Album Rating: 2.5

I think this is one of those albums that due to everything around it I have zero interest in trying to make it click but experiencing it once is the best I can do.

And that's just cuz Black Metal is a bit of a minefield when it comes to not directly financially supporting ideals that would come to oppress me. Even though I like certain elements of the music. Which is why I'm glad the postbm scene (and I presume blackened crust punk) is a lot less sketch.

In other words, I'll take 1000 Panopticons over another Burzum.

Album Rating: 4.0

I've been digging the folk metal scene more -- Saor, Can Bardd, Belore, Obsequiae, all that DnDcore. generally less obsessed with being edgy, kvlt, and evil. better production too. maybe that would be more up your alley.

Album Rating: 2.5

Maybe, maybe. DnD fantasy lyrics never quite vibed with me either but, I'm sure there's a few artists that I'd like.

I know if their vocalist wasn't a shitstain, I'd have Agalloch on my "walking in a forest at night in winter time" radar still. Sorta still trying to find a non sketch replacement and all I've gotten was the last Heretoir album.

Yeah, I listened to Burzum through his prison years because I figured he was pretty harmless at that point but it's been a lot harder to justify since he got out and went hard into the whole far right influencer schtick he had going on.

I thought giving up on listening to his stuff would be a lot more painful but tbh there's so much bm out there and the genre is so expansive now that I just never really struggle to find interesting stuff to listen to without needing to jam his stuff anymore. The dude put out some trailblazing material and the scene absolutely wouldn't be the same without his contribution (for better and for worse) but also the scene has come a long way since and there's tons of artists making music that scratches a similar itch and even more that a pushing the boundaries even further than what was done 30 years ago.

Album Rating: 4.0

Harrow (CAN) is a go-to for me on that front. Enisum and Gallowbraid too.

For Agalloch, I'm more inclined to believe that it was genuinely a dumb remark rather than the vocalist being a "shitstain". The whole group distanced themselves from him at the time and he kind of took the L and disappeared. I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt that them reuniting years later likely points to some growth that has happened in between but that's just me.

Album Rating: 2.5

Eh, hopefully but you can never be too sure with this scene from my experience. There's a lot of bands obsessed with the "danger" that they wind up embracing outright fascism. With some even doing a half-BM/half-rap album with a blackface depiction on the album cover and the rap side literally being called the "degenerate part."

It could very well be a PR move to look better.

Album Rating: 4.8

Listen I'm not knocking you for trying but diving into Burzum isn't the best first move. You're better off starting with stuff like Cradle, Dimmu and/or Graveworm and stuff of the sort. Or even Bergtatt or Storm of the Light's Bane are great starters. Windir and Enslaved also. It's just easier, that way you can ease yourself in before going for something like this.

"sometimes it takes a while to click, sometimes it never will. just gotta hand it to someone for trying."

Yeah, tbh it took like 10 listens to love Jane Doe

Album Rating: 2.5

i mean this wasn't even my first move hawks. i already endeared myself with dimmu, sacramentum, hell i even like some anaal nathrakh, and i'm usually one who can't get into grind at all so that one surprised me

@fear: yeah that's how it was for me too. and it was the slower songs that clicked first on jane doe.

Try Winterfylleth, Der Weg Einer Freiheit, Saor, Enslaved, White Ward, MOL, Deafheaven, Wolves in the Throne Room, Panopticon, Wiegedood, Downfall of Gaia, Fluisteraars. If none of that clicks and you dislike the style of this record then maybe just don't listen to black metal lol

Album Rating: 2.5

"White Ward, MOL, Deafheaven, Wolves in the Throne Room, Panopticon" 5 straight heaters in a row, yeah I dig all of that, and I liked the last Downfall of Gaia album. have yet to dig back.

@venin The outright fascist ones tend to be pretty rare and easy to spot. Cases like Peste Noire that you described there are the outliers and not really representative of the scene as a whole. Unfortunately though that isn't all good news because there's plenty of sketch to be had in the scene, it just rarely presents as outwardly/openly fascist and while there's a few black and white examples for sure, there's also a hell of a lot of grey in between.

So it's definitely valid to be wary, I just think Agalloch are pretty relatively harmless tbh

Oh I thought you never heard black metal and just went for one of the more insane records to get used to it, my bad

Album Rating: 2.5

Nah Beardog I've been acclimating myself with BM-adjacent stuff for a while lol i have sunbather 5'd and new bermuda is close behind

Also if you want to stick it to Hawks check out the latest Miserere Luminis album ;)

Album Rating: 2.5

Bet, checking that out right now

Album Rating: 4.8

That album sucks but Venin might dig it tbh lol. First album is where its at.

@venin This sounds weird but you might wanna get into DM first. Simply because it has the same amount of aggression and rawness, but is generally much more produced and has some bass in it, especially the technical and melodic ones. From there the transition to BM was much less harsh. Also DM is pretty much non-sketch, since that seems to be of importance to you.
Try Death first if you haven't so far

Album Rating: 2.5

oh it's mostly the progressive/melodic side that gets me when it comes to DM but I've done my share of digging. yeah i've finished Death's discog and connected most with Symbolic lol. also as samey as they got, i like me some black dahlia murder and was really sad when Trevor died.