Darkest metal albums ever
A list of the darkest, gloomiest or most disturbing works in metal |
| 65 |  | Today Is the Day
Temple of the Morning Star
Vulgar, controversial and a little bit disturbing |
| 64 |  | Coldworld
Melancholie
This lp can make you feel phisically cold |
| 63 |  | Weakling
Dead as Dreams
Without any doubt the best us black metal album ever, contains some truly upsetting vocals and disharmonies |
| 62 |  | Silencer (SWE)
Death - Pierce Me
While Nattramn vocals are more funny than disturbing, the songwriting and the guitar tone vreates some truly dark atmospheres |
| 61 |  | Blindead
Affliction XXIX II MCMXCVI
A bleak prog/post concept album about a broken child neglected and abandoned by his parents |
| 60 |  | Cough
Still They Pray
Muddy sludge metal with a majestic melancholic closer |
| 59 |  | Wormfood
Jeux d'enfants
A short depraved and perverted avant-garde lp dealing with paedophilia and weirdo stuff |
| 58 |  | God
The Anatomy of Addiction
Chris Broderick's side project is basically godflesh but with an unnerving sax and a disturbed experimental songwriting |
| 57 |  | Akhlys
The Dreaming I
Sleep paralysis black metal |
| 56 |  | Ihsahn
After
The atmospheric sax on undercurrent and on the shores is somehow both relaxing and creepy |
| 55 |  | Slipknot
Iowa
Maybe the heaviest "mainstream" album ever, disasterpiece is their most aggressive song, (515) noisy intro contains Sid's desperate screams after his grandfather's death, plus tracks like gently, skin ticket and iowa contains some truly dark atmospheres |
| 54 |  | Mudvayne
L.D. 50
The opus magnus of nu metal. A smart songwriting about taboo themes such as child abandonment, terminal diseases, drug addiction and a perfect psychological view of Ed Gein's pathology. Plus severed is one of the most accurate depictions of suicidal tendencies ever. Chad vocals catched perfectly the atmosphere. |
| 53 |  | Converge
Jane Doe
The dirge during Jane Doe's chorus is bonechilling |
| 52 |  | Pain of Salvation
The Perfect Element, Part 1
Abuse, hope, disillusion, hate and love. Dark in the most human way possible. A concept about two abused child meeting each other and going into a disfunctional love relationship. It's both depressing and gloomy |
| 51 |  | Dir En Grey
Uroboros
Abyssal cryptic stuff that will make you feel uncomfortable without even knowing why |
| 50 |  | Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Imagine to discover a brand new genre in the 70s, esoteric, occult and full of satanic imagery. |
| 49 |  | Gaza
I Don't Care Where I Go When I Die
One of the most pissed off records ever, just pure angst. |
| 48 |  | Darkthrone
A Blaze in the Northern Sky
The essence of black metal itself. |
| 47 |  | The Angelic Process
Coma Waering
The soundtrack to a coma. Is like sinking below the walls of sleep. |
| 46 |  | Korn
Life Is Peachy
While daddy is still their most disturbing LIP has an overall dark and demented vibe that makes this album creepier. Lyrics deals with themes such as paedophilia, mysoginy, addiction, perversion and child abuse. Jon vocals are top notch here, good god's screamings are insane. |
| 45 |  | Katatonia
Brave Murder Day
Sombre, gloomy and still elegant.BMD can be both ethereal and eerie. |
| 44 |  | Agalloch
The Mantle
The mantle is like walking alone at night through a dead haunting forest |
| 43 |  | Cult of Luna
Somewhere Along the Highway
There is something absolutely dim (pun intended) behind the majestic aura of this monumental work, sometimes relaxing sometimes cimmerian, SATH is like a beautiful grimy landscape. |
| 42 |  | Mercyful Fate
Don't Break the Oath
One of the most devilish works ever that inspired BM. Diamond's hauntong vocals fits perfectly the satanic themes. |
| 41 |  | Warning
Watching from a Distance
No controversial lyrics or disturbing music. Just pure depression. The vocals are full of regrets and the slow doomy music are both fascinating and sad. |
| 40 |  | Deftones
White Pony
Featuring one of the best atmospheres in music WP contains some pretty cryptic lyrics about dark themes such as kidnapping and electrocuting the partner during sex. Pink maggit is a perfect sombre enigmatic ending but the darkest part is Rodleen's vocal solo in knife prty that goes from singing and orgasm to screams of anguish and pain. |
| 39 |  | Infester
To the Depths... In Degradation
Most of gory death metal fails to be truly dark, this is an exception. The heavy riffs combined to the almost puked vocals and sick lyrics makes this an uncomfortable listen |
| 38 |  | Eyehategod
Dopesick
Just pure fucking hatred and rage. Members of the band cut themselves during the recording session. |
| 37 |  | Shining (SWE)
V - Halmstad
A journey through a depressive suicidal mind |
| 36 |  | Gorguts
Obscura
An upsetting distorted masterpiece |
| 35 |  | Locrian
The Crystal World
While sunn o))) imo fails to be truly dark because of too much repetition, Locrian creates an unique cloudy, lightless atmosphere sending you right to a murky world
Perfect soundtrack for night jogging. |
| 34 |  | Lunar Aurora
Andacht
Tenebrous black metal with terrifying background noises and atmospheric chants. |
| 33 |  | Old Man Gloom
Christmas
Paranoid, bizarre and psychotic sludgy album. The psychotic vibes are priceless, that cover of "to be with you" is truly something |
| 32 |  | Dystopia
Human = Garbage
If misanthropy had a soundtrack. |
| 31 |  | Bell Witch
Longing
Like a slow depressive funeral procession |
| 30 |  | Depressive age
Lying in Wait
Depressive thrash with sinister guitar tones and monotone ominous vocals. Lyrics about Rape, poverty, depression and addiction will make you feel unhappy for a while |
| 29 |  | My Dying Bride
Turn Loose the Swans
A grim macabre and yet exquisite goth fable. Keyboards, deep clean vocals and apt violins creates a nice balance with deep growls, sombre lyrics and dark atmosphere. |
| 28 |  | maudlin of the Well
Bath
Dark in a weird way, the songs switches from relaxing beautiful parts to nightmarish heavy stuff. Ferryman is like sailing hell with charon and They aren't all beautiful is pure mysanthropy while geography is incredibly emotional. |
| 27 |  | Khanate
Khanate
One of the most unnerving albums ever. There are basically no riffs, just a mixture of drone, doom and Alan Dubin's morbid sick screaming. |
| 26 |  | Buzzov-en
Sore
One of the scuzziest works in sludge, the first and the last minutes of the album are pure dread. I bet they have some issues with screaming women |
| 25 |  | Gris
Il Était Une Forêt...
Depressive suicidal black metal that balance beautiful music to tortured screaming vocals. The lyrics are some of the eeriest ever. Le gala des gens heurex contains some of the most disturbing suicidal allegories ever. |
| 24 |  | Slayer
Seasons in the Abyss
Switching to pure thrashing hate to slower scary pieces. Spirit in black and temptation keeps their traditional satanic lyrics, war ensemble and expendable youth criticize war and weapons but the scariest ones are the Ed Gein inspired dead skin mask, which features some creepy riffs, vocals and even a screaming woman and the esoteric seasons in the abyss. Araya's vocals switches to furious screaming to creepier monthone vocals |
| 23 |  | Subrosa
More Constant Than The Gods
Esoteric, occult atmospheres of witchcraft. The comatose female vocals and screeching violins contributes to create a Dark romantic masterpiece. |
| 22 |  | The Body
I Shall Die Here
Their closest attempt of being traditional music. Ominous disgusting vocals screaming surrounds a chaotic monothone low fi guitar that will torture you for 42 minutes straight. |
| 21 |  | The Ruins Of Beverast
Rain Upon The Impure
This albums gives a unique feeling of impending doom, the bad production makes it even more apocalyptical, pure biblical terror |
| 20 |  | Dog Fashion Disco
Adultery
A psychotic concept that depicts a descent into insanity with almost every genre possible, which gives the perfect feeling of schizophrenia. Some dark tracks are followed by happy sounding music with even darker lyrics. The outro with classical music and the background "i was always easily influenced" is terrific |
| 19 |  | Amenra
Mass III
I don't know how to describe the esoteric feelings that fulfill this album. Just listen to understand it. |
| 18 |  | Saturnus
Veronika Decides to Die
The most personal choice here. This masterpiece gives me depressing vibes like no others. The slow music, the sombre melodies and the deep grunts alternated to spoken monogues keeps this album among the saddest ever |
| 17 |  | Celtic Frost
Monotheist
One of the most apocalyptic works in music. Heavy guitars, demonic atmospheres and the duets are perfect. Obscured's "no" repeated over and over gives me goosebumps every time |
| 16 |  | The Axis of Perdition
Deleted Scenes From Transition Hospital
Basically if silent hill and outlast were a musical. A trip into an asylum full of nightmares |
| 15 |  | Mayhem
De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
Another BM Anthem with freezing atmospheres, and surrounded by disturbing backstories. |
| 14 |  | Oranssi Pazuzu
Värähtelijä
Psychedelic BM that will make you descend into the darkest abyss |
| 13 |  | Alice in Chains
Dirt
Knowing Layne's condition during the recording session makes this even sadder. The lyrics are the most authentic example of self loathing. The muddy guitar/bass sound and the depressive lyrics about death, regret and drugs makes this one of the most iconic albums ever |
| 12 |  | Godflesh
Streetcleaner
This album sounds so dirty that makes you feel soiled |
| 11 |  | Forgotten Tomb
Songs to Leave
The melodies contrapposed with the bleak hopeless screaming and slow rythm creates a desperate masterwork of DSBM. The cover is pretty fucked up too |
| 10 |  | Nine Inch Nails
The Downward Spiral
The album name explains it all. Cynical, perverted and hopeless. Hurt is what pain sounds like, the most depressing song ever |
| 9 |  | Sleepytime Gorilla Museum
Of Natural History
People fears what they don't know and well.... nobody knows wtf is that. It has the almost lovecraftian feeling of something lurking, watching you and crawling under your skin.... in the weirdest way possible |
| 8 |  | Obscure Sphinx
Void Mother
Wielebna's clean vocals are haunting as hell, her tortured screams even scarier. Musically is perfectly structured for being dark, menacing and solemn. The dirge at the end of WTBDTR is terrific. |
| 7 |  | Pig Destroyer
Prowler in the Yard
A depraved gory concept albums with implicit but still effective psychotic lyrics, deranged vocals by Haynes and perverted themes. Jennifer may be the scariest spoken intro ever |
| 6 |  | Immolation
Close to a World Below
The hell awaits of death metal, listening to this chaotic, blasphemous heavy work is like witnessing hell itself.
The final guitar disharmonies are pure evil |
| 5 |  | Dragged Into Sunlight
Hatred For Mankind
Sludgy black metal with ominous psychotic vocals, blasting drums, scuzzy sound, totally misanthropic lyrics and serial killer dialogues in the background while a depraved atmosphere surrounds the album |
| 4 |  | Gnaw Their Tongues
Spit at me and Wreak Havoc on my Flesh
I don't know what to say. A cacophony of nightmares |
| 3 |  | Neurosis
Souls at Zero
Imagine of being in an unknown island surrounded by a cult that sacrifices you and smiles watching you burn alive. |
| 2 |  | Deathspell Omega
Si Monvmentvm Reqvires Circvmspice
Damn the prayers sounds like actual satanic rites, this is like dwelling in hell for eternity. Very few things are known about the band, the members are unidentified, the singer seems to be the pervert Mikko Aspa but it's not confirmed. Latin lyrics, chaotic music and gregorian chants adds the feeling of being in hell, the theist satanist lyrics makes this a solemn tribute to satan |
| 1 |  | Acid Bath
When the Kite String Pops
Here we are, maybe the darkest album ever. The screeching guitars, the perfect bass sound, Dax's cleans add to acoustic masterpieces such as bones of baby dolls and scream of the butterfly a touch of darkness and sorrow, his screams are terrifying. The sick atmosphere surrounds every song, the lyrics deals with controversial stuff such as misanthropy, addiction, serial killers, paedophilia, sadism, masochi, abortion, depression, rape, loss of innocence and blasphemy. Both depressive and disturbing |
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