Vampyrique

I could be a genderless bot created by Requiem to spam the boards with more content to make it seem like it's a lively place.
Or perhaps, I'm simply a Renfield sent out by Count Requiem to do his bidding, prattling on about Cradle of Filth and Moonspell. 

Paradise - The Plague Within

Theatres des Vampires (although it wouldn't surprise me if I accidentally left the last decade of their discography behind)
Cradle of Filth
My Dying Bride
Burzum
and perhaps King Diamond
Alternatives: Moonspell and Paradise Lost would be good choices too in terms of quality, variety and size of discography. Darkthrone doesn't quite have the variety, but definitely have a strong, consistent and lengthy catalogue. Not sure who else I'd consider.  
 

I agree that Rebel Extravaganza isn't stripped down, if anything the opposite is true about that album. There is no shortage of content on Rebel and it is their most complex album. Certainly the direction leans closer to Thorns' album, which ironically is very well liked.  
But Volcano is where they started to embrace simplicity and more conventional song structures. Not on every song but they took things as far as they could with Rebel Extravaganza and wanted to emphasize atmosphere more on Volcano which meant simplifying and stripping things down which they felt may have been intrusive to atmosphere. In the process, they also realized some value in writing catchier songs like Fuel for Hatred and Repined Bastard Nation which may translate better live, and certainly they regarded those songs highly enough to make Fuel the single and put Repined on their 'best of' compilation; this of course, in hindsight, clearly foreshadowed the direction they would later take. 
I do consider Satyricon (at least with regards to their first few albums) to have been one of the best black metal bands. I'm always surprised that so many black metal fans don't think highly of them. In my view, they're better than the likes of Immortal, Enslaved, Gorgoroth and several others whom are often rated higher than Satyricon for reasons I don't understand.   
Emperor's IX Equilibirum is pretty good but it took me some time to warm up to it. It's a bit too technical and progressive for my liking and along with the production, it comes off as being somewhat mechanical and lacking in atmosphere. It does have some qualities that remind me of Anthems (which is my favourite Emperor album).   
 
 
 

Kveldssanger drops black metal entirely in favour of folkly acoustic-oriented songs. There's only clean vocals and less vocals in general. 
Nattens Madrigal is the exact opposite. This album embraces distortion, harsh vocals and was a deliberate attempt to play pure, straight-forward black metal. 
Bergtatt is easily the best of the trilogy in my view. 
 

Glad I came across this thread. I really love certain Dimmu Borgir albums too, and I like all of them to some degree. Here's my take on it from worst to best: 
 
9. In Sorte Diaboli (2007)
Boring. The first song is pretty happening, but this suffers in the same way that 'DCA' suffers. Paint by numbers riffs with no emotion whatsoever. I almost suspect Paul Allender had a hand in it. The concept is pretty uninspiring too: a religious novice turning his back on religion. Yawn. I love Hellhammer in Mayhem but I don't like him here. Get him out. Glad they changed it up for 'Abrahadabra'. 
8. Stormblast (1996)
Something odd and a bit lame about this album. It's a lame duck album for sure. I can see why they re-recorded it. It really works if you're walking around in a wooded area at night. 
7. Death Cult Armageddon (2004)
This is their most overrated album. The first track is very good, the second 'Progenies of the Great Apocalypse' is genius, but after that it's a really flat album. In fact I find it quite boring and a huge let down after the orgasmic 'Puritanical...'. It's like they blew their load on track two then had nowhere to go, if you'll pardon the crude expression. 
6. Abrahadabra (2010)
This was a breath of fresh air and I'm surprised by all the hate that this album gets. I think the slowed down song structures work really well for the most part and the female singer, Agnete, who replaces Vortex (on a couple of songs at least) sounds really cool, especially on 'Gateways'. I like this album a lot. 
5. For All Tid (1994)
I'm glad Dimmu became more 'mainstream' or whatever you want to call it, because I don't think they were brilliant doing the traditional second wave thing. This is the better album of the first two, and I really like it, but I don't reach for it very often if I want mid-90s black metal. It does have an effective atmosphere though. 
4. Eonian (2018)
This took a while to sink in, but what a triumph. The stunning Jens Bogren production perfectly captures the epic tone of this album. Very choir heavy, which is a good thing in my book, and some stunning tracks, like 'I am Sovereign' and the haunting 'Council of Wolves and Snakes'. Contender for album of the year for me. 
3. Enthrone Darkness Triumphant (1997)
The highlights here are huge. 'Mourning Palace' is an all time metal anthem. The keyboards are brilliant. At times it's a bit samey, but overall this is a classic album from 1997 when black metal really needed to innovate, and I was fine with this. Shagrath sounds amazing on this album. 
2. Spiritual Black Dimensions (1999)
A rougher production, but great, great songs. The inclusion of Vortex here works so well and I can fully understand why they signed him on as a full member. This is a phenomenal album of songs and atmosphere. Mustis's keys are next level. Beautiful cover too. Unfortunately I have this special 'shape' CD version so it won't play in my car.  
1. Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia (2001)
Their masterwork. This is such an exciting album. The sound of the strings still to this day gives me chills. I love the production with the intense Nick Barker drum sound and those huge ICS Vortex chorus/bridge moments. It's the perfect blend of cutting edge, fist pumping, yet with orchestral elements. Even the stellar and unconventional band photos inside the booklet are cool. This blew me away in 2001 and just took everything to the next level. I'll stand by this album until I die. 

I've never cared what the detractors say, they're an excellent band. But I do have my own criticism: For years it seemed like they were constantly moving forward with great ambition and inspiration but with Death Cult Armageddon, it seemed that they achieved everything that they wanted to achieve and subsequently have become somewhat formulaic and stale ever since. I still think they're fully capable of releasing quality albums but I'm hoping for something different than Darth Vader anthems and recycled riffs.  
 
I'd rank the albums in this order: 
1. For All Tid
2. Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia
3. Spiritual Black Dimensions
4. Enthrone Darkness Triumphant
5. Death Cult Armageddon
6. Stormblåst
7. In Sorte Diaboli
8. Abrahadabra
 

Stormblåst is great but I used to hold it in higher regard. It has many excellent moments but the predominant melodic melancholy and samey guitarwork throughout wears on me. For All Tid has a lot more variety and did a better job at creating atmosphere in my opinion. I think it's one of those albums that I need to be in the mood for but, nevertheless, I think it has the potential to win me back again. I'll need to revisit it in the near future along with the re-recording because I almost never listen to that version. 
However, I love Puritanical. It's unapologetically brash in its delivery and presentation. If people thought they were 'sellouts' before this, Puritanical certainly makes a mockery out of that notion by doing exactly what they shouldn't have done in taking everything a step further if not too far. It's probably the quintessential 'fuck you' to the kvlt krowd of black metal elitists, the ultimate sin in album form. Great riffs, hyperfast drumming, excellent symphonic bits and keyboard work, plenty of variety... It's also one of those albums where every song is infectious and can stand on its own, like an album full of hit singles. On this album especially they outgrew their own shadow that was the black metal community and did it without compromising their artistic integrity to any degree. That's how I see it. 
 
 

I'll be watching the Mayweather-McGregor fight too. I've been an mma fan for many years, used to be a boxing fan. I've never liked Mayweather and I'm hoping Floyd slips and Conor lands a lucky punch in the first round, and the disdainful boxing community has to collectively eat shit! 

Black metal already existed in the 80s. Sure, it was defined moreso thematically but that was the meaning behind attaching the descriptor 'black' to metal. It doesn't matter how it is understood today by the average person because trends come and go and mean nothing if the historical context is ignored or forgotten. It wouldn't surprise me if the common understanding keeps changing slightly, as it has been, to encompass even more outside influences in order to keep the genre sounding new and exciting without simply regurgitating bands of the past. I mean, isn't Deafheaven and Liturgy already considered black metal by newer generations of black metal fans? 
I posted some comments when this issue was brought up in another thread but I don't feel like repeating everything. I think you just need to research the first wave more thoroughly. Listen to Bathory's 1987 album Under the Sign of the Black Mark, one of the foremost utilized black metal templates. The Norwegians didn't really create anything new, rather they sought to deliberately to shift the focus away from the burgeoning, 'trendy' and 'commercial' death metal scene that seemingly embraced clean production and mainstream exposure. They all quit playing death metal and, driven by their echo chamber of elitist attitudes, collectively decided to pay homage to the ugly, raw and 'evil' black metal of the 80s, and for many reasons this led to black metal becoming en vogue. To their credit they did give black metal a new flavour so to speak but the elements were already in existence. 
Even if, for some bias or reason, you don't want to give 80s bands (that encompassed other styles as well) the credit you can look to other bands whom played a style of black metal close enough to the second wave (Norwegian) sound but did so even before the Norwegians. Listen to Ritual by Master's Hammer, released in 1991. There are other examples too but you would probably find it more rewarding if you did the research yourself. Simultaneously to the Norwegian scene, the Greek black metal scene was developing. The Norwegian scene won out above all because it gathered far more media attention and exposure and under its pall of influence the Norwegian bands and their rhetoric were mimicked ad nauseam so that black metal became most synonymous with them.  
 

Antichrist is my least favourite but I still think it's very good. It seems to flirt with the qualities that made Words That Go Unspoken so interesting but at the same time it harkens back to a more primitive and straight-forward death metal approach like on their debut, which on Antichrist with its cleaner production becomes probably the least rewarding aspect to the album.
It should be said that I love their debut. It has an organic and lively production that gives it an utterly savage and satanic sound. That combined with everything else they added, it's a very unique album that never gets dull. The Goat of Mendes may be my favourite though. Despite being more into black metal than death metal and knowing that they tried to infuse more of a black metal feel, I wish they would have stuck with a more death metal sounding production. Choronzon is excellent and so is Words That Go Unspoken. 
Voices' London was excellent too and nearly fulfilled my need to hear something new from Akercocke. I thought Voices' debut was average at best and because of that they fell off my radar until I had heard that the clean vocals on London sounded much like Jason's. 
   

Theatres des Vampires (although it wouldn't surprise me if I accidentally left the last decade of their discography behind)
Cradle of Filth
My Dying Bride
Burzum
and perhaps King Diamond
Alternatives: Moonspell and Paradise Lost would be good choices too in terms of quality, variety and size of discography. Darkthrone doesn't quite have the variety, but definitely have a strong, consistent and lengthy catalogue. Not sure who else I'd consider.  
 

Possibly my third favourite metal band. 
As the Flower Withers and Turn Loose the Swans are probably my favourites but I'm also quite fond of the underrated Like Gods of the Sun, and The Dreadful Hours. The Angel and the Dark River, Songs of Darkness, The Light at the End of the World are also great and it may be worth noting that I do enjoy their often maligned 34.788%...Complete. My enthusiasm waned with A Line of Deathless Kings and For Lies I Sire but I've slowly begun to spend more time revisiting their last couple of albums. 

^I agree with you except in that I did like Fallen. Belus was better as it seemed like a natural successor to Filosofem. When I first got into Burzum my favourites were Hvis Lyset Tar Oss and Filosofem but now prefer the first two, although it is tough to beat ambient songs like Tomhet or Rundtgaing...  
I don't mind Daudi Baldrs as I like the cheap synth sound and dungeon synth too but I like Hlidskjalf more. I've got Umpskitar but I don't remember anything about it as I probably only listened to it once.  
Simply said, I think Burzum was influential because Varg wasn't really a metalhead and so he brought in many outside influences to his music thus producing something unique. Most importantly he also possessed trve, redeemable kvlt cred that not too many people in the scene had and was affixed centre to all of the controversy. 
 

When I get a chance I will. I rarely watch music videos anyways because I've learned to disregard them in recent years. Ever since the music industry went down the toilet, most music videos have been pretty awful and sometimes embarrassing or, at best, generic. 
I don't blame you. I think the 90s was the best era for music, certainly metal. The metal scene exploded in various directions with a level of creativity that will likely never be seen again. One consequence of the internet is that things have become overexposed and the the element of mystery is gone and scene-specific sounds/styles aren't really a thing anymore due to the widespread homogeneity in influences. I spend more time trying to discover obscure 90s bands than I do recent bands and also find this more appealing than listening to new bands try to sound like old bands. I honestly really haven't paid too much attention to the state of the metal scene in the last few years, except with bands that I already listen to.
The Requiem Metal Podcast is nothing too in-depth but I enjoy hearing people discuss music and give anecdotes and opinions about bands great bands like Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride, Swedish death metal, black metal etc. If nothing else, it will probably offer you some nostalgia.  

Pre-ordered: 
Akercocke - Renaissance in Extremis
 

A work in progress, here is a rough list of  82  91 so far with a maximum of two releases per band for if it were a literal top 100, a band like Darkthrone would likely secure too many positions. I would consider most of these albums essential to my top 100 but some were chosen instinctually for I didn’t spend much time making this list. I also wanted to include some variety. I am partial to 90s black metal and black metal that emphasizes atmosphere, and I’ve never cared about the technical proficiency of a band or musician. Some quality bands have not been included yet because I haven’t decided on which album to list. Some albums may not be entirely black metal, but I tried to keep it within reason. I'll update the list and try to finish it when I have more time. 
 
Abigor – Verwüstung / Invoke the Dark Age
Abigor – Orkblut
Absu – Barathrum: V.I.T.R.I.O.L. 
Accursed – Meditations Among the Tombs
Agatus – Dawn of Martyrdom
Amen Corner – Jachol ve Tehilá
Ancient – Svartalvheim
Archangellus – Magnus Ominis Umbra
Arcturus – Aspera Hiems Symfonia
Art Inferno – Abyssus Abyssum Invocat
Avzhia – Dark Emperors
Baalberith – Storming Towards the Gate
Bathory – Bathory
Bathory – Under the Sign of the Black Mark
Behemoth – Sventevith (Storming Near the Baltic)
Behemoth – Grom
Beherit – Drawing Down the Moon
Bethlehem – Dark Metal
Bishop of Hexen – Archives of an Enchanted Philosophy
Black Funeral – Vampyr - Throne of the Beast
Blut Aus Nord – Ultima Thulée
Burzum – Burzum
Burzum – Det som engang var
Carpe Tenebrum – Majestic Nothingness
Covenant – Nexus Polaris
Crimson Moon – To Embrace the Vampyric Blood
Darkness of Blood – A Dream of Vampires in Astral Dementia
Darkthrone – Transilvanian Hunger
Darkthrone – Panzerfaust
Deathspell Omega – Si Monumentum Requires, Circumspice
December Moon – Source of Origin
Deviser – Transmission to Chaos
Dimmu Borgir – For All Tid
Dimmu Borgir – Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia
Dismal Euphony – Soria Moria Slott
Dissection – The Somberlain
Dødheimsgard – Kronet til Konge
Dornenreich – Durch den Traum
Draupnir – Black and Vicious
Emperor – In the Nightside Eclipse
Emperor – Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk
Enslaved – Vikingligr Veldi
Forgotten Woods – As the Wolves Gather
Gehenna – First Spell
Godkiller – The Rebirth of the Middle Ages
Gorgoroth – Under the Sign of Hell
Graveland – The Celtic Winter
Graveland – Carpathian Wolves
Hades – …Again Shall Be
Hirilorn – Legends of Evil and Eternal Death
Immortal – Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism
Immortal – Blizzard Beasts
Kawir – To Cavirs
Legion of Doom –  For Those of the Blood
Leviathan – Massive Conspiracy Against All Life
Limbonic Art – Moon in the Scorpio
Lord Belial – Enter the Moonlight Gate
Lvpercalia – The Sublimation of Darkness
Maldoror – Ars Magika
Maleficarum – The Unholy Falldown of Christianism
Malignant Eternal – Tårnet
Marduk – Dark Endless
Master’s Hammer – Ritual
Mayhem – De Mysteriis Dom. Sathanas
Medo –  Matéria Negra
Mortuary Drape – All the Witches Dance
Mutiilation – Vampires of Black Imperial Blood
My Infinite Kingdom – Ecstasies Over Dreaming Lady
Necromantia – Scarlet Evil Witching Black
Old Man’s Child – Born of the Flickering
Order of the Ebon Hand – The Mystic Path to the Netherworld
Osculum Infame – Dor-nu-Fauglith
Root – Zjevení
Rotting Christ – Thy Might Contract
Rotting Christ – Non Serviam
Samael – Ceremony of Opposites
Satyricon – The Shadowthrone
Satyricon – Nemesis Divina
Sigh – Infidel Art
Sombre Chemin – Notre Héritage Ancestral
Taranis – Faust
Theatres des Vampires – Vampyrìsme, Nècrophilie, Nècrosadisme, Nècrophagie
Thorns – Thorns
Tormentor –  Anno Domini
Trelldom – Til evighet... 
Trom – Evil
Ulver – Bergtatt - Et Eeventyr i 5 Capitler
Varathron – His Majesty at the Swamp
Varathron – Walpurgisnacht
Venom – Black Metal
Xibalba – Ah Dzam Poop Ek

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. 
 

I've never, by experience, understood how someone can simply go through a phase only to later reject it but I'm not a capricious person. If I like something, I genuinely like it and likely always will. 
I suspect it stems from a lack of self-knowledge or identity. Lacking in direction, trying new things to see what stays.
I've also observed that sometimes lonely people want to fit in with others so badly that they will try to fit in even if the attempt is contrived. Sometimes a person may only be able to measure their self worth by how others perceive them within a given social circle or community. 

Generalizations exist for a reason and are used to paint a picture which then allows for a particular phenomenon or observable characteristic to be studied further. For example, it is a generalization that women are shorter than men. Sure, some women are taller than some men but that is irrelevant. However, knowing this is useful for understanding and asking questions as to why this occurs. 
In music and certainly in metal, women tend to play keyboards or sing. Why aren't there more women playing guitar or even just playing in metal bands to begin with? It does appear that women generally prefer softer music than aggressive music. Why is this the case? It would be worthwhile to ask women these questions before taking offense to a generalization. I don't believe it is ignorant to make a generalization because generalizations are not meant to apply to specific individuals, but groups of people instead and that is the very point of them.   
You must know that bars are not the greatest place to meet quality people, male or female, and I believe that is the whole point. Men know this and women know this hence why they go to bars: the lower the standards, the easier it is to get laid.  
 

I should also mention too the role of imitators, whether good or bad, and how they influence the perception of a genre. They come in droves and help to popularize a style of music and to a great extent cement into definition what it means to play a particular style of music by the conscious decision to exploit and replicate certain qualities derived from the originators on a mass scale. For example, if 500 black metal bands deliberately write an album in homage to Transilvanian Hunger, people will naturally begin to associate the black metal sound with Transilvanian Hunger and view it to be the archetypal black metal album whether or nor this is fair or accurate in regards to historical context. 
 

I'm certainly looking forward to 1755 as well as any future releases but I need to go back and listen to their last couple albums as my recollection of them is vague at best. I purchased the Alpha Noir/Omega White limited edition CD but was disappointed with it at the time of its release. On Alpha Noir, it sounded like Fernando, at times, was blatantly imitating Sakis from Rotting Christ and I found this to be odd and distracting. Extinct didn't really leave a strong impression on me either.  
 
 

I should also mention too the role of imitators, whether good or bad, and how they influence the perception of a genre. They come in droves and help to popularize a style of music and to a great extent cement into definition what it means to play a particular style of music by the conscious decision to exploit and replicate certain qualities derived from the originators on a mass scale. For example, if 500 black metal bands deliberately write an album in homage to Transilvanian Hunger, people will naturally begin to associate the black metal sound with Transilvanian Hunger and view it to be the archetypal black metal album whether or nor this is fair or accurate in regards to historical context. 
 

I didn't read every post but from what I did read, I agree with everything that BlutAusNerd said. 
It was no coincidence that the Norwegian bands all initially played death metal and then suddenly quit; they deliberately strove to to bring extreme metal back to its raw, ugly, blackened roots when they were annoyed with the 'trendy' burgeoning death metal scene; it's exposure, popularity, image, cleaner production. Many of the already-mentioned 80s bands served as major influences but Bathory, in particular, was plagiarized the most; hence why most black metal fans will cite Bathory as the first and only 'true black metal band' of that era but this understanding or lack thereof is akin to a kind of revisionist history. 

Akercocke.