkenbach are one of Germany's oldest folk/viking metal bands, and also one of the most respected in the entire genre. They don't do anything wildly different from many of their peers, but they do still have their own identifiable sound, and are experts at crafting engrossing and epic songs that conjure images of viking ships and massive battles. Not really much else to say about this band, except that I would definitely call them essential for any folk/viking metal fan.

Re: Funeral Doom Some of the newer, more melodic acts like Shape of Despair and Ahab are great, but I like the otherworldly feel of Skepticism, Thergothon, Worship, Esoteric, Evoken, Hierophant/Catacombs, a bit better. Funeral doom is awesome, with an atmosphere unlike any other form of music.