Trying To Break Into Black Metal, But...

[Draehl]

Lately I've been trying to get into Black Metal as I very much like the aesthetics of it all and of course it's yet another genre to expand my listening to.

Currently I'm enjoying what I would assume is on the fringes of the genre in a sort of Black + Ambient/Folk mix. Agalloch, Ulver, Negura Bunget, and a couple others. And then of course there's the more mainstream sounding Melodic Black metal In Dimmu Borgir & Illnath. I realize some of these may be "Black Metal-lite" for those BM fanatics among you, but please bear with me.

It would seem in comparing these bands with some of the more highly praised BM acts that the defining difference I'm taking notice of is the overall production style. It seems to have a very gritty, treble-y, almost low-bitrate quality to it, namely in the guitar distortion. Is this a more fundamental aspect of the genre, or am I simply running into a lot of bands with these production values? To be quite honest much of what I've heard *literally* gives me a headache, yet some of the heaviest Death Metal bands don't even phase me even after hours of listening.

So is this lo-fi production style a fundamental tenet of the genre that I'll simply have to get over (much like how Opeth helped me get over death growls several years ago) or am I simply looking into the wrong acts? Might you suggest a bridge between the "Agallochs" I currently enjoy towards to the "Darkthrones" of the core of the genre?

Much appreciated.

 

[challenge_everything]

The more you listen to BM, the less the raw production will bother you. Having said that, there's just as many well produced (and over-produced) albums out there.

If you're after some recs, there's another forum for that, so this thread might get moved. But here's a few to start you off:

Folk-ish BM:
Belenos: Spicilege
Drudkh: Autumn Aurora
Windir: 1184
Summoning: Dol Goldur

For less raw BM from the 'classic' years, Emperor and Enslaved are probably a good place to start.

 

[Dak]

Windir - Likferd
Borknagar - Quintessence
Absu - s/t

 

[BeliUmberto]

Burzum - Filosofem :l if anything, this album will help.

 

[unknown]

look into Farsot, Fen, The Morningside and Primordial

 

[Einherjar86]

There are lots of black metal bands that have a more crushing, bass-heavy guitar sound. Check out Keep of Kalessin, Vesania, Nachtmystium, Luna Ad Noctum, and Covenant (now known as The Kovenant).

For bands that have the folk element (the "Agalloch-Darkthrone" bridge):
Ulver
In the Woods...
Nokturnal Mortum
Rivendell
Shambless
Sig:Ar:Tyr
Skyforger

I also second Windir, Borknagar, and Summoning.

 

[Jimmy... Dead.]

Immortal - Sons of Northern Darkness

This album help me break into black metal.

 

[The Ozzman]

Arckanum

 

[no country for old wainds]

burzum's 'hvis lyset tar oss' was my entry point - i couldn't get into darkthrone or mayhem at the time, but that album really blew me away esp. the opener of course.

 

[Uthark]

Burzum - Filosofem :l if anything, this album will help.

Was going to suggest this as well, the first "raw" Black Metal I could get into.

 

[mutantllama]

My intro band besides Demon Burger was Darkthrone. A Blaze in the Northern Sky was like nothing I've heard before, and I really liked it. Still one of my favorite albums.

 

[Xorv]

SKIP THE TRANSITIONS, GET INTO THE HEART OF TRUE BLACK METAL.

The Ruins of Beverast - Rain upon the Impure

 

[General Zaroff]

Mgla has pretty decent production imo.

 

[Belligerent]

Keep of Kalessin

Definitely. Armada or Kolossus will do

a few good starter albums would be
Immortal - SOTND
Drudkh - Blood in Our Wells
Nachtmystium - Assasins
Vreid - Milorg
ill also recommend Moonsorrow

edited to make DOmni happy

 

[Omni]

Hey, I'll just go ahead and recommend Agalloch and Dimmu Borgir to the guy who talked about liking Agalloch and Dimmu Borgir in the original post. That's pure genius deduction on my part. The fact that they have basically nothing to do with the type of music that he was asking for is also totally irrelevant because of how on point my recommendation skills are.



...but seriously:

Burzum - Hvis lyset tar oss
Mayhem - De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
Aeternus - Beyond the Wandering Moon
Arckanum - Fran Marder
Sacramentum - Far Away from the Sun
Abigor - Nachthymnen (From the Twilight Kingdom)
Throne of Ahaz - Nifelheim

I don't think that any of these would be really hard to get into, and they'll hopefully afford you an easy entry into enjoying a good amount of black metal.

 

[Pyro Stick]

Currently I'm enjoying what I would assume is on the fringes of the genre in a sort of Black + Ambient/Folk mix. Agalloch, Ulver, Negura Bunget, and a couple others. And then of course there's the more mainstream sounding Melodic Black metal In Dimmu Borgir & Illnath. I realize some of these may be "Black Metal-lite" for those BM fanatics among you, but please bear with me.

Dimmu Borgir and Illnath are Symphonic Black Metal, not "Black Metal-Lite". I used Symphonic Black Metal and Melodic Black Metal to get into the genre. You might enjoy Equilibrium if you like folk mixed with black metal.

It would seem in comparing these bands with some of the more highly praised BM acts that the defining difference I'm taking notice of is the overall production style. It seems to have a very gritty, treble-y, almost low-bitrate quality to it, namely in the guitar distortion. Is this a more fundamental aspect of the genre, or am I simply running into a lot of bands with these production values? To be quite honest much of what I've heard *literally* gives me a headache, yet some of the heaviest Death Metal bands don't even phase me even after hours of listening.

Some bands choose to have high production values, other choose low. Ulvers nattens madrigal for example is extrememly raw but they choose to record it that way, eventhough they could of given it higher production values, although i think it sounds much better with its raw sound.

So is this lo-fi production style a fundamental tenet of the genre that I'll simply have to get over (much like how Opeth helped me get over death growls several years ago) or am I simply looking into the wrong acts? Might you suggest a bridge between the "Agallochs" I currently enjoy towards to the "Darkthrones" of the core of the genre?

Like ive said before, some bands choose low production over high. Some bands might not have enough money to afford top quality production so its just something you are going to have to deal with. But there are loads and loads of bands that have high production values in the genre if you are having problems with the raw sound of some black metal bands, eventhough for some thats what black metal is all about. It took me quite a long time to appreciate the rawness of albums like Nattens Madrigal after listening to so much Dimmu Borgir. The Ulver tribute album is a bit less raw if that will help you get over the low production of the album.

 

[(((0)))]

Actually, all of Darkthrone's later albums would be a good gateway into black metal. Sardonic Wrath being the best of the bunch and the most recent two being god awful.

 

[no country for old wainds]

Aeternus - Beyond the Wandering Moon
Sacramentum - Far Away from the Sun

I don't think that any of these would be really hard to get into, and they'll hopefully afford you an easy entry into enjoying a good amount of black metal.

i find that a lot of seasoned black metallers can't even get into those. but maybe coming at them from the other side it's easier, i dunno. both are amazing anyway.

'...and so the night became' is a more accessible aeternus album and also essential listening, but it's not as black metal.

 

[pepper666]

not sure if right style but Ifound:

Aborym

Dissection (first 2 albums)

Immortal

Watain

Mayhem

pretty easy to get into as the quality of recodings aren;t that bad and the music is pretty cool.

I have a major dislike for Burzum on many many many fronts and will never give a cent of my money to him.

 

[Omni]

i find that a lot of seasoned black metallers can't even get into those.

I found both of them to be pretty accessible albums, although I heard them both well into my black metal listening experience. I think that the Sacramentum album has a really open production and the type of intricate melodies that will catch just about anyone with an interest in extreme metal almost immediately, and the Aeternus album isn't really raw at all and has a great balance of aggression and the type of earthy sound also explored by some of the other bands that he is already interested in.

Then again, maybe these are just my opinions.