Black Metal.

[DarkBliss]

Will do. Romances and Carriers of Dust moved to the top of my to hear list

 

[VittraEternity]

listen to Mirrorthrone. Carriers of Dust was one of the best BM releases of 2006

I haven't listened to that cd for quite a while, but it certainly is an interesting and unique album. Though I haven't really been into symphonic-ish black metal much lately.

As for Belenos, I like them too but I thought the new album while being excellent, was a bit polished. I think it would have benefited had it had a more raw production and edge to it as on previous albums.

There were tons of great BM albums in 2006 but in my opinion these are the best ones for sure.

Anti - The Insignificance of Life (Germany)
Sombre Chemin - Notre Héritage Ancestral (France)
Peste Noire - La Sanie des Siècles - Panégyrique... (France)
Epheles - Souviens-Toi (France)
Stielas Storhett - Vandrer... (Russia)

Antaeus - Blood Libels (France)
Negurã Bunget - Om (Romania)
Sarkom - Aggravation of Mind (Norway)
...many more

 

[MasterOLightning]

On a note about Heidi (Ihriel) I am dying to get my hands on some Star Of Ash. I've not yet heard it, but from what I hear of her in Peccatum, she sounds very very interesting.

Star of Ash is better than Peccatum, imo. It's a surprisingly versatile release. She actually has a lot of talent, and it seems that she really did contribute a lot to Peccatum. I initially thought the album would just be a vehicle for her singing, but the vocals take a backseat to her compositions. Ihsahn does some guest guitar work, and Garm does one vocal track. I'm really hoping there's another one now that Peccatum is done. If you really liked Lost In Reverie, I'm sure you'll like the Star of Ash album. 8.75/10

Too bad that Lost in Reverie was heavier than The Adversary. There were some good riffs of LiR.

 

[unknown]

Star of Ash is great

 

[cookiecutter]

Shame about that, I find them to be exactly what I seek in terms of black metal. They evoke utter disgust and darkness through contemporary riffage, but without any heavy tribute-paying. The guitarist has another band, Bestial Incarnation, who are rawer and more brutal.

I liked this song, except for the few times the vocalist does that wierd yell/shriek thing. It's pretty raw and has some feeling which I like. Where are they from? (Sorry if I missed you saying it earlier)

 

[Hubster]

Star of Ash is better than Peccatum, imo. It's a surprisingly versatile release. She actually has a lot of talent, and it seems that she really did contribute a lot to Peccatum. I initially thought the album would just be a vehicle for her singing, but the vocals take a backseat to her compositions. Ihsahn does some guest guitar work, and Garm does one vocal track. I'm really hoping there's another one now that Peccatum is done. If you really liked Lost In Reverie, I'm sure you'll like the Star of Ash album. 8.75/10

Too bad that Lost in Reverie was heavier than The Adversary. There were some good riffs of LiR.

Heidi is working on a new album... the Star of Ash site is updated.

 

[Alteredmindeath]

Ihsahn helps writes most of the music.

 

[BloodSword]

I have come to realize that BM is the Metal genre I like best. For me, it's the emotional connection. BM has a great deal of depth to it. There seems to be some sort of a romantic strain going through it. This is music that makes me "think" in the musicalilty and lyrical sense. Unlike other forms of Metal that are just fucking mindless.

 

[~Derek~]

I love black and death equally, it'd be hard to decide which I like best despite me being a death metal vocalist.

 

[Zephyrus]

I love black and death equally, it'd be hard to decide which I like best despite me being a death metal vocalist.

black black black black black

 

[~Derek~]

black black black black black

Why black?

 

[Hubster]

Despite it's outward "immaturity" as some would like to pigeonhole it as, a deeper sift into Black Metal reveals some well educated and extremely articulated musicians.

Black Metal to me utilises far more intelligence and research for its topics, albeit, a colder kind of approach to music than other subtypes of metal.

Why do I love it so much?

It addresses many spiritual, religious and sometimes political issues. It is a art for statement, a serious voice for serious topics. It is not about fun, or fucking cool riffs, it is about vocal interpretation of thought and aural interpretation of thought. In a world where free speech is becoming more suppressed every day, I'm finding Black Metal to be one of the few vehicles for honesty left. It continues to stick the middle finger up at this increasingly shackled society we live in.

I even find it's pretentious nature justified because it helps to retain the philosophical and idealogical core of the movement. Yes, it does have a somewhat strict sense of guidelines, but I don't think these restrict it's ability to expand into more experimental territories, be they musical, religious or philosophical.

Now, perhaps I may sound overly pretentious, but I can't put it any other way. Black Metal is music for the intelligent metal enthusiast. It is something which correlates to ones own personal beliefs, it is not for all.

Consider how many people laugh at Black Metal's characteristics: to me, it is because they belong to the mass herd, they are unable to conceive a high political/religious/spiritual awareness. That is their loss. The same may be correlated to older, more serious types of music such as religious mass.

Black Metal, like religious mass and older forms of "strict" music succeed powerfully in their objective because of their primary positive trait: devotion.

 

[Thasis]

Just thinking, since Ebay is realy making it a lot more difficult to buy/sell black metal, why doesn't somebody just create a Black Metal Ebay of sorts. A buy and sell used thing, similiar to the formatting of ebay, except all metal related stuff. I think it could realy thrive.

 

[Teh Grimace]

i'd say the reason "tr00" BM doesn't ever seem to have progressed is not a reflection of the style's limitations but that the original bands were operating on such a high artistic standard that none, or very very few, of the newer bands have been able to come up with new ideas and innovations that can clear the bar. "oh, lets do teh blastbeats faster and then we can have LIEK PURPLE KORPSPAYNTZ!! arggh gryyymm..." just isn't gonna cut it when stacked up next to Hvis Lyset Tar Oss.

the immitators' innability to improve on the originator's work = stagnation & self-parody...

fukk off teh nowadays BM...

 

[Hubster]

^ Social and environmental pressures, or adverse situations can create advances. It is because of this aspect that Black Metal was the way it was in the early 90s:

For e.g. in WWII, or large scale war in general, it boosts economies and advances technologies (this is not to say war is good, I think it's fucked).

But the same principle applies to Black Metal: the scenario in the early 90's with Burzum, Emperor, Enslaved, Darkthrone, etc... the arsons were occurring. For the first time in Western modern history, there was a genuine backlash against secularism, and this is why the music produced at that time is so genuine to it's philosophy, because that very philosophy was actually being practiced. The arsons and various murders are proof of this.

Of course now, we have an adverse increase of secularism and political correctness ruling our society in ways only George Orwell could have imagined. How easy is it going to be create an anti-expression in that environment?

 

[Crimson Velvet]

I think much of the problem lies in the FACT that most of the immitators don't understand the masters' works, and the onse that do, doesn't share their artistic abilities. You see this quite clearly, when newer artists cites Immortal's "battles in the North" and Gorgoroth's "Twilight of the Idols" as their favourite albums. Something has obviously gone over their heads.

So yeah... "fukk off teh nowadays BM..."

 

[Wires & Waves]

i think for the originators blackmetal was an appropriate vehicle for expression of certain creative ideas. later bands decide to make blackmetal despite not having any ideas for which blackmetal is appropriate for expressing. thus the music comes off as spiritless worship of previous bands! O_O

 

[Hubster]

I think much of the problem lies in the FACT that most of the immitators don't understand the masters' works, and the onse that do, doesn't share their artistic abilities. You see this quite clearly, when newer artists cites Immortal's "battles in the North" and Gorgoroth's "Twilight of the Idols" as their favourite albums. Something has obviously gone over their heads.

So yeah... "fukk off teh nowadays BM..."

i think for the originators blackmetal was an appropriate vehicle for expression of certain creative ideas. later bands decide to make blackmetal despite not having any ideas for which blackmetal is appropriate for expressing. thus the music comes off as spiritless worship of previous bands! O_O

Yes I think agree on both of these points to an extent.

For the more serious bands like Drudkh and Deathspell Omega, they have grasped the philosophical, ideological aspects into their expression the way their predecessors did, and thus, with those of us who are Black Metal enthusiasts, the purity and honesty of their resulting expressions rings true in their works.

However, other bands like Negură Bunget and Darkestrah (and to a lesser extent Taake) have chosen (imo) a completely new path of ethnic and spiritual expression, and use Black Metal as their foundation for expression.

The whitewash of spikeclad and corpsepainted bands out there playing the same music is a testament to their failure in not being able to correctly interpret the earlier waves of Black Metal on a ideological level.

Unfortunately, it is these bands who have brainwashed the new generation of metal fans into thinking that Black Metal is a weak expression. On the flipside though, it has ironically kept the true Black Metal artist safely underground, free to express their visions to those who have the intelligence to seek it.

 

[Skepticism]

I find Death metal cannot capture the cold, grim atmosphere that Black metal can. The atmosphere does it for me, and uhh, I do enjoy forests, winter and such.

 

[~Derek~]

I find Death metal cannot capture the cold, grim atmosphere that Black metal can. The atmosphere does it for me, and uhh, I do enjoy forests, winter and such.

Maybe someone should make death metal with black metal production. To a lot of people death metal is all killing and gore and it turns them off but themes in death metal are found in black metal as well. Could it be the production in traditional black metal that has you liking the atmosphere?