Black Metal.

[Allfader]

Varathron’s last two albums are pretty good too.

They’re the best of those Greek black metal bands by a decent margin. Rotting Christ and Necromantia put out a couple good albums each then fell off pretty hard. Varathron survived Crowsreign and rebounded.

Absolutely.

They never fell into the abyss of mediocrity as Rotting Christ and Necromantia did, plus they have been releasing top notch stuff consistently since Stygian. Crowsreign wasn't even that bad, the production and some songwriting choices were awkward, but it still has great riffs and performances.

In terms of modern Hellenic black metal, Varathron is head and shoulders above the entire competence. Rotting Christ have been releasing Sanctus Diavolos too many times (Theogonia was basically SD II) to the point their albums are completely predictable and mediocre shit. They are not even trying anymore, even the lyrics are lame as hell.

This is one of the most "Hellenic" black metal songs ever.

 

[rms]

Nocternity is the best from Greece!!!! So good they took Malign's hearing !!

 

[CiG]

Macabre Omen and Zemial > Nocternity (imo)

 

[no country for old wainds]

i like nocternity the most out of those three but they're all cool. also a fan of wolfnacht, the shadow order, agatus, order of the ebon hand, stutthof, legion of doom, wampyrinacht etc

 

[Phylactery]

Do you like Harps of the Ancient Temple? I couldn’t get into it the same as Onyx.

 

[CiG]

Lately I find myself constantly coming back to Enthroned, especially Towards the Skullthrone of Satan and Armoured Bestial Hell. They're not the most original black metal band but the sheer intensity and annihilation is perfection. Reminds me of why I like certain Marduk albums so much too, that traditional black-bordering-on-war-metal intensity.





The crisp drums just fuck me.

 

[CiG]

New EP from Hulder, I think this might interest a few.

Youtube link and Bandcamp link.

 

[Manic Ferocity]

Macabre Omen > Nocternity > Zemial

Love all three though.

 

[Bruticus]

Guys, give me a black metal album to listen to for the week that's brilliant in song-writing. Not necessarily brutal, and it can be modern or traditional black, but that is top notch in song-writing.

 

[CiG]

Guys, give me a black metal album to listen to for the week that's brilliant in song-writing. Not necessarily brutal, and it can be modern or traditional black, but that is top notch in song-writing.

 

[no country for old wainds]

• song-writing

 

[Vegard Pompey]

Guys, give me a black metal album to listen to for the week that's brilliant in song-writing. Not necessarily brutal, and it can be modern or traditional black, but that is top notch in song-writing.

 

[Phylactery]

Guys, give me a black metal album to listen to for the week that's brilliant in song-writing. Not necessarily brutal, and it can be modern or traditional black, but that is top notch in song-writing.

Apparently they are playing this album in its entirety at Maryland Deathfest next year! Wtf, I’m so jealous of you Americans that get all these amazing shows.

 

[Allfader]

Guys, give me a black metal album to listen to for the week that's brilliant in song-writing. Not necessarily brutal, and it can be modern or traditional black, but that is top notch in song-writing.

Borknagar - The Olden Domain, Empiricism.
Dawn - Slaughtersun
Arckanum - Kostogher, Kampen, ÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞ
Code - Nouveau Gloaming, Resplendent Grotesque
Odium - The Sad Realm of the Stars
Emperor - ITNE, Anthems..
Burzum - Hvis lyset tar oss, Filosofem, Belus

 

[Bruticus]

Apparently they are playing this album in its entirety at Maryland Deathfest next year! Wtf, I’m so jealous of you Americans that get all these amazing shows.

Yeah, that is pretty good. There's some actual focus on the song-writing here, which is refreshing. They're one of those Swedish bands betw. melodeath and black metal lol those Swedes can't help but be melodic death metal. I quite like this, hope it grows on me. Thanks man.

 

[Bruticus]

Borknagar - The Olden Domain, Empiricism.
Dawn - Slaughtersun
Arckanum - Kostogher, Kampen, ÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞ
Code - Nouveau Gloaming, Resplendent Grotesque
Odium - The Sad Realm of the Stars
Emperor - ITNE, Anthems..
Burzum - Hvis lyset tar oss, Filosofem, Belus

I really tried getting into Bork yeaaaaars ago, I liked the idea of folkloric Norw black metal with a good clean singer... and the music is pretty good but I dunno. Tried again here. I guess too proggy/trendy.

Emperor were the first black metal band I actually liked. I'm a fan of the Prometheus album. This one is good too. Will lsn to it for the week. Ihsahn has to be the best song-writer out of Norw metal I know.

Burzum - I could never get into. Although he's crazy, Varg says a lot of interesting things.... but I could never understand the infatuation for his music. It sounds like depressive nordic rock n roll to me. Granted, with a certain sense of melody. I realize Burzum's importance for the black metal genre, but as far as willingly lsng to interesting music that fulfills, not my thing.

Will lsn to the rest later and get back to you.

 

[Bruticus]

Would just like to say a few words on this album. It was a very nice contribution from you, I haven't been excited to jam a record in some time and Sacramentum - Far Away From the Sun does that for me.
My main problem is that starting the second song (first track is beautiful) after a genuinely beautiful moment, the song will immediately become bland in the next 2min. The filler music is pleasant, but not acceptable in quality. It's vaguely romantic composition, tremolo-picked riffs on the minor scale with blasts on a loop. Over and over. So, on occasion beautiful moments, but too much formulaic/generic shit, although the sound of the album globally is epic and pleasant.

 

[Allfader]

I really tried getting into Bork yeaaaaars ago, I liked the idea of folkloric Norw black metal with a good clean singer... and the music is pretty good but I dunno. Tried again here. I guess too proggy/trendy.

Emperor were the first black metal band I actually liked. I'm a fan of the Prometheus album. This one is good too. Will lsn to it for the week. Ihsahn has to be the best song-writer out of Norw metal I know.

Burzum - I could never get into. Although he's crazy, Varg says a lot of interesting things.... but I could never understand the infatuation for his music. It sounds like depressive nordic rock n roll to me. Granted, with a certain sense of melody. I realize Burzum's importance for the black metal genre, but as far as willingly lsng to interesting music that fulfills, not my thing.

Will lsn to the rest later and get back to you.

If you like Prometheus, then Borknagar's more progressive albums should be your ally, especially Empiricism, which is their most ambitious in songwriting. The performances are stellar, especially the drums and bass - seriously, some of the best combo in ANY black metal album. Give it a shot.

Burzum is a band that you enjoy better under a certain mood. I would strongly recommend you to listen Hvis lyset tar oss in a quiet place. Such immersive and monumental album. Belus is an album that might do the trick as well.

 

[Bruticus]

If you like Prometheus, then Borknagar's more progressive albums should be your ally, especially Empiricism, which is their most ambitious in songwriting. The performances are stellar, especially the drums and bass - seriously, some of the best combo in ANY black metal album. Give it a shot.

Burzum is a band that you enjoy better under a certain mood. I would strongly recommend you to listen Hvis lyset tar oss in a quiet place. Such immersive and monumental album. Belus is an album that might do the trick as well.

Well not so much for me man. There's a thin line between "good music prog", and "good prog music". The first is just good music regardless of whether you're a fan of the genre, the second is for fans of the genre only and gathers all the components that satisfy the fans, and with patented 'prog' bands there's always an element of going too far into the musicianship and forgetting about song-writing. The music is demonstrative, not necessarily very genuine-sounding. Emperor manage to avoid that, a lot of the time, by contributing genuine crushing riffs or brilliant melodies.

You see, I've been lsng to Empiricism the past 10min and sure there's an effort with the composition but it's just prog for the sake of prog. What I hear is odd melody lines and chord progressions, soaring vocals, alternating betw. clean and distorted... it's music meant to impress. Musicianship on full display. I'm not into that.

 

[Bruticus]

Burzum I might be too old now, maybe if I'd tried harder some years ago perhaps that deep sorrow element would've meant sth back then. Prob too minimalistic anyways for my natural taste.

The english band Code wasn't bad. But for industrialish/polished production modern black, I'd rather just play some B.A.Nord.