The Top 10 Black Metal Albums of 2026 ... so far

This was set in motion three years ago when too many journalists tried to erroneously hail hot garbage as the best black metal album of the year. This compelled me to set things straight, as such a claim is disrespectful to the genre; therefore, I decided to uphold this mid-year tradition. Just sounding good from a production standpoint is not going to make the cut, since studio magic alone is not what black metal is about. Though I am not looking for something to sound like trash in the name of being cvlt either. I am also not paying homage to bands that are just press darlings for whatever social reason of the day might be. I want bands who are effective at creating darkness, so with that said, here are the top 10 Black Metal Albums of 2026 ...so far.

10-Darkthrone-"Pre-Historic Metal" 

It seems these guys are now transfixed on their Celtic Frost phase. They are still black metal if you are talking about how that genre was defined in the 80s. There is a rawer sound to this album than their previous one, but it does not hinder the head-banging, fist-pumping riffs. The vocals croaked with a Tom Warrior-like anguish, sitting back further into the guitars. Mercyful Fate's influence seeks to move them from their obsession with Celtic Frost, which makes for interesting listening. 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/05/heavy-maytal-darkthrone-pre-historic.html

 

9-Egregore- 'It Echoes in the Wild" 

This Canadian band gets it. They are bringing a blizzard of sound that is equally dark and heavy in its intensity when it hits your ears. The other strength Egregore finds on this album is that the vocals should not be an afterthought, no matter how they are delivered. They draw from more than just black metal, with thrash hooks in the guitar riffs and the aggression of death metal in the way it hits. It almsot sounds like an album from the early 90s in this regard, and the production helps solidify this aspect. It's not underproduced like an old Mayhem album, but it sounds more organic than most of the stuff coming out these days. It is atmospheric without any post anything

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/02/black-metal-history-month-egregore-it.html

 

8-Bringers of Death-"Sulphur"

Jeff Wilson of Chrome Waves has a blackened death metal project with the drummer from Acid Bath/Goatwhore, that is as ripping as you might expect, given Jeff's prior work in Nachtmystium and Wolvhammer. After the opening assault, things get into a more purposeful throb, and a darker mood is created that carries ample atmosphere.I like the mood it creates and appreciate the darkness invoked here, rather than just a bunch of blast beats beating you in the ears.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/04/bringers-of-death-sulphur.html

7-Bizarrekult-"Alt Somme Finnes"

This Norwegian band does not feel the need to preserve their heritage by sticking to the second wave blast beats, and instead uses a very dynamic perspective on songwriting. The emotional range of this album marries elements of Enslaved to Deafheaven.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/02/black-metal-history-month-bizarrekult.html

 

6-Mayhem-"Liturgy of Death"

Moving in a bigger and more symphonic direction for their new album, Norway's black metal icons Mayhem keep things dark even if it means crossing over into a marginally more accessible style that feels more like Dimmu Borgir in its epic scope. Hellhammer is behind the drum kit, so that brings a larger-than-life flurry of double bass. Obviously, Necrobutcher and Atilla are crafting these songs with guitarists who have been with them for well over a decade now. You might be surprised that this album is not ranked higher, but it takes fewer chances than the bands in the top 5. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/01/mayhem-liturgy-of-death.html

 

5-Unverkalt- ""Héréditaire"

Setting the stage with a deceptive sense of melody before blasting into you. The melodic vocals are perhaps more intersting, but they work a delicate balance of playing to both sides of the band's dynamic range. Depressive more than it's blackened, the sonic weight of their songwriting impresses right from the first song. Overall, this album is an impressive marriage of sound into well-balanced songs.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/03/unverkalt-hereditaire.html

 

4- Trelldom-"...by the Word..."

This project steps even further into a bleak sea of chaos and further from their black metal beginnings, which is fine. It's more dynamic than black metal tends to be, so much like Ulver, they outgrew the bounds of the sub-genre.Despite it not being as song-focused as the previous album, as I respect what they have created here and their willingness to explore new places

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/05/trelldom-by-word.html

3-Ellende-"Zerfall"

They are atmospheric, with stunning guitar work and a haze of melancholy, lending their waves of scathing picking an edge. The wrathful vocals are perhaps more scornful this time around. This willingness to experiment is one of the things that makes this one of their best releases so far. They have doubled down on their commitment to melody and great guitar playing.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/01/ellende-zerfall.html

2-Worm -"Necropalace"

This Florida-based band shifted into blackened doom, which earned their place here thanks to their dynamic songwriting that finds its more progressive moments of this album will appeal to Emperor fans. This is a creative high mark for the band, so if you are a fan or like progressive black metal with darkly epic tendencies, then this album is for you.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/01/black-metal-history-month-worm.html

1-Ponte Del Diavolo -"De Venom Natura"

This is not the heaviest or most cvlt black metal album on this list. It is, however, an album that thinks outside of the box and follows its own path while bringing a shade of darkness that is unique to what they are doing. There is not just blast metals and screaming, but a balanced range of dynamics that serve hooky songs worth repeat listens, which is what puts you atop the heap when it comes to this genre.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/01/ponte-del-diavolo-de-venom-natura.html

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Mayhem : "Liturgy of Death"

 

Moving in a bigger and more symphonic direction for their new album, Norway's black metal icons Mayhem keep things dark even if it means crossing over into a marginally more accessible style that feels more like Dimmu Borgir in its epic scope. Hellhammer is behind the drum kit, so that brings a larger-than-life flurry of double bass. Obviously, Necrobutcher and Atilla are crafting these songs with guitarists who have been with them for well over a decade now. Atilla is more confident in his voice though what he does is not as different as you might expect. The burst of operatic bellow is more controlled, and his groans are well layered against the screams. The second song finds them accelerating the momentum, but it is well guided with enough restraint to serve the song. 

"Weep For Nothing' chugs along with enough menace, but is not as melodically adorned as the first two songs. Atilla makes many pained declarations, as things sweep along, but it's more likea chaotic ride through a black metal-themed amusement park ride. Blast beats race off with 'Aeon's End" as many fans of the genre will be overjoyed by the more extreme passages of hyper aggression. "Funeral of Exsistence" employs the kind of cold, ringing chords that inspired bands like Dissection and Watain, before galloping to victory. It does accelerate in a more predictable black metal fashion, but it works well enough. Hellhammer's ability to turn a passage around on the next beat gives them the ability to shift seamlessly in complex arrangements, showing the benefit of a band being only as good as their drummer. 

For this to be Necrobutcher's band, the bass is buried in the mix until "Realm of Endless Misery". 'Propitious Death' finds them racing at you with a more Dimmu-like fury. There is a fucking awesome riff that kicks in a minute into things and rips your head off with very deliberate purpose and groove. The last song writhes and rages with the intensity you want from these guys, but does not hook you in like the previous song;  instead, you are plunged into a seething cauldron of sound. I will give this album a 9.5 and see how it grows on me. I think it is an expansion and refinement of the sound they are known for, with the only great risk being not more experimental or abrasive.It drops Febuary 6th on Century Media.  

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VLTIMAS : "Epic"

 

A super group of sorts that finds David Vincent fronting a band with the guitarist from Mayhem and the drummer from Crptopsy. Vincent's voice sounds pretty great, he has made some stylistic shifts so it is not just his trademark growl. Sometimes he now bellows with vibrato. It comes across more like singing than growling. When they pick up the speed on "Misere" that works as well without the more deliberate groove. There is an even more rapid-fire attack after this song, that has more of a Morbid Angel feel. His lyrics are articulated well. 

"Mephisto Manifesto" is an example of what it sounds like when this project is playing to their strengths. There is a slight hint of "Where the Slime Live" which makes sense as they should take influence from Vincent's work in Morbid Angel. It is more mid-paced so the song is allowed to groove in a way that the vocals flow with ease over. "Scorcher" is faster, but works in an almost Judas Priest-like manner. It also shows the strengths of the producers as they dialed everything in just right, despite the guitar behind less forward in the mix. 

"Invictus" works more often than it does not. "Nature's Fangs" offers a more death metal-like hammering. It is also allowed to ring out with melodic dissonance, as Vincent offers some of his death metal growls proving he can still do them he is just choosing this different vocal expression. The last song is the first one that strikes me as having a black metal vibe. I will give this album an 8.5, it finds a balance between their styles and makes it work. 

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Black Metal History Month-The Decade's Top 10 Black Metal Albums

Black Metal is not thought of as the "problematic" genre of metal. At one time it was the cool new thing hipsters were pretending to be into with no clue what the genre was about aside from Urban Legend, corpse paint, and blast beats. Over the past decade, I have covered at least 300 Black Metal albums. By decade we are taking into consideration that we are only two months into 2024, so we are counting from  2013 to 2023. Many of these albums were overlooked or underappreciated by the mainstream metal press when they were released. I implore you to give them a listen if you have not heard them and a second listen if you have as you will hear how well they have held up over the years. They are ranked per how much I have listened to them, a thanks goes to Last FM for keeping track of this for me, it makes life easier. 

10-Noctambulist -"Eiegieen" 2021

This band from the Netherlands caught me by surprise. They expand their horizons past just the scathing buzz of black metal you are first hit with here. They share some common ground with Deafheaven sonically but are considerably darker.  They are very concise songwriters without leaving too much room to simmer in their atmosphere. Their atmosphere contributes to the sparkling melodies that are layered in here. This creates a range of emotion beyond the screams of the vocals which are much nastier than Deafheaven's more monotone snarl. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2021/02/black-metal-history-month-noctambulist.html

9-Inquisition-"Bloodshed Across the Empyrean Altar beyond the Celestial Zenith " 2016

The band's strongest work to date, finds them growing out of their earlier sound into a more melodic darkness. This is not to say the album is not rooted in who they are, as the way Dagon lets the chords ring out with such eerie dissonance you know who this is before being plugged into the throttling descent. Drummer Incubus marks himself as one of the best in the genre on this album as he brings some sinister grooves and really lays into his high hat. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2016/08/inquisition-bloodshed-across-empyrean.html

8-Nachtmystium- "The World We Left Behind" 2014

The fate of the band was in limbo when this album was made, as Judd was going through some personal issues that led him to seek out recovery. So this album carried the emotional turmoil of that time in his life and marks a new chapter for both Judd and the band. They took elements of classic metal and blended it with the more psychedelic black metal sound they made their calling card, to weave impressive songs from that stand as a powerful testament to what a great band they were. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/08/nachtmystium-world-we-left-behind.html

7-Chrome Waves - "Where We Live " 2020

This album proves black metal does not have to be hung up on blast beats . Black metal can also have some melodic vocals thrown in here and there. It might get called black gaze this time around, but the intent is still pretty mean and hard-driving despite the sonic texturing that leans in that direction. It has a depressive sound, so pretty much everything I might want from Black Metal 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/09/chrome-waves-where-we-live.html

6-Satyricon- "Deep Calleth Upon Deep"  2017

These guys got mean again. This album grew on me as it throbs with darkness. It has a disdain more than anger to it. There is a groove and hints of melody. The drums are less produced than I expected. When I get into the winding riffs This album does have a rawer element than their previous work, with the guitar getting adventurous in its use of melody.  Great drumming provides the landslide for the corak of the vocals to ride triumphant upon. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/08/satyricon-deep-calleth-upon-deep.html

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5-Tombs - "the Grand Annihilation" 2017

Any questions regarding Tombs legitimacy as black metal is cleared the fuck up right from the first few notes. The guitar tone peels your face off and leaves a bloody stain on the wall behind you. If you thought the more post-punk elements were diluting the more metallic properties then make most mistakes this part of the album is up to you as metal as it gets. Then if your tastes fall more on the dark side as mine do then you have to hang on and you get that too.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/06/tombs-grand-annihilation.html

4-Kall- "s/t" 

Living former members of Lifelover returned to come at their legacy from a more post- black metal atmospheric direction while retaining every ounce of bleakness. Perhaps not as depressive as Lifelover, but that means the bar was very high. You get the message here without the dramatics of their former glory. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/12/kall-st.html

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3-Mayhem- "Esoteric Warfare" 2014

A band that needs no introduction as they are the un-godly fathers of the second wave of black metal. This lineup was helmed by   Necrobutcher, Hellhammer, and Attila board as well as the addition of newcomer Teloch from Nidingr on guitars. He has been playing with the band since 2011, but this is his first studio appearance. The latter helped keep the band's sound intact, as he had been playing their earlier material so knew how to blend it into the new stuff. They do not try to bank on former glory but take things in a new direction. It's important that Mayhem released this album rather than revisiting classic ground they have already tread,

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/05/mayhemesoteric-warfare.html

2- Atriarch- "An Unending Pathway" 

The band's first album for Relapse Records did not find their sound dramatically altered. The biggest shift between this album and "Ritual of Passing",  is they are delving much further into the whole death-rock vibe. It's not your typical death rock where it's punk rock with a little Halloween to it, but an actual worship of death. This is black metal that just flew out of the Bat Cave. sounds like the guys in Atriarch are also not opposed to the post-Rozz Williams years of Christian death, as there is a similar serpentine slither writhing. This is a good case for darkness being just as heavy as metal. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/10/atriarch-unending-pathway.html

1-Watain- "The Wild Hunt" 

"the Lawless Darkness" is a perfect album, thus making them dig deep to write a follow-up to it. Rather than replicating what they did on that album Erik took chances and went in a darker more melodic direction that includes a dusky power ballad of sorts and a gothic haze over the less pounding moments. It is an album I returned to for the most repeat listens and endured the decade with

\ https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2013/08/watain-wild-hunt.html

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RUIM : "Black Royal Spiritism – I – O Sino da Igreja "

 

Former Mayhem guitarist Blasphemer or Rune Eriksen created the project in 2020 with Aggressor drummer Cesar Vesvre, they tend to bathe in atmosphere in a more ritualistic manner than Mayhem. The opening track "Blood. Sacrifice. Enthronement" shows a willingness to linger in the shadows rather than just go for the throat with a barrage of blast beats the entire time. Inspired by his studies in Brazilian witchcraft, the album  lets itself simmer in the unknown. Why a Norwegian is drawn to Brazilian witch craft rather than something of a more Northern European current is an interesting paradox to ponder when it comes to this album. It also makes sense when you use that as a metaphor as to where these arrangements are going , like when four minutes into the song everything breaks down to the minimal strum of guitar. There is something unnerving about how it is done , but that is part of the point to this. 

I think hard core Mayhem fans will still find plenty to appreciate in regard to the direction this album heads. The harsher vocals work like the raspy whisper of a witch calling out from the woods. When it comes to fully immersing in the more occult musings this album explores, I just focus on the music.. As a student of the occult myself , I appreciate the enthusiasm of student  that inspires a musician to fell the need to carry forth in their art. Energy wise it is not of the same current I pursue but I appreciate the zeal with which he has set this in motion with. The second song broods further into the darkness, even when the more aggressive elements come crashing in. The writhing pulse of the riff before things speed up was making me happy, so I am sad to hear that replaced with blast beats, which could very well be the blast beats from any other black metal band. This also sounds more like Mayhem, which if I were him is something he should distance himself from. The drumming is the most impressive element. 

The sinister ambiance they create to haunt these songs with might be the most inspired element of the music ,as at the core of their sound is your typical black metal rage. If you are a fan of by the numbers black metal then that will satisfy you, though the fact you listen to black metal means that unless you really are just a kid into punk that is trying to get into metal you probably don't think your favorite band plays it safe, so this might seem really left of center to you. It's all about perspective. The song does have some manic ebb and flow. Once again bringing us back to the fact that it's the sinister ambiance that is the best part of that equation. 

The title track brings the clang of even more eerie guitar chords ringing out. The build is slower on this song , allowing for the storm to build. When it seems like the drums are going to be allowed to wreck havoc they ebb things down, which is what this album needs more of , the unexpected. When it does build into a blazing fast tension of tremolo picking at least there has been something to give it more contrast. They do not always use that kind of restraint as heard on the more feral explosion that is "Evig Dissonans" . It blast by with reckless abandon, doing little to separate itself out from the pack. Half way into the song the sonic lashing of the blast beats is hard to endure., The little singing offered is mixed way back. The chug to "Fall of Seraphs' reminds you there is a more effective sort of way to go about this. The vocals retain more depravity in their exclamations. This makes up for some of the more traditional thrashing coming from the guitars. 

"AO Rio" is more of an interlude than a song as it just drones on the same atmosphere the entire time without going anywhere. While I like the sounds assembled I need it to have more dynamics, so for the purpose of this review I am not counting it as a song. The last song is more of what you would expect from black metal. It blasts along with the thrashing fury from which the genre was spawned from. I will give this album an 8, if you are a huge Mayhem fan then obviously check this out, it is what you want from black metal,. this album is being released on Peaceville. 

Mayhem : "Atavistic Black Disorder / Kommando"

The first three songs on this album are leftovers from their last album . The first of these is pretty effective and finds the band going back to something more closely related to their earlier black metal days than the bulk of what was on that album. In some ways the same could almost be said for " Black Glass Communion". I am not sure why these songs were left off the chopping block for the last album as they might even be better than what I remember of it. The riffs are a little catchier in places.  The drumming is outstanding. In some ways these songs are a little more straight forward in their aggressive intentions , though far from being blasty mc nasty, almost closer to what Behemoth does riff wise. Charles or Ghul wrote the second song which might explain some of this. 

There is a similar chilling throb on "Everlasting Dying Flame' that remains true to what this band does .Attila continues his signature croon and shifts around into different creepy voices, while not as extreme as say King Diamond in the versatile nature of what he does it is better than his peers who stick to a more straight forward scream. The drumming is very frantic , but the song is not as memorable as the first two as it drones on the riffs a little too much. The drumming does try to switch it up. Granted this is Hellhammer we are talking about who at 51 continues to prove himself as one of metal's best drummers.   Then come the punk covers. They start off with Discharge's " In Defense of Our Future", which as far a punk goes , is one of the better bands, but compared to what they normally do this is still dumbing it down.     

"Hellnation "is well done and he nails the vocals. The only problem I have with this is lyrically it kind of conflicts with the normally bleak message that Mayhem normally carries ,because the tone is do something to save them world rather than ...fuck you you deserve death and destruction . Tonally the Rudimentary Peni song aligns more with the nihilistic perspective, though musically is a step backwards though they are just working with what was written, Asa song I think this is where the Ramones prove themselves as the better songwriter when it comes to their punk peers as it is the highlight . "Commando" is lyrically neutral. I will give this a 9 as it works well lyrics aside when stacked against their other work . Not an album I am really going to listen to a great deal , but works for what it is. 

Black Metal History Month -The Top 66 Black Metal Bands of All Time -16 to 7

We are going further into this darkness with this list of the Top 66 Black Metal Bands of All Time. Before you get your bullet belt twisted with what is about to go down here. I am not writing commentary with each entry, instead I will cryptically foreshadow the reasoning for where these bands fall. I typically defaulted to Last Fm so this is ranked by most listened to by me. Since it is my blog it only makes sense I can think I am a huge fan of one band but if I never listen to them how good can they really be? There are bands that are supposed classics , and well they did make the list and this is the top 66 black metal bands out of hundreds. If they did not rank as high as you liked well go make your own fucking list or start your own fucking blog. 

 There will not be much in the way of Raw or Beastial black metal, because they tend so sound like shit . There are many sub-genres represented here, Atmospheric, progressive , first wave , depressive, post ...so lots of ground is going to be covered. I have also included the country so we will have a clearer picture of who is exporting the best black metal. The tracks chosen are not the best , but the 6th track from my favorite album unless my favorite album does not have six songs and then I am picking the album before that one, if that one doesn't have six songs then I keep going back until I find one that does. So here ya go

16 -Enslaved

Country -Norway

 

15- Weakling

Country- America

   

14-Immortal

Country - Norway

 

13-Tombs

 

Country- America

 

12-Burzum

Country - Norway

11-Agalloch 

Country - America

 

10- Mayhem

Country - Norway

   

9-Totalselfhatred  

Country- Finland

   

 8- Shining 

Country - Sweden 

 

 7-Nachtmystium 

 Country- America

 

the Top 10 Black Metal Albums of the Decade

At first it seemed knocking this list out would be the easiest sub-genre to knock out and give me the momentum to dig back into this. This turned out not to be the case since the decade began before this blog was started .I could not just rely on sorting through previous reviews. After 2010 really marked the year that black metal crossed over into the consciousness of  the main stream metal crowd. It was also when many of the  the elder artists had already began to  grow from the confines of black metal into more punk or symphonic forms depending on who it was.

This means two things. The first being this might not be the list of who the most cvlt artists were that adhered to the hard and fast definition of black metal that many of them had already helped create. Not that your typical blast beat ridden black metal is the kind I give much air time to begin with after all I have already felt the Transylvanian hunger, I have the album why do I need a recycled version of that.  The second thing being sine this is not something I can just thumb back through reviews for , I am just embedding video clips to support the reasoning for these albums to be listed as such, since I already did a best of the year list for each sub-genre. Any ways her are the top 10 black metal albums of the decade.



10- Inquisition- "Obscure Verses for the Multiverse" 2013  







9-Tombs-"the Gran Annihilation" 2017





8-Liturgy- "Aesthethica"








7-Mayhem-"Esoteric Warfare"








6-Darkthrone - "Circle the Wagons"2010









5 Totalselfhatred- "Apocalypse in Your Heart" 2011








4- Dimmu Borgir- "Abrahadabra"- 2010













3- Burzum -"Fallen" 2011





 





2-Agalloch - "Marrow of the Spirit" 2010





 



1- Watain- "Lawless Darkness" 2010

Mayhem : "Daemon"

This album doesn't fuck around . They go right into the blasting. It's still ark and broken up with fiendish gurgled snarls of Attila. The two members around for the drama the band is noted for is the bassist Necrobutcher and drummer Hellhammer. Hellhammer is one of the best drummers in metal;,. so he is the driving force behind the album. The second song is more interesting than the first. There is more thrash to the riffing thanks to the guitarists who came from Cradle of Filth and 1349. You can hear traces of both bands. "Bad Blood" is sadly not a cover of the Taylor Swift song. It is a fair depiction of what they do as  band. Enough blasting to show they mean it, yet melodic enough to keep my interest.

There is a more seething level of creepiness going into "Malum". Any way you slice it Mayhem is black metal. They do fall back on their past and tend to try to recreate "Death Crush" in a few places. Lyrically the emphasis seems to be back on black magic.  They are not just clocking in a retreading their sound, but they are not taking wild chances either. It's different enough to satisfy.When they linger in the dark and restrain themselves from pouring on the blasting the results are best. Wiht Hellhammer on the throne they can do whatever they want and it is going to be done better than the bands who aspire to be the next Mayhem. You can hear how even a band like Watain who many accuse of just picking up where Dissection left off has even drawn substantial influence from this band. The more predictable moments are still done with a great deal of heart.

One of the albums best moments is where they slow down and get darker and creepier for "Daemon Spawn". They speed back up with "Of Worms and Ruin". He uses his more croaked vocal. There is a dark dissonance to "Invoke the Oath" that I like, but as a whole I would say this album plays it safe and stays well within the bounds of conventional black metal, while retaining their thumb print.   I am not going to say this is there best album. It is a suitable Mayhem album that meets though perhaps not exceeds expectations. I will give this album an 8.5, better than the bulk of their peers , but not one of the years best black metal albums. Perhaps it will grow on me.

Black Metal History Month- Film Review : " Lords of Chaos"

Ok this is not a history debate, I think movies like "Until the Light Takes Us" touch on the reality and eve in bi-opics Hollywood is more concerned with entertainment value than it is showing just the facts.If you want to debate the tone of the movies I only want to hear your opinion if you were like me a teenager in Norway when this went down. As I think what I liked the most about this movie was how it took me back to my teenage years. I did not like the fact it mainly used American actors who did not even attempt a Norse accent. At least the show "Vikings" goes that far. I think this was the movie's biggest failing as the church burnings and shunning of mainstream culture were not about satanism but a rejection of Western culture. Something is commonly lost on American audiences and film makers as well, though unlike the recent Oscar winning Queen Bi-opic, none of the musicians involved wanted anything to do with this so that leaves the book this is based on.

  If you are a fan of black metal and worried that this movie might expose black metal to mainstream culture, well you are a little late to the party on that, but you have nothing to fear. Black metal is the window dressing. The focus is on Euronymous played by Culkin. Culkin does a decent job, is a little whiny and in the end I found myself rooting for Varg to put him down. So the movie accomplished that if that is what it set out to do. The casting of Varg and his general depiction was not the greatest. I think the director was not on either Team Varg or Team Euronymous so that helped to show sides that some viewers might not have considered. When everything came to a head I think the point was proven that Euronymous was a sell out bitch who used everything from the church burnings to Dead's death to try to look evil when he was just a poseur.

I think aside from Dead,  some of the focus on people other than Euronymous and Varg was not as balanced as it could have been . Key players like Faust and Blackthorn, did their respective deeds , but neither had the kind of emotional resonance they could have if given the chance to establish more of a relationship with Euronymous. So this played into the previously made point that you end up rooting for Varg as he stood for not selling and going on tour, making music and burning churches as that what his conviction not to be sensationalist. I think they did touch on the fact at the end both men served as mirror images for the things they despised at some point in themselves, but Varg became black metal and Euronymous became the things black metal was supposed to be against.  Sky Ferreira was pretty hot as a 90s heavy metal chick, but her character really did not serve a purpose aside from being the obligatory love interest. The amount of sex in the movie was surprising as black metal at this point in time was not one of the more sexual metal sub-genres and those elements began to creep in over time as influence from other genres snuck in.

So was the moving entertaining? yes. I would recommend it to fans of black metal because how many movies about metal are there ? much less black metal.  Some of the references were so heavy handed that at times they seemed forced, and the feel of suburban life in Norway could have been better portrayed though I think they did a good job with the feel of Helvete...I bought a Mercyful Fate picture disc there, so unless you were there you don't get a say in it. Anyways It was fun I will give it another watch and see if it strikes me as better or worse either way. It felt like 'the River's Edge" to me at times, which is a good thing as that was one of my favorite movies as a teenager. So nostalgia runs deeper than corpse paint.

Black Metal History Month - the Top 10 Black Metal Front Men

Scowling misanthropes are not known for there charisma. This makes someone who is a true front man in a black metal band  a rarity. They do exist and are what gives most of their bands an edge over the other more faceless black metal acts.Yes it says front men and you might want to ask why do they have to be men ? You ask. They did not have to be these are just how it went down and even if you were going to include someone like Myrkur on a list. These guys just have a darker and more in your face that sells them where she becomes more introspective.So here are the top 10 black metal front men, they are ranked by the passion they invest in the music more than their pipes.

10 - KK Warslut

 From Destroyer 666, he brings to the table and almost Blackie Lawless vibe , but much more confrontational, which is what black metal should be.


 

 9-Nattefrost 

 The lead growler for Carpathian Forest has a rock n roll sensibility to him. Not the most mobile, he comes across as meaning every word.


 

8--Shagrath

The vocalist for Dimmu Borgir, is no stranger to theatrics. He does work the stage well and shows up well dressed.

 


7-Ravn 

 The snarl of the 1349 frontman is conveyed with a tangible intensity. He commands the stage and seems to have a great deal of conviction .

 

6-Alan Averill 

 The driving force of Primordial. More of an actual singer than the previous entries. His presence also places him ahead of most.

 


5- Louis Falgoust

 Goatwhore's lead growler really throws himself into every performance and is one of the key components that makes the band better live than in the studio.




4- Erik Danielsson

 What gives Watain an edge is how serious they are about what they do and while p/r companies are quick to call shows rituals , in the case of Watain they actually are and Erik is committed to being as priest in this regard.
 

3-Attila

 Watain was obviously influenced by Mayhem on many levels. Attila is very serious about what he does and has made it an artform. Over the years the theatrical elements have gotten more elaborate.

 


2-Niklas Kvarforth

 While he is not as tortured as he once was , the Shining singer is almost the Iggy Pop of black metal. He is both introspective and confrontational onstage.

 


1-Ghaal 

 Words like intensity and conviction are important when it comes to black metal as it is as much an idealogy as it is music , so it's hard to be more of an iconoclast in this regard than Ghaal.

 

Black Metal History Month -the Top 50 Black Metal Albums of All Time 10 to 1

Everyone loves top 10 lists so here we are in the top 10 of the top 50 Black Metal Albums of All Time. Most of these are ranked in accordance to how much I have listened to them, sometimes this has been altered if say one band influenced another then they would typically have to be ranked higher. Though black metal may be hard and fast, there are not hard and fast rules in how these are ranked, sometimes I had to make tough calls, but that is why I get paid the big bucks , to be the gatekeeper of black at least in this little corner of the inner webs, there is the chance you do not see your favorite album on this list, if that is the case I suggest killing yourself. It is the most black metal option.

  10-Burzum- "Belus"

Varg needed the 11 year break to bring new sense of sonic depth. It has more of a throb than his earlier work. Still very black metal it sheds the bulk of the blast beats. This is an album I can leave on and let play all afternoon. Yes, another from the 2010 club.

9 Mayhem - "Deathcrush"

This one was tough, this 1987 ep was the first recording from what become the Norwegian black metal scene. If I was doing more than one album by each artist I would have liked an Atilla album on here , since I think he is a better vocalist than the spastic Dead, but it is what it is and wanted to get this done rather than torture myself in this debate.

8- Gorgoroth - "Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam "


 This is their 7th album which was released in 2006, so they had shit dialed in and this is the sound of a band at the top of their game. I like all of their stuff but really need Gaahl to be fronting the band for it to feel like Gorgoroth to me. I think this album captures both excellent songwriting and the fiery anger that embodies black metal.


 

7-Dimmu Borgir- "In Sorte Diaboli"



 Production Value stepped up while this could fight with the other ICS Vortex albums for the top spot in their discography, I think these songs hook you in more. This in many ways feels like an angrier album than they have had since "Stormblast". Hell Hammer's drumming is the shit on this and it would also be in the top 50 metal albums of all time not just the top 50 black metal albums , though I guess that could be said about all the albums in the top ten.



 

6-Agalloch-"Ashes Against the Grain" 


The post-rock elements begin to edge out their older folk influence on this, but the songs are their best. Sonically powerful with all the metal punches in the right places. The mix of clean vocals to harsh vocals is the right balance.Pretty much you name it and they got it right on their 2006 album. 

5-Watain "Lawless Darkness"

 Sure by this point these guys were still carrying a major torch for Dissection. However some a song writing perspective these tight anthems are so well written this fact almost becomes a mute point. Of all their albums I have gotten heavier play time out of this one that really found them coming into their own as song writers thus allowing on further releases their overall sound to expand from there. Yet another member of the 2010 club. 

4-Dissection-"Storm of the Lights Bane" 


 This 1995 album was way ahead of it's time. Sure bands like Mayhem were already doing their thing in Norway. But Jon and the boys took the classic metal / thrash sound and amped it up into these mean anthems to primordial darkness and black dragons swallowing the universe.Jon would later go on to prove how seriously passionate he was about his beliefs as a further reminder that they were never playing around and you can hear that in these songs.

3-Darkthrone- "the Cult is Alive "

 While the earlier blast beaten albums are great, I enjoyed hearing this band's evolution. They go down a rawer punk road for this album and at the end of the day the songs benefited from it as they hold a more rock n roll structure rather than just being interchangeable drones. Another 2006 album which is looking to  be another big year for black metal. 

2-Emperor- "Anthems to the Welkin At Dusk"



 A beautiful album that is as well recorded , performed and orchestrated as any Iron Maiden album. These guys are a helluva lot angrier and darker than Maiden owing more to King Diamond in the romantic cinematic mood this album carries. They prove black metal can be played by musicians with chops that hold up against any other bands.

1- Mercyful Fate- "Don't Break the Oath"


 The first real satanist I became aware of as a kid.I think this is important as the conviction in ones beliefs is what sometimes drives an artist to a more isolationist. This creates the spirit of black metal.  King Diamond shaped black metal in more ways than his corpse paint and there will be few black metal bands who won't claim his profound impact on the genre and those who do are too young to know what they hell they are talking about. This came out in 1984, so if you want to hear what black metal sounded like in 1984 this is the answer.This might also be in the 1 spot for greatest metal albums of all time as it stands next to 'Number of the Beast" and "Reign in Blood".