Black Metal.

This may have been asked on a previous page but what are everyone's thoughts on this year's Bethlehem record? I haven't listened yet but the reviews are quite strong.
I like it, but I think there are a couple of previous ones that I like more. I'd say this one is a little more aggressive rather than depressive.
 
Where do you guys go looking for new black metal? I don't like uber orthodox new stuff but Starbucks black metal can fuck off too. I've been looking around the internet but I'm having trouble.

Very few people here have a taste in black metal worth a fuck so that doesn't help either.
 
the best way is probably by following the labels of bands you already like (bandcamp can be helpful with that sometimes, and fb). otherwise, i fall back on anus and NWN. the former are a bunch of tossers, the latter jerk off over the nth solid war metal album too much, but plenty of them know their stuff in both cases. aside from that i just listen to certain people here or there who have good taste. good BM is really hard to find nowadays though i agree, the infestation of contrived weirdness and superficial genre splicing and conceptual gimmicks is one problem, the other is people worshipping too much generic clone stuff, much of which comes under the atmo-BM banner in my experience (it's a helpful sub-genre tag only in how it helps you avoid the crap). there's also the pseuds who worship anything that's super intense and discordant, which is fine if it's your bag but i tend to find that stuff pretty alienating.

some new BM i recommend:
panphage - drengskapr (BEST)
slavland - wiec
horns and hooves - consecrate the marrow
tarnkappe - winterwaker
morbus 666 - ignis divine imperium
cirith gorgor - visions of exalted lucifer
stilla - skuggflock

not sure who likes them around here but the new countess is cool in that typical countessy way, as well as the new sorcier des glaces, new baptism, new belenos (unusual, feels like it should be hipster-approved but i liked it), new antaeus (kinda), new black funeral (again surprisingly) and those various bands riffing on the greeks this year. those two involving moonblood members were cool although as i said before the new material isn't as good as the old stuff on them. i rather like that forteresse thing as well, but that's pretty popular in general.
 
Where do you guys go looking for new black metal? I don't like uber orthodox new stuff but Starbucks black metal can fuck off too. I've been looking around the internet but I'm having trouble.

Very few people here have a taste in black metal worth a fuck so that doesn't help either.

Mostly r/metal and a couple of YouTube channels. Year-end lists are starting to come out too. When an album pops onto a top 10 list of someone with previous good recs it's typically worth a shot.

I'd drop some recs for you but not sure if I have horrid taste by your measure.
 
Was so much easier when the Mortuus Insomnis blog was updated every few days with a couple of albums. Now it tends to be every 10 days or so there's a mega dump of 40 odd albums.

New Murg is on there. The preview track wasn't as great as several from the first album but I'm still expecting it to be a good listen.

 
Mostly r/metal and a couple of YouTube channels. Year-end lists are starting to come out too. When an album pops onto a top 10 list of someone with previous good recs it's typically worth a shot.

I'd drop some recs for you but not sure if I have horrid taste by your measure.

This, I particularly like the Atmospheric Black Metal Albums channel. This one:

https://www.youtube.com/user/AtmsphericBlackMetal

Also I look at particular record labels, Pest Productions out of China is particularly fantastic
 
Looks like Fen is going to release a new album in March. I love their debut but I only give the followups minimal attention. I'd post the teaser but it essentially consists of one drawn out note for like 40 seconds so fuck it.
 
Im sure this has been throughly discussed in the years of my absence, but is MGLA worth my time? As a little backdrop, I'm mainly into the classics (first wave - early second wave) and primitive sounding things (war metal etc.). I will take the time out to listen to some maximalist shtuff (Deathspell Omega)
 
Im sure this has been throughly discussed in the years of my absence, but is MGLA worth my time? As a little backdrop, I'm mainly into the classics (first wave - early second wave) and primitive sounding things (war metal etc.). I will take the time out to listen to some maximalist shtuff (Deathspell Omega)

It doesn't really fit into any of the four categories you mentioned, but it's worth a listen. With Hearts Toward None and Exercises in Futility are both strong albums; not masterpieces, but solidly enjoyable from start to finish.
 
It doesn't really fit into any of the four categories you mentioned, but it's worth a listen. With Hearts Toward None and Exercises in Futility are both strong albums; not masterpieces, but solidly enjoyable from start to finish.

Is their any notable touchstones for these guys or are they kind of a singularity? Not that it matters a whooole bunch. I'm just wondering for context mebbe