1.Beast In Black - Dark Connection

2.1914 - Where Fear And Weapons Meet

3.Duskmourn - Fallen Kings And Rusted Crowns

4.Grima - Rotten Garden

5.Gojira - Fortitude

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After clocking well over 700 albums in 2020, I'm hoping 2021 will be a bit busier IRL and thus slightly less comprehensively covered in these lists, but let's see - with all the new strains emerging, who TF knows when we might return to a semblance of normality. Until then, I'll be trying to make sure that nothing noteworthy passes my radar.

1.Vulgaris - Asundre

2.Dvne - Etemen Ænka

3.Heliocentric - Ishmael

4.Decline Of The I - Johannes

5.Dordeduh - Har

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As is the case with my other lists, this is for my own organizational purposes and is designed purely to help me keep track of all the many black metal bands and albums that I enjoy, since I can't keep all of this information in my head. It has no other benefit whatsoever and will likely result in tantrums should anyone else see it. I'm aware that I haven't listened to every black metal album that I should have. I only went down to the 6s on this list, so it's possible that I have listened to your favorite black metal album that you desperately need to suggest and I thought it was terrible. There are a lot of heinously incompetent black metal bands out there.

On the off-chance that you've found this and actually care about what I think (you shouldn't), be advised that my favorites come first. Some are favorites in the general sense; some are favorites within black metal. The first few of those are in some order and not so much after that.

Because this is for my own purposes and not intended to be a definitive list of pure black metal, there are some black metal-adjacent bands, or albums by black metal bands that may not themselves be black metal. That's why you'll find so much Sigh clogging up the top of the list. I prefer to keep whole discographies together on one list. I used to include Primordial, Forefather, and other such bands, but a while back I created a list for folk and I decided that those artists would fit better there.

I update these lists very infrequently. This was last updated December 7, 2022.

1.Sigh - Imaginary Sonicscape

2.Sigh - Graveward

3.Dissection - Storm Of The Light's Bane

4.Sigh - Heir To Despair

5.The Meads Of Asphodel - The Murder Of Jesus The Jew

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Ratings go from:

WORSHIP ❤️❤️❤️: Absolute greatness, a mindblowing album.
LOVE ❤️❤️🖤: Amazing release with very few flaws.
LIKE ❤️🖤🖤: Enjoyable but far from perfect.
DISLIKE 💔: Not very good or maybe not fitting my tastes.

I've decided to stop rating albums with a numerical value as I tend to feel uncomfortable with that. This list has a minimalistic, subjective and visceral approach, based purely on sensations and personal tastes. Mainly for personal use and doesn't pretend to be a serious ranking, but emerges from the need to remember which bands and albums I enjoyed and the ones I disliked. I constantly revisit new releases so first impressions may change over time. It usually takes 8-10 spins for me to get completely sure of a rating.

1.Æther Realm - Tarot

2.Abhoria - Abhoria

3.Acid Bath - When The Kite String Pops

4.Agrypnie - Metamorphosis

5.Allegaeon - Fragments Of Form And Function

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Another year, another list. Huh time flies. First 10 in order I think was best of the best. Last 10 worst of the worst. Rest is in a order as I think they fits (based on todays perspective) , maybe december albums are higher as januari ones and also some middle albums might be 2-3 places higher, lover.
PS If there are duplications, let me know.

1.Thyrathen - ThanatOpsis

2.Black Soul Horde - Horrors From The Void

3.Cult Of Eibon - Black Flame Dominion

4.KK's Priest - Sermons Of The Sinner

5.Icon Of Sin - Icon Of Sin

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My top best albums of 2021!

1.Iotunn - Access All Worlds

2.Ethereal Shroud - Trisagion

3.Evergrey - Escape Of The Phoenix

4.Mare Cognitum - Solar Paroxysm

5.Trivium - In The Court Of The Dragon

      View entire list ››

Do you know this feeling when you stumble across a random word, and then suddenly that name pops up just about everywhere? That specific term haunting yours truly has long been "Portland, Oregon". It seems to me that every new discovery was founded in Portland, apparently every other album was mastered at Brad Boatright's Audiosiege Studio in Portland, and every single of my favorite bands had, at some point, performed on a stage somewhere in Portland.

In the 1980s, LA was undeniably the world's glam metal capital, alongside with San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal as a counter development. Then we witnessed the death metal boom of the early 90s, with Tampa, Florida as its global hotspot. Not to forget the New York punk and hardcore scene (NYHC), the rise of sludge metal from the swamps of New Orleans during the late 80s, grunge from Seattle gaining mainstream prominence in the early 90s...
Apparently, there has always been a tendency in the US towards rapidly developing, locally restricted music scenes, in whose environment a completely new style or genre could develop in order to have a lasting impact on the global musical landscape within a few years.

So I just had to find out if my mind was playing tricks on me or if Portland really is the current capital of the US for heavy music and extreme metal - hence this list.

Inclusion criteria:
featured on Metal Strom and
established in Portland or
a long-term creative phase in Portland or
still active and currently based in Portland
(that's why Leviathan is here but Lurker Of Chalice isn't)

Only one album (preferably the most recent full-length album) per band.

By the way, according to this article, Portland harbors the highest amount of active metal bands per capita in the US. Quite a surprise, isn't it?

While we are at it, what's your favorite Portland band?

1.Abhorrent Affliction - Forever Will He Reign

2.Acathexis - Acathexis

3.Ænigmatum - Deconsecrate

4.Ævangelist - Dream An Evil Dream III

5.Agalloch - The Serpent & The Sphere

      View entire list ››

F*ck 2020! 2021, here we go!

1.Gråt Strigoi - Communion Of The Nameless

2.Vouna - Atropos

3.Ethereal Shroud - Trisagion

4.Noltem - Illusions In The Wake

5.Big Brave - Leaving None But Small Birds [Collaboration]

      View entire list ››

1.Turnstile - Glow On

2.The Armed - Ultrapop

3.Lingua Ignota - Sinner Get Ready

4.Panopticon - . . . And Again Into The Light

5.Thirdface - Do It With A Smile

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This list is meant to be an extensive, but by no means exhaustive, collection of the greatest (modern) metal albums and eps. Running the gamut from avant-garde to trve norweigan black metal. *As someone who is young in age, my tastes tend to revolve around the period of the 80s to the present.* Although certain metal albums from before will certainly be featured, the period of the 60s-70s will be under-represented. I refer you to this excellent list to gain a better appreciation for some of the best metal from that period: https://rateyourmusic.com/list/freis/martin_popoffs_the_top_500_heavy_metal_albums_of_all_time/

1.Macabre - Murder Metal

2.Macabre Omen - Gods Of War - At War

3.Macbeth - Romantic Tragedy's Crescendo

4.Machinae Supremacy - Overworld

5.Machine Head - The Blackening

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My List of the releases made during 2021. Score based on the excel sheet i've made https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Hk_3gkpCfeKtdZNus_z3sxg-U8XJ_MqklfC8tbealaE/edit?usp=sharing

1.Decline Of The I - Johannes

2.Vokonis - Odyssey

3.Between The Buried And Me - Colors II

4.Kanonenfieber - Menschenmühle

5.Stortregn - Impermanence

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Albums i've enjoyed in 2021

1.Turnstile - Glow On

2.Deafheaven - Infinite Granite

3.Herzel - Le Dernier Rempart

4.The Flight Of Sleipnir - Eventide

5.Midnight Odyssey - Biolume Part 2 - The Golden Orb

      View entire list ››

1.Asphyx - Necroceros

2.Cannibal Corpse - Violence Unimagined

3.Fulci - Exhumed Information

4.Baest - Necro Sapiens

5.Hooded Menace - The Tritonus Bell

      View entire list ››

1.1914 - Where Fear And Weapons Meet

2.Stormkeep - Tales Of Othertime

3.Mare Cognitum - Solar Paroxysm

4.Every Time I Die - Radical

5.Archspire - Bleed The Future

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1.Trivium - In The Court Of The Dragon

2.Swallow The Sun - Moonflowers

3.Iron Maiden - Senjutsu

4.Leprous - Aphelion

5.Soen - Imperial

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