I list the black metal artworks which are the most different and appealing, at least for my eyes, and give a brief excuse for a somewhat explanation of why I think it.
Edit: As suggested, I gave a link to the inages of the albums not feat. here non MS. For all the other ones... Well, one can always click on the album name.

1. A Forest Of Stars - A Shadowplay For Yesterdays

2. A Forest Of Stars - Opportunistic Thieves Of Spring

3. Abigail Williams - Becoming

4. Ad Hominem - Dictator

5. Alcest - Le Secret

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My top 98 Albums, Sorted in descending order of favorites. Pretty rough list, I may update if I become un-lazy sometime. One album per band only. Some explanation and description provided for those who aspire to waste as much time on this site as I do.

1. Lykathea Aflame - Elvenefris

2. Moonsorrow - Kivenkantaja

3. Nevermore - This Godless Endeavor

4. Opeth - Still Life

5. !T.O.O.H! - Order And Punishment (Řád A Trest)

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I know I probably speak for a lot of people when I say that, very often, the artwork that a band chooses for a particular album can be the icing on the cake, essential to giving a visual depiction that tops off the overall aesthetic of the music. There are plenty of albums that I simply couldn't imagine listening to without staring, zoned out, to the big ball of glorious that is their cover art. Here are some such albums. In alphabetical order by band. Links to full images of the covers have been provided, as well as credits to the artists.

1. Aarni - Bathos

2. Absu - The Sun Of Tiphareth

3. Atheist - Unquestionable Presence

4. Bathory - Blood Fire Death

5. Blue Öyster Cult - Fire Of Unknown Origin

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This list is probably very similar to many MS lists. These are just the albums that made sense when going through my collection. I find it really hard to make a list of my favorites since there are so many albums/bands to pick from, so I limited myself to albums I physically own. This list is not definite and it's not a very good representation of my musical taste, since I haven't listened to most of these albums in a while.
1 album/band (except for Judas Priest, because fuck you)
Ordered alphabetically
Updated to 30

1. A Forest Of Stars - A Shadowplay For Yesterdays

2. Arcturus - La Masquerade Infernale

3. The Bishop Of Hexen - The Nightmarish Compositions

4. Black Sabbath - Mob Rules

5. Blind Guardian - Somewhere Far Beyond

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One album per band.

1. Agalloch - Marrow Of The Spirit

2. Gris - À l'Âme Enflammée, l'Äme Constellée...

3. Nocturnal Depression - Soundtrack For A Suicide

4. Gallowbraid - Ashen Eidolon

5. Ulver - Bergtatt - Et Eeventyr I 5 Capitler

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A collection of the most original, insane and head spinning albums from the weirdest side of metal. Suggestions are welcome.

1. A Forest Of Stars - A Shadowplay For Yesterdays

2. Angizia - Das Schachbrett Des Trommelbuben Zacharias

3. Akphaezya - Anthology II: Links From The Dead Trinity

4. Arcturus - La Masquerade Infernale

5. Arcturus - The Sham Mirrors

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1. Be'lakor - Of Breath And Bone

2. Wodensthrone - Curse

3. Circus Maximus - Nine

4. Enslaved - RIITIIR

5. Threshold - March Of Progress

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WIP !!!!

Quite opposite to 2011, which featured both freakingly awesome releases (Terra Tenebrosa, Lazuli, Thy Catafalque...) and crap that redefined crap (Lulu or Illud Divinum Isanus), 2012 was quite consistent. Sadly, consistently average. OK, consistently quite correct, but groundbreaking releases were few and far between...

1. A Forest Of Stars - A Shadowplay For Yesterdays

2. Anaal Nathrakh - Vanitas

3. Faal - The Clouds Are Burning

4. Klone - The Dreamer's Hideaway

5. Between The Buried And Me - The Parallax II: Future Sequence

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1. Wodensthrone - Curse

2. Winterfylleth - The Threnody Of Triumph

3. Woods Of Ypres - Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light

4. A Forest of Stars - A Shadowplay For Yesterdays

5. Blut Aus Nord - 777 - Cosmosophy

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1. Alcest - Les voyages de l'âme

2. Borknagar - Urd

3. Katatonia - Dead End Kings

4. In The Silence - A Fair Dream Gone Mad

5. The Gathering - Disclosure

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Another year, another list.

1. Enslaved - RIITIIR

2. Kreator - Phantom Antichrist

3. Mgła - With Hearts Toward None

4. A Forest of Stars - A Shadowplay For Yesterdays

5. Neurosis - Honor Found In Decay

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Because I reached the word limit on the previous list, and don't want to lose my quite excellent in-depth descriptions. Those without descriptions are from my other list.

1. Sylosis - Monolith

2. Be'lakor - Of Breath And Bone

3. In The Silence - A Fair Dream Gone Mad

4. Abigail Williams - Becoming

5. Enslaved - RIITIIR

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as of 01.01.13

1. Be'lakor - Of Breath And Bone

2. Eyefear - The Inception Of Darkness

3. Ne Obliviscaris - Portal Of I

4. Carach Angren - Where The Corpses Sink Forever

5. Vesperian Sorrow - Stormwinds Of Ages

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Voila.

1. Saturnus - Saturn In Ascension

2. Blut Aus Nord - 777 - Cosmosophy

3. Dordeduh - Dar De Duh

4. Indesinence - Vessels Of Light And Decay

5. Enslaved - RIITIIR

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Includes every full-length and EP from 2012 I listened to. Ordered alphabetically. More albums will be added, and the ratings are subject to change.

1. A Forest Of Stars - A Shadowplay For Yesterdays

2. Addaura - Burning For The Ancient

3. Agalloch - Faustian Echoes

4. Agruss - Morok

5. Alkerdeel - Morinde

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