[Zarathustra19]

Well, as I was reading the Death Metal Discussion Thread, ezkcdude noted that we are lacking in a Black metal discussion topic, so I thought I'd start one.

Here, you can discuss anything related to Black metal: recommendations, developments in band lineups, whatever, just try to keep it on the topic of evil black metal.

I guess as the thread founder, I'll start.

I've been into Depressive Black metal lately, not sure why since I'm not really a depressive person, but it is what it is. My newly rediscovered bands include: Anti, Kyla, Deep-ression, Leviathan, and Marblebog, to name a few, but they still (after a few months of not listening to them) serve to remind me how much worse everything could be (I could be screaming into an echoing void like they are), and give me a better perspective I think. The songs are simple, yet effective. I recommend trying some of them out if you're at all into the genre.

Edit* Oh yes, I realize that the dark desires thread is for this kind of thing, but I felt that a more specialized thread was warranted so that discussions could stay more on the topic of one genre.

 

[scytheavatar]

I highly recommend the following black metal releases this year:

Mirrorthrone - Gangrene.
Keep of Kalessin - Kolossus
Equilibrium - Sagas
Darkspace - Dark space III
Moonsorrow - Tulimyrsky
Coldworld - Melancholie²

Still waiting for the real album of the year from Immortal

.

 

[John E Woven]

I highly recommend these albums, always:

Emperor: Anthems to the Welkin at dusk
Burzum: Filosofem
Mayhem: Grand Declaration of War.

Always.

 

[scytheavatar]

A couple of other 2000's black metal recommendation:

Negură Bunget - OM
Diabolical Masquerade - Death's Design
Lurker of Chalice - Lurker of Chalice
Peste Noire - La Sanie des siècles - Panégyrique de la dégénérescence
Paysage d'Hiver - Paysage d'Hiver
Akercocke - Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone (this one is black/death)
Silencer - Death - Pierce Me

TBH I sometimes find it sad to see people struck with the 90's black metal from the big 4 of the second wave (Emperor, Immortal, Burzum, Mayham) and miss out on some of the great modern day black metal. Not that the 90's black metal sucks, but there are many gems that are hidden in modern day black metal.

 

[ezkcdude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zarathustra19 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Here, you can discuss anything related to Black metal: recommendations, developments in band lineups, whatever, just try to keep it on the topic of evil black metal.

It's about time! I'm going to wait and see how the thread develops before I spout off some of my recommendations. If I can make one suggestion, though, for contributors to the thread...If available, please include MySpace or Metal Archive links when suggesting bands - especially little known ones. For now, I'll repeat the two recs I gave in the death metal thread the other day:

Silencer (Sweden) - MySpace | Metal Archives (definitely in the depressive vein)

Urfaust (Germany) - MySpace | Metal Archives (let's just say they fall more on the avant garde side of black metal)

My favorite 2008 release (by a mile) so far this year is from:

Lugubrum (Belgium) - Albino de Congo - MySpace | Metal Archives

 

[MaZa]

Having now heard the Darkspace III, I can say that its a mixed bag. First two songs and last song are simply fantastic mixing the loooong tremolo-ambient melody sound of album II and blackmetalliness (is that a word?) of album I, but for some reason others inbetween seem filler. I cant get a hang of them no matter how I try, but still the first two songs and last song are probaply best Darkspace songs out there.

For example especially the part of second song starting in 1:44 to 2:50, I crank the volume up and it makes cold chill crawl up my spine and arms.

 

[Zarathustra19]

Quote:

Originally Posted by John E Woven /img/forum/go_quote.gif I highly recommend these albums, always: Emperor: Anthems to the Welkin at dusk Burzum: Filosofem Mayhem: Grand Declaration of War. Always.

I don't know why, but I've never really been a very big Burzum or Mayhem fan. I know its blasphemy to say so, since they were pioneers in the genre, and I definitely respect them for their contributions to black metal, but I just never developed an interest in them.

Lately I've been into Wolves in the Throne Room. Ever since they released Two Hunters. It feels almost like a "post-black metal" album at points...and then sometimes its ambient. The music is just well constructed and well played.

Check it out here: Myspace or Metal Archives

 

[monolith]

Probably the best black metal album ever:

Basilisk - A Joyless March Through the Cold-Lands


I hope we don't get Dimmu Borgir and CoF people in here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zarathustra19 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Lately I've been into Wolves in the Throne Room. Ever since they released Two Hunters. It feels almost like a "post-black metal" album at points...and then sometimes its ambient. The music is just well constructed and well played.

Post-black metal is exactly what they are, I'd say. I was so pissed off when they dropped off the recent Boris/Torche tour, only to be replaced by Nachtmystium. So terrible.

 

[ezkcdude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by monolith /img/forum/go_quote.gif I hope we don't get Dimmu Borgir and CoF people in here.

That's the reason I never started this thread myself. I figured the SNR would be too low.

However, it seems the intention of this thread is very clear, and differentiated from the "other thread". So I am hopeful. Time will tell.

 

[ezkcdude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zarathustra19 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Lately I've been into Wolves in the Throne Room. Ever since they released Two Hunters. It feels almost like a "post-black metal" album at points...and then sometimes its ambient. The music is just well constructed and well played.

I've heard other people say they like WITTR but not Burzum. I just can't understand that opinion. Which Burzum albums do you own? Because although I like WITTR, much of it is straight-up Burzum-worship.

 

[Zarathustra19]

First of all, let me just say that I do in fact enjoy listening to Dimmu Borgir and COF. However, I realize that they are not black metal, they are gothic metal. I'm sure, though, that we'll get some people asking about them in this thread eventually.

On the Burzum front, I own Ragnarok, Filosofem, and Det Som Engang. And its not so much that I don't like them, I enjoy listening to them from time to time, I'm just not into them as much as others I've known who are into black metal. Most are pretty much fanboys, and I just don't get that into the music, much as I try.

*edit* Almost forgot, just clicked on one of my favorite BM albums of 07: Corpus Christi - Rising. I've been trying forever to get it on vinyl, but its so expensive to import...

 

[scytheavatar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zarathustra19 /img/forum/go_quote.gif First of all, let me just say that I do in fact enjoy listening to Dimmu Borgir and COF. However, I realize that they are not black metal, they are gothic metal.

Uh, Dimmu Borgir's stuff are symphonic/melodic black metal, some of their stuff are barely listenable black metal IMHO, but it is still black metal. COF is a mix of gothic\black\death.

 

[mrdeadfolx]

Although they basically top the list for commercialized "overproduced" black metal, Dimmu Borgir is awesome, and should certainly not be excluded from this discussion. I know their more recent albums are less "purist" than their earlier releases, but I for one enjoy better production value. Black metal that sounds like static that was recorded on a 1989 Fisher Price tape deck may hold more integrity in the black metal community for some unexplainable reason, but to me many great albums are completely wasted on garbage production.

 

[Zarathustra19]

I'll concede to you that the black metal produced to sound like it was done on a handheld tape recorder is not worth much to the community, but I'm going to have to disagree that Dimmu has anything remaining in it that is actual black metal. Yes, earlier works such as Stormblast were suitable to the genre, but when you bring the "symphonic" elements along with the clean vocals and the extremely melodic riffs, you've crossed into the gothic metal realm. Not that I don't like the new albums, but they can't be grouped in with the likes of Bathory, Wolves in the Throne Room, and 1349. I in no way consider myself a purist, but listening to dimmu and cof, I can tell the difference.

 

[ezkcdude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrdeadfolx /img/forum/go_quote.gif Black metal that sounds like static that was recorded on a 1989 Fisher Price tape deck may hold more integrity in the black metal community for some unexplainable reason, but to me many great albums are completely wasted on garbage production.

The point is - like it or not - that's what many of us want this thread to focus on. Not the melodic or "dark metal" like Opeth, CoF, and Dimmu that "the other" thread is about. This is the "true" or kvlt black metal thread, at least, that's my understanding.