Benjaminc81

I know they look somewhat ridiculous in their medieval armor and corpse paint but calling them dorks is kind of harsh isn't it? ? Pig Destroyer - The Diplomat

The idea of black packing, as they call it, never really appealed to me. I´ve been visiting Norway since the late 80´s when i still was a little kid (vacations with the family). I still remember the papers in the stores when the whole shit storm broke loose in the Norwegian scene but it was only about 9 or 10 at the time so i didn´t pay much attention it it. Although i remember wondering why so many Norwegian papers had burning churches on the front page ?. Kind of ironic since many years later most of my life revolves around this particular genre. Norway´s appeal for me has always been the tranquility and the beautiful nature. There is no greater place on earth for me. Taking the boat out onto sea to for fishing or hiking through those majestic ancient forests. It just feels like home away from home after all these years. I´ve been to numerous places in Norway throughout the years but never once did i think about visiting certain black metal related places or hoping to meet certain indivuals. Fact is Norway doesn´t give a crap about black metal and most people in the scene themselves like their privacy. It always felt kind of exploitative to me to go visit Euronymous grave or to go to Bergen to Elm Street in hopes of seeing Fenriz. I remember 5 years ago we rented a cabin which was only 18 kilometers of Gaahl´s home (Espedal), but it would have never crossed my mind to go there. I also went to Sognadal where Windir hails from, but to be honest it was one of the most boring and ugliest Norwegian cities i´ve seen so far. But after having said all this i have to be honest... Being a black metal nerd nothing beats the feeling of sitting on the rocky shoreline of a fjord while blasting Darkthrone on your mp3 player knowing this is the place that gave birth to the greatest metal genre in existence (at least for me) ?

Conan - Existential Void Guardian Just when i tought i was getting tired of these guys they flip the script and sped things up a little for some much need variation. Itt still sounds like Conan and they still play doom metal but they managed to expand their horizon with this one. Bathory - Under the Sign of the Black Mark An album which i must have heard hundred of times but... These new bootlegs which are ripped from the first vinyl releases sound infinitely better then the so called remasters Black Mark gave us in the early 2000´s. I´m really re-discovering this album (and the two previous ones) thanks to some much added clarity and balance in the sound. Mortiis - Ånden som Gjorde Opprør I´ve been on a dungeon synth trip these last few months and i just keep coming back to this album. To me without a doubt the crowning achievement of Mortiis (only like the Era 1 stuff) and of the whole dungeon synth genre if you ask me. Simply outstanding.

Well i'm quite the opposite, i like my vocals screechy and rough so i don't know if my advice is worth something but i'll give a shot. Some of the mentioned band feature harsh vocals mixed with clean vocals. They might be good stepping stones for discovering more extreme metal for a lack of better words. If you get the chance leave some feedback on the bands that you've checked out. Curious to see if you discovered something you like. - Scar the Martyr - They only released one album but has some nice melodic songs on it. It was Joey Jordison's comeback after he left Slipknot. The band is still active under a new name VIMIC but only released a few singles so far. - Skillet - People always give them shit because of their christian background. But their music isn't half bad if you are into more melodic metal stuff i guess. I've seen them twice at a festival and was impressed how tight they were live. -Tremonti - i literally heard one song of theirs but judging by your description this might be for you. - Iced Earth - Quite a heavy sound but plenty of clean vocals so could be something you. - Spiritus Mortis - This probably qualifies as doom metal but Sami Albert Hynninen has some of the coolest clean vocals i've heard in a long time. - In Flames - I would skip the first 5 albums since they are typical early 90's melodeath metal, but their newer albums are probably more up your alley. - Soilwork - Once again the newer stuff could be something for you, the earlier stuff is just like with In Flames straight up melodeath.

Whoops, link should be fixed now!

My earliest memory of listening to metal was around ´92 while listening to Guns N Roses on my brothers walkman while going on vacation to Norway. After that vacation i would sometimes listen to some of the album my brother owned. Stuff like Body Count, Pantera, Metallica. But i only liked a few songs, never the whole album. Then i was about 14 i really got into rap music and that lasted about a year 5 until i got bored with the new wave of rappers. So when i was about 20 i decided to rekindle my love for metal. I remember seeing Korn on TV when their album "Follow The Leader" dropped and that was the perfect gateway album for me. It still had those hip hop influences i liked at the time but also the heaviness that was missing from hip hop. The next big influence was Rob Zombie. After having bought the DVD of "House of 1000 Corpses" i almost instantly fell in love with the soundtrack. So i started buying all his solo and White Zombie records which turn led me to other bands like Slayer, Misfits, Body Count and Pantera amongst other. When i turned 25 i decided it was time for something more extreme and started exploring black metal. I started fairly innocent with Satyricon since i really like their songs K.I.N.G. and The Pentagram burns. And after that i slowly worked my way up the list of famous/notorious black metal bands (Darkthrone, Mayhem, Burzum, etc) and now 12 years later i´m still knees deep in the black metal genre just looking for the next band to discover. To this day black metal remains my biggest passion of all the metal genres that i´ve tried exploring. The thing is can´t imagine living without metal anymore. Even back in my youth it had a very strong attraction for me but as i got older it only got more intense. For me it has become a really cathartic medium through which i can channel my emotions whether it be anger, sadness or some other emotion. Living without metal would really diminish my quality of life.

I´d say check out their newest record "Mark of the Necrogram". They got the old gang together including Andres Strokirk who also did the vocals on their first album. You could see this a direct follow up to "The Noctural Silence" after almost 26 years and it was well worth the wait. I didn´t think they had it in them but this is almost as good as their debut. I also own the rest of their discography but none of them really had the same impact like their debut album or their last album. With each album they slightly went off into a more black metal orientated direction. It seems "Darkside" and "The Third Antichrist" also get a lot love from fans, but after that they kind of went through the motions with each following album.

See this a top 5 that is near impossible to do. Depending upon my mood and the season my top 5 will probably differ wildly, but i´ll give it a try nontheless. One thing is for sure that it will consist solely of Scandinavian bands. 1. Darkthrone - A Blaze in the Northern Sky 2. Enslaved - Vikingligr Veldi 3. Burzum - Burzum 4. Emperor - In The Nightside Eclipse 5. Ulver - Bergtatt - Et eeventyr i 5 capitler

A short but sweet interview with Hellhammer where he also reveals some details about their upcoming album. Supposedly they are going for a more old school occult vibe in the same vein as "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas". Sounds pretty promising so far but knowing Mayhem they´ll probably suprise everyone again and do something totally different. Can´t imagine them simply doing a lazy copy of their classic album. https://www.nocleansinging.com/2019/07/08/an-ncs-interview-hellhammer-mayhem/

1349 dropped their new single today called "Through Eyes of Stone" from their upcoming EP which will be released August 16th. I was hoping for a new full lenght album but with these guys i´ll take whatever i can. New song sounds good so far, still has that typical breakneck speed but also a nice slower passage in the middle. Enjoying the more melodic approach like with the last album. 1349 - Through Eyes of Stone

Holy shit, now this is what i call dedication! I don't believe i've been a fan of band to such an extent. I'll collect a bands entire discography but that's where it stops for me most of the time. Anything of interest in those letters of Euronymous? I know he corresponded with people worldwide so i'm sure there are some interesting things in there. Kind of jealous of the "From the Darkest Past" CD and the "De Mysteriss Dom Sathanas" rough mix CD. Heard snippets on youtube and i really like the rough vibe from those rehearsals. Don't know if you knew but Soulseller Records just re-released the Wolf's Lair Abyss EP but with two additional bonus tracks (Ancient Skin & Necrolust) which were initially released a limited edition single (only 500 copies) before the EP was released. http://www.soulsellerrecords.com/pre-order-mayhem-wolfs-lair-abyss-cdlpcassettedigital/

Been on a 1349 kick lately and i'm busy revisting all their albums at the moment. To me 1349 is one of the few bands that is keeping Norwegian black metal spirit alive. Their sound is just so utterly relentless and brutal like a jackhammer to the skull. I first started listening to them, like most people probably, because Frost is in the band. I really like the way they are heading with the newer material. The last two albums were a little bit more melodic and not just non stop blast beats. I even love the much hated "Revelations of the Black Flame" album. I can understand why many fans dislike it but there are some really atmospheric songs on that album. But regardless these guys have been improving with each album in my opinion. The new single also sounds quite promising and makes me look forward to the new record which will hopefully follow soon. I had the pleasure of seing them live back in 2014 in Oberhausen, Germany while they were doing a small club tour through Europe. It was without a doubt one of the best and most insane performances i've ever seen. Ravn had a stage presence like i've never seen before screaming like a maniac and looking like he was ready to beat up the front row audience. Also Frost did his fire breathing act at the beginning of the show and lit the ceiling of the club (more like a basement actually) on fire which was covered with those cardboard eggboxes which of course caught on fire. The first two song were just chaos while half the audience was choking on smoke and the fire extinguisher powder ? After the show i managed to snag a poster which i had signed by the band. I only recently got it framed for a place in my man cave.

I came fairly late to the Mayhem party even though de mysteriis dom sathanas was one of the first black metal records i ever bought. But at the time the vocals were too much for me and i found the songs (except Freezing Moon) pretty lacklustre. So i forgot all about Mayhem and went on to discover other bands first. But as with most extreme bands i revisited them once i was more familiar with the genre and then all things fell into place. As for my favorite album i'm hard pushed to pick a favorite. I'll just say i love the Atilla fronted records and the Maniac fronted albums are okay with me. Mayhem without Atilla just isn't Mayhem to my ears. The man has such a unique vocal style that adds so much to the overall sound of the band. Although i can certainly understand that some people despise his vocal style. I also love the fact they aren't afraid to experiment even when it means the results are always up to par. Only annoying thing about Mayhem is Hellhammer's horrendous drum sound. I don't understand why such a talented drummer wants his drum to sound like some out of control typewriter. It almost ruins the Grand Declaration of War album for me. So i'm probably one of the few who's actually glad with the remastered version of the album. Oh yeah, the band has also the tendency to wildly vary in quality while playing live. I've seen them three times so far (October will be the fourth time) and two times they were tremendous while the first time was just pure shit and incredible sloppy. I've heard this complaint from other metalheads as well, but if your band is called Mayhem people tend to be more forgiving right??

No doubt that Mayhem were ahead of there time when they released Deathcrush and it's certainly one of the most important records in black metal history. But as with most first wave records i have somewhat trouble with the primitive riffing on a lot of the songs. All those youngsters at the time were trying to outdo each other by going faster and faster while the music often turned into a blur of riffs. There are some nice passages on Deathcrush but you can clearly hear the band was still searching for their own sound. Maybe i would appreciate those records more if i heard them upon their release. But i was only 5 years old when Deathcrush was released so...?

Welcome, fresh blood is always welcome. Never been a big death metal fan but Death can do no wrong in my book!

I´m sure there is special little place in hell for this band called Centuries of Deception. I bought this EP at a second hand store while i was in the mood for some blind buys to see if i could uncover some unknown hidden gems. In hindsight i should have given those 2 euro´s to a hobo on the street. Where to start? That hideous drum computer sound, that ultra thin guitar tone, the shitty riffs... This EP has it all and even more. I don´t know if this guy did another records but i surely hope not. Enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=946aU6u8p3Y

I'm in the same boat here. Still need a copy on CD but so far they were too pricey for my taste. Until then i'll just use Spotify to scratch my itch when it comes to Tormentor. Well to be honest i'm not that familiar with the first wave of black metal. I've listened to most of those names at one point but most bands didn't do much for me. I always found Venom to be quite juvenile and those early Sepultura and Sarcofago record sound a little too primitive for my personal taste. Totally forgot about Deathcrush though, i never liked that record until last year when it finally clicked for some odd reason. I still thinks it's the worst Mayhem record though, but with such a stellar discography that isn't exactly an insult.

I'm afraid my list will be predictable as fuck, but that's not suprising when it comes to the first wave black metal i guess since the options are somewhat limited compared to the second wave. 1. Bathory - Under The Sign Of The Black Mark The two previous Bathory albums were just a warm-up, this is where Bathory finally nailed the black metal sound. Quorthon finally refined his chaotic sound and delivered an album which is just classic from beginning to end. 2. Bathory - Bathory You can hear a bunch of young guys just going ape shit on this record. Sure it's sloppy and uneven at times but that's what black metal is all about right? I never get tired of this records. It's short and sweet and straight to the point. 3. Hellhammer - Satanic Rites Primitive black metal at it's finest. Tom Warrior d even though greater things were still to come. But to me this is probably right up there with Celtic Frost "Morbid Tales". 4. Tormentor - Anno Domini - Who would have thought that Hungary would bring forth one of the most legendary vocalists of black metal? Tormentor really embodies the black metal sound before it was even called black metal and Atilla's vocals are out of this world. 5. Sodom - In The Sign of Cruelty - Of the Teutonic Three Sodom has always been my favorite. Their debut EP is absolutely ferocious clocking in at barely 19 minutes. Too bad they abandoned their early sound in favor of the more thrash metal based sound.

Marduk was always like a second tier band to me. I own all their albums but somehow i rarely listen to them. Especially the earlier stuff rarely get's any airplay in my home since it's mostly straight forward black metal with lot's of blasting. The first time i really started getting into them was around the time they released Rom 5:12 and everything that came after that. But anything before that period has trouble holding my attention. I can't really say why cause their output is pretty consistent across the line, but somehow it never really managed to capture me. With these last few albums they finally took the time to slow down a little and show some more variation in their sound. Wormwood and Frontschwein being their most interesting releases so far. I might have to do a Marduk marathon sometime and listen to all albums chronologically but i'm no hurry to be honest.

Damn, that's a tough one... As far as bands go i'd say i have pretty broad selection of genre. But all time favorites include Darkthrone, Gorgoroth, Mortiis, Necrophagia, Autopsy, Hooded Menace, Black Sabbath, Danzig, Portal and basically any musical project involving Phil Anselmo (DOWN, Superjoint Ritual, Scour, Viking Crown etc.) When it comes to movies it just too broad to mention specific titles although i absolutely worship the altar of Fulci and Bava and the countless giallo's that came from italy. Spanish horror cinema also is a big passion of mine with the Blind Dead series being my all time favorite movies and of course the Paul Naschy movies and every once and a while some Jess Franco sleaze. Can't leave out the British Hammer studios and their countless classics.. And for some reason i have a weak spot for American independent horror movies from the 70's because of their weird vibe and subject matter. Think along the lines of Phantasm, The Child, Deathdream, Let's Scare Jessica to Death, Werewolves on Wheels.

That's indeed the great thing, there is something for everbody's taste. I love doing listings like these cause they make me check out new things or re-evaluate stuff. Like for instance the Taake album you mentioned in your list. I always considered Hordalands Doedskvad the undisputed classic. But now you make me want to listen to Over Bjoergvin graater himmerk again to see if i maybe missed something all this time (not that it's a bad album). A lot of times you need to listen albums mulitiple times before they click and your personal mood also plays a large role. So it's always good that other people challenge your taste or decisions. I probably should elaborate/explain on why i chose those albums. Going to do that right now ? As for a particular style... Can't say i have one particular style i prefer. Although i'm a sucker for that old school Norwegian BM sound. Just simple straightforward tremolo riffing but with a touch of melody along the way. Stuff like Dark Funeral for example is just boring to me. Endless blast beats and monotone riffs don't cut it. Although there are a few exceptions like "Transilvanian Hunger". So i'd say the 2nd wave sound is definitely my favourite preferably with some light hints of folk or viking influences. Nothing too exciting for the average black metal listener but just enough variety to keep things fresh (for me at least). I'm not a fan of the whole abstract black metal sounds like the newer Blut aus Nord or Deathspell Omega stuff. Just sounds like they are trying too hard to sound different and unique.

Long time lurker but now i've finally decided to sign up as i was looking for some casual metal talk among metal fans. This place seems nice and laid back yet knowledgeable, unlike some other places i sometimes visit. I'm an avid black metal fan and also enjoy the occasionable doom metal album. Besides music (here comes the cliché) i also enjoy horror movies. Preferably European movies from the 70's and 80's although anything horror is welcome around here. 37 years and old sharing my life with my girlfriend and our cat. I guess that's about it. I hope to meet some like minded people around here and maybe discover some new music along the way. ?

There is no denying that the 90's was the most interesting period for black metal but the 2000's definitely has it share of classic stuff. My top ten from the 90's is set pretty much in stone, but the 2000's offers a much more diverse range of albums which makes it way harder to create a top 10. 1. Taake - Hordalands Doedskvad Just an all round classic album to me. Hoest really captured that raw Norwegian BM sound yet somehow managed to improve on it without losing the feel of it. The first two albums were awesome but on this one all the stars alligned and a masterpiece was borhn. 2. Inquisition - Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm I'm not into that whole satanic cosmology stuff they sing about. But hell, these guys have an inmense sound for being just a two man band. And Dagon is just an endless source of riffs. On this album they perfectioned their sound and weren't afraid to try some new things. They went for a much more diverse and brighter sound here and it really payed off and they finally came into their own. 3. Sorciers des Glaces - Ritual of the End I always thought the Norwegians were the only one who could capture that icey cold, thin sound. But i'm glad Sorciers des Glaces proved me wrong. I'm probably somewhat biased because this was the first album i heard by them. But this one still sticks out for it's incredible thin but harsh melodic sound. Great to see a band produce such an album in these times. Songs last up to 9 minutes but never get boring thanks to their diverse sound. 4. Mykraverk - Nær Døden Discovered these guys by pure coincidence but was hooked the minute i heard the first song. Love the natural sounding production of the album and the folky elements that keep popping up along the way which give it it's own idenity. It's nothing too groundbreaking but these guys do it so good that it almost feels like the old days all over again. Definitely one of the biggest suprises for me in 2018. 5. Avsky - Scorn These guys have some of the most hateful vocals i've heard which is always a great quality to me. Their sound is somewhat a mix of black metal and some slower almost sludge-like influences. On this album they really got the hang of that mixture and it makes for some damn awesome music that you can actually headbang to. Songs rarely are shorter then 8 minutes but their diverse sounds make up for that. Too bad they haven't done an album since 2010. I really wish they would put some new stuff out. I sometimes compare them to Craft although these guys do it way better IMO. 6. Deathcult - Cult of the Dragon This is just straight up old school Norwegian BM although with some slight punkish influences. Sounds like it was recorded in your basement but that's part of the whole charme as so often with black metal. I find it hard to explain why this album resonates so much with me. But i'm just a sucker for these raw sounding bands. Oh yeah, useless bit of trivia but Hoest also plays bass in this band. 7. Urgehal - Goat Craft Torment These guys didn't invent the wheel, they just play straight up old fashioned satanic black metal. They tick of every black metal cliché you can think of yet it works here. Trondr Nefas really was a true riff master and on this album he truly shines (also check out his other band Beastcraft). This is one of those simple album that you can always put on no matter what mood your in. It simple, straight forward black metal in it's purest form. Kind of like McDonalds, it's noting too special yet it's so tasty. The last two albums that came after this one were not really my cup of tea. But with this one they really peaked. 8. 1349 - Hellfire 1349 is just one big hommage to the early 2nd wave sound. Previous albums were a little monotone but here they found the right balance. Ravn is just such a great vocalist and Frost's blast beats are pure bliss on this album. In theory i shouldn't even like this style but this one of the exceptions were i don't mind the endless blasting and furious tempo's. Excellent album for when you had a long and tiring day. 9. Vargrav - Netherstorm I've always had a love/hate relation with symphonic black metal. The first Emperor album was great but everything after that i hated. Same thing with Dimmu Borgir. So it's rare for me to like a symphonic black metal album. The reason why i enjoy this album so much is probably cause it reminds me so much of "In The Nightside Eclipse". Is has the same reverb-laden production and the synth are there but not too much in the foreground. Vargrav regurgitates what Emperor did first but tweaks it just enough to make it his own. 10. Warmoon Lord - Burning Banners Of The Funereal War I only recently discovered this band but this album has been on repeat for several months now and i still don' get tired of it. The sound is somewhere inbetween old school Gorgoroth although with some light synth elements. I know i mentioned it several times already but this is another example of imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If you long for the days of long gone and this album will transport you right back to '93 and deliver the same quality.