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The Official Black Metal Recommendations Thread


RelentlessOblivion

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3 minutes ago, Balor said:

What about Varg on synth?  I could see people criticizing him on guitar/bass due to Burzum having pretty simply songs, but I thought his synth/ambient albums were good.

Never got into his synth stuff. I've always had a hard time stomaching his music in general just because of how much of an ass he is, haha.

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16 hours ago, salmonellapancake said:

Never got into his synth stuff. I've always had a hard time stomaching his music in general just because of how much of an ass he is, haha.

But assholes can make good music too can’t they.  I agree with none of his politics or social beliefs but I still enjoy a vast array of his music.  Dave Mustaine is a bellend but I enjoy some Megadeth albums,  Phil Anselmo, Ted Nugent, Ginger Baker the list is near endless but I think we really should look past the personality or risk missing out on some good music.

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17 minutes ago, MacabreEternal said:

But assholes can make good music too can’t they.  I agree with none of his politics or social beliefs but I still enjoy a vast array of his music.  Dave Mustaine is a bellend but I enjoy some Megadeth albums,  Phil Anselmo, Ted Nugent, Ginger Baker the list is near endless but I think we really should look past the personality or risk missing out on some good music.

It took me a while to come around to that point of view, but now I tend to agree, and I try to separate the artist from the art. Determining one's comfort level with a given artist or topic has to be a personal choice, though.

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2 hours ago, MacabreEternal said:

But assholes can make good music too can’t they.  I agree with none of his politics or social beliefs but I still enjoy a vast array of his music.  Dave Mustaine is a bellend but I enjoy some Megadeth albums,  Phil Anselmo, Ted Nugent, Ginger Baker the list is near endless but I think we really should look past the personality or risk missing out on some good music.

At least Varg, unlike others (NSBM bands, Dawn Ray'd, etc.) essentially kept his politics/social views out of his music.

2 hours ago, FatherAlabaster said:

It took me a while to come around to that point of view, but now I tend to agree, and I try to separate the artist from the art. Determining one's comfort level with a given artist or topic has to be a personal choice, though.

I agree.  I will listen to bands that want to send political messages through their music (even if I disagree with them) only if their music is good enough to stand on its own.

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On 10/13/2017 at 1:48 PM, Requiem said:

I haven't heard it beyond that one track that was released in the lead-up. To be honest, I'm a little tired of that ego-maniac Satyr. I'll stand by much of Satyricon's work till I die, but I found the last album (self titled) an abomination, and I was really turned off by Satyr's pontificating about this current release. Satyr's just not as 'deep' as he thinks he is. I guess I'll give it a listen on youtube or something but I think my run with the current 'band' is going on hiatus. 

If I'm being truly honest, I haven't been moved by Satyricon since 'Volcano', but I've been buying them dutifully, expecting more. Well, no longer. 

I keep looking into Winterfylleth due to their amazing artwork, good reputation and high praise in England, but I'm always disappointed. Maybe I'm just not hearing the right songs? They don't hold a candle to (early) Drudkh, if you ask me. I can't say they really sound like them either, although I haven't heard the last couple of Drudkh albums, so who knows. 

 

I was disappointed by The Mercian Sphere due to the hype around it, but I recently got The Ghost of Heritage and enjoyed it a fair bit. The related band Wodensthrone is better in my book though, definitely check them out.

On 10/13/2017 at 3:54 PM, Iceni said:

Iceland's been producing some good shit lately. Toska and Zhrine are two of my favorites.

Zhrine's album was pretty good, I need to spend more time with it.

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15 hours ago, BlutAusNerd said:

I was disappointed by The Mercian Sphere due to the hype around it, but I recently got The Ghost of Heritage and enjoyed it a fair bit. The related band Wodensthrone is better in my book though, definitely check them out.

 

I love Wodensthrone. The only album of theirs that I own though is 'Loss' which is a beautiful album. Definitely a band I should invest in a bit more. I saw them live in London in 2008 and they were amazing then, too. 

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I love Wodensthrone. The only album of theirs that I own though is 'Loss' which is a beautiful album. Definitely a band I should invest in a bit more. I saw them live in London in 2008 and they were amazing then, too. 
That would have been a cool show. Loss is the only one I have too, but it's fantastic.

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1 hour ago, Balor said:

I recently came across a Chinese band called Zuriaake, and it made me realize that I know very little about non-Western black metal.  Can anyone recommend any bands from Africa or Asia that they found particularly interesting?

Try Taiwanese black metal band chthonic they are very good  listein to takao 

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I've got some time to spare, so I guess I'll do another round.

 

Sykdom - Under Krigen:

Sykdom is a newer Norwegian band that seems to be flying under the radar of most. That's not to say that there's anything revolutionary going on with Under Krigen, but the band does seem to have a good sense of what the Norwegian black metal sound is all about, with some strong melodies to offset the mid-paced riffs. While not reinventing the wheel, I can hear plenty to draw in fans of Satyricon, Gorgoroth, Ulver, and the like.

Tartaros - The Grand Psychotic Castle:

Despite Charmand Grimlock playing live keyboards for Emperor on their famed Empyrial Live Ceremony album/DVD/tour, very few seem to be familiar with his work outside of the band. He handles all instruments and composition in Tartaros, and while this is technically the same genre as Emperor in that period (symphonic black metal), this is quite a different animal. Some might find this to be a bit too campy and cheesy, but I absolutely love how this sounds like a black metal haunted house attraction. It just oozes with drama, symphonic grandeur, and spooky horror. He has a lot more room to stretch his influences here than he would have in Emperor, with even some electronic elements making their way in, but I would think that any symphonic black metal fan or gothic metal fan that might allow themselves to crack a smile really needs to give this a listen. I guess you could take it seriously if you want to, but it's a lot more fun to experience this like you would a haunted house and just have a bit of fun with it.

Tearstained - Nightmare Visions:

I don't think anyone would ever accuse Tearstained of being the most professional of metal bands, especially when factoring in the often amateurish vocals and lyrics, but I personally have a hard time arguing with anyone combining prime Mercyful Fate, King Diamond, and Bathory for just about any reason. Mikael is handling everything himself here, as many other black metal bands have, which is a difficult proposition and not one that everyone is capable of handling. Sometimes his reach exceeds his grasp, so I can't fault anyone for not getting into this, but I enjoy throwing it on when I'm in the mood for some first wave worshiping black metal. 

Thantifaxath - Sacred White Noise:

There will always be deniers and detractors from progress out there who think that the glory days of black metal are behind us, but honestly, it has to be hard to see anything but what's behind you when your head is wedged up your ass. Seriously, consider how much black metal had to evolve to get to the second wave point that these people want to cling to forever. Was it supposed to stop growing and evolving? Not as far as I'm concerned. Thantifaxath is one such band pushing the genre forward to exciting new horizons, building upon the foundations set before them and blazing new trails into the unknown. Some parallels can be drawn to the likes of Blut Aus Nord or Altar of Plagues, but Thantifaxath is really off in a world of their own. This is the kind of thing that gives me hope for the future of black metal, and shows us that there is always more to explore.

The Abyss - The Other Side:

The Abyss is a side project of Hypocrisy which featured all of the same members in different roles than in their main band. Despite being all of the same people, this avoids sounding like Hypocrisy playing black metal, and rather embodies a similar sound that is fairly typical of mid-90's Swedish black metal. This alternates between the more brutal blasting assaults of Marduk or Dark Funeral and a more melodic mid-paced style that has a bit more in common with the Norwegian scene from the time. All in all, it's a pretty solid listen, and it's too bad that they wouldn't continue with the band after two albums. 

The Black - The Priest of Satan:

The Black is another one of those bands that nobody would have heard of if not for a connection to a pretty well known musician in the scene. This is still a pretty obscure album, but it has made it into the hands of a few because Jon Nodtveidt of Dissection handles the vocals and guitars here. This is a great deal more raw and less complex than Dissection, but its "less is more" approach is actually pretty damn satisfying. Nothing world shattering here, but a great album for fans of Dissection or raw black metal to hear. 

The Royal Arch Blaspheme - The Royal Arch Blaspheme:

For those of you on the search for rotten and blasphemous sounding black metal, The Royal Arch Blaspheme is the answer to your... well, not prayers, I suppose... Anyway, this is truly some grisly and violent sounding black metal from Neil Jameson of Krieg and John Gelso of Profanatica. Thankfully, this is much more in line with the Profanatica side of USBM than the less interesting blasting style that we're accustomed to hearing from N. Imperial's Krieg, but this seems a bit more mid-paced and deliberate overall. The sound is still harrowing and filthy though, despite the clean production and tight performance, and would honestly appeal just as much to fans of raw death metal and war metal as to USBM fans. 

The Ruins of Beverast - Rain Upon the Impure:

The Ruins of Beverast might very well be my favorite black metal band of the modern era. Started by Alexander Von Meilenwald after the dissolution of his prior band Nagelfar, The Ruins of Beverast plays an extremely dark, gloomy, and personal form of atmospheric black metal with lengthy compositions that have a way of seducing you and drawing you into their bleeding arms. The band would incorporate more doom and death metal elements as they went along, and the atmosphere often coincides with the despair and mourning of funeral doom metal, but always in a way that is distinctly theirs. Every one of their albums are breathtaking, and they're easily the heaviest live band I have ever seen in my life. Stop what you're doing right now and hit the play button on this link, then buy all of their albums. You won't regret it.

Thorns - Thorns:

Thorns is the band of the infamous Snorre Ruch, who is most well known for driving Varg to and from the scene of the murder of Euronymous. Prior to this, he had recorded some demos as Thorns and Stigma Diabolicum, which were not only excellent, but also highly influential upon the nascent Norwegian black metal scene, before joining Mayhem on guitar. After his release from jail, he hooked up with Satyr to create this album of very forward thinking and industrial influenced black metal that is a lot like Satyricon's Rebel Extravaganza, but much better. That's not to say that I don't like that album, but this is head and shoulders above it to me. Hopefully there will be a followup one day, but if this is the only Thorns full length that we are left with, then I can't complain. 

Treblinka - Crawling in Vomits:

Before they became the mighty Tiamat, one of the earlier extreme metal bands to transition to exploring the still new territory of gothic metal, the band was known as Treblinka. Despite being named after a concentration camp, the band doesn't have any affiliation with Nazi ideology, but they did have a pretty classy and well arranged first wave black metal style that made them underground legends. The track above is from their first demo, but is more concise and better performed than what many of their peers were doing at the time. This is a cult classic, and a must have for first wave black metal fans, or anyone who thinks Bathory was the only Swedish black metal band of the 80's.

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"Marutukku" from The Other Side was the first black metal song that I knowingly heard, as a young teenager, and I played the shit out of that album for a while. Didn't think you were too into it. That Thantifaxath album is great, although I have to say I wasn't as impressed with their recent EP - the interludes came off as filler. I've seen them live and I know they're capable of more, so I hope they trim the fat next time around.

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"Marutukku" from The Other Side was the first black metal song that I knowingly heard, as a young teenager, and I played the shit out of that album for a while. Didn't think you were too into it. That Thantifaxath album is great, although I have to say I wasn't as impressed with their recent EP - the interludes came off as filler. I've seen them love and I know they're capable of more, so I hope they trim the fat next time around.

Hopefully I can catch them if they're ever playing somewhere that I can access. They seem like they would be cool to hear in a live setting.

 

EDIT: As far as The Abyss goes, I wouldn't put them at the top shelf of Swedish black metal, but that's really because there's just so much to choose from. I have and enjoy both albums and they play the style well, so even if I prefer the likes of Arckanum, Sacramentum, Nifelheim, etc..., there's no reason not to recommend The Abyss.

 

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Let's see if I can revive the thread....

 

Forteresse - Métal Noir Québécois

A very interesting Canadian atmospheric black metal project in the vein of Sorcier des Glacies, Walknut and Mgla. Technically speaking, there is always the usage of the "blast beats/tremolos and leads" which can be found in most Norwegian black metal bands, and indeed Forteresse do worship a little bit the bands of the said area, but their approach is inherently classy and wholly original, and this effect is also emphasized by the usage of unhortodox violins in the mix. Might not be everyone's cup of tea -that should be put into consideration - but if you like your black metal complex, well-structured and elegant, Forteresse might do the trick for you.

 

 

Branikald - Хладавзор (Frost Vision)

Branikald is in my eyes a fairly underappreciated one man black metal band which can be found among the ranks of the Russian "Blazebirth Hall", comprised of other projects such as Forest, Raven Dark, Nitberg, Rundagor, Vargleide, Wotan Sølv, and Yggdrasil. Very few black metal albums, even by today's standards, can evoke the same freezing atmosphere Frost Vision is capable of. Following up their other masterpiece "Ad Vinterkald", this album brings to the table some really memorable riffs, although I feel like they lose importance when compared to the overall character of the album due to their high distortion, simple nature, and massive repetition. If you can tolerate lenghty ambient songs, this album will click with you instantly.

 

Ved Buens Ende - Written in Waters

Ved Buens Ende are an interesting issue, because they completely circumvent the classic norwegian black metal style and instead offer a strange and unique approach to the genre, that most likely bands like Deathspell Omega will further evolve in the future. An over-enveloping sense of wrongness pervades this album. The odd tones, thumping bass and bendy rhythms all converge to give you a strange soundscape reminiscent of the abstract art used for the front cover. A world of strange sounds that all come together to make something crushing and consistent, yet obtuse and ethereal, with riffs that seem to bend and wrap around each other in a manner that someone might find annoying, yet also makes sense. One of the very best out of the entire genre.

 

Dawn - Slaughtersun (Crown of the Triarchy)

Although as a whole I prefer the swedish scene when it comes to death metal, Dawn is an interesting band which blends this style with typical Dissection-esque melodies but never failing to sound genuine (best comparisons would be also Unanimated, Sacramentum, Eucharist and Vinterland). The band actually started with Nær sólen gar niþer for evogher (1994) as a melodic death metal- oriented band, they rapidly changed sound after a couple of demos and spilts. Obviously, we aren't witnessing anything remotely new, but the band manages to make the best aspects of melodic black metal shine under a very effective light, adding a bit of a melancholic taste into the mix as well. I'd definetely recomend this if you are already accustomed to Jon Nödtveidt's works.

 

Torr - Armageddon

Torr is pretty oddball Czech early black/thrash metal band, and was apparently part of the same early '90s Czech Republic metal scene which involved other projects like Samael, Master's Hammer and Root, to name a few. This was their first full-lenght album, but it actually sounds like a more polished version of Witchhammer, which was -I'd say- on par with other top tier classics of the very same scene, so I think it is worth hearing it if you haven't already. Although the grop is probably best known for their 1991 album Institut Kilinické Smrti, fans shouldn't dismiss this record at all. Id should be noted the album even uses occasional synths and other electronical parts to enhance the atmosphere but still putting riffs prior to anything else.

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I'm fairly sure BAN already mentioned Dawn IIRC. With eight pages of recommendations though repeats are bound to happen every now and then. I just lament that I've nothing to contribute here. Quite literally all the black metal in my collection is there because of this thread. Mostly because I'd not heard of so many bands but partly because I was inspired to revisit what I did know.

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25 minutes ago, RelentlessOblivion said:

I'm fairly sure BAN already mentioned Dawn IIRC. With eight pages of recommendations though repeats are bound to happen every now and then. I just lament that I've nothing to contribute here. Quite literally all the black metal in my collection is there because of this thread. Mostly because I'd not heard of so many bands but partly because I was inspired to revisit what I did know.

You like doom metal quite a lot, so my take is that you should check out some bands that incorporate that sound with black metal. You probably already heard of Bethlehem so I'd recommend checking out suff like that: 

- Argentum ( https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Argentum/2710 )

- Dolorian ( https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Dolorian/3925 )

- Elysian Blaze ( https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Elysian_Blaze/17646 )

- Death Fetishist ( https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Death_Fetishist/3540405170 )

Let me know if you could possibly like these bands

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I'm fairly sure BAN already mentioned Dawn IIRC. With eight pages of recommendations though repeats are bound to happen every now and then. I just lament that I've nothing to contribute here. Quite literally all the black metal in my collection is there because of this thread. Mostly because I'd not heard of so many bands but partly because I was inspired to revisit what I did know.
I haven't, I still don't have any of Dawn's albums. I think the only one I have mentioned from either of his posts here is Dolorian, and I think I mentioned them in the doom section.

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8 hours ago, BlutAusNerd said:

I haven't, I still don't have any of Dawn's albums. I think the only one I have mentioned from either of his posts here is Dolorian, and I think I mentioned them in the doom section.

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My mistake, I remember seeing the name but couldn't recall who mentioned it.

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9 hours ago, MattCantina said:

You like doom metal quite a lot, so my take is that you should check out some bands that incorporate that sound with black metal. You probably already heard of Bethlehem so I'd recommend checking out suff like that: 

- Argentum ( https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Argentum/2710 )

- Dolorian ( https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Dolorian/3925 )

- Elysian Blaze ( https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Elysian_Blaze/17646 )

- Death Fetishist ( https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Death_Fetishist/3540405170 )

Let me know if you could possibly like these bands

While it's certainly true I have a great affinity for doom I'm hardly left wanting for Black Metal. More that all the bands I would recommend have already been mentioned.

 

As for exploring the DSBM scene I have done so to some extent. It always puts me in a very negative mood. Having battled with depression for a good chunk of my adult life I'm keen to avoid music which has that kind of influence on me. It may seem a strange statement from a doom fan but I find doom's melancholic atmosphere helps me cope. DSBM on the other hand generally pushes me in a more self-destructive direction.

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5 hours ago, RelentlessOblivion said:

While it's certainly true I have a great affinity for doom I'm hardly left wanting for Black Metal. More that all the bands I would recommend have already been mentioned.

 

As for exploring the DSBM scene I have done so to some extent. It always puts me in a very negative mood. Having battled with depression for a good chunk of my adult life I'm keen to avoid music which has that kind of influence on me. It may seem a strange statement from a doom fan but I find doom's melancholic atmosphere helps me cope. DSBM on the other hand generally pushes me in a more self-destructive direction.

Sorry to hear that, I kinda had your same problem at a certain point in my life, luckily now I'm ok. I never particularly cared for DSBM tho, music can make me feel pretty melancholic at best, but I wouldn't go as far as saying it makes me sad.

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4 minutes ago, MattCantina said:

Sorry to hear that, I kinda had your same problem at a certain point in my life, luckily now I'm ok. I never particularly cared for DSBM tho, music can make me feel pretty melancholic at best, but I wouldn't go as far as saying it makes me sad.

Music is a powerful art form. I've generally found it helps amplify whatever mood I'm in. I really do love black metal though. There are about 45 BM bands in my collection. I estimate about 70 albums. Always looking to expand on that as well. 

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9 hours ago, BlutAusNerd said:

FA spins their stuff a fair bit. I love what I've heard, it's just that my list of stuff to buy is never ending, and some things always get missed.

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Indeed I do, all of their stuff is cool and I'd say Matt's description is spot on. The riffs on Nær Sólen Gar Niþer for Evogher are really memorable:

 

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