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Emeritus
Reviews 161
Approval 95%
Soundoffs 782
News Articles 72
Band Edits + Tags 334
Album Edits 1,121
Album Ratings 3408
Objectivity 68%
Last Active 10-04-22 3:24 pm
Joined 10-13-09
Review Comments 30,304
| TheSpirit's Black Metal 100 Pt.3
An ongoing series of lists that feature my favorite black metal albums of all time. Expect to see artists from every BM subgenre; expect to see "mainstream" artists next to their more underground peers; expect to see some artists making multiple entries. Consider all of these albums as recommendations and records that you need to hear. This is part 3 | | 1 |  | Deviser
Unspeakable Cults
I'm not an overly big fan of the Hellenic black metal scene. Though I love me some symphonic elements in my black metal, I can't say i'm a fan of the way most bands from Greece employ them in their music. That being said, Unspeakable Cults is one of my favorite black metal albums ever, and the peak of Hellenic black metal. Richly atmospheric, each song is filled with keyboard lines that have me longing to visit the Mediterranean. Usually that's a turn-off but two things keep it going strong; how tastefully they are done and how well the guitars go with it. Ditching the raw Venom aesthetic for more classic metal inspired riffs, the music is rife with strong, melodic passages. Unspeakable Cults is epic without the cheese, and a must hear. | | 2 |  | Hallow
Hallow
On the other side of the black metal spectrum is Hallow, another project of Mark Mccoy that incorporates heaping doses of noise into its style. It's bleak analog fury at its best; harsh, minimalistic and repetitive. As with most McCoy black metal projects there are hints of punk that weave their way in and out of the grim battering, making it weirdly catchy at times. Definitely one of his best projects. | | 3 |  | Cradle of Filth
Dusk and Her Embrace
Cradle of Filth is easily one of my favorite black metal bands, and Dusk and Her Embrace is easily one of their top albums (honestly it's hard for me to choose a favorite between this, Cruelty..., and Midian). I feel like it captures the eternal Autumn of England so well; when I listen to it, I'm suddenly lost in a forest on a brisk Fall morning, with a light rain falling from the overcast sky. A lot of this is due to the obvious Gothic symphonics, which are undeniably British, as well as the complete appropriation of classic metal influences play in a black metal context. Dani's screams are amazing here, but like always he's diverse, occasionally going guttural and of course, opting to provide some lines in a spoken word style. The melodies and dynamicism throughout are very impressive, making Dusk... a must listen. | | 4 |  | Em Dath Rir
The First Demonstration
Em Dath Rir are one of those bands that you can't judge by their cover; before I had actually listened to them, I thought they were just another trashy raw black metal band. Incidentally, I was right, but they are also more than that. I was not expecting the melodic depth that came with all the rawness. They are surprisingly introspective and powerful for this type of band. Add in their use of repetition to really drill them in your head and you're left with one of the most underrated black metal bands/demos of you've never heard. | | 5 |  | Darkthrone
Transilvanian Hunger
If you think A Blaze In The Northern Sky or Under A Funeral Moon should be here instead, go make your own fucking list. Or check out later installments, because both albums make an appearance down the line. Transilvanian Hunger is my favorite Darkthrone though, and It's impossible to deny it's place in black metal history. It spawned the melody driven raw black metal scene basically by itself, while remaining a pinnacle of how it's done best. | | 6 |  | Kathaaria
The Complex Void of Negativity
Kathaaria are an unfairly unknown black metal from Germany, who are probably one of the only band's with a "progressive" prefix worth giving a shit about. The music is technical, labyrinthine, and at times exceedingly melodic, but the band somehow always conveys they are just a simple black metal band at heart, influenced and revering all the same classics we do. If there was one album on this list that I would recommend over the others, it's this one. Listening to this is just an awesome experience. | | 7 |  | Hierophant (IT)
Great Mother: Holy Monster
Hierophant are an Italian band that plays an amalgam of crust, sludge, and black metal. Imagine Young and In The Way if they were actually good. The black metal seems to take the background a lot of the time here, but you can definitely tell it's still the driving force behind their unrepentant brutality. Great fucking stuff. | | 8 |  | Cara Neir
Stagnant Perceptions
Cara Neir are one of the more amorphous black metal bands around today. Sometimes they're grindcore, sometimes they're blackgaze, but here they are an excellent combination of black metal and screamo. The two play equal parts, with terrifying tremolos and twinkling interludes often going hand in hand. For a two piece they are a surprisingly realized and mature project that always has something new up their sleeve. They are one of my favorite black metal bands overall, and this is my favorite album by them. | | 9 |  | Wrath of the Weak
Wrath of The Weak
Wrath of the Weak are a black metal/noise/ambient one man band who are perfect for just lying back and losing yourself in. It all coalesces together to just become this wave of hypnotic euphoria. It's very Hvis Lyset Tar Oss, but not in a shitty way like every Lustre album. There really isn't too much more to say other than this is one of the black metal albums great for popping in on a rainy day and escaping through | | 10 |  | Woe
Quietly, Undramatically
This album was quite big a few years back here but has since fallen to the wayside. This record is kind of special to me because Woe are from Philadelphia, which I reside right on the outskirts of and spend an inordinate amount of my time. Quietly, Undramatically is a straightforward black metal made for the modern age. It has all the tendencies of the classics, but there is something new, and polished about it at the same time. It never feels like it's aiming for that though, which makes it even better. It's super melodic, and has a subtle hardcore vibe running through it as well. Overall, it's fucking excellent. | |
TheSpirit
10.05.15 | third installment, enjoy | climactic
10.05.15 | 2 sounds nice, will czech | emester
10.06.15 | Been looking for 2 since June and I can't find a single fucking thing on slsk.
EDIT: Nvm found it on bandcamp :/ dunno why it took me so long to look there | Dinosaur
10.06.15 | Thank you for these lists. 7 sounds like my kinda thing. | 17WordHaiku
10.06.15 | awesome, really enjoyed your other two lists. can't wait to dive into these. | emester
10.06.15 | Listening to 2 now.
Shit punts cvnt | TheSpirit
10.06.15 | Thanks guys, glad you're enjoying these.
That's actually weird Evan, I found it on slsk pretty easy, I didn't even know it was on bandcamp | Hawks
10.06.15 | 1, 3, 5, and 10 ftw. m/ | TheSpirit
10.06.15 | You know it Ryan m/ | ScuroFantasma
10.06.15 | 8 looks cool, love these lists | Gameofmetal
10.06.15 | another sick entry and another handful of bands to czech | TheSpirit
10.06.15 | Hope you find something you like broski | Atari
10.06.15 | nice job on these lists spirit. I really dig the artwork for 10, gonna check it out | MoosechriS
10.06.15 | A few on here i need to check, 2 is at the top of my list as i love mark mcoys bm stuff. | MoosechriS
10.06.15 | And also, glad someone else thinks tranny is darkthrones best. The cold hypnotic vibe of that album is perfection for me | TheSpirit
10.06.15 | @Atari - thanks man. I think you'll really enjoy 10.
@Chris - my nigga m/ I'm actually surprised you haven't heard 2 already, but I know you'll love it. It's right up your alley. Also agreed hard on tranny | MoosechriS
10.06.15 | Yeah i've peeped a copy on discogs so should hopefully pick it up this weekend. I think the bm stuff i have heard from mccoy is haxan, devil's dung, ancestors and arts off the top of my head | Essence
10.07.15 | p. good list | Inveigh
10.07.15 | these lists are awesome, even though i haven't been commenting, just lurking hard
great to see 10 here. i feel like that album got a lot of hype around here when it first came out, but died off quickly (maybe because the follow up was disappointing). killer record though m/ | Inveigh
10.07.15 | haha shit just read your description of 10 and realized i basically just repeated you. too quick on the trigger | TheSpirit
10.07.15 | Thanks guys m/ nice to see you still around inveigh
And yeah I'm not sure what happened with 10 or Woe in general. His follow up was good if I remember correctly. | Essence
10.07.15 | love the thrash vibes on 10, really solid record | TheSpirit
10.07.15 | Yes! I'm listening to it as I post this, and it's still just as great. I like how the thrash and hardcore bits are very subtle, more like a feelin than them actually playing anything like it. | Essence
10.07.15 | spirit did you ever hit up last year's thantifaxarth? | TheSpirit
10.07.15 | I didn't, but I heard it was great | Essence
10.07.15 | oh man, hit that shit up, i'd love to hear what you think of it. definitely get the same sinister vibe i get from nightbringer on there, maybe even moreso. plus just solid bm jams all around - i hesitate to use the phrase 'evil-sounding' 'cause that's so cheap, but yeah, good stuff | SpiritCrusher2
10.07.15 | just listening to Aenigma from 6 on Youtube and I'm loving it! | TheSpirit
10.07.15 | I'll definitely check them out essence
And hell yeah spirit... The whole album rules | zaruyache
10.09.15 | listen to Thantifaxath's EP first. I like it more than the LP :-] | Essence
10.09.15 | shhhhhhh :[ | TheSpirit
10.09.15 | I'll listen to both today after work | Essence
10.09.15 | yesss :] | Essence
10.09.15 | gave cara neir a shot, i'll give it another but i just wasn't feeling it | TheSpirit
10.09.15 | Check out portals to a better, dead world instead, I feel like you would like it more | zaruyache
10.09.15 | i like 5 8 10, i'll have to check the rest sans CoF bc they're lulzy ^_^ | SpiritCrusher2
10.09.15 | everybody should check out 6, it rules | TheSpirit
10.10.15 | Fuck yeah | Essence
10.10.15 | how was thanti? i tried portals but i still wasn't feeling it, i think their production rubs me the wrong way | TheSpirit
10.10.15 | Thantifaxath was really great. I need to listen to it again before I really say too much about it. It was dark as fuck though, very sinister. I only listened to the LP, need to give the EP a listen too. | zaruyache
10.11.15 | 7 is sounding pretty good but i'm slightly intoxicated so my objectivity is completely compromised. will give opinion when sad and sober. | TheSpirit
10.11.15 | hahahaha | Essence
10.11.15 | glad u like xanti, felt like it went kidn of under the radar last year
btw, what do you dislike about Young and in the Way? | InFlamesWeThrash666
10.11.15 | 1 is fucking awesome m/ | TheSpirit
10.11.15 | @Essence - I just don't think they are very good. Every time I listen to them I'm really bored. | Essence
10.12.15 | interesting. i've heard them come up on google radio stations i was listening to and i thought they were pretty good, maybe it's just a single track thing | TheSpirit
10.12.15 | You should check out Black Frieghter an the first two Seven Sisters of Sleep releases. Better blackened hardcore/sludge imo | Essence
10.12.15 | i'll keep those in mind if i'm vibing for stuff like that.
how's the bosse review coming?
also, is Woe's newer stuff worth checking?
drunk zaru is right, 7 rules | TheSpirit
10.13.15 | BDN review should hopefully be up later today if I can manage it. It's half done.
Honestly only gave the newest Woe album one listen, but it was good if I remember correctly. It's probably better than good, I should revisit it. | Hawks
10.13.15 | I feel like Woe is super underrated here. All of their albums slay hard as fuck. | zaruyache
10.13.15 | Quietly is pretty good but the one after it is meh. | Hawks
10.13.15 | Disagreed hard bro. | TheSpirit
10.13.15 | Withdrawal right? I'm going to check it out later. | Hawks
10.13.15 | Yeah bro. Did you ever jam the debut? | Essence
10.13.15 | i heard some licks off of Withdrawal and i thought they were actually pretty good | ExhaleTheLight
10.15.15 | darkthrone yeee | ExhaleTheLight
10.15.15 | I still haven't seen Mayhem's first album :/ | zaruyache
10.16.15 | that's bc it's not good :-]
Also 7 and their other album both rule oh man. | Essence
10.16.15 | dude the vocals on mayhem's first are fucking garbage, i just fall out of my chair laughing when i hear them | Archelirion
10.16.15 | Kathaaria sounds awesome. I'm about 20 minutes in now and I'm really digging the inventiveness of these riffs. Feels like I'm listening to a thrashier Deathspell Omega, and that's a good thing. | ExhaleTheLight
10.17.15 | I must be the only one who likes Attila's vocals on that first mayhem album | ScuroFantasma
10.23.15 | Checked Cara Neir, band rules | SpiritCrusher2
10.23.15 | yo! spirit! we want pt 4! | MoosechriS
10.23.15 | i second that motion in the name of all that is black m/ | TheSpirit
10.23.15 | Glad you checked them out Scuro, they're one of my favs!
Part 4 coming later today :] | ZippaThaRippa
10.23.15 | Hey! YAITW are good! Well.... Haha... Kinda I guess | Archelirion
12.13.15 | I think I speak for many when I say I hope Part 4 comes soon :] | MoosechriS
12.13.15 | I second that m/ | TheSpirit
12.13.15 | It will! I've been super busy the past few months but I have the bands I want to include, just need to make the descriptions :] | Voivod
12.13.15 | props for 1 and 6. |
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