The BLACK METAL recommendations thread

[J.]

graveland is certainly a band where everyone has their own favorite. personally, i dont see the "classic" status for thousand swords, but i like the album.

for me, Fire of Awakening is the worst post Celtic Winter recording

 

[Zephyrus]

So, J., you seem to be Professor Graveland around here. Which album is their best?

 

[J.]

personal favorite: Following the Voice of Blood

The band has many greats. Celtic Winter is very good mystical black metal.

The period with TS, FtVoB, and Immortal Pride is probably the best.

With Creed of Iron (one of my favorites) the band got "better" productions and more grandiose, or epic (hate that word), if you will. Memory and Destiny got better with listens, Fire of Awakening got worse. Dawn of Iron Blades has 3 great tracks. Fire Chariot was his best since Creed of Iron.

To answer your question: It's a toss-up. But I'd say TS or FtVoB.

I have heard the complaint about the twangy guitars on FtVoB before. I guess it doesnt bother me.

 

[Hell Awaits Us All]

wait, how the fuck is this any different than the "black metal" thread?

 

[Slayed Necros]

I've never had any problems with Following the Voice of Blood; in fact, I fucking love it. Songs like 'White Hands' Power' and 'Thurisaz' are among the best Graveland songs ever recorded.

Thousand Swords is pretty much the Graveland album to get, and is indeed my favourite album of all time. Immortal Pride is ranked very, very closely behind, though the general length of the tracks is sometimes a bit too much.

The Celtic Winter is the best thing to come out of the demo period. 'The Return of Funeral Winds' is one of the best fucking songs ever.

Out of the modern "Viking" styled albums, I reckon Dawn of Iron Blades is the strongest. The latest is up there too. I also agree with J. that The Fire of Awakening is probably the worst out of the bunch(aside from the demos, In the Glare... included), but it's certainly not bad by any standards.

If it wasn't already obvious, Graveland are quite easily my favourite band.

 

[Zephyrus]

Wow, thanks for your detailed spiels on all the albums. I'll make good use of this advice.
I was already determined to begin my Graveland quest with Thousand Swords, and it looks like I will maintain my pursuit of that album.

 

[VonCreep]

Burzum, Immortal, Einhejar, Sun O)), Branikald, Forest, Hate Forest, Forest of Impaled, Mayhem, 1349, Ohtar

 

[~ED~]

can i have some folk BM recommendations, thanks :>

 

[Triton]

Windir

 

[Manic Ferocity]

can i have some folk BM recommendations, thanks :>

Falkenbach, early Satyricon, Graveland, Nokturnal Mortum, Drudkh, etc.

Those are the fairly obvious ones. I'll let some of the more knowledgable ones here handle the more obscure bands.

 

[~ED~]

i could do with a few more recs im familiar with the ones you've mentioned. i guess some not very known bands would be nice, thanks :>

 

[Mort Divine]

Belenos - Spicilege
Lifthrasireon - The Age of Lifthrasir
Landvaettir - Asgards brautum
Temnozor - Folkstorm Of The Azure Nights
Slavland - Szepty Starych Dêbów
Numen - Basoaren Semeak

While the folk influences don't bleed through all the time there are some nice folky parts that come through in this:

Marblebog - Forestheart

 

[Skepticism]

Although there are a lot of folk black recs on this page, I'm going to ask for some more. Though I don't want the go happy folk melodies. Something more like Thousand Swords, Belenos, well you get the point.

 

[J.]

Aeternus - Beyond the Wandering Moon
Borknagar - s/t
Ha Lela - Pabudimas
Helheim - Av Norron Aett and Jormundgand
Iuvenes - Riddle of Steel and Towards Sources of Honour and Pride
Mayhemic Truth - In Memoriam
Mordaehoth - Bloedwraak
Myrkgrav - Trollskau
Nachtfalke - Doomed to Die
Nydvind - Eternal Winter Domain
Odal - Wilde Kraft
Sigrblot - Blodsband

 

[Alasdhair]

Why has no-one heard of Ajatarra? The absoulutely kick-ass!

 

[~ED~]

thank you Mort Divine, J.

 

[MasterOLightning]

I actually prefer Fullmoon's United Aryan Evil demo to Thousand Swords. Sometimes I feel like Graveland just plays through the song, then repeats, doubling the length. The structures on Fullmoon also have their share of repeats, but in a less predictable way. The production and musicianship on UAE are in the same league as TS, but I find the production a bit better on UAE. The album was reissued last year. It comes in at around a half hour, but it's a worthy purchase.

 

[General Zaroff]

Anyone know of good US Black Metal bands?

 

[MasterOLightning]

Anyone know of good US Black Metal bands?

Some of my favorites include:
Leviathan
Xasthur
Nachtmystium
Twilight
Krieg
Inquisition
Velvet Cacoon

Also worth checking out:
N.I.L.
Weakling
Wolves in the Throne Room
Grand Belial's Key
Profanatica

 

[General Zaroff]

Some of my favorites include:
Leviathan
Xasthur
Nachtmystium
Twilight
Krieg
Inquisition
Velvet Cacoon

Also worth checking out:
N.I.L.
Weakling
Wolves in the Throne
Grand Belial's Key
Profanatica

I have heard of the first three, I'll check the rest.