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Zeth, I've recently undergone the "black metal induction" myself, and the responses you have recieved in this thread were quite similar to the ones I recieved. One problem is that some of the serious black metal fans here can't remember what it was like when they first started listening, or, they got into bm in a different way and what seems like a natural course for them is actually a very difficult path for someone else.
Black metal is a very diverse genre, but the vast majority of it has one thing in common.
It is virtually impenetrable to a new listener.
That said, there were several albums that made a significant contribution to my appreciation of black metal. I'm going to do my best to make a short list of albums that you should listen to several times. Downloading/Buying 50 black metal albums and listening to them all once isn't going to do you alot of good.
Dimmu Borgir - Enthrone Darkness Triumphant
This album is great because the first few tracks are quite melodic and dont lay on the blast beats particularly hard. The album becomes heavier in the middle but its done somewhat gradually and the melodic elements are never discarded completely. This album is the perfect introduction into the more symphonic and melodic side of black metal but it still exposes you to blast beats and other typical bm elements which will help you get into the less polished types of bm. If you really enjoy this album then some other albums you might wish to try are: Old Man's Child - In Defiance of Existance, Emperor - Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk, Elvira Madigan - Witches, Dissection - Storm of Lights Bane, Catamenia - Eskhata, Graveworm - Engraved in Black, ... and Oceans - The Dynamic Gallery of Thoughts, Anorexia Nervosa - New Obscurantis Order, Cradle of Filth - Midian, Dark Fortress - Profane Genocidal Creations.
Immortal - Sons of Northern Darkness
Theres probably going to be some controversy of my inclusion of this album in the list, but its a simple fact that this was one of the first "black" albums I bought (based on the MR review) and it really helped alot. Theres some headbangingly good riffs on this album and a really cold atmosphere, especially on the last couple of tracks.
Borknagar - Epic
This album is an excellent example of what some people would call progressive black metal. The songs structures are different to that of typical bm and often include "catchy" moments. If you enjoy this then you should also try Enslaved - Below the Lights, Vintersorg - Visions from the Spiral Generator and I would also put Taake - Over Bjoergvin Graater Himmerik into this category. Bjoergvin sounds very different to the other albums i mentioned here, but the songs have this incredible uniqueness that I associate with progressive black metal.
Drudkh - Autumn Aurora
This album is the perfect introduction to mid-paced "flowing" black metal. This style typically involves long songs that change very slowly as they progress and repetition becomes a virtue. There is ALOT to like about this style and other particularly excellent examples are Burzum - Hvis Lyset Tar Oss, Ulver - Bergtatt and Velvet Cacoon - Genevieve.
Okay. Thats 4 albums. Give them a try. Perhaps explore some of the other albums I mentioned if you particularly liked the album I associated it with. Get comfortable with this sort of material. Now I will take a quick look at a few albums that are a bit more difficult to get into, but worth your attention once you're ready to move on:
Deathspell Omega - Si Monumentum Requires, Circumspice
This is a very interesting album to me because it has alot of properties that I would associate with the more raw types of black metal and yet its production is very accessible. All of that said, it still took me alot of listens to get into this album, and even now I do not hold it as high on a pedestal as some of the other BM fans on this board.
Taake - Nattestid
This album has a much rawer sound that most of the albums I've mentioned above. At first, I much preferred the second album in the Taake trilogy, Bjoergvin, but repeated spins of Nattestid have changed my mind. Again, you will probably find that it does not grab you at first.
Judas Iscariot - Heaven In Flames
The production is quite raw, the riffs are often very simple. But this album has atmosphere in spades and somehow the songs are brilliant.
And... I have to go to class now. I know you've had alot of album names shouted at you and thats why I've made an effort to give you a short list of albums that really helped an in flames / skyfire / opeth fan become a black metal fan aswell.
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