Black Metal.

[Einherjar86]

Hearing good things here and there about Arcturus. What's a good starter album? I have a high tolerance for cheese.

The first three are great. I haven't heard their last album.

it was a project consisting of Garm (from Ulver and Borknagar), Hellhammer and a few other guys playing proggy spacey black metal ish stuff. Aspera Heim Symfonia, as Cythraul noted, is the more black metally. La Masquerade Infernale is kind of like circus prog metal. The Sham Mirrors is more spacey and the last album, Sideshow Symphonies is when Simen Hestnaes took over on vocals, and it's a largely forgettable album

Circus prog metal is actually the perfect way to describe La Masquerade Infernale. I also really like The Sham Mirrors; it's very strange, kind of beyond classification. It's very dark though, and has a clear science fiction tone.

EDIT: I realize I quoted Unknown, but I'm mostly responding to Krampus.

 

[unknown]

I prefer The Sham Mirrors as well. There are only a few songs off LMI that I really enjoy. Overall, though, I don't think that album holds up too well. If the album had more songs similar in quality to Alone and The Chaos Path, then I'd probably like it more

 

[Einherjar86]

"The Choas Path" is my favorite track on La Masquerade. It exudes insanity and the vocals really remind me of Roger Waters when he was at his most theatrical and imitating decadence and madness.

 

[SkiesAtOurFeet]

S.V.E.S.T. - Urfaust

You plan on purchasing Urfaust? I wish you the best of luck, rarely see it on e-bay and then the bidding becomes quite heated.

The Inarborat album is fairly good, the prominent track being the last 'Wisdom Sans Words'. I'd recommend you download or listen to a few samples before you purchase. The Glorior Belli and Gris albums are both quality.

 

[Srontgorrth]

I like The Sham Mirrors slightly more then LMI, but both are exceptionally awesome.

 

[Lateralus14]

True. It's actually quite crazy...

Anyways, I'm thinking of punishing my overdraft facility soon by buying a lot of cd's. There are lots I will buy no matter what and then there are some I will perhaps buy. The latter I have listed below...

What do people say about these albums? Please place them in order of preference with the most essential in top of the order

I have only listed bands I do not know. So if there are alternative albums I should rather get with some of the artists, feel free to enlighten me...

Glorior Belli - Manifesting the Raging beast
Gris - Il Etait une Foret
Hypothermia - Gråtoner
Inarborat - S/T
Melkor - Ferne
Misere Luminis - S/T
Nyktalgia - S/T
S.V.E.S.T. - Urfaust
Teitanblood - Seven Chalices
Tenebrae in Perpetuum - L'Eterno Maligno Silencio
Trist - Willenskraft
Wedard - Wo die Ewigkeit die Zeit Berührt
Wolfsmond - Wolfsmond III

I would definitely recommend Seven Chalices first normally, but looking at your charts I'm not sure it would be as in line with your tastes as half those albums.

 

[Goffdahl]

You plan on purchasing Urfaust? I wish you the best of luck, rarely see it on e-bay and then the bidding becomes quite heated.

The Inarborat album is fairly good, the prominent track being the last 'Wisdom Sans Words'. I'd recommend you download or listen to a few samples before you purchase. The Glorior Belli and Gris albums are both quality.

Aight, I will postpone the purchase of Urfaust then

I very rarely dl or listen to samples before purchasing. Even though I could save some money on albums I really dislike then it wouldn't add up for the loss of the pristine feeling of putting a new album on the player...

I would definitely recommend Seven Chalices first normally, but looking at your charts I'm not sure it would be as in line with your tastes as half those albums.

Ok, perhaps this should be one of the few exceptions where I prelisten then

 

[Srontgorrth]

Srontgorrth has been kicking my ass for like two days now.

o rly

 

[SkiesAtOurFeet]

Aight, I will postpone the purchase of Urfaust then

I very rarely dl or listen to samples before purchasing.

I concur fully, I dislike downloading anything but I do listen to samples. Hope you enjoy them if you choose to purchase the aforementioned albums.

 

[Eligos]

@Goffdahl: Don't get a Glorior Belli album. They're really fucking awesome for like a week, and then it gets old. Same goes for that Melkor album, I think. Sounds like a better produced Graveland, but then again, why not just listen to Graveland?

Urfaust is fuckin great. I'd put that at or neat the top of the list.

Inarborat and Gris would both be good listens.

Don't get Trist if you're expecting similarities to Lunar Aurora.

I didn't dig Teitanblood's vibe. I'm not into the whole retro thing, and they definitely rely heavily on some retro aesthetics in their music.

And the rest I haven't heard.

 

[Cythraul]

Wow, I can't believe so many people like La Masquerade Infernale. It makes no sense to me whatsoever. That album is unlistenable.

 

[Srontgorrth]

@Goffdahl: Don't get a Glorior Belli album. They're really fucking awesome for like a week, and then it gets old. Same goes for that Melkor album, I think. Sounds like a better produced Graveland, but then again, why not just listen to Graveland?

I enjoyed Manifesting the Raging Beast enough to buy it, its stayed awesome imo.

 

[Bitencourt29]

I didn't like the Glorior Belli I listened to, which was the latest (Meet us at the Southern Sign).

The only Arcturus I actually know and own is Sideshow Symphony and it's quite forgettable.

 

[WCannibal]

Meet Us at the Southern Sign was a more experimental album, I think that might be why you didn't like it. I heard that the upcoming one is supposed to be even more experimental than MUATSS.

But I do admit that Glorior Belli isn't as awesome now as when I first heard them.

 

[Cythraul]

Just received Beherit's Drawing Down the Moon cd that Darkbliss sent me. Finally. It's always been one of my favorite bm albums and now I own a physical copy of it.

 

[MasterOLightning]

Trist - Willenskraft

I think I might be the only fan of this band here. Anyway, if you want to hear an album that is 50% waves crashing on the shore, and 50% hypnotic, minimal, chunky mid-paced riffing, then this is for you. The guy is a really good ambient composer, so I've enjoyed his works, especially Hin.

Geist is a German band I don't recall seeing mentioned here, but I'm enjoying Galeere quite a bit in the early going. Seems like a much better version of Endstille. They do a nice job of speeding up and slowing down riffs, a compositional tool that's puzzlingly underused.

Also finally got around to hearing the new Nokturnal Mortum. This album is ridiculously ambitious. Probably belongs on best of the decade lists. No other band comes to mind that suddenly became near-genius so late in their career.

 

[Goffdahl]

Geïst is no longer called Geïst. Now they are hailing as Eïs. I don't know why.

Galeere is a good album but nothing spectacular. I'm looking forward to seeing them live this summer, though.

I will definitely try Trist out. I am always on the lookout for something out of the ordinary.

And yeah, The Voice of Steel is an amazing album. Extremely catchy and though with very much lasting value. This albums just reeks of quality.

 

[WCannibal]

I think I might be the only fan of this band here. Anyway, if you want to hear an album that is 50% waves crashing on the shore, and 50% hypnotic, minimal, chunky mid-paced riffing, then this is for you. The guy is a really good ambient composer, so I've enjoyed his works, especially Hin.

Holy shit, this is actually a spot on description.

 

[~Derek~]

Fuck I can't stand most of the reviews on Metal Archives. People just go "IT IS AMAZING HE IS GOD" - that's hardly descriptive is it?

I like all of Arcturus's material up until around their last album. I like the stuff off of their next to last albums, I'll check on that in a little bit.

 

[MasterOLightning]

...