Into the Infinity of Thoughts is so epic...love it.

Album Rating: 5.0

Damn that sucks. You can barely hear what's going on.

Album Rating: 4.5

that's what BM is supposed to sound like

Album Rating: 4.0

Why is that? I have always wondered why the "true" black metal bands preferred the worst sounding recordings possible. I know that it has something to do with their ideals, but I just don't see how a nearly inaudible recording can help in conveying a message. Maybe the intended bleakness of the music is supposed to be enhanced by the bleakness of the recording? I don't know. Maybe one day it'll click with me. Does anyone know the first bm band to employ this style of recording?

Album Rating: 4.5

it was more the proto-bm bands like celtic frost, bathory, venom, but they didn't do it out of idealism but more lack of budget iirc

Album Rating: 4.0

So then the other bm bands took that as intentional, and decided to adopt the style for themselves?

I thought BM bands wanted to be more "necro"...

it was more the proto-bm bands like celtic frost, bathory, venom,

Album Rating: 5.0

I prefer later Emperor works and doesnt care about the labelling of black metal (pure black metal, modern black, prog black, melodic black, death/black). If i like it, thats what important after all.This Message Edited On 02.26.08

Album Rating: 5.0

One of the most well known Black Metal albums and also one of the best. Inno A Satana rules.

Album Rating: 4.5

I'm listening to it right now. This is so fucking scary. I love it. Take a walk in the street at 3 A.M. during the night...this is so cool. You'll feel the power of the music.

Album Rating: 5.0

Too bad that this album and the one after this were the only really good ones they put out.

i actually like the singing on "Gypsy" :p but that's probably because i've also been into ethnic music and power metal for a while, both of which the singing on that track reminds me of

Album Rating: 4.5

I really don't consider Venom to be BM, Venom is thrash imo.

Album Rating: 5.0

I certainly see that too with Venom, but popular interpretation of Venom dictates they are black metal. Can't argue with generalized logic hahahaha.

Album Rating: 5.0

They are only considered Black Metal because they were the ones who made that term up. If Venom is considered a Black Metal band, they're one of the worst bands in the genre.

Album Rating: 4.5

Venom is hardly even thrash tbh. Their old stuff that was labeled black metal is almost just hard rock with boring riffs.

Album Rating: 5.0

Yeah. Either way...they suck.

Venom's relationship to the black metal genre is more or less the same as that of [Ozzy era] Black Sabbath's to doom metal & sludge, or Slayer's to death metal. they're not really part of the genre, stylistically, but the genre wouldn't have formed as it has without their direct influence. Venom's stuff, genre-wise, is pretty typical, uninspired, undemanding heavy metal. they just happened to name that one album, "Black Metal". but, they also just happened to be doing talentless music in the right place at the right time, so it became influential. they do suck, but, they were significant. that's the only reason they keep getting mentioned. Mercyful Fate would be another, if more understandable, example. not really black metal, but formative of the genre(although they were certainly much closer to the black metal sound than Venom was).

and to answer the question, Metalikane, yeah, other bands heard the shitty production that was done by those bands out of necessity, and replicated it themselves by choice. i've never cared for it, it's a stupid way to preserve "authenticity" if you ask meThis Message Edited On 04.22.08

Album Rating: 5.0

I wish Mercyful Fate would get more credit for helping to invent Black Metal. Mostly all people talk about Venom, but like we both said Venom sucks. Mercyful Fate is great. Especially Melissa and Don't Break The Oath.

i think the most accurate way of putting it, would be to say that Venom created the atmosphere of black metal. the surface aesthetic, from the spikes and hail-satan lyricism to the basic musical elements like tremolo picking, having the same several riffs repeated a million times, and so on. whereas bands like Mercyful Fate and Celtic Frost went the next step and introduced the actual musical frameworks that became archetypal of the genre - epic melodies, abnormally long songs, complex harmonic structures, etc.

musically, one could say that Venom's biggest impact was stripping traditional heavy metal down to its most basic, ugly elements. their lack of technical skill forced their songs to be expressions of atavism. primitive and simple. shoving music into the gutter and burning down everything that made it conventionally enjoyable or admirable. which gave all those other bands room to expand on that primeval sound in ways that made it enjoyable and admirable all over again, but in a manner completely alien to what mainstream rock had been putting forth for nearly half a century.

which is why i say Venom, despite how little i actually *enjoy* their songs, was an absolutely necessary step in black metal's birthing process. without that destruction, nothing could have been rebuilt.This Message Edited On 04.22.08