Vampyrique

No.
I must have forgotten it. 

"That was when I saw the Pendulum. The sphere, hanging from a long wire set into the ceiling of the choir, swayed back and forth with isochronal majesty. I knew - but anyone could have sensed it in the magic of that serene breathing - that the period was governed by the square root of the length of the wire and by π, that number which, however irrational to sublunar minds, through a higher rationality binds the circumference and diameter of all possible circles. The time it took the sphere to swing from end to end was determined by an arcane conspiracy between the most timeless of measures: the singularity of the point of suspension, the duality of the plane’s dimensions, the triadic beginning of π, the secret quadratic nature of the root, and the unnumbered perfection of the circle itself."

O my brothers, come viddy and let feast thine silver-like glazzies on the heft of this haul, of starry worlds, horrorshow and all.
More on the way. Fancy me, dear droogs, all smarts in me gulliver now, scholar-like and oomny.
 

 
 

I kept the same criteria as Requiem: one album per band, otherwise it would likely be dominated by two bands. And I use 'gothic' as a descriptor rather than the common genre definition. I provided some brief notes for each album. This is only a rough idea of my top ten as it is hard to include only ten.  
 
Theatres des Vampires - Bloody Lunatic Asylum
An absolute masterpiece. TdV really had something special going on in the late 90s/early 00s before they changed their direction and split with their vocalist. 
 
Cradle of Filth - The Principle of Evil Made Flesh
It's brutal, ugly, and utterly atmospheric in its funereal gloom. One of many masterpieces that the band has released. 
 
Darkness of Blood - A Dream of Vampires in Astral Dementia
It doesn't get any more vampiric than this obscure masterpiece, trust me. This is a blood overdose.   
 
My Dying Bride - As the Flower Withers
Whist essentially being a death metal album, it does display some gothic touches here and there. Some of their later albums may wear the descriptor better but, nevertheless, this is my personal favourite of theirs.  
 
Dimmu Borgir - Spiritual Black Dimensions
I normally wouldn't refer to Dimmu Borgir as gothic but this particular album is. I think this was due to the changes in line-up and it's no surprise that it is very similar to Mirrored Hate Painting, only more majestic. 
 
Moonspell - Wolfheart
I have a difficult time choosing between this and Irreligious but I think I prefer Wolfheart stylistically.  
 
Deinonychus - The Weeping of a Thousand Years
An anomaly amid their catalogue, Deinonychus decided to fully immerse themselves in gothic atmospheres on this album. 
 
Evenfall - Still in the Grey Dying
Excellent album, similar to early Theatres des Vampires.  
 
Anathema - The Silent Enigma
Excellent album, more engaging than their debut. I prefer earlier Anathema over their later stuff. 
 
Paradise Lost - Icon
I am not entirely sure this is my favourite of theirs but Icon, along with Gothic and Draconian Times, represents Paradise Lost at their best. 
 

Requiem's right, even succubacy doesn't count. 

Shucks, I was going to guess The Cowardly Lion. 

@Requiem I'm surprised you don't listen to more of the traditional goth stuff. It would seem to me to be up your alley. 
Time to resurrect this thread's undead corpse. Couldn't find the whole episode but here is a clip of something I saw many years ago: 
 

In the metal underground, it's kvlt to call it blut metal... I mean blvt metal. 

Are you sure it was the music he liked? Providing alcohol for minors, rendezvous in vans... Count yourself lucky your boss wasn't Kevin Spacey! 
Oh, I'm only kidding. I'm sure it was fun.  
 

Probably. I got the impression that even Angela's current role in the band was similar to what I had suggested. I don't know much about Alissa but it seems like she is just fulfilling a role created by Amott (Angela 2.0: 'younger and sexier') but she probably doesn't realize it. 
 
I remember once once reading an interview with Slipknot and how they foresaw a future where Slipknot became an entity or a brand rather than just a band. I guess a continual revolving door of members spawned by newer generations would keep the brand alive and I supppse the real band would manage and direct them on how to be Slipknot? It's a goofy idea destined for failure.

Shucks, I was going to guess The Cowardly Lion. 

I like Astennu's solos on Dimmu Borgir's 'Spiritual Black Dimensions' and The Covenant's 'Nexus Polaris.'  

Dimmu Borgir - For all tid
Satyricon - The Shadowthrone
Burzum - Det som engang var
Emperor - Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk
Darkthrone - Panzerfaust (or Mayhem - De Mysteriis Dom. Sathanas) 

Thought criminal! Arrest this woman! 

Definitely early Mortiis. Start with Født til å herske. The thing about early  Mortiis is that you get two very lengthy songs. Probably best to listen to it whilst resting or doing some menial chore.  
 

I drink my coffee unblack but from non-hipster beans so I'm just barely able to hold onto my kvlt status. 

Ich Tote mich... It's like the demo. Very atmospheric and simple but not nearly as dark. 
Todeswunsch. This is more medieval/folk but excellent if you give it a chance. 
Dead Lovers' Sarabande I & II. These are both melancholic and bleak but very worthwhile. 
La Chambre d'Echo. Almost going in a darkwave direction but excellent. It has a very foreboding quality to it. If you like the Es Reiten re-recording you might like this one. Flowers in Formaldehyde is a great companion EP. 
Have You Seen This Ghost? A bit too silly lyrically for me but musically very theatrical and dark. It feels like a gothic musical.   

I consider the two to be very different actually. The desert island scenario has to account for certain factors like variety, or possibly even album length, and a sense of decisiveness in so far as not being able to change one's mind once it's been decided. Some people can alter their top five albums of all time on a weekly basis... 
 

Because the music industry had always worked this way, especially pre-internet. Of course bands needed at least a modicum of talent and the right amount of luck but it's exposure through media and having the right connections, as well as reputation and lore that has always been more significant to a band's success than any kind of merit - certainly that is the case in a less popular genre like metal. And actually, I think it would be interesting to know how many of the obscure but very talented bands that are heavily praised by the underground were just lazy, couldn't get their shit together, were hard to work with, and/or foolishly turned down opportunities. You'd be surprised at how common this is. Cannibal Corpse were given an opportunity to make a cameo in major film likely because of the novelty factor, albeit starring in a film may not have be very 'metal' and 'kvlt' of them, but they took it and it worked in their favour. I'm sure their fanbase grew exponentially. Morbid Angel signed to a big label and went in a more accessible direction and were criticized for it by the metal underground but this undoubtedly helped them gain exposure and new fans.   
And as I alluded to before, not too many people 'research' death metal attempting to understand its history and find the best bands and albums. I'm guessing that you do, but even websites like metal-archives, wikipedia (etc.) were incomplete and full of errors when they first came out and for years afterwards. So back then it would be hard to be knowledgeable on the subject unless you worked for a bigger label or did something along those lines.      
 
 

Did Alfred Hitchcock over-think the element of suspense in his films? I think not.
 
8. Night Eternal 
Further riding the wave of momentum of Moonspell’s resurgent return to roots is 2008’s Night Eternal. It features some of their most abrasive and aggressive work but isn’t without some level of gothic elegance which I certainly appreciate. I feel bad ranking it at eight but it can feel a bit 'tired' at times with some songs not as strong as others and this shouldn't happen on a 45min album. Nevertheless, it’s still a solid release.  
7. Sin/Pecado 
Moonspell may have committed a sin/pecado by releasing an album like this at the time they did, but then again, it seemed commonplace for metal and goth bands alike to shed traditional sounds and instead embrace ‘new’ and ‘exciting’ technology in the form of electronics. Ironically, it seems that when Depeche Mode fell out of vogue in the 90s, they were never so popular than within the metal and goth scenes. The result is a well produced album that features many excellent songs like HandMadeGod, Magdelene, Vulture Culture, EuroticA. I can only imagine the shock of fans seeing the 2econd Skin video for the first time with Moonspell’s new sound on display and a partially-robed Bela Lugosi miming to his best Buffalo Bill impersonation. Or was that Fernando?  
6. The Butterfly Effect 
A moth to some, a butterfly to others. Despite the many faces of Moonspell, this is quite possibly the only album in their catalogue that is seemingly universally loathed and/or forgotten about by all fans no matter what era appeals to them. Everywhere it seems this is consistently their lowest rated album. For me it was always an interesting release from beginning to end that has never bored me since first hearing it. Despite the noisier, more industrial direction, it still very much feels like Moonspell to me and isn’t a bad companion to Sin/Pecado. But overall I think it's an improvement on Sin/Pecado and more consistent. I really like this one! 
5. Under Satanæ 
I never really gave this a chance until recently but I’m glad I did. The re-recordings are excellent and faithful to the originals but it’s the second half that appeals to me the most and is easily amongst their best material. Normally, a more modern production can hinder songs with sterility, but here it actually gives the songs power. This is Moonspell at their most feral, seemingly possessed under a fullmoon. Wolves From the Fog, Serpent Angel... impressive stuff. The wolfshade has never been darker than on this album.    
 
 

 

I consider the two to be very different actually. The desert island scenario has to account for certain factors like variety, or possibly even album length, and a sense of decisiveness in so far as not being able to change one's mind once it's been decided. Some people can alter their top five albums of all time on a weekly basis... 
 

Akercocke - Renaissance in Extremis
Excellent album. Plenty of emotion and atmosphere. I'm so glad they're back. 
The highlight of disc two are the few short ambient tracks that are dreamy and emotional; the kind of pieces suitable for a film score. I wonder if it would make sense to create a playlist and intersperse these tracks amongst the album. Inner Darkness is like a new romantic remix of The Dark Inside. Very cool stuff! 
The earbook appears to be an autobiography of sorts. I'm looking forward to reading this!  
 
 

Those early albums are definitely among the best music I've ever heard. 
The Original Sin wasn't what I was expecting it to be. Dani had been talking about this for years... I was hoping for something more like Principle - some sort of primitive death metal with incredible gothic atmospheres. Buy you're right, we instead we got Dusk and Her Demos which is still pretty good. I think I like the intro on A Gothic Romance a little more on The Original Sin because it's a bit darker. Otherwise, I prefer the proper release. 
 
Don't forget to buy the Japanese edition too! It's the one with Carmilla's Masque, Nocturnal Supremacy '96, and Hell Awaits. 
 

I'll do this in parts as I further try to collect my thoughts and rank Moonspell's discography. Plus, it will hopefully keep you in a perplexed state of suspense. This marks the first time that I've actually tried to do this so it may be subject to (minor) changes in the future.
11. The Antidote
Despite being last on my list this is still a fairly good album. There are some great moments but what mainly keeps my interest here are the intricacies and nuances that come in the way of sound effects and keyboards which work to create mood and atmosphere. Aside from that, everything else feels somewhat generic in its stripped down approach.    
10. Darkness and Hope
I’ve always struggled with Moonspell when they go the route of saturnine, heavy rock but unlike The Antidote, the emotion comes through well on this album and the songs are better and more memorable. Their cover of Mr. Crowley is great in spite of discarding the wonderful introduction that is featured on the Ozzy original. 
9. Alpha Noir / Omega White 
It seemed almost by fate that I should enjoy this release more given that I had ordered the special edition and it coincidentally arrived on the day of a super moon (or some sort of moon phenomenon as I recall). But despite that, and the fact there are two albums worth of content, I was initially very disappointed. Fernando’s harsh vocal delivery on Alpha Noir reminds me of Sakis from Rotting Christ and this can be distracting but musically I’m able to overlook whatever reservations I have because Alpha Noir and Omega White are actually pretty good. They feel like logical successors to Night Eternal with each divergent album occupying an opposite end of the spectrum of Moonspell’s primary influences. If I were to rate the two albums separately I would favour Omega White. It is more obvious with its nod to traditional goth rock and more interesting than the albums ranked before this. Both continue to grow on me.   
 
 

The Shadowthrone is easily in my list of top black metal albums. 
If I'm going to listen to Enslaved I definitely prefer their first few albums or so over their recent output. I think Blodhemn is one of their better releases but it seems to be quite underrated.