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1001 Metal Albums You Should Hear Before You Die [Metal Forum Edition] Updated 29th March 20


The Batlord

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  • 2 months later...

40. Bethlehem - Dark Metal (1994)

 

Bethlehem are well known as forerunners of the Depessive/Suicidal Black Metal scene. That reputation is well deserved but this album doesn't quite fit into that sound. Instead this is a black/doom hybrid blending hallmarks of both sounds. The evil sound of BM and bleak atmosphere of doom blend perfectly here creating a unique album. I must apologise but I seem to have lost my way with words of late. Rather then ramble I'll just let this one speak for itself.

 

 

 

 

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31 minutes ago, natassja7 said:

^^^ Nice to see Bethlehem get a mention, 'Dictius Te Necare' is really nice.

I love the over-the-top vocals on DTN, but lately I'm putting Dark Metal on a lot more frequently. I catch myself lumbering around the house muttering about "seven Satanic rituals" under my breath. It's mostly a positive development. 

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6 minutes ago, FatherAlabaster said:

I love the over-the-top vocals on DTN, but lately I'm putting Dark Metal on a lot more frequently. I catch myself lumbering around the house muttering about "seven Satanic rituals" under my breath. It's mostly a positive development. 

Yes..beautifully tortured.. ..Ahaha funny what can bring us positivity :D 

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  • 3 months later...
  • 3 weeks later...

41. Mercyful Fate - Don't Break the Oath

One has to wonder what proper metal compendium would lack this album and this band. Hailing from Denmark, this band's brand of heavy metal not only had an atmosphere rooted in the occult but had the musical substance to back it up. Whether it be the infectious rhythms from bassist Timi Hansen and drummer Kim Ruzz, the dramatically sinister melodies and epic solos conjured by guitarists Hank Shermann and Michael Denner or the monumentally spectral voice of King Diamond himself, this album has something that every fan of heavy metal will love. The superb composition and immersive atmosphere of Don't Break the Oath goes on to influence bands to this very day and makes it totally worthy of this list. 

 

 

 

 

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  • 2 months later...
On 3/4/2017 at 11:04 AM, Requiem said:

Katatonia - 'Last Fair Deal Gone Down' (2001)

220px-LastFairDealGoneDown.jpg

 

Katatonia's fifth album is a pinnacle in melancholic metal and the fruition of their songwriting development after moving from their harsher beginnings.

This album is bleak perfection, with Jonas Renkse's voice hitting that perfect sweet spot of tonal confidence mixed with emotional exposure. You can track his clean vocals as they develop through 'Discouraged Ones' (1998) and 'Tonight's Decision' (1999) to this moment, where he absolutely nails it. 

The songs are melodic yet off-kilter, singalong yet obscure, and it initially took me a few listens back at the time of its release to get my head around it. The drumming from new drummer Daniel Liljekvist is sensational and a huge step up from the steady plod of Dan Swano's guest appearance on 'Tonight's Decision'. Here, Liljekvist applies a much more upbeat and technical drumming style to the songs, given them amazing life. I would argue that Katatonia's music has become too clever by half in releation to the odd drum timings these days, but here in 2001 they again hit the sweet spot. 

With songs like 'Teargas', 'Sweet Nurse' and 'Chrome', this is one of the greatest albums I've ever heard, in any style. 

The lyrics are incredible too. Here's the track 'Tonight's Music' that contains the great chorus where Jonas sings, "How could this go so very far that I need someone to say, what is wrong, not with the world, but me?"

 

 

 

great album and id rate viva emptiness up there with it as well.

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On 2/18/2018 at 6:13 AM, BlutAusNerd said:

I don't remember writing this last night after all of the whiskey I had, but I can't say that I disagree with drunk BAN!

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hahaha. My favourite part was the mic drop. 

I like to think that Katatonia finally came into their own once they got the juvenile 'Lord Seth' nonsense out of their systems and knuckled down to write classic tracks like 'Saw you Drown', 'For My Demons' and 'Evidence'. But yes, 'Brave Murder Day' will forever remain one of the all-time classic albums of metal. A masterpiece. 

As for Paradise Lost, they've had such a varied career, moving this way and that. I'm both dizzy and exceedingly pleased with it all. 

On 2/18/2018 at 12:25 AM, FatherAlabaster said:

Not at all, PL died sometime in late 91. 

All the comedy right here. Actually, didn't they sell out once they started rehearsing for 'Lost Paradise'? They were only 'real' on their demos. 

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3 hours ago, Requiem said:

All the comedy right here. Actually, didn't they sell out once they started rehearsing for 'Lost Paradise'? They were only 'real' on their demos. 

No, I've never thought of them as sellouts. I used to dig more of their albums as a teenager but it didn't stick. Whatever it is that holds their songs together for me anymore is mostly gone on "Shades Of God", and I'm completely lost after that. "Gothic" or GTFO.

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I'm sure we'll never agree on the different phases of Katatonia, I get nothing at all from anything after Sounds of Decay. The point I was trying to make though is that they're no anything alike, and are basically a different band with some of the same members. It could be argued that they still focus on some similar melancholic themes, but even that has changed in style and delivery, from metaphorical and mystical to more literal and personal. At the very least, Katatonia as they were died in 96/97, similar to Paradise Lost, Anathema, etc...

I don't go as far as FA, as I love Icon, and enjoy the clunky Shades of God and the more tame Draconian Times, but I can't get into the new wave stuff, and their new albums have been hit or miss. Even when they have hit harder though, they're still a world away from their first five albums to me. At the very least, they did return to a more familiar sound after also becoming a different band with the same members. My $.02 anyway. Both are/were great bands, but my interest in both mostly stops around that time.

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  • 1 month later...
On 10/28/2017 at 6:13 PM, audiophile said:

Don't know if it has been mentioned, but Cyclone Temple's "I Hate Therefore I Am
" is in my opinion a highly underrated and well written and produced album.

Cyclone Temple's work was largely mediocre. Given that their best work can hardly lay a finger upon the likes of their contemporaries, it's understandable that they are largely overlooked. 

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Cyclone Temple's work was largely mediocre. Given that their best work can hardly lay a finger upon the likes of their contemporaries, it's understandable that they are largely overlooked. 
They're not as good as Znöwhite, but that doesn't mean they suck. Sure, the lyrics are absolutely atrocious, but Fulton's riffs still deliver. I can overlook a lot for good riffs, so maybe that's why I don't hate it as much as some do, but the vocals aren't too bad if you can ignore what he's saying (he kind of reminds me of Ron Rinehart with his tone and the way that he phrases his vocal lines), and the rhythm section is solid.

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25 minutes ago, BlutAusNerd said:

They're not as good as Znöwhite, but that doesn't mean they suck. Sure, the lyrics are absolutely atrocious, but Fulton's riffs still deliver. I can overlook a lot for good riffs, so maybe that's why I don't hate it as much as some do, but the vocals aren't too bad if you can ignore what he's saying (he kind of reminds me of Ron Rinehart with his tone and the way that he phrases his vocal lines), and the rhythm section is solid.

I mean, it's alright but as I stated, many of their contemporaries both in the States and across the globe are head and shoulder above them 

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