Metal Reviews

What are your guys favorite black metal records of all time?

For me:

1. Emperor- In The Nightside Eclipse
2. Gorgoroth- Antichrist
3. Dissection- Storm of the Light's Bane
4. Emperor- Anthems To The Welkin at Dusk
5. Dimmu Borgir- Stormblast
6. Mayhem- Chimera
7. Darkthrone- A blaze in the northern sky
8. Cradle of Filth- The Principle of Evil Made Flesh/V Empire
9. Trelldom- Til Et Annet....
10. Mutiilation- Sorrow Galaxies


honorable mentions: Drudkh- Blood In Our Wells, Inquisition, Immortal- Sons of Northern Darkness, Gorgoroth (rest of discography), Dissection- The Somberlain, Dark Funeral (Vobiscum Satanas), Beherit- Engram, Watain- Sworn to the Dark, Satyricon- Nemesis Divina/Dark Medieval Times, Sargeist- Let The Devil In, Taake- Taake/Hordlands Doeskvad/Noregs Vaapen.

Here are my personal top ten:

1. Bathory-S/T
2. Burzum-Until the Light Takes Us
3. Dissection-Storm of the Lights Bane
4. Immortal-At the Heart of Winter
5. Darkthrone-Blaze in the Northern Sky
6. Ulver-Nattens Madrigal
7. Emperor-IX Equilibrium
8. Enslaved-Eld
9. Drudkh-Blood in Our Wells
10. Nattefrost-Blood and Vomit

Not necessarily the most essential BM records, but these are the ones that find their way onto my playlist with the most frequency. I'm one of those weird people that think Emperor kept getting better with age.

No particular order and off the top of my head:

Burzum - Filosofem
Emperor - In the Nightside Eclipse
Darkthrone - A Blaze in the Northern Sky
Ulver - Bergtatt
Enslaved - Vikingligr Veldi
Mayhem - De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
Negura Bunget - Om
Abigor - Nachthymnen
Hate Forest - Purity
Satyricon - The Shadowthrone

Hate questions like this, but that's a pretty fair summary.

Don't listen to much Traditional BM these days, but albums like Emperor's second and last are still on my playlist (which aren't traditional BM to begin with). Mayhem's debut has survived though.

Inquisition-Into the Infernal regions of the ancient cult
Mayhem-De mysteriis Dom Sathanas
Gorgoroth-Under the Sign of Hell
Rotting Christ-Khronos
Burzum-Hvis Lyset Tar Oss
Absu-The Sun of Tiphareth
Drudkh-Autumn Aurora
Ulver-Bergtatt
Absurd-Facta Loquuntur
Graveland-Will stronger than death

Bonus points to those that put Bergtatt on their list. Gonna disagree with Zad a bit on lists (great list btw) though: they are fun, and I like reading and answering them, as long as no one takes them too seriously.

Ulver - Bergtatt
Negura Bunget - Om
Emperor - Nightside Eclipse
Drudkh - Forgotten Legends
Burzum - Hvis lyset tar oss
Enslaved - Vikingligr Veldi
Abigor - Nachthymen
Satyricon - Dark Medieval Times
Darkthrone - A Blaze in the Northern Sky
Nokturnal Mortum - Goat Horns

Then there are a bunch of bands I'd put on a 'best bm band list' like Xasthur, Graveland, DsO, Mayhem, etc., but I couldn't single out one of their albums on a top 10 list.

Add Enslaved - Below The Lights

Another all-time favourite.

Heh, that might be my problem, that I take them too seriously and put too much thought in...

The way I look at it is just what was on our brains at that particular moment in time. Tastes change and people forget albums that shouldn't have been on at the time. Now if the same albums keep making one's list after several listings, well then, maybe those albums really do deserve to be on the 'ultimate' list.

All the usual 's have already been mentioned, excpt I'd exchange Bergtatt with Nattens.

Second Graveland - Will Stronger Than Death (ever since Capricornus left, the material has gotten better, of course Darken's forte is epic soundcsapes and that style , I always felt was better suited to his current theme.
Same with Inquisition-Into the Infernal Regions of the Ancient Cult, even with disregarding the odd vocal style, it stands out.


Would like to add Cultes Des Ghoules to the list, anything up to and including Spectres (especiallythe splits).