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The Official Black Metal Recommendations Thread


RelentlessOblivion

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Time to revive the thread I guess. These days I was on a Voidcraeft listening streak 

http://voidcraeft.bandcamp.com/

https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Voidcraeft/3540369530

This is somewhat of an enigmatic german solo black metal project which seem to follow the steps of Deathspell Omega, Portal, Nightbringer and Jute Gyte (at least, that's what i have been able to hear). Voidcraeft tend to play black metal with great emphasis on crude, dissonant riffs that enhance the hypnotic nature of their twisted melodies; lyrically they deal with issues regarding mankind, spirituality, emptiness and cosmic nihilism. It's true nowadays there is an abundance of "abstract" metal, but I found Voidcraeft manages to separate himself from the flock of Portal worships quite effectively, and his music genuinely feels comprised of a ritualistic atmosphere in the background. 

Some noteworthy songs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZKxvkLWkNk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJ4exWMvrcs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO22EwfkK-w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuLroQIzlbI

https://youtu.be/Fm--knLI6LE

 

 

 

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Man, this is a looooong thread ... that took some time to get through. But it's also a very interesting one. I'm going to throw in a band that Euronymous was fervently championing for a while ... before his life came to such an untimely end. They weren't heard of for the longest time, but are out with a (relatively) new one now, called Planet Satan. Their sound will NOT appeal to everyone ... but if you like the thin and noisy guitar mix thing, this might just work for you. Oh,and yeah, they use a drum machine ... which I suppose makes them somewhat "industrial". Ladies and gentlemen, this is Mysticum (possibly my personal favourite among BM bands, from any time or "subgenre"):

Another great band that should be mentioned among the old guard from the 90s is Windir, although they may not be much known outside of the Norwegian scene. More melodic and "viking" than Satanic, really ... but it ought to appeal to those who like Ulver. Or at least, so I think. This is Journey To The End:

 

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22 minutes ago, MaxFaust said:

Man, this is a looooong thread ... that took some time to get through. But it's also a very interesting one. I'm going to throw in a band that Euronymous was fervently championing for a while ... before his life came to such an untimely end. They weren't heard of for the longest time, but are out with a (relatively) new one now, called Planet Satan. Their sound will NOT appeal to everyone ... but if you like the thin and noisy guitar mix thing, this might just work for you. Oh,and yeah, they use a drum machine ... which I suppose makes them somewhat "industrial". Ladies and gentlemen, this is Mysticum (possibly my personal favourite among BM bands, from any time or "subgenre"):

Another great band that should be mentioned among the old guard from the 90s is Windir, although they may not be much known outside of the Norwegian scene. More melodic and "viking" than Satanic, really ... but it ought to appeal to those who like Ulver. Or at least, so I think. This is Journey To The End:

 

Windir are definitely known worldwide and are cherished by many, including me. Hail Valfar. 

As for Mysticum, they are definitely an acquired taste due mostly to the industrial sound. I’ve never really appreciated their music although I have a few tracks, mostly on the Euronymous tribute. 

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Man, this is a looooong thread ... that took some time to get through. But it's also a very interesting one. I'm going to throw in a band that Euronymous was fervently championing for a while ... before his life came to such an untimely end. They weren't heard of for the longest time, but are out with a (relatively) new one now, called Planet Satan. Their sound will NOT appeal to everyone ... but if you like the thin and noisy guitar mix thing, this might just work for you. Oh,and yeah, they use a drum machine ... which I suppose makes them somewhat "industrial". Ladies and gentlemen, this is Mysticum (possibly my personal favourite among BM bands, from any time or "subgenre"):
[/url] Another great band that should be mentioned among the old guard from the 90s is Windir, although they may not be much known outside of the Norwegian scene. More melodic and "viking" than Satanic, really ... but it ought to appeal to those who like Ulver. Or at least, so I think. This is Journey To The End:
 
I've long heard the name Mysticum, but I still have yet to hear them. Windir is great (if a tiny bit overrated due to the grim and "metal" fashion in which Valfar died), but they're more of a Viking metal band than a black metal band, so I don't tend to think of them in a black metal context.

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Reek of the Unzen Gas Fumes:

This is one of the most sonically extreme bands that I have heard thus far.  Hailing from Japan, this bm/grindcore band has been producing a quality demos and splits since 2012.  They use drum programming, which I know that some dislike.  However, they take what could have been a negative, and made it a positive by pushing the technology to its limits.  The beats are inhumanly fast, and the guitars are aggressive, and the vocals are simply monstrous.

Kristallnacht:

I think that it is time for this band to get an official listing on this thread.  While other musicians were employed at various points during its history, Kristallnacht was essentially a one man project.  Since the mid-1990s, this French band has produced a series of short (only around ten minutes each) eps, demos, and splits.  They are all high quality, and each contain examples of great bm riffs and overall compositions.  While Kristallnacht ceased its activities in 2003, it remains one of the greatest bm bands to have emerged from France.

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Paysage d'Hiver:

Paysage d'Hiver (which translates from French as Winter Landscape) is a one-man ambient black metal band from Switzerland.  The sole member, Wintherr, is also well known for his work in the band Darkspace.  Rather than portraying the atmosphere of space, however, P d'H explores the ambiance of forests, snow, and mystical landscapes.  Songs are long, repetitive, and raw.  Synths often take center stage in compositions, where they provide the melody to backing guitars.  Many albums contain tracks that are completely ambient, and several albums are entirely ambient.  Recommended for fans of Burzum, Xasthur, and Drudkh.

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Konflict:

Konflict is a black/death/noise/grindcore band from Sri Lanka.  Their songs are fast and aggressive, though they also have produced some comparatively tame noise pieces as well.  Most notable, however, is the inhuman vocalist - one of the most extreme that I have heard thus far. Recommended for fans of Revenge.

 

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On 4/7/2019 at 12:51 PM, MacabreEternal said:

Horna are essential Finnish BM in my book, I write a blog on here showcasing the Finnish BM essentials and Horna’s split with Behexen was one of the first entries.

Can you link me to the blog? I'd be interested to read... there's so much black metal out there, and I'm so picky.

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8 hours ago, Thrashman said:

Can you link me to the blog? I'd be interested to read... there's so much black metal out there, and I'm so picky.

On the top banner of the forum page there’s a Blogs section (desktop version) and there’s an Essential Finnish BM Releases blog in there.  Can’t link at mo as on mobile version.  If you can’t see it let me know and will link you later.

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On 2/2/2012 at 4:36 PM, RelentlessOblivion said:

as with death metal I've been on a self imposed exile from the realms of black metal for some time now (sold all the bm I had except for Venom) looking for something complex, other then that it must be coherent, nothing irritates me more then awesome musicianship ruined by vocals so extreme you can't make out what's being said, any suggestions you guys can give would be greatly appreciated

Avertia -  For beggining "Trollmannen" track 

Tsjuder - For beggining "Mouth Of Madness" track 

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18 hours ago, Musel said:

Avertia -  For beggining "Trollmannen" track 

Tsjuder - For beggining "Mouth Of Madness" track 

It's worth noting that post is 7 years old. Understandably my tastes have changed a great deal it that time and so the criteria set out there no longer apply. On top of that this thread currently serves as a resource for anyone interested in BM to get a feel for the diverse range of sounds that label encompasses.

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1 hour ago, RelentlessOblivion said:

It's worth noting that post is 7 years old. Understandably my tastes have changed a great deal it that time and so the criteria set out there no longer apply. On top of that this thread currently serves as a resource for anyone interested in BM to get a feel for the diverse range of sounds that label encompasses.

You are right, I didnt look at the date. So, what are your 3 main bands right now? Curiosity. 

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4 hours ago, Musel said:

You are right, I didnt look at the date. So, what are your 3 main bands right now? Curiosity. 

I can only pick 3? How do I narrow that down? I'd say Dissection are the top, I love their sense of melody and their more technical mindset. There are other albums I like more but that collection of The Somberlain and Where Dead Angels Lie epitomise melodic black metal for me. 2nd I can't go past Bathory. Those first four albums were hugely influential on what BM would become and set up the Viking Metal explosion as well. I can't justify putting them at the top because their viking metal sound eclipses the BM stuff for me. 3rd is Bethlehem. I'm a huge doom metal fan, and I love when doom and black metal cross over, Bethlehem did it brilliantly with Dark Metal before pioneering the DSBM sound. I'll admit that style is not my favourite but I enjoy the way Bethlehem do it.

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42 minutes ago, RelentlessOblivion said:

I can only pick 3? How do I narrow that down? I'd say Dissection are the top, I love their sense of melody and their more technical mindset. There are other albums I like more but that collection of The Somberlain and Where Dead Angels Lie epitomise melodic black metal for me. 2nd I can't go past Bathory. Those first four albums were hugely influential on what BM would become and set up the Viking Metal explosion as well. I can't justify putting them at the top because their viking metal sound eclipses the BM stuff for me. 3rd is Bethlehem. I'm a huge doom metal fan, and I love when doom and black metal cross over, Bethlehem did it brilliantly with Dark Metal before pioneering the DSBM sound. I'll admit that style is not my favourite but I enjoy the way Bethlehem do it.

Of course, its hard to pick so few, but it makes you think which are your real favourites, I have also a lot favourites but can easly pick top 3 of them. From Doom Metal, I only know early Paradise Lost, I dont know if you can list them on your Doom Metal list, but anyways I prefer their more recent albums. I will check bands you listed, Im always curious about this which I didnt knew before. 

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On 4/23/2019 at 8:21 PM, Musel said:

Of course, its hard to pick so few, but it makes you think which are your real favourites, I have also a lot favourites but can easly pick top 3 of them. From Doom Metal, I only know early Paradise Lost, I dont know if you can list them on your Doom Metal list, but anyways I prefer their more recent albums. I will check bands you listed, Im always curious about this which I didnt knew before. 

I couldn't pick just 3 doom bands, there have been too many amazing bands to choose from. There's one of these threads stuck to the Doom metal sub-forum and I'd highly recommend looking through the video posts made by BlutAusNerd.

 

What I can do is list my top 10 doom metal albums but keep in mind the genre makes up most of my album collection so will be incredibly diverse.

10. "Through The Darkest Hour" - Solitude Aeturnus. This is a stunning example of the epic doom metal style. Rob Lowe is an amazing vocalist backed up by great songwriting.

9. "Forest of Equilibrium" - Cathedral. This is some of the heaviest doom/death you'll ever hear. Despite that the band maintain some of the psychadelic tendencies they'd later be known for.

8. "Exhumed of the Earth" - Paramaecium. Doom/Death from Australia don't let the christian lyrics deter you these guys craft a huge, dramatic, sound.

7. "Psalm 9" - Trouble. Traditional doom at it's finest, once again the lyrics are christian but the music is so heavy and so well written you won't care.

6. "Nightfall" - Candlemass. Another example of epic doom metal this album is phenomenal. Heavy, heartfelt, and memorable songs litter this record.

5. "Cloaked By Ages, Crowned In Earth" - Morgion. This is a more atmospheric doom/death album. Morgion's sound is complex and beautifully crafted. They alternate clean and heavy passages wonderfully well.

4. "Turn Loose the Swans" - My Dying Bride. Crushingly heavy, melodic, memorable, and heartfelt MDB have an amazing sound and really haven't released any bad albums.

3. "The Monad Of Creation" - Mournful Congregation. This is an example of melodic funeral doom from Australia. Memorable, heavy, dripping with atmosphere. Be warned this album (and indeed all funeral doom) is very slow, focusing more on atmosphere then riffs. If that's your thing you'll probably like this but if not you should pass.

2. "Embrace the Emptiness" - Evoken. More funeral doom, this band craft a cavernous sound, crushingly heavy, and with some melody but much less then Mournful Congregation.

1. "Stream From The Heavens"- Thergothon. This is by far the most unique funeral doom album. It's a great shame we only got one album from them. Lovecraftian lyrics, a weird atmosphere, this has to be heard at least once.

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1 hour ago, Parker said:

Looking for "ritual" or "ritualistic" black metal. I know that the term "ritual" in this context is rather ambiguous, so interpret it subjectively as you will. Thanks for any help.

Check out Trist from Germany.  He plays excellent dark ambient black metal that is very repetitive and atmospheric.

 

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