j/k with the other thread guys, this is the real black metal thread

Btw, Halmstad is fucking fantastic. Best Shining release yet.

i just listened to the album for the first time. iii - angst and iv - the eerie cold were much more captivating on a first listen. i was hooked onto those two right away. the new drummer is also not as good as hellhammer and it sometimes shows. i gotta give it more listens of course.

edit: besvikelsens dystra monotoni is a fantastic track. lol @ the 5th track just being humming on top of the moonlight sonata
 
Nattramn is a genius - totally mental, but still a genius.

His vocals are awesome, truly disturbing, and his solo work with Diagnose: Lebensgefahr is just quality through and through.
 
Fuck Dimmu. I'll say it again as I've said before, it is utter shit and NOT representative of Black Metal. It is about as Black Metal as Katatonia is now Doom-Death and completely lacks substance.

Overly strong symphonic and melodic aspects of music for the most part have no place in Black Metal, as it dumbs down the anti-Metal philosophies in Black Metal. Avoid Black-Death hybrids at all costs, they're simply an excuse for lack of discipline imo.

For the "first wave" Celtic Frost, Venom and Bathory are the obvious places to start off.

With the second wave, Burzum, Darkthrone, Det Hedenske Folk, Immortal, (early) Enslaved, Emperor, (early) Absurd, (early) Ulver (and to a lesser extent in terms of second wave, Ved Buens Ende but only because of the Eide influence).

Later and onto present day: Drudkh, Kataxu, (later) Absurd, Taake, MGLA, Deathspell Omega, Graveland, Hate Forest, Weakling, Leviathan (and to a lesser extent, Lurker of Chalice), Negura Bunget, Poccolus, Veil and the list goes on.

A newer and extremely effective subtype is Black Doom, of which Nortt (Denmark) is the absolute master, with other bands such as Elysian Blaze and Mourning Dawn following suit. Black Doom succeeds as it withholds the Black Metal ideals, unlike Black-Death which breaks them with catchy bullshit.

Closely tied to Black Doom is the US scene with Xasthur, Leviathan and Veil, exhibiting minimalist structures and high fuzz in the production, which is highly effective for mid to slower pace pieces.

In summary I have to say that Norsk Black Metal for the most part is dead. The future now lies in Eastern EU, Central Asia and the US (as much as I hate to credit the US with anything - no offence to Americans on this board).