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Top 10-20 Favorite Black Metal Albums



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Original post

Posted by Dangerboner, 18.08.2008 - 04:01
I didn't know whether or not to include black/thrash or old school black heavy metal (like Venom and Mercyful Fate), so for the most part I left them out. Feel free to include those types or make a shorter/longer list of your favorite black metal albums.

This killed so much time at work

1. Anaal Nathrakh - Eschaton
This album is just pure chaos. The riffs and vocals, especially the ones done by Atilla, are insane. It's just so diverse and brutal that I can't help but make this number one.
2. Destroyer 666 - Phoenix Rising
This is another perfect album, highlighted by awesome melodies and song structures filled with massive hooks and epic riffing. I'm truly sad when the album is over!
3. Ulver - Bergtatt
Garm is one of my favorite vocalists in general - his harsh voice is equally as good as his clean singing. That, plus the added pianos and the whole cold vibe spewed from this album makes it one of my all time favs.
4. Funeral Mist - Salvation
Arioch has such a powerful voice. The lyrics are also fun to read, and lets not forget about the choirs!!
5. Drudkh - Autumn Aurora
This is probably the most relaxing album I have. Granted, the first half is way better than the second, but it's almost impossible to top the first couple songs. Too bad I only have a burned copy
6. Emperor - Equilibrium
I haven't listened to Emperor much lately, but I think it's safe to say that this is their most diverse album that they ever made. Ihsahn showed here that he can do more than just growl, and the instruments still give off a sense of rushed instensity while still being catchy.
7. Dimmu Borgir - Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia
8. Mayhem - Ordo Ad Chao
It's strange how a band as old as Mayhem didn't release their true masterpiece until last year. The guitar tone is dark as hell, and Atilla sounds like satan.
9. Anaal Nathrakh - The Codex Necro
10. Marduk - Rom 5:12
Arioch (Funeral Mist) single-handedly made Marduk a legitimate black metal band. I really don't care for their older albums (Opus Nocturne is kinda cool), but turning Marduk from "Norsecore" to religious black metal couldn't have been a better plan.
11. Darkspace - I
Yeah, the production sucks, but I couldn't imagine this album any other way. The atmosphere is unreal, and it makes the listener feel like they're in space.
12. Dimmu Borgir - Stormblast
13. Darkthrone - Sardonic Wrath
I prefer this over any other Darkthrone album because it's catchy and unpredictable. The last song is doom as fuck!
14. Deathspell Omega - Kenose
15. Immortal - Damned in Black
I'm not a big fan of Immortal, but Damned in Black almost feels like a thrash album to me.
16. Watain - Sworn to the Dark
I didn't like this CD at first, but it quickly grew on me. I can never get the title track out of my head!
17. Bathory - Blood Fire Death
Sadly, I overplayed this to the max. But, at one time this was one of my favorite albums in general. The riffing is crazy good, and it's basically thrash!
18. Corpus Christii - Rising
This is definitely Nocturnus Horrendus' best album. Even though it's really melodic, it still maintains a dark vibe.
19. Arcturus - Aspera Hiems Symfonia
Garm is so cool...
20. Deathspell Omega - Manifestations 2002
I don't think Manifestations 2000-2001 counts because it's a compilation of older material from splits and shit, but Manifestations 2002 is all previously unreleased material, so I figured that it counts. Forget about the philosophical lyrics and the sometimes pretentious moments that Deathspell Omega has in their music nowadays - this is just pure orthodox black metal.
31.01.2009 - 11:57
mortjoyeux
MAN OH MAN!!

1. Darkthrone- Transilvanian Hunger: First album I heard from them, fell in love. I love the sweeps and it's just raw and mind blowing.

2. Grand Belial's Key- Kosherat: I never seem to forget this album. I love the speed, the vocals, just everything about this album..the emotions I get when I listen are too intense.

3. INQUISITION- MAGNIFICENT GLORIFICATION OF LUCIFER: Holy fuck this has to be my favourite black metal album EVER. Raw, true black metal. Of blood and darkness we are born..fucking killer song..the riffs are just too good.

4. Alcest- Tristesse Hivernale (demo): ..raw vocals, creates amazing atmosphere

5. Burzum- Burzum: I absolutely love the s/t. The crying orc gives me the best imagery, and tbh War just makes me lol, gotta love it.

6. Aäkon Këëtrëh- Dans La Forêt: I guess this is more dark ambient than black metal, but it's still such a great demo. Creates so much imagery, and a dark yet hopeful sort of atmosphere. Beautiful.

7. Judas Iscariot- The Cold Earth Slept Below. Best riffs, awesome melodies. Each song tells a story. choppy parts in certain songs, kinda sloppy with the drums but the overall effect for me is wowowoww.

9. Watain- Casus Luciferi: What black metal should sound like imo. "Devil's Blood" reminded me of DMDS, awesome production..everything was dark n' evil.

10. Alcest - Le Secret: Again, Neige is on my list..Even after he went shoegaze bm elements were incorporated..everything about this album is beautiful..the solos are unforgettable and I could listen to this album alone forever.
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31.01.2009 - 16:21
ForeverDarkWoods
1. Hellhammer - Satanic Rites
This is the best of the best. I wouldn't just call this the best black metal release out there, but perhaps the best metal release out there altogether. The raw, dirty sound of this release is just unparallelled.

2. Mayhem - Deathcrush
This is the best Mayhem release, and probably the best to ever have come from any of the classic Norwegian bands.

3. Hellhammer - Triumph Of Death
Basically for the same reason as Satanic Rites, it just doesn't reach the same godly standards.

4. Funeral Mist - Salvation
This is pretty much the perfect form of modern black metal. This is fucking miles above the rest of it's type. Hoping the next one's gonna be just as good.

5. Arckanum - Fran Marder
This album has something special. It's one of those releases that manages to be everything at the same time. It's melodic, raw, epic and hateful. I love this album, and it gives an example of Arckanum at his best moment.

6. Deströyer 666 - Unchain The Wolves
They have released a lot of great material, but none of the other albums even come close to this. This is awesome from beginning to end. No more comments are needed.

7. Darkthrone - A Blaze In The Northern Sky
This is Darkthrone's dirtiest, darkest and most hateful album. In comparison to this, all the other Darkthrone albums can go fuck themselves.

8. Burzum - Hvis Lyset Tar Oss
This is Burzum's darkest and most epic moment. While Filosofem also was a genius album, this one is even more so.

9. Malign - Divine Facing
Malign sure as hell knew how to write quality black metal. With this release, they pretty much outdid themselves. I'm still hoping for a future full length release (since there's supposed to be a fuckton of written unrecorded Malign material).

10. Immortal - Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism
This one's here for comedy factor just as much as for the awesome music that's on it. It's a black metal release that manages to be grim, necro, hateful but still very funny.

11. Burzum - Filosofem
This album's genius. It's an intensely emotional droning piece of ambient black metal art unlike many others. Therefore it's earned it's place among the best.

12. Belketre/Vlad Tepes - March To The Black Holocaust
Most LLN material is wannabe kvlt suckage. This on the other hand, is sure as hell not. It's an all around awesome release showing the true potential of these two great bands.

13. Craft - Total Soul Rape
Raw and dirty just the way it's supposed to be.

14. Sigh - Hail Horror Hail
This is Sigh's best album. It's atmospheric, melodic, dark and still true to their black metal roots. A few songs on this are simply perfect.

15. Paysage d´Hiver - Winterkälte
This shit is COLD. This shit is FROSTBITTEN while simultaneously grim. The cold atmosphere of this little demo is among the coldest there's out there. A great demo of ambient black metal with a WINTRY atmosphere. A little bit similar to Darkspace (but with the spaciness replaced with wintryness), but that is understandable since one of the Darkspace members is also responsible for Paysage d'Hiver.

16. SVEST - Urfaust
Some raw and really grim and necro shit.

17. Satanic Warmaster - Carelian Satanist Madness
This is some good black metal. It touches on despair, hate, sadness and death and do it all brilliantly. I don't know how else to describe it.

18. Abigor - Orkblut - The Retaliation
This is just so damn great. It's Abigor's best by far.

19. Mütiilation - Vampires Of Black Imperial Blood
A more hateful and melancholic record than this one is hard to find.

20. Peste Noire - Mors Orbis Terrarum
This may just be a collection of their demo material, but it still has the quality to beat their full lengths (which also aren't bad). Really demented and melancholic shit.
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08.09.2011 - 21:46
Enemy of Reality
Account deleted
01. Mayhem - De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
02. Celtic Frost - Morbid Tales
03. Venom - Black Metal
04. Hellhammer - Apocalyptic Raids
05. Bathory - Under the Sign of the Black Mark
06. Darkthrone - A Blaze in the Northern Sky
07. Burzum - Hvis Lyset Tar Oss
08. Emperor - In the Nightside Eclipse
09. Arcturus - La Masquerade Infernale
10. Marduk - Opus Nocturne
11. Immortal - At the Heart of Winter
12. Craft - Terror Propaganda
13. Blut aus Nord - The Work Which Transforms God
14. Cradle of Filth - The Principle of Evil Made Flesh
15. Summoning - Minas Morgul
16. Gorgoroth - Antichrist
17. Satyricon - Volcano
18. Ulver - Nattens Madrigal - Aatte Hymne til Ulven i Manden
19. Dimmu Borgir - Enthrone Darkness Triumphant
20. Cobalt - Gin
21. Deathspell Omega - Paracletus
22. Funeral Mist - Salvation
23. Dodheimsgard - Monumental Possession
24. Thorns - Thorns
25. Enslaved - Isa
26. Watain - Sworn to the Dark
27. Anaal Nathrakh - Eschaton
28. Shining - V:Halmstad
29. Khold - Phantom
30. Dark Funeral - The Secrets of the Black Arts
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08.09.2011 - 22:54
Metal_4Ever
I don't listen to BM but I try to get into it day by day by listening to Immortal, Dimmu Borgir, Emperor, Enslaved, Summoning, Cradle of Filth.
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08.09.2011 - 23:25
Sean 79
1. Cradle of Filth = Principle of Evil Made Flesh
2. Satyricon = Nemesis Divina
3. Carpathian Forest = Strange Old Brew
4. Dark Funeral = Secrets of the Black Arts
5. Watain = Casus Luciferi
6. Thorns = Thorns
7. Sigh = Hangmans Hymn
8. Old Man's Child = Ill Natured Spiritual Invasion
9. Mayhem = Wolfs Lair Abyss
10. Marduk = Heaven shall Burn......
11. Gorgoroth = Qauntos Possunt ad.....
12. Dimmu Borgir = Enthroned Darkness....
13. Darkthrone = A Blaze in the Northern Sky
14. Keep of Kalessin = Kolossus
15. Khold = Morke Gravers Kammer
16. Loits = Vere Kutse Kohustab
17. Ophthalamia = Dominion
18. Rotting Christ = Thy Mighty Contract
19. Taake = ....Doedskvad
20. 1349 = Beyond the Apocalypse
21. Emperor = Wrath of the Tyrant
22. Emperor = Nightside Eclipse
23. Emperor= Anthems to the......
24. Emperor = IX Equilibrium
25. Emperor = Prometheus....
26. Immortal = Diabolical Fullmoon....
27. Immortal = Pure Holocaust
28. Immortal = Battles in the North
29. Immortal = Blizzard Beasts
30. Immortal = At the Heart of Winter
31. Immortal = Damned in Black
32. Immortal = Sons of Northern Darkness
33. Immortal = All Shall Fall

Ok that's 33 but i could of kept going.
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08.10.2011 - 15:29
M C Vice
ex-polydactyl
Including 1st wave black, but excluding viking:
Mercyful Fate - Melissa
Emperor - Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk
Ancient - The Cainian Chronicle
Gallhammer - Ill Innocence
Dimmu Borgir - Enthrone Darkness Triumphant
Primordial - To The Nameless Dead
Mercyful Fate - Don't Break The Oath
Immortal - At The Heart Of Winter
Dimmu Borgir - In Sorte Diaboli
Mayhem - A Grand Declaration Of War
If I remove the 2 Mercyful fates, then Arcturus - Sideshow Symphonies and Bathory - Blood Fire Death would replace them.
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12.03.2012 - 20:11
In any particular order:
Immortal-At The Heart Of Winter
Bathory-Blood Fire Death
Darkthrone-A Blaze in the Northern Sky
Mayhem - De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
Hellhammer - Satanic Rites
Mayhem - Deathcrush
Rotting Christ-I can't choose one, I would say Passage To Arcturo but the topic says albums
Necromantia-Crossing The Fiery Path
Anything from Mercyful Fate
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{}::::::[]:::::::::::::::::> ONLY DEATH IS REAL <:::::::::::::::::[]::::::{}
Rest In Peace: Bon Scott, Dave G. Halliday, Michael "Destructor" Wulf, Jerry Fogle, Quorthon, Witchhunter
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13.03.2012 - 20:05
Lit.
Account deleted
Written by Infernal Eternal on 12.03.2012 at 20:11

Anything from Mercyful Fate


I'm pretty sure they don't count as BM.
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13.03.2012 - 20:17
Written by Guest on 13.03.2012 at 20:05

Written by Infernal Eternal on 12.03.2012 at 20:11

Anything from Mercyful Fate


I'm pretty sure they don't count as BM.

They are First Wave Black Metal. Many BM artists have marked them as one of their influences.
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{}::::::[]:::::::::::::::::> ONLY DEATH IS REAL <:::::::::::::::::[]::::::{}
Rest In Peace: Bon Scott, Dave G. Halliday, Michael "Destructor" Wulf, Jerry Fogle, Quorthon, Witchhunter
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13.03.2012 - 20:50
Troy Killjoy
perfunctionist
Staff
Written by Guest on 13.03.2012 at 20:05
I'm pretty sure they don't count as BM.

Depends on whether you're talking to old-time metalheads or metalheads born post-1980.
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"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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13.03.2012 - 21:14
Lit.
Account deleted
Written by Troy Killjoy on 13.03.2012 at 20:50

Written by Guest on 13.03.2012 at 20:05
I'm pretty sure they don't count as BM.

Depends on whether you're talking to old-time metalheads or metalheads born post-1980.

Well, I'm sure if I'm helping my case but I generally see them as Heavy and Proto-Black, much like Venom and Celtic Frost. I consider the "second-wave" actual Black Metal.
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13.03.2012 - 21:19
Troy Killjoy
perfunctionist
Staff
Written by Guest on 13.03.2012 at 21:14
Well, I'm sure if I'm helping my case but I generally see them as Heavy and Proto-Black, much like Venom and Celtic Frost. I consider the "second-wave" actual Black Metal.

Ya I'm part of the post-1980 club as well. Mercyful Fate = heavy metal, Venom and Celtic Frost = thrash.

Bathory is probably the only band from that era worthy of the black metal label in my opinion. Aside from them, ya, the "second" wave might as well just be the first wave.
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"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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13.03.2012 - 21:33
Branzig
I personally consider Mercyful Fate apart of the first wave, as I do Venom.

I look at it as the first wave is where the inspiration came from that sparked the Norwegian movement (second wave). Things like Satanic lyrical themes, the occult, the eerie symbolism and atmospheres, speedy riffs, blast beats, etc.

I put Venom, Bathory, Mercyful Fate, Destruction, Sodom, and even early Slayer all in the "FIrst Wave," even though they are all essentially thrash bands.
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