Black Metal.

Don't know how no one's mentioned Emperor yet. Check out their first two. And +1 to Pure Holocaust, though you may find later Immortal easier to get into. Pure Holocaust is their best though by far.

Speaking of Darkthrone though, they're one band that's never really clicked with me except for some riffs. Stuff like the opening riff and riff at 0:52 in this one are as good as it gets to me but I can't get into the rest of the song or a lot of their material. A lot of it just sounds kind of generic TBH to me. Is there some band/album out there where I can get 40 minutes of said riffs? Pest comes close with some of their stuff but again, it's hit or miss to me.

 
Does anyone have any recs for a Black Metal noob with a background in Progressive, Doom, Death Metal? I've already checked out some of the real classic stuff like Bathory, Burzum, Mayhem, and Darkthrone, with the fromer three being more enjoyable. Also, I enjoyed the atmosphere and music of Death- Pierce Me by Silencer, despite the comical vocals. Anything kinda like that worth checking out?

In addition to what you've already listened to, these are the other acts that have reached the pinnacle of the genre:

Deathspell Omega: merges black metal and tech death... like knives slashing across the face of reality. Recommended records: Paracletus, Fas, Kenose and Mass Grave Aesthetics



Emperor: Complex, symphonic black metal with elements of prog. Recommended records: Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk, Prometheus, In the Nightside Eclipse



Velvet Cacoon: deep, droning ambient black metal that communicates a total disembodiment. Similar aesthtic to Transilvanian Hunger, but with a far deeper and denser tone. Recommended record: Genevieve



Mutiilation: Super raw black metal that dwells in absolute nihilism. Recommended records: Remains of a Ruined, Cursed, and Dead Soul, Vampires of Black Imperial Blood



Dissection: Merges melodic death metal and black metal to create a sophisticated expression of vulgar power. Recommended records: Storm of the Lights Bane, The Somberlain



Enslaved: Heavy doses of prog are blended into epic viking black metal. Recommended records: Vikingligr Veldi, Below the Lights



Immortal: Combines speed and power with sophisticated riff craft to create an absolutely consuming atmosphere. Recommended Record: Pure Holocaust



Other high recommendations:

Agalloch- The Mantle, Pale Folklore, Marrow of the Spirit (this is black metal mixed with doom, post and folk)
Nargaroth- Herbstleyd
Impaled Nazarene- Urga-Karma
Ohtar- When I Cut the Throat, Petrified Breath of Hope
Gontyna Kry- Welowie
Graveland- Following the Voice of Blood, Capatharian Wolves, Immortal Pride, Celtic Winter
 
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i'll just chuck out a handful you may like:
ved buens ende - written in waters
hail - inheritance of evilness
bethlehem - dark metal/dictius te necare (some silencer vibes)
aeternus - beyond the wandering moon

out of interest, which darkthrone did you check out? pretty much all their classic albums are quite different from one another.
Very cool stuff! Aeturnus and Bethlehem are exactly what I was hoping for. Ved Buens Ende and Hail were also good, but there was something to the atmosphere and the way the former two bands broke up the albums with less aggressive elements. I love aggressive music, but sometimes I need a bit of a break from it in the course of an album's length.
 
This should be interesting. Prepare for a monsoon of recommendations.

Here's some personal favourites of mine.





(Won't link anything from Immortal Pride by the same band as the songs are very long, but I recommend that album too.)

And a more recent band that I often sacrifice beers to.


Definitely dig Graveland. I'm not sure about Immortal though. I wanted a full-album listening experience and I wasn't sure where to start. Which Immortal albums would you recommend?
 
Very cool stuff! Aeturnus and Bethlehem are exactly what I was hoping for. Ved Buens Ende and Hail were also good, but there was something to the atmosphere and the way the former two bands broke up the albums with less aggressive elements. I love aggressive music, but sometimes I need a bit of a break from it in the course of an album's length.

cool, man! the second aeternus album is very good too FYI.
 
I've grown to really like Diabloical Fullmoon Mysticism lately, but I consider Pure Holocaust to be pretty much light years ahead of anything else they've done.

Also I'll throw in probably my all time favourite black metal record for you to listen to:

Sacramentum - Far Away from the Sun
 
I haven't listened to Lunar Aurora as much as I probably should. From what I have heard I remember liking:

Of Stargates and Bloodstained Celestial Spheres
Andacht


Any other suggestions of what to check out from this band?
 
Lunar Aurora's Andacht is so frigging good. It's dense, atmospheric, claustrophobic and melodic. I now get why peeps regard it as LAs best.

I've given that a bum a million listens, and I see what people love about it, but its really only the final track I find exceptional. The rest is solid, but not elite.

I've grown to really like Diabloical Fullmoon Mysticism lately, but I consider Pure Holocaust to be pretty much light years ahead of anything else they've done.

Agreed. There are a number of good Immortal albums, but only that is truly great.
 
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I haven't listened to Lunar Aurora as much as I probably should. From what I have heard I remember liking:

Of Stargates and Bloodstained Celestial Spheres
Andacht


Any other suggestions of what to check out from this band?

Ars Moriendi and Elixir of Sorrow are pretty great. You can't go wrong with most of their albums.

Hoagascht is probably their weakest effort. I don't care for all of the electronic stuff happening on it. It was a weird album to put out after Andacht if you ask me. It's still not terrible.
 
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