brickhed
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Last Active 05-11-23 10:17 pm
Joined 05-11-23

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12.16.25 2025 - The Search ov Brvtality12.12.25 promoting my yt channel ♦
11.23.25 Personal Music Collection11.03.25 Macabre Mementos Retrospective ♦
10.22.25 try getting me into bm10.17.25 brickhed's new prog DM demo ♦
10.10.25 finally making a music blog10.02.25 biweekly digz: filth, still ♦
09.11.25 sick day08.29.25 weekly digz - slowly branching out ♦
08.09.25 weekly jams: BDM and a bit more08.05.25 United Guttural Retrospective
08.02.25 Revisiting Punk07.16.25 music to hunt down
06.26.25 gribbe solemn dungeon synth06.23.25 Bad Album Binge: Death Metal ♦
05.24.25 666 posts n dm digzzzz05.19.25 gibbe your worst albums
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try getting me into bm

whats more spooky halloween than getting into something new? below is the various albums from my attempts of getting into it over the past year.
1Darkthrone
A Blaze in the Northern Sky

i can't hear yer damn riffs, YER FIRED

also SUBMISSIONS ARE CLOSED, DON'T POST EM
2Burzum
Demo II

The riffs are pretty good but recorded next door. still cool.

3.5
3Bathory
The Return of the Darkness and Evil

badass album title and i can actually hear the riffs.

3.5
4Behexen
By the Blessing of Satan

so what's my deal with black metal? well, i require one thing out of it: actually being able to make out riffs and stuff. if i can't, then i just can't get into it. i have the exact same problem with goregrind. unless you're using the lo fi production for ambient stuff, i just get bored. i also have a problem with how repetitive it is, since they repeat a riff that i think is decent until it's beaten to death. if i can latch onto a riff, though...

basically the two biggest tropes bore me. i like the aesthetics and vocals but those two things shut me off. and i still want to get into it, there has to be something i'm missing. i know i'm picky but try to be patient.

(gonna listen to this album soon)
5Drowning the Light
The Longing

i actually don't mind the black metal on here, and the blend of it and the dungeon synth is actually cooler than i was expecting. the 20 minute song just drags for me, though.

3.5 still
6Ash Borer
2009 Demo

hawks rec 1

the first song, Drukne, is awesome. it switches from gloomy to more uplifting sections pretty seamlessly, especially in the last 5 minutes or so when they find a groove. the second song isn't as good, but still real solid.

i do like how restrained they are, as it makes the blast beating sections more rewarding. the vocals feel very far away, like you're lost in a snowy landscape. and the drums sound very punchy and well played. will return to this after the list is over.

score: 4.0
7Summoning
Minas Morgul

hawks rec 2

this album really finds it's stride with the 5th track. everything else before feels like an okay, but a bit haphazard execution of dungeon synth and black metal. the riffs also take a huge step up too, with them being a lot more memorable with the DS. if the first 4 tracks were as strong as the rest it would be an easy 4.5.

final score: 4.0
8Spectral Wound
Songs of Blood and Mire

AlkemestRedux rec 1

some of the black and roll elements bore me, but overall it has some great riffs in the end. the bass presence, which normally i would welcome, really lacks giving the riffs the low end that it should. drumming is pretty good and the vocals are on point.

3.5
9Hulder
Godslastering: Hymns of a Forlorn Peasantry

AlkemestRedux rec 2

pagan black metal is the only real subgenre of bm that has impressed me. this album leans more and more into that pagan influence over the course of it, and it has everything i'm looking for. awesome vocals, well done dungeon synth and folk passages, while having great riffs to boot. I also love when it slows down for a filthy groove here and there, really scratches my rhythm orientated brain.

4.5
10Emperor
In the Nightside Eclipse

ThyCrossAwaits rec 1

this is very easy stuff to get into. well crafted songs, killer riffs, great vocals, and a crisp production. the drumming also feels impactful. only complaint is there's spoken word vocals that are buried in the mix, making it feel a little redundant. The little pockets of groove also feel rewarding, and there's actually a moshable riff or two in Beyond the Great Vast Forest. I Am the Black Wizards also goes hard.

4.5 (will probably 5 later)
11Emperor
Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk

ThyCrossAwaits rec 2

I really don't like the mixing most of the time. For some odd reason 90% of the time everything is buried under the synths, and the riffs are hard to make out. The synthwork is really well done but it should be a component, not the focal point. I swear the drums are pushed farther back, too. It also gets to Summoning levels of bombastic cheese, but manages to balance things out well. When you can hear the riffs it goes hard. Sometimes you can hear the bass, and it adds much needed low end. Too bad it's mixed out most of the time.

4.0
12Scalding
Nuclear Winter Spell

veryhandyman rec 1

eh, I do like the early songs that incorporate the thrash elements more. love it when they put in some chugging, it sounds great. but as it goes on it keeps my interest less and less. kinda sounds like generic black metal in the end, and the riffs just do nothing for me. there was potential for an interesting album.

3.0
13Taake
Hordalands Doedskvad

pyroflare77 rec 1

for sure the most creative one so far. lots of riff variation, with it even dabbling in a rock like groove sometimes. the meloblack riffs are quite nice and give the record more depth. but what really got my attention was guitar feedback on one of the tracks. the vocal work is nothing to scoff at either, with the rasps being slightly guttural. and of course there's duel vocals and more. pretty nice hearing a black metal album do more than a very small handful of things well.

4.0 (will probably bump up.)
14Dissection
Storm of the Light's Bane

pyroflare77 rec 2

so we got some classic melodic bm. the riffs don't really scratch a particular itch but are still engaging. there's even some nasty melodeath riffs, but it's quite rare. i really like the atmosphere, it reminds me of dungeon synth in terms of melodies and the vocals. real solid.

3.5
15The Ruins of Beverast
Exuvia

Rowhaus rec 1

this is not strictly black metal, but rather it's a small part of their sound. it's death doom, funeral doom, ambient, and atmospheric black metal in a blender. the middle of the album is mostly ambient, which makes it easy to not engage with whats going on. the last two tracks are really well done black metal, which almost makes the wait worth it. kinda wish the whole album was as engaging. also, the synths do ruin the tribal atmosphere when they pop up.

3.0
16Cobalt
Gin

Rowhaus rec 2

the riffage in this one is pretty nice. it goes from black metal tremolo, sludgy riffs, and a nice groove sometimes. i'm not the biggest fan when it goes full sludge metal (Dry Body), but when they combine stuff it's cool. A Starved Horror and Arsonry are standouts.

4.0
17Oathbreaker
Rheia

Wildcardbitchesss rec 1

yeah, i'll be blunt. i struggled to get through this entire over 1 hour long album. first off, this feels like very pretentious music. it's a vibe that's a bit hard to explain, but hopefully my complaints paint a picture. first of all, the band is very focused on pushing the female vocals. which is fine, but the clean singing annoys me so much. in fact, she's just by herself with some stripped back instrumentation with very high, crooning cleans a little too much. there's not that much metal for the length and the aggression is only on the first song. this album also feels really bloated with ambient sections that don't fit. yeah, imma slap it with a low rating. NEXT

2.0
18Augur
Arcane Insurgency

botb rec 1

man does this riff hard. there's a lot of variation in the riffs, not to mention everyone does a great job. production doesn't mix anything out, the vocals have a lot of emotion, drumming is very good, and you know how i like the riffs. there's even a section on the second track that has a real moshable groove to it. i was surprised that it only came out this year, looking forward to anything new.

i also appreciate that it doesn't overstay its welcome, a lot of black metal pushes things to the one hour mark and it doesn't have that much to show for it.

4.0 (may bump up)
19Winterfylleth
The Ghost Of Heritage

Beardog rec 1

this is a pretty good slab of pagan black metal. the first half has some subpar songwriting, but the second half is amazing. it creates a gloomy and melancholic atmosphere with some nice folk passages to break things up. drumming is also pretty good. standout tracks are The Ruins and Casting the Runes.

4.0
20Der Weg Einer Freiheit
Noktvrn

Beardog rec 2

kinda seems like every hardcore music geek loves stuff like this, but it just does not click for me. the whole black metal post metal fusion at worst irritates me, to indifference. there's good riffs and a nice bassline here and there. there's moments that kills the pacing (like this one part with crooning male cleans, does not fit at all. kinda like oathbreaker, but not as egregious.). the rest is pretty all right, not much jumps out at me.

3.0
21Aara
Eiger

vult rec 1

lots of cool riffs on here. there's not too much to say, it's pretty cut and dry black metal. but 55 minutes does make this drag a little.

3.5
22Saidan
Visual Kill: The Blossoming of Psychotic Depravity

vult rec 2

the band feels pretty cheesy at times with how bombastic it is, but usually it's not too much. the riffs are all pretty simple melodic power chords, but theres enough variety to not feel boring. the solos are also varied, going from blues to full on shred. I really like the inclusion of a nasty death metal riff twice in the album, makes it feel a lot more rewarding when that filthy groove pops up. Last track kind of deflates how great Visual Kill could have been as a closer.

4.0
23Sacramentum
Far Away from the Sun

Valzentia rec 1

its a nice change of pace to find meloblack that doesn't sacrifice the black metal aggression and filth. Dissection clone my ass, this riffs a lot harder. drums are constantly blast beating, the production feels just dirty and cavernous enough, and the riffs are great. the melodies are still entrenched in traditional black metal riffage, which i enjoy. will return for sure.

4.5
24Dimmu Borgir
Enthrone Darkness Triumphant

Valzentia rec 2
these guys always came across as corny to me but i'll give em a shot

my favorite part of this album was torturer of christian souls, which is basically "i'll tear off your fingernails, rape you, rape your kid, and leave you to starve", followed by one of the cheesiest synth melodies on the album. that song was fun. the rest has some pleasant melodies, but the 56 minute runtime does drag on. could have been 40-45 minutes and not broken a sweat. not too cheesy, just enough. i like that these dudes just said 'fuck it, lets do this' instead of fretting over being kvlt enough.

not a big fan of the production, which compresses the drums so much that it sounds super tinny. each cymbal or snare it is super neutered for the guitars, vocals, and synths. a common problem in symphonic releases, but i still dislike it.

3.5
25Deathspell Omega
Paracletus

ComeToDaddy rec 1

pretty surprised to hear how melodic this is. granted, it's all dissonant, but its not as disjointed as i would be expecting. not all of the dissonant riffs click with me but there's some great moments. the vocals sound pretty tortured (it seems like most dissonant bands have that), but i never really noticed the drumming. cool that the runtime doesn't drag.

4.0
26Uranium
Pure Nuclear Death

AlkemestRedux rec 3
this is the one rec 3 exception

i've never really liked death industrial, it just does nothing for me. its not bad by any means. also, it has little to do with black metal, except maybe war metal.

3.0
27Mgla
Exercises in Futility

botb rec 2

this is a pretty great album to have on in the background. the vocals are aggressive, riffs are just melodic enough, and the drummer gives a good performance. on the production side the drummer sounds pretty weak and shoved in the back. pretty no nonsense and it's nice.

4.0
28Immortal
Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism

budgie rec 1
these guys seem really fun, looking forward to this

nasty black metal with clear melodic undertones. the production feels as cavernous as a castle, with the bass rumbling inside it. riffs have a surprising amount of variation for second wave black metal, which is appreciated. almost as badass as the album cover.

4.0
29Falls of Rauros
Key to a Vanishing Future

Demon of the Fall rec 1

this feels so over the top and epic to the point of alienation for me. the riffs are varied, but are overly melodic power chords with solos usually. the bass is prominent, but it lacks giving much low end to the riffs. sometimes there's a nice, rhythmic groove, but its sparce. it reminds me of radio rock in terms of how epic it wants to be. another black metal/post metal album not doing it for me.

3.0
30Scarcity
Aveilut

Demon of the Fall rec 2
lets see if the second listen does it's magic

eh, sort of. its for sure different and can't be looked at from a traditional metal sense. it fuses dissonance and black metal riffs to create a dense atmosphere. took about halfway through to really click with me. looking at it from an ambient perspective it's real cool. the last track also put me in a good mood. for sure will return to later, seems perfect for studying runes and stuff.

3.5 (for now, will bump up.)
31Moonsorrow
Verisäkeet

Get Low rec 1

could not find this album anywhere. not going on spotify and any youtube upload of the full album is content ID'd by bots. yeah, made the album as inaccessible as possible, why not. this reeks of label chicanery.
32Thantifaxath
Sacred White Noise

Deez rec 1

this reminds me of Deathspell Omega if they were more disjointed, which i like. the atmosphere is pretty gloomy throughout and it takes unexpected turns. the riffs go from more basic black metal tremolo to pretty creative riffs, and the drumming gets the job done. pretty nice.

4.0
33Ulver
Bergtatt - Et eeventyr i 5 capitler

Keyblade rec 1

honestly, this album is really pleasant. the blend of folk music and aggressive black metal is done really well. the pagan vibe is pretty effective, with some cleans and throat singing thrown in sometimes. my favorite parts are the calm folk sections cut out by aggressive blast beating black metal. only part I didn't like is a recording of some woman stepping through some crunchy leaves (i think), and you can hear her beathing. goes on for way too long.

almost perfect right off the bat. the ideas flow into each other seamlessly and make the album pretty different than much else i've heard here.
4.5
34Dzo-nga
Thunder in the Mountains

Sevengill rec 1

man this stuff is so over the top that i can't really enjoy it. theres nice melodies but man the bombastic cheese has broken my tolerance threshold. the male cleans suck but don't appear often, and the synth melodies remind me of dungeon synth at times. its well made but not my thing.

3.0
35Gehenna
First Spell

budgie rec 2

when the synths aren't drowning out the riffs, its pretty nice meloblack. not bombastic, and it maintains a gloomy atmosphere throughout. the riffs are pretty simple and the vocals are pretty guttural for black metal. i like that a lot. also, not too long at 26 minutes. other than the first track everything here is balanced nicely, with the synthwork being varied and adding to the vibe well.

4.0
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