Metal Reviews

Lately I have tried out Black Metal in small dosis at a time, and I have found that the genre can have some really intriguing aspects, and now, as the topic title sugests, I want to delve further into the world of Black Metal.
I have listened to blackmetalradio.com for quite awhile now to get a taste, and have furthermore acquired the following albums: Dark Funeral - "Attero Totus Sanctus" and Setherial - "In the Still of a Northern Fullmoon".
I have come to learn that it is the mournful yet beautiful elements of black metal that I like: The epic sweeping melodies that hit you like sorrow manifested itself as a nocturnal cold wind and carried you away (sorry for the cliche of music-metaphors, but it suits the feeling quite well).
The garage-punk-blasting-aggressive black metal does absolutely nothing for me.

To pick some songs that could specify my description of what I seek:
Dark Funeral - "Final Ritual", with its bitter, desperate and sad melodies and grandiose culminating ending.
Setherial - "In the Still of a Nothern Fullmoon", with its beautiful, nocturnal and ethereal parts (for example, 2:45, 4:22, 9:37 etc.).
Drudkh - "Forests in Fire and Gold"
Burzum - "Jesus' Tod"

So, with all this information, could someone tell me what bands (and what albums) I am looking for? Seeing as I only own two records I am more than uncertain of what to pick, but from the descriptions I have read of Ulvers - "Bergtatt" it sounds like something I would like, or what would you recommend me?

Thanks for your time.

there are countless threads such as yours already... use the "search" option !

Ok, just figured that since these kind of topics wasn't made sticky (like Now playing, Recent concerts, Recent purchases etc), one was supposed to make a new topic...

I'll still try to help. I'll start with my default advice from now on: Deathspell Omega, it's the best thing you can find with black metal lately.

You like bm with emotion, sounds like you could use more Burzum and Drudkh. Try Wigrid and Urfaust, my latest favourites. And if you can find it give Mütiilation and Silencer a shot, those two are as sorrowful as it gets.

I'll just cut it here since you probably won't be able to try even all those bands. If you're looking for downloads to start things with, I can provide you with links for some of these bands' albums.

Well, Ulver's Bergatt is on just about everyone's favorite bm(including mine) list.

Setherial and Dark Funeral are not two of my favorites(though Setherial's debut album Nord was very good) but if you like them you might be able to enjoy another Swedish band in Watain. Watain are quite fast and heavy like those two, but I feel they are far better. Sticking with that Swedish sound, I'd also recommend early Marduk. Those of the Unlight and Opus Nocturne I think were their best albums.

Deathspell Omega as Kaatharian mentioned is a great newer band and probably one you could quickly get into. Can't go wrong with more Drudkh and Burzum either.

You have mentioned this Urfaust on the forum I few times, could you describe them in a bit more detail?

Indeedy.

Leviathan as well. Fuck, Wrest gives me goosebumps like mad. Try "Tentacles Of Whorror".

Burzum will tickle your fancy too. "Det Som Engang Var" or "Hvis Lyset Tar Oss".

Lots of good BM these days.

That Ulver album is top notch by the way.

Some older stuff I would recommend:

Arcturus - Aspera Hymns Simfonia (sp?)
Fleurty - Min Tid Skol
always spell the bands name wrong, album is "Written in Waters" Ved Buens Ende I think is right.
Dodshimegard - Monumental Possesion
Gehenna - Adimiron Black
Graveland - Carpathain Wolves. (NSBM beware)

Some newer stuff that you HAVE to have.

Countess - Spawn of Steel
Morrigan - Headcult and Enter the Sea of Flames
Meggido - The devil and the whore
Weakling - Dead as dreams
Leviathan - Howl Mockery at the Cross.
Typhus - Proclamations etc. etc.
Twilight - S/T
Grand Belials Key - anything (racist shit involved, beware)
Krieg - The Black House
Anal Nathrak - the newest ones and Total fucking necro

If my reviewing gig happens in this century you might read a review about how awesome it is but I'll try to explain shortly. Their last album is mid paced minimalistic raw bm with clean vocals (yeah you read it right I said clean vocals) the vocalist sounds like he's either drunk of flying very high on drugs, totally original. And half of the album (3 songs) is awesome classical music with violins and cellos and they are absolutely amazing. Try to find it, it's a breath of fresh air.

Perhaps following acts would do the trick for you:

Make A Chance... Kill Yourself
Mortifera
Sapthuran
Nachtmystium
Baptism
Marblebog
Nocternity
Wyrd
Ulvhedner

Propably some more as well, but I think you allready have enough to start with.

Sounds interesting, I'll look for it.

\m/ Meggido is damn great. I'll add Tearstained, Faustcoven, heck every black metal band under Barbarian Wrath.

Both Tearstained and Countess just released their latest album!

if you like dark funeral, give there alum, secrets of the blak arts a try. Im not a huge fan of this band but this album is my favorite by far

I got tons of answers and suggestions when I asked for Black metal way back. Lots and lots of great answers to read here.

@ Kathaarian
I have heard the name Deathspell Omega quite alot but never have I got any description of their music, but they should fit my needs?
What I have heard of Mütiilation on blackmetalradio.com didn't really spark my interest (It was pretty much just average minimalistic BM, as far as I recollect. Or am I mistaken?)
But I will try and google around for some Silencer.

@ Emperorblackdoom
Hmm... yeah I know that everybody is quite keen on Ulver, but everybody is also quite keen on alot of other BM bands that I have crossed off my list (Emperor, Mayhem, Darkthrone, Immortal, Gorgoroth, Aura Noir) based on sound samples and what I have heard on blackmetalradio.com. So, the fact that Ulver is quite popular in the BM underground doesn't say alot to me, so therefore I have to rely on a more objective (if such a thing exist) description of the music. What I have heard of Marduk also sounded promising, especially in their focus on emotion through melodies, and not just frostbitten grim soundscapes, eventhough their sound was abit .. hmm.. simple (Like the intricasy of Setherials "Nord").

@ Legacy of the Night
Isn't Leviathan some of that droning funeral black/doom like Xasthur and Norrt (which I have also crossed off my list of potential BM that I would like)?
Some of the early Burzum I have heard was kind of punkish and angry (in the way I can't relate to), doesn't "Hvis Lyset Tar Oss" and "Det Som Var Engang" fall into that category?

@ Leee
Some of the Arcturus I have heard sounded promising. "Aspera Hymns Simfonia" would be the album of theirs to try out?
What I remember of Gehenna and Dødsheimgard didn't really intrigue me. Alot of the bands you mention here after doesn't ring a bell, except Grand Belials Key and Krieg (both of which I didn't like).
I have heard one song though of Anaal Nathrahk called "Reevaluation of all Values" (I just accidentally heard it because of the Nietzsche reference) which was promising eventhough it in no way was ethereal, beautiful or epic, but very powerful (like the language and philosophy of Nietzsche).

@ Skartasis
Don't know alot of the bands you mentioned but will be on the look-out for them. I did know Wyrd though, and that didn't appeal too much to me (as it wasn't very emotional).

@ Unknownkadath666
I have also noted that "The Secrets of the Black Arts" should be worth a try, but have also on the other hand heard some samples that indicated that emotionless aggressive (an oxymoron, I know) kind of black metal, but I might just be mistaken? Or what? Does some of the darkness, sorrow and despair which appears on "Attero Totus Sanctus" also exist on "The Secrets of the Black Arts"?

@ Zeth
Yeah, but I feel like my specifications are quite different than yours since you just asked for BM in general, where as I am searching for that particularly beautiful, epic and ethereal BM.

Ulver's Bergatt is simply great music and far surpasses merely good black metal. I have never heard anyone say they didn't like it.
What Emperor songs did you listen to that made you cross them off your list?

No, DSO isn't emotional, but it is some of the best black metal ever made, so insist you give them a shot no matter what you may like.

Mütiilation imo is very emotional, melancholic, its great, samples can't do justice to such a band, you should try a whole album, starting with Remains of a Ruined, Dead, Cursed Soul.

And you got the wrong idea about Leviathan, it's not drone doom or funeral doom/ black, it's black metal with a lot of ambient, Leviathan rules, give it a shot.

And what you heard of Burzum must be Aske, it is kind of punkish, but the later albums aren't like it. In fact most Burzum records are pretty different from each other. I'll just say one thing, go download the track Dunkelheit, it's impossible not to like it and it fits what you're looking for.

I'm confused with what you're saying here, Marduk and Dark Funeral are the two most non-emotinal mindless blasting tremolo speedfest black metal bands, there's no emotion there whatsoever. Marduk's earlier albums like Those of the Unlight are kind of melodic, but I don't see any emotion in their whole discography.

I gave you all those band names based on what you said, they are the most emotional black metal bands I know, go try them, you are gurranteed to like them.

Which is exactly why I recommend earlier Marduk. You agree with me on Bergtatt, right? How could one go wrong there!

One must be insane not to like Bergtatt, I've not met a person who doesn't like it. A top 5 album of all time, hands down. And it is emotional too.

I own Bergtatt for 2 years already... and it bores me now, so as Emperor and others of that ilk

Blasphemy on the other hand.......... :twisted: