navybsn

I can't wait for Surge to give his explanation of Satanism in troo BM. 

I'll add to what some of the others are saying...trying to understand why other people feel the way they do towards certain bands is never going to make sense to you. You just need to accept that everyone brings their own baggage along when they listen to music and no two people are going see things exactly the same way. Even people here on this board who have similar tastes will disagree on certain bands or albums...hell, Navy and I have similar tastes in a lot of ways, but it was only a few posts back where I was saying I didn't care for Dissection's "Reinkaos" album, while Navy said he liked it. That's fine...there's no right way to listen to metal. Like I said before...it's music, don't overthink it.
As for the differences between bands...while you can read descriptions about various styles, it probably won't have a lot of meaning to you right now. That's really just something you pick up with time and experience. The more you listen to bands, the more you start to hear the things that set them apart from one another, and eventually you'll understand why one band is "atmospheric black metal" while another is considered "symphonic black metal".  
...and for the record, that Metalious site is the same dude from the first link. Don't waste your time on negative shit like that...especially when you're still trying to figure things out.

Holy hell...I was this many days old before I learned Setherial was Swedish
 
Cân Bardd - Devoured By The Oak
 

Satyricon is one of those bands where my taste for their stuff has actually shrunk over the years. Everything past the first two is very hit-or-miss for me anymore. It sucks because I used to love some of the other stuff, but the thrill is completely gone. Hate going track by track but maybe that would be more useful, huh?

Agreed. For me it goes like this:
1. Dark Medieval Times
2. Nemesis Divina
3. Volcano
4. Deep Calleth Upon Deep which almost leaves black metal in the rear view

I get that this whole genre is new to you and can be kind of confusing, but really the only thing to remember is that you are free to like whatever you like, no one can tell you otherwise. Black metal is a genre that attracts a lot of passionate people, some who have more than a few grudges towards bands and artists. The guys blog you linked is just one dude, he's just as unreliable as everyone else. And that second blog? That seems like just another weirdo that want to be different and contrary.
Thing is, Darkthrone is 100% one of the most influential black metal bands on the planet. They together with Bathory, Mayhem, Burzum and Emperor shaped BM to what it is today. That doesn't mean people have to like them, but like that guy to claim that Darkthrone as absolutely no musical or artistic merit is just wrong.
You do you.
So from what I've gathered you prefer high-pitched shrieks, and maybe not too melodic, well-produced black metal?
Maybe this could be something for you?
Lampof Murmuur - Wnadering through nightmares
 
Vargrav - Netherstorm
 
Svartidaudi - Revelations of the Red Sword
 

Sacrifizer - La Mort Triomphante (2019)
Picked this up from one of the new members this week, I forget which one.  Some nice speed metal, reminiscent of Vulture or Division Speed to while away Saturday afternoon with.

It was something like 14 F reading in my car this morning. I realize that's tee shirt and shorts weather for Zack, but for Maryland, fucking cold. I like red wine. I like cabs, that said I like it approximately 100 times less than a good beer or even whisky. I like wine, but when I'm thirsty, after exertion or warm, fuck wine.  

Suicidal Tendencies - Suicidal For Life
 

This!

Fortunately, we are all free to disregard all the silly politics of metal and just enjoy the music on our own terms if we so choose. I get what this guy's saying, that this dude Infernus is a rapist and he should get what's coming to him even though he was found not guilty. But mainstream black metal has always been full of these types of controversies since the very beginning 30 years ago and at some point right or wrong or whatever I just don't want to listen to all the noise anymore so I tune it all out. Which is a big part of why I never go on any of these mainstream metal sites besides the fact that I don't really care about or listen to very much mainstream metal. Sure, I don't particularly care for Gorgoroth or Watain or Dimmu's music either but I don't want to waste a lot of time thinking about these bands that I don't like. I'll give my opinion when asked or if they come up in convo but I don't feel the need to go out of my way to bash these bands and/or their fans over and over on a regular basis. I just look for and think about the ones I do like and carry on doing my own thing.
If a band sounds good to you then I reckon that oughta be 'true' enough. Especially since I think most of us listen to our music in solitude most of the time, it seems even doubly pointless to me to worry about what anyone else might think about what we're listening to. Why should we care what anyone else thinks? Maybe it's easier for me to think this way being older, I don't have to hang out with a group of judgemental teens who are going to dissect and critique and criticize my every decision. But then even as a teen I didn't care, when the overwhelming majority of my peers were either into disco dance music or The Dead/The Band I was the hard rocker, punk rock loving dude that simply didn't care about trends and did my own thing. Don't let other people's opinions influence what you like and don't like. Think for yourself. The only one you need to be true to is you.

I quite enjoy Satyricon's Dark Medieval Times and Nemesis Davina, but I'm certainly not a super fan. Black metal is a fairly marginal part of my listening, but I enjoy it  I do tend to like the mix of folk and black metal and "weirdness" when done effectively. I enjoy a reasonable amount of black metal especially the second wave, traditional and avant stuff. 
That said, I'm a middle aged guy with a wife and college kid and don't have unbridled hatred for all mankind-lol. Guess I'm fairly invested in the continuation of the human race.
I don't have the depth of knowledge of black metal as many of the guys here. What I do know is that black metal is one of the most malleable forms of metal that can be adapted to a wide variety of influences and strains. Just  look at the word, "blackened". Blackened this or blackened that. By the way, I'm a big fan of blackened fish tacos. 
But I love the way black metal touches a mystical, pagan, tribal dark part of my subconscious. Lots of great BM out there to enjoy. 
 

Immediately and with extreme prejudice.

Immediately and with extreme prejudice.

Hey man, I'm touched by how thoughtful and supportive this is. It helps to hear and I really appreciate it. Thank you.

I think we can probably all relate to your honest post. Life gets overwhelming and sometimes I feel like I can't see the forest for the trees. Burnout comes in lots of flavors and then it's easy to say fuck music for a while. But you come back anyway.
 A lot of the newer stuff does sound samey which, I guess, is why I'm always on the sidelines just waiting for  something to come along,  as it eventually will in an older style or a mishmash re splicing genres and just when a genre feels dead and bereft of ideas, a group of young,  usually, guys or oldsters who have been rummaging in the hinterlands forever and finally churn out some music....magically, despite odds....turns an old dino-genre into something exciting. Who doesn't live for those moments. 
Hang in with your career, family and stressors. You've got a group of people rooting for you-including me. Whatever this is, the one given, good or bad it shall pass. 

Metal Church - "Damned if You Do" (album)

Flukt - Darkness Devour
 
Mork - Det Svarte Juv
 

Honestly, the only attention dudes like that deserve is the kind where you laugh at them. I know it's new and seems kind of mysterious, so you're maybe worried about doing it right, but really...it's just music. Guys like that dude you found are making way more out of it then any healthy person should.
Yes, there are some bands that get more respect than others, but don't let that kind of shit determine what you like. It's not some kind of club where you're required to listen to certain bands and blow off others...listen to what ever you connect with...
...unless it's Deafheaven...if it's Deafheaven I'm washing my hands of this whole process 😁
 
Edit #1 - That dude on the blog is weirdly obsessive about Erik Danielsson, like in a "It puts the lotion in the basket" sort of way
Edit #2 Dude also slagged on Archgoat...opinion immediately discarded

Fair enough. Not sure why I lumped them in with Dawn as I wouldn't normally consider them in the same "league".
Those bands you stated you prefer (with the exception of Burzum) are all Finnish and have a distinct flavor if you will. They also have in common with Burzum a link to NSBM tendencies (although that's a topic hotly debated around the interwebs). Of those, Burzum's discography varies the most sound wise. Thulean Mysteries is completely different from Filosofem or Aske. So you have to examine what it is you like about those bands (lyrics, production, vocals, etc) to guess at what you might also find enjoyable. Based on the choices you listed, I'd say check out those bands @Sheol mentioned, specifically Clandestine Blaze and Goatmoon. @SurgicalBrute's recommendation of Sielunviholinen is also excellent. You might also like Drowning the Light from Australia. A good way to find bands similiar to those you like is to check out their metallum page Satanic Warmaster - Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives (metal-archives.com) and check the similar artists tab. Also recommend the book The Devil's Cradle to learn more about the development of the Finnish scene and the links/interdependencies of many of those bands.
In the end, it's just like food. You have to personally try out different things to determine what you like and what you don't. A lot will depend on your background, location in the world, your age and experience, and a myriad of other factors. That however is part of the fun, exploring and trying to find things we enjoy.

Too bad I can't do double horns. 

Trust me...especially when it comes to black metal, you don't have to worry about what everyone else likes. Black metal covers a wide variety of music and the fans have a, in some ways, very well deserved reputation for being very elitist in their outlook on things. Put two black metal fans in a room, and they'll probably disagree on about 90% of the bands out there. No ones required to like anything specific...I like Darkthrone and Immortal myself, never really cared too much about Emperor or Mayhem though. I'd say, as long as you're willing to acknowledge those bands place in the history of black metal and what they mean for the genre, no ones going to hold it against you for not liking them on a personal level

Black metal has been around for close to 40 years, it would be weirder if you did like everything other people brought up.

Certain countries around the world are known for playing certain styles of metal in a way that the country kind of becomes associated with a particular sound. Swedish black metal tends to be melodic and sound cleaner, Norwegian black metal tends to sound rougher, and likes to use blast beats (That's a particular type of very rapid drum beat). Among other things, Finnish black metal kind of combines the melody of Swedish black metal with the rougher sound of the Norwegian black metal.
 
It doesn't have a name, it's usually just down the particular vocalist and their singing style...
Raw Black Metal is basically black metal that strips away the production values on the music...it will have a thin, very rough, almost sounding like noise, quality to the music. Like, compare these two bands, and see if you can hear a difference
 
Hear how much rougher, and fuzzy the first band sounds compared to the second band...that's raw black metal vs black metal. It's all about the albums production.
Most of the early bands playing black metal were young and didn't have a ton of money, so they couldn't afford high-quality recording equipment to make their albums. The result was music that sounded very rough and fuzzy, but many fans actually enjoyed that fact because they felt it added a lot of atmosphere to the music. Now, with people being able to access good recording equipment without having to spend a lot of money, many black metal bands have improved their sound quality. In some ways, this has opened the music up to new fans who didn't like the rough sound, but a lot of fans, particularly long-time fans of black metal, prefer the rough sound, believing it to be a necessary part of the music. This has created a whole new area of black metal called raw black metal where bands intentionally record their music to sound really fuzzy and rough
And just to chime in, you don't have to like anything you don't want to. If you don't like death metal or traditional bands like Iron Maiden, then that's perfectly fine. If Darkthrone or Emperor isn't for you, then don't worry about it. It's your music taste, the only one who needs to be happy is you. I think sometimes it's worth going back and checking things out again, only because my own experience was that a lot of time, stuff I didn't like when I was first getting into metal became stuff I really ended up liking...it just took awhile for my ear to adjust to what i was hearing. That doesn't mean it will be the same for you though, and that's fine

Fair enough. Not sure why I lumped them in with Dawn as I wouldn't normally consider them in the same "league".
Those bands you stated you prefer (with the exception of Burzum) are all Finnish and have a distinct flavor if you will. They also have in common with Burzum a link to NSBM tendencies (although that's a topic hotly debated around the interwebs). Of those, Burzum's discography varies the most sound wise. Thulean Mysteries is completely different from Filosofem or Aske. So you have to examine what it is you like about those bands (lyrics, production, vocals, etc) to guess at what you might also find enjoyable. Based on the choices you listed, I'd say check out those bands @Sheol mentioned, specifically Clandestine Blaze and Goatmoon. @SurgicalBrute's recommendation of Sielunviholinen is also excellent. You might also like Drowning the Light from Australia. A good way to find bands similiar to those you like is to check out their metallum page Satanic Warmaster - Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives (metal-archives.com) and check the similar artists tab. Also recommend the book The Devil's Cradle to learn more about the development of the Finnish scene and the links/interdependencies of many of those bands.
In the end, it's just like food. You have to personally try out different things to determine what you like and what you don't. A lot will depend on your background, location in the world, your age and experience, and a myriad of other factors. That however is part of the fun, exploring and trying to find things we enjoy.