February: A Black Metal Bath
Following on from my January prog rock deep dive, I will now plunge myself into unchartered territory for the month of February and focus on a genre I know next to nothing about – BLACK METAL. I enjoy other metal genres when they are “blackened” but I have always struggled to connect with the genre on its own. As before, the first ten albums I have picked for being held in high regard and will once again look to Sputnik for direction on an additional ten albums. TIA. |
| 1 |  | Burzum
Filosofem
Initially, I was taken aback at how chilled this was despite having such abrasive guitars and vocals. The whole thing is incredibly repetitive but perhaps that’s the point? I wasn’t too fussed at first but I put it on again last night when unable to sleep due to fever and it was such a perfect accompaniment to the purgatory-like malaise I was experiencing that I might be coming around to it. The synth parts likely helped this a lot. More listens required.
Initial rating: 3 |
| 2 |  | Ulver
Bergtatt - Et eeventyr i 5 capitler
This took me by surprise but that’s likely a result of my black metal ignorance. In the opening minutes, the guitar tone and how the guitar and bass intertwine reminds me of late 80s/early 90s fuzz-drenched indie rock rather than metal. The clean vocals sound like mournful post-punk with a religious edge. That said, there are also sections akin to what I was expecting to hear from a black metal classic: blast beats, ghastly shrieking and a washout of atmospheric tremolo-picked electric guitar. I can see why this is lauded as a great starting point for explorers as the sombre acoustic passages with choral vocals avoid an overdose from the more intense parts. A diverse, intriguing, atmospheric, emotional and very enjoyable listen.
Rating: 3.7 with potential to grow |
| 3 |  | Bathory
Blood Fire Death
Vocals aside, this sounds like a thrash metal album to me rather than black metal, but I suppose that’s to be expected from a first-wave album. It’s interesting to hear something from this stage in the genre’s timeline. After the impressive and progressively structured “A Fine Day to Die”, it’s an all-out assault of razor-sharp riffs, rapid-fire thrash drumming and face melting guitar solos. I’m not typically a fan of thrash but this has enough twists and turns to make it less predictable than the average late 80s thrash offering.
Rating: 3.3 |
| 4 |  | Gorgoroth
Under the Sign of Hell
This is fucking disgusting and delightfully dissonant! Although that's the main attraction, there are pockets of melody here that undoubtedly enhance the listening experience. There are even riffs that manage to be catchy (“Ødeleggelse og undergang”), which I was not expecting. The delivery is so intense throughout that it’s hard to believe how the intensity peaks on “The Rite of Infernal Invocation” but fuck me, it does. Every time I listen, it gets better. All in, it’s a neat little half-hour of putrid and repugnant extreme metal which any musical masochist should try. The only blip is the first few minutes of “Profetens Apenbaring” where the horrerdous clean vocals momentarily make the band sound like some cheesy metal outfit who might participate in Eurovison.
Initial rating: 3.8 with a lot of growth potential |
| 5 |  | Darkthrone
A Blaze in the Northern Sky
I’m quite enjoying my black metal journey so far and it’s been an education for sure. I’m learning that black metal isn’t just an endless flurry of furious blast beats, tremolo-picking and shrieks. This has all of those in abundance but also boasts a wide range of tempos throughout all the way down to tempos typical of doom. I’m also getting used to the lack of production and raw sound and this one is a prime example. Gritty, foul, and primal as fuck.
Initial rating: 3.4 |
| 6 |  | Serpent Column
Mirror In Darkness
This has a lot in common with Deathspell Omega and some of the mathcore-influence dissonant death metal I’ve been into recently such as Pyrrhon, so this was easy to like straight off the bat. Like the aforementioned, it’s suffocatingly dense, frighteningly claustrophobic and bursting at the seams with progressive structures, unconventional time signatures and spellbinding musicianship. Not many can match these levels of ferocity.
Initial rating: 3.9 |
| 7 |  | Gris
Il Était Une Forêt...
This might be the most morose album I’ve ever heard and probably one you really need to be in the mood for. Genuine misery and suffering seem to ooze from its every pore, particularly the tortured vocals. I’m probably not quite depressed enough at the point to give it a fair assessment but I will hold it in abeyance for when my mental state inevitably hits rock bottom again.
Initial rating: 3 |
| 8 |  | Dissection
The Somberlain
Probably the best produced offering on the list so far. The riffs are melodic and catchy, and the atmosphere is freezing cold. The album is reminiscent of the sound of the NWOBHM and with the twin lead guitar riffs, ripping solos and frequent galloping rhythms. The riffs also have a death metal quality to them so overall, the album is fairly transcendental. If any metal fan unfamiliar with black metal wanted to dive into the genre, I’d say this is a great starting point due to its accessibility and abundance of melody.
Initial rating: 3.6 |
| 9 |  | Spectral Lore
III
A truly ambitious effort from one man here results in a gargantuan album brimming with mesmerising soundscapes. It’s a lengthy affair with much to unpack so it will take way more listens to fully cement an opinion but I’m loving it. A wild musical journey through the realms of the deepest darkness and brightest light.
Initial rating: 4 |
| 10 |  | Windir
1184
This is not to my liking at all. It’s all well played but it has far too much epic cheesy moments for my taste. Keyboards at times can really elevate metal but here, they do nothing for me and are almost comical at times and would sound better in a mid-90s dance music made of the masses. I’m all for genre fusion but this sounds shite. “Dance of the Mortal Lust” has a pretty cool riff but other than that, this was a complete miss.
Initial rating: 2.5 |
| 11 |  | Sargeist
Disciple of the Heinous Path
Recommended by Hawks
This is probably the closest thing to the impression I had of black metal prior to this month. The atmosphere is utterly ominous and despairing. A near constant sweeping backdrop of guitars makes me feel enveloped in misery and simultaneously like I’m enduring a painstaking, lonely trudge through a violent snowstorm. Colder than ice and as bleak as fuck.
Initial rating: 3.75 |
| 12 |  | Caladan Brood
Echoes Of Battle
Recommended by 0xME
Not into this unfortunately. It does have a somber and reflective atmosphere and I get that this could be comforting to people but for me, it gets old very quickly. The songs all blend into each other and become exceedingly repetitive, even indistinguishable from each other. Fuck me, I cannot handle those clean vocal harmonies. It's as if I'm listening an entire monastery of mourning monks, singing their lamenting hymns forevermore. Fair play if its your poison, it just isn't mine.
Rating: 2.5 |
| 13 |  | Satyricon
Dark Medieval Times
Recommended by jrlikestodance
I’ve played this album umpteen times and without fail, it passes by very quickly but without leaving any sort of impression on me at all. It’s pleasant enough, I don’t dislike it at all but I’m also not sure if I’d say I like it either. Completely neutral.
Initial rating: 2.7 |
| 14 |  | Sacramentum
Far Away from the Sun
Recommended by pyroflare77
This feels similar to the Dissection album in how the riffs are similar to classic heavy metal and death metal but it doesn’t have the same impact for me. It has plenty of dark and cold atmosphere but while The Somberlain was an easy listen, this one doesn’t have the same staying power and it becomes hard to get to the end. Perhaps I’m just overdosing on black metal by this point.
Initial rating: 3 |
| 15 |  | Immortal
Sons of Northern Darkness
Recommended by Eakflanderyof
This is another great starting point for the exploring the genre, I imagine there’s a high chance of most metalheads enjoying this to some degree due to its accessible thrash leanings. The riffs on this thing are ferocious and the bass is more prominent than on a lot of black metal albums. The production gives it a thunderous sound and the songwriting in engaging from start to finish.
Rating: 3.9 |
| 16 |  | Emperor
Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk
Recommended by Futures
Very intense and heavy in parts, cheesy and overly theatrical in others, this one was a mixed bag. I love the progressive song structures, the inventive riffs and the uncompromising brutality of the drumming. I do not care for the inclusion of the synths as they reduce the overall intensity of the rest of the music. I don’t know why but I love synths in loads of other genres but lean towards wishing they weren’t in metal.
Rating: 3.25 |
| 17 |  | Mayhem
Live in Leipzig
Recommended by SMOK
This really is fucking raw and devoid of production. The band’s performance is relentlessly energetic and quite invigorating. The sound quality is absolutely horrendous, and I imagine this would be a massive stumbling block for many people but it does add an element of nostalgic charm to it and reminds me of playing “pay to play” gigs in the mid-00s while idiotically thinking your knock off punk band could take over the world. So much so, I can practically smell the sour, nauseating stench of the damp venues and its sweaty inhabitants.
Initial rating: 3.5 |
| 18 |  | Hoplites
Ἀντιτιμωρουμένη
Recommended by Dylan620
Like the Serpent Column album, I’m getting a lot of mathcore influence from this. Also like, Serpent Column, this is a furious and uncompromising attack on the ear canals with no respite whatsoever. Abrasive, atonal, brash, and obnoxiously unrelenting. Ideal for the musical masochists among us. The production allows everything to shine through without being too polished (bm purists may not agree). Good call on cutting the length at forty minutes as if was any longer, it would probably start to outstay its welcome.
Initial rating: 3.8 |
| 19 |  | Deafheaven
Roads to Judah
Recommended by Kevbogz
I’ve read many times about how Deafheaven seamlessly blend elements of skramz, black metal and third-wave post rock to create captivating soundscapes of brutal intensity mixed with stunning atmospheric beauty. The things I read were clearly correct and I see no point in attempting to rephrase or elaborate. I will check out the rest of their stuff in due course.
Initial rating: 3.7 |
| 20 |  | Bethlehem
Dictius Te Necare
Recommended by naughtcturnal
This contains one of the wildest vocal performances I’ve ever heard, ranging from tortured screams and shrieks to animalistic noises like something a disgusting cave-dwelling creature from a Tolkien book would produce as they perished. In general, the pace is slow, adding the qualities with doom but there are still pockets of faster material. There are lots of sparse sections where the music is stripped to its bare bones, providing a very dark and creepy atmosphere. Vocals make it an acquired taste for sure.
Initial rating: 3.2 |
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