- Nov 19, 2006
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Taken from http://www.examiner.com/x-10303-Austin-Metal-Music-Examiner~y2010m8d3-The-10-most-expensive-black-metal-albums
1) Darkthrone - Transilvanian Hunger, Peaceville Records. Market value: $250-$575. You'd think A Blaze in the Northern Sky would be the most expensive Darkthrone LP, but it isn't. For many fans, this album is the the band's defining moment in terms of sound, atmosphere, and presentation. The cover alone launched an aesthetic revolution that has since been driven into the ground by imitators. Still, for the price of a one-way plane ticket this classic platter could be yours!
2) Deathspell Omega - Infernal Battles, Northern Heritage. Market value: $325-$575. Speaking of imitators. Before Deathspell Omega became the ambitious but misappropriated black metal go-to of white-belted record store geeks, they were essentially a Darkthrone tribute band. Their version of it was solid, but not necessarily monumental. This doesn't stop this album from starting at a higher selling point than the album that inspired them. In this case it might be a question of availability, since Darkthrone was on a larger label with higher print runs.
3) Katharsis - 666, Sombre Records. Market value: $300-$375. This is probably one of the most significant black metal entries out of Germany. While the price is nothing to sneeze at, it's readily attainable for a serious collector. The only problem is that this album has been heavily bootlegged, and while supposedly only 200 copies of this exist, it seems clear that Sombre released more and didn't bother to tell anyone. We'll never know for sure as label boss Marcus Spaller has since passed away. Approach with caution, but put this one on your wish list anyway. It's a near classic!
4) Enslaved - Hordane's Land, Candlelight Records. Market value: $300-$620. A lot of people almost forget about this little gem, as it was subsequently packaged as a split with Emperor's hugely popular self-titled EP. On its own, Hordane's Land sells for significantly more because it was harder to come by as a separate piece. Along with Vikingligr Veldi, this is the best of Enslaved's work. Also, note that this was re-released on Candlelight's Back on Black imprint about a year ago, but it was an inferior edition. Don't let missing the fine print lead to an expensive mistake!
5) Satyricon - Dark Medieval Times, Moonfog Productions. Market value: $500-$900. There was a time when Satyr Wongraven did not care about fame, money, or North America. Moonfog was famously insular in its early days and did little business outside Scandinavia (and getting an English-speaker on the horn was impossible). Recent Satyricon releases are easy to find on clearance, but around 1995 it was cause for celebration to snag a copy of this LP. These days you just have to pay a lot of money and then claim you always had it.
6) Burzum - Aske, Deathlike Silence Productions. Market value: $700-$1125. As a rule, most everything that came out on Deathlike Silence is valuable, since Mayhem founder Euronymous ran the label and it collapsed when he was murdered by Varg Vikernes of Burzum. What a twist! Aske consistently leads the pack in terms of confounding prices, as low print runs make it hard to find. Plus, that burnt church on the cover is one that Vikernes himself notoriously torched, so the mystique factor here is understandably huge.
7) Mutiilation - Vampires of Black Imperial Blood, EAL Records. Market value: $700-$1,200. Holy hell, this record is expensive! Just about every release from France's End All Life Records was from a cult black metal band, and all the pressings were limited. Only 100 copies of Mutiilation's debut exist, so many a spike-clad scenester has cashed in his 401K to get a hold of his one. This band plays very rudimentary black metal so while it has a certain charm, this piece is more about I have it and you don't more than anything else. Other releases from this band also go for insane prices, but this one is still the bank-breaker.
8) Moonblood Taste Our German Steel!, EAL Records. Market value: $500-$1,200. And taste your empty bank account if you want a copy of this record! This is yet another black metal album that doesn't offer much in the way of production value (just look at the badly scanned D&D art used for the cover), but still its inherent cult appeal still drives fans into poverty. Moonblood's other releases command similar prices, particularly their Blut und Krieg album, which usually goes for the comparatively low price of $400.
9) Bathory Self-titled yellow goat edition, Black Mark Records. Market value: $750-$1,500. This LP is widely considered one of the most collectible black metal LPs in the underground, and thus is it one of the most expensive. This isn't helped by the fact that nobody can agree on how many copies officially exist. Apparently band leader Quorthon didn't like the yellow goat look and destroyed most of them. The subsequent editions featured a black and white cover, but the color edition is assumed to be somewhere between 300 and 1000. Most sources say 1000, but you'll see the only 200 exist!!! tag on most eBay auctions, so the answer is likely somewhere in between. Of all the albums to sell for over a grand, this is one probably the most historically important.
10) Mayhem Deathcrush, Posercorpse Records. Market value: $1,000-$2,500. Wow. Oof. Gaaah. Here you have it, folks metalheads are insane! Actually, even most die-hard fans balk at the idea of buying a record with a pink cover and demo-grade songs for the price of a used car. What cannot be denied, however, is that this album has acquired a mythology that overshadows its uneven presentation, and plenty of people are willing to pay through the nose to own the genuine article. Keep in mind that more compelling Mayhem artifacts are available for a quarter of the price, so look elsewhere if you want more bang for your buck.
Do you own any of these?
Whats the highest price you ever had to pay for a metal album?
The highest price I ever gave for an album was around 100$ for Emperors "Wrath of the Tyrant"(original lp).
1) Darkthrone - Transilvanian Hunger, Peaceville Records. Market value: $250-$575. You'd think A Blaze in the Northern Sky would be the most expensive Darkthrone LP, but it isn't. For many fans, this album is the the band's defining moment in terms of sound, atmosphere, and presentation. The cover alone launched an aesthetic revolution that has since been driven into the ground by imitators. Still, for the price of a one-way plane ticket this classic platter could be yours!
2) Deathspell Omega - Infernal Battles, Northern Heritage. Market value: $325-$575. Speaking of imitators. Before Deathspell Omega became the ambitious but misappropriated black metal go-to of white-belted record store geeks, they were essentially a Darkthrone tribute band. Their version of it was solid, but not necessarily monumental. This doesn't stop this album from starting at a higher selling point than the album that inspired them. In this case it might be a question of availability, since Darkthrone was on a larger label with higher print runs.
3) Katharsis - 666, Sombre Records. Market value: $300-$375. This is probably one of the most significant black metal entries out of Germany. While the price is nothing to sneeze at, it's readily attainable for a serious collector. The only problem is that this album has been heavily bootlegged, and while supposedly only 200 copies of this exist, it seems clear that Sombre released more and didn't bother to tell anyone. We'll never know for sure as label boss Marcus Spaller has since passed away. Approach with caution, but put this one on your wish list anyway. It's a near classic!
4) Enslaved - Hordane's Land, Candlelight Records. Market value: $300-$620. A lot of people almost forget about this little gem, as it was subsequently packaged as a split with Emperor's hugely popular self-titled EP. On its own, Hordane's Land sells for significantly more because it was harder to come by as a separate piece. Along with Vikingligr Veldi, this is the best of Enslaved's work. Also, note that this was re-released on Candlelight's Back on Black imprint about a year ago, but it was an inferior edition. Don't let missing the fine print lead to an expensive mistake!
5) Satyricon - Dark Medieval Times, Moonfog Productions. Market value: $500-$900. There was a time when Satyr Wongraven did not care about fame, money, or North America. Moonfog was famously insular in its early days and did little business outside Scandinavia (and getting an English-speaker on the horn was impossible). Recent Satyricon releases are easy to find on clearance, but around 1995 it was cause for celebration to snag a copy of this LP. These days you just have to pay a lot of money and then claim you always had it.
6) Burzum - Aske, Deathlike Silence Productions. Market value: $700-$1125. As a rule, most everything that came out on Deathlike Silence is valuable, since Mayhem founder Euronymous ran the label and it collapsed when he was murdered by Varg Vikernes of Burzum. What a twist! Aske consistently leads the pack in terms of confounding prices, as low print runs make it hard to find. Plus, that burnt church on the cover is one that Vikernes himself notoriously torched, so the mystique factor here is understandably huge.
7) Mutiilation - Vampires of Black Imperial Blood, EAL Records. Market value: $700-$1,200. Holy hell, this record is expensive! Just about every release from France's End All Life Records was from a cult black metal band, and all the pressings were limited. Only 100 copies of Mutiilation's debut exist, so many a spike-clad scenester has cashed in his 401K to get a hold of his one. This band plays very rudimentary black metal so while it has a certain charm, this piece is more about I have it and you don't more than anything else. Other releases from this band also go for insane prices, but this one is still the bank-breaker.
8) Moonblood Taste Our German Steel!, EAL Records. Market value: $500-$1,200. And taste your empty bank account if you want a copy of this record! This is yet another black metal album that doesn't offer much in the way of production value (just look at the badly scanned D&D art used for the cover), but still its inherent cult appeal still drives fans into poverty. Moonblood's other releases command similar prices, particularly their Blut und Krieg album, which usually goes for the comparatively low price of $400.
9) Bathory Self-titled yellow goat edition, Black Mark Records. Market value: $750-$1,500. This LP is widely considered one of the most collectible black metal LPs in the underground, and thus is it one of the most expensive. This isn't helped by the fact that nobody can agree on how many copies officially exist. Apparently band leader Quorthon didn't like the yellow goat look and destroyed most of them. The subsequent editions featured a black and white cover, but the color edition is assumed to be somewhere between 300 and 1000. Most sources say 1000, but you'll see the only 200 exist!!! tag on most eBay auctions, so the answer is likely somewhere in between. Of all the albums to sell for over a grand, this is one probably the most historically important.
10) Mayhem Deathcrush, Posercorpse Records. Market value: $1,000-$2,500. Wow. Oof. Gaaah. Here you have it, folks metalheads are insane! Actually, even most die-hard fans balk at the idea of buying a record with a pink cover and demo-grade songs for the price of a used car. What cannot be denied, however, is that this album has acquired a mythology that overshadows its uneven presentation, and plenty of people are willing to pay through the nose to own the genuine article. Keep in mind that more compelling Mayhem artifacts are available for a quarter of the price, so look elsewhere if you want more bang for your buck.
Do you own any of these?
Whats the highest price you ever had to pay for a metal album?
The highest price I ever gave for an album was around 100$ for Emperors "Wrath of the Tyrant"(original lp).
@ $2,500 for a Mayhem record. fjafjopajgrhhah
