Black Metal History Month - In Aeternum : "Of Death and Fire"

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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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the Top 10 Black Metal Albums of 2022

 

In today's world we need the hateful nature of black metal more than ever. Here is the best of the current crop. As with years past I sort through the genre lists before making the overall top ten of the year list. I know many of you are ready for 2022 to be over with. Hate to break it to you but nothing is getting better next year. The very fact these bands made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album, there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, you look forward to listening to it again. You can bitch and complain about your favorite band not being on the list. I listen to five new albums a day so yes, I heard your favorite album and was not impressed. No, I do not care what you think about it. I do hope you can find your next favorite on this list and have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out audio on these guys. Anyways here are the top 10 Black Metal albums of 2022

10-Abhor- "Sex , Sex, Sex" 

The 8th album by this Italian black metal band, finds them in a similar place that captures a horror movie feel and pays homage to occult b-movies of the 70s and 80s.Their sound touches on a Mercyful Fate like place that also invokes a similar spirit to Acid Witch. The writing is very deliberate, and mood perfectly captured. The bulk of the blast beats are far and few between though they do show up from time to time

Abysmal Hymns: Abhor :"Sex Sex Sex"

 

 

9-Pamzerfaust-" The Suns of Perdition, Chapter III: The Astral Drain" 

If these guys are always as dark and sonically sinister as are on their 6th album, then I have been missing out. The lack of blast beats is inspiring and while the dense sound has a great deal in common with sludge, this still feels very much like black metal. While I like all the creepy elements of their sound that they have in play, The throaty roar of the vocals could also be applied to so sludge or death metal band as there is less of a scream to them than what you expect from death metal. This album captures one of the year's best evil auras. 

Abysmal Hymns: Panzerfaust :" The Suns of Perdition, Chapter III: The Astral Drain"

 

8-Freja - "Tides" 

This duo from the Netherlands is very interesting in their approach to atmospheric black metal. The have little in common with Deafheaven. Myrkur might be a better comparison at time with the female vocals are layered around the otherwise epic pounding that is burlier than anything the black gaze bands would do though they do weave in some cool melodic ambiance in the midst of their charge ahead. It made for one of the more interesting journeys into the darkness. 

Abysmal Hymns: Freja : "Tides"

 7-Deathspell Omega- "the Long Defeat" 

The French Black metal project's 8th full length. The bar is always high for these guys as they continue to make music that challenges both themselves and the listener. This album is both their most accessible work and some of the densest darkest atmosphere they have dug into in some time. The vocals are varied from a proclamation to croaks and gurgles. The bass tone is their sickest yet. They drape everything in dissonance. Not a depressive black metal band, but they touch on a similar gut-wrenching vibe

Abysmal Hymns: Deathspell Omega : "the Long Defeat"

6-Blut Aus Nord- "Disharmonium -Undreamable Abysses" 

Heading back into their darker heavier roots this French Black Metal projects returns to their sinful ways of summoning ancient evils by opening portals of sound for nameless horrors to slither from. Ripe with Lovecraft references, at times they are as close to a straightforward black metal as we have gotten from these guys in sometime, with that said we have to consider who is making this music and how in the past decade they have gotten further and further from convention. 

Abysmal Hymns: Blut Aus Nord : "Disharmonium - Undreamable Abysses"

 

5-Sigh- "Shiki"

Heavier and less progressive than their past few albums, they also offer up more blast beats in the first two songs than I have heard from these guys in the past decade. Not that they are back to being a black metal band, they dip into other styles of metal as well to create some of the most accessible grooves and head banging riffage t I have heard from these guys with dumbed down with less of the manic jerking into other styles, crossing a broad range of musical colors, but it is done in a more flowing organic fashion. It is the undercurrent of anger that earned their place back to this list. 

Abysmal Hymns: Sigh : "Shiki"

 

4-White Ward -" False Light" 

The third album from Ukrainian black metal band, starts off with a more typical aggression that might come to mind when you think of black metal. I was a huge fan of their 2019 album "Love Exchange Failure" in how it blended jazz with the genre. They continue to perfect what they embarked upon there, creating something that transcends the genre, while still being true to black metal's mood.

Abysmal Hymns: White Ward : "False Light"

  3-Watain-"the Agony and Ecstasy of Watain" 

Their 7th full length finds Watain continuing to show how they change and yet stay the same with each album. The production is crisp and big without losing what makes them sound like themselves. In fact, if you stripped away a lot of the symphonic tones from Dimmu Borgir's earlier work comparisons can be drawn sonically. They have often been accused of sounding like Dissection and I think those comparisons are long gone here. If you are a fan like I am then this is what you want from them. 

Abysmal Hymns: Black Metal History Month- Watain : "the Agony and Ecstasy of Watain"

  2-Darkthrone- "Astral Fortress" 

Watain put out an album that was what I expected from them, Darkthrone put out an album I did not expect from them and that is how they earned the number two spot. On their 19th album it's good to hear these guys get back in the direction of black metal. If they had pumped out another tribute to Celtic Frost or a Venom sounding punk album, I would have been less surprised. This more blackened offering is not them trying to recreate what they did in the 90s, but a darker turn from where they were already heading.  

Abysmal Hymns: Darkthrone : "Astral Fortress"

1-Black Anvil - "Regenesis" 

This was tough. At the end of the day New York's blackened trio charged out of the gates with a great deal of power, but the scope of what they do and how finely keened their songwriting is this time around is what earned them the number one spot over bands that I might be a bigger fan of. So, it speaks very loudly that repeated listens to this album were able to sway me away from fine albums by bands I am more connected to. These guys were always ok in my book, and I enjoyed what they did, but this time they have taken it to the next level when it comes to the epic scope of the black metal they have created here 

Abysmal Hymns: Black Anvil : "Regenesis"

the Top 10 Metal Albums of 2022 ... so far

This year has half slipped away from us. More comprehensive of what has been released than you might expect, considering that I am already getting promos for August releases in my in-box. There is a fair cross-section of genres represented as we have doom, industrial, thrash, prog, death metal, and black metal, with that said my three big sub-genres doom, black metal and death metal, each have two entries apiece. Still no word on a solid release date for the new King Diamond, so that gives all of these albums a solid shot for the number one spot at the end of the year, depending on how they grow on me.  I make the overall top ten for the year and at this rate December will be here before we know it. What makes them the best is how much I actually listen to them. I guess we will see how these albums hold up over the course of the year.  I am posting links to the reviews if you want to check these albums out.

10-Gwar - the New Dark Ages" 

If you thought in 2022 this band would be out of ways to push the envelope you would be wrong. In fact, I imagine more audiences will be offended and they did this while making a really great album that is full of weird twists in directions away from what you expect from these guys while delivering the goods when it comes to what you want from a Gwar album,

Abysmal Hymns: Gwar : " The New Dark Ages "

 

9-Voivod-"Synchro Anarchy" 

Their 15th album finds the Canadian prog metal god fathers continuing on the path they began with "Target Earth" back in 2013. The riffs winding around varied forms of palm muted tension on a dynamic journey to the center of a cyborg mind. They are true to the sound they began crafting in 1984, though it has shed all the early punk grit. There is more groove than thrashing.

Abysmal Hymns: Voivod : " Synchro Anarchy"

8 - Famyne-"II: The Ground Below" 

hear echoes of Candlemass in lead singer Tom Vane's delivery, they have carved their own dark doomy place out with the impressive sonics here. The grungy touches that reach out from the 90s coloring these songs.

 

7-Temple of Void - "Summoning the Slayer" 

Their 2020 album "the World That Was" landed in my top 5 death metal albums of the year. They have continued to evolve their songwriting past even that point.  Maturation can be felt in how they take both their doom influence and their death metal influence and rather than worry about creating a sound, write great songs.

Abysmal Hymns: Temple of the Void : " Summoning the Slayer"

 

 

6-Decapitated -"Cancer Culture" 

The Polish band's 8th album finds them blending enough groove to balance out the more technical elements of what they do. This is the top contender for best album title of the year. Not the most brutal when it comes to death metal, there is a fair amount of melody buried in the guitar with the drumming the most technical aspect of their sound. Considering the dude has been playing since he was 12 that makes sense. Not breaking new ground but continuing to perfect what they do.

Abysmal Hymns: Death is June - Decapitated : " Cancer Culture"

5-Author & Punisher - "KRÜLLER"

Having long championed this project so was looking forward to this album.  There is a dark hazy multi layered sonic wall of synths that reminds me of Type O Negative. The smoother croon of vocals from Shore adds to this comparison.. The more experimental touches that detract from the song writing are balance out by the songs where he really goes above and beyond by striving to push himself as a singer and a song writer rather than just being the guy who makes music with machines

Abysmal Hymns: Author & Punisher : "KRÜLLER"

4-Puppy- "Pure Evil"

 Of all the albums on this list this one sits on the fence to being hard rock, if by hard rock we are talking about grunged out alternative from the 90s. That said it is more metal than old Smashing Pumpkins and often rivalling Soundgarden's heaviest moments.

Abysmal Hymns: Puppy- " Pure Evil"

 

3-Messa-"Close"  

The opening track feels like a very logical progression in the next step of the band's songwriting, there are new tricks up their sleeve as forays into jazz and progressive rock color the dismal blues inflected exploration of their shadowy souls. They continue to knock it out of the park. 

Abysmal Hymns: Messa : "Close"

2- White Ward -"False Light"

The third album from Ukrainian black metal band, starts off with a more typical aggression that might come to mind when you think of black metal. I was a huge fan of their 2019 album "Love Exchange Failure" in how it blended jazz with the genre. Midway into the first song they get into that. Rather than it being two colors they switch back and forth the best moments are where the two are blended, it's black metal being tasteful, which is just weird to type. 

Abysmal Hymns: White Ward : "False Light"

  1-Watain - 'the Agony and Ecstasy of Watain"

With their 7th full length Watain continues to show how they change and yet stay the same with each album. The production is crisp and big without losing what makes them sound like themselves. This album shows the band willing to grow while being true to who they are. Not sure how they hell a black metal band is going to put out a better album this year,

Abysmal Hymns: Black Metal History Month- Watain : "the Agony and Ecstasy of Watain"

Black Metal History Month- Watain : "the Agony and Ecstasy of Watain"

 Glad it worked out that I got to review one of my all-time favorite Black Metal bands for Black Metal History Month. They might be my favorite tough call between these guys and Emperor.    Now with their 7th full length Watain continues to show how they change and yet stay the same with each album. The first song is a color by numbers ripper from these guys, the production is crisp and big without losing what makes them sound like themselves. In fact, if you stripped away a lot of the symphonic tones from Dimmu Borgir's earlier work comparisons can be drawn sonically. "Howling" has some catchy riffing that makes this more apparent.  There is some dark and tasty guitar work on "Serimosa". 

'Black Cunt" is not what I thought it would be like. With that title I assumed it would be a blasty punk thing, but instead there are goth moments. The blasting fury does not occur until "Leper's Grace".  This one I can see these guys playing live as they tend to focus more on the fast in your face ripping moments from their albums. They have a cool thrashing riff toward the end. "Not Sun Nor Man Nor God" is a melodic piano interlude.  "Before the Cataclysm" is another fast blaster. Then about a minute and thirty seconds in is one of the coolest riffs I have heard these guys summon yet. They do not hang on it long and back thrashing before this song wanders off into a dark breakdown. This sense of dynamics is what puts the band above their peers when it comes to today's Swedish Black Metal. Their  game has stepped way the fuck up with this album. 

Farida of Devil's Blood lends her voice to the eerie "We Remain".  In comparison the in-your-face speed driven rage of "Funeral Winter" is not as compelling, but that is because they already raised the bar for themselves pretty high here. The song does still have some melodic moments. While up-tempo the last song is more deliberate and the tremolo guitar that coasts over it does not seem like they are defaulting to the conventions of the genre as the tempo riffs under it. I will give this album a 10 it shows the band willing to grow while being true to who they are. Not sure how they hell a black metal band is going to put out a better album this year, and it's only February   

   

 

Black Metal History Month -The Top 66 Black Metal Bands of All Time - 6 to 1

We  have now reached the furthest point of darkness as we are in the top 6 bands  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.

p;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

6- Gorgoroth

 Country- Norway

 

5-Dimmu Borgir

Country- Norway 

 

 4-Darkthrone

Country- Norway

   

 3=Dissection

Country -Sweden 

 

 2=Emperor 

Country- Norway

 

1- Watain

Country - Sweden 

Live Review : Morbid Angel, Watain & Incantation @ the Buckhead Theater

This was a concert I had been looking forward to since it was announced. Three of my favorite metal bands on one bill. Let me go into this by saying the Buckhead Theater is not the best venue for a metal show. Yes, it is a nice venue, but this is the second time I have seen a rock show there where it was not loud enough .Their sound crystal clear. But with death metal you need volume to provide the density. This is was effected my first impression of Incantation who had taken the stage by the time I got there.This was my first time ever seeing them live, I have seen both Morbid Angel and Watain several times live. It is hard to say which I have seen more.   Incantation are great at what they do , however just coming out and playing with all the lights on made them feel like just another death metal band. I good one, but there was little to set them aside in the live setting. The atmosphere and the darkness churned up from their music needs to be replicated with dimmer lighting. Incantation did not need to go the lengths that Watain did. But anything would have enhanced the experience beyond what felt mediocre to me, thus really killing my desire to listen to them the next day.

Watain had their backs to the wall. They came into this tour under the hardship of having guitarist Pelle denied entry into the country by customs. This forced The bass player to play guitar and Erik to play bass . They handled this shift well and I think it added to their performance., Erik had played bass previously for Dissection so was certainly capable. Truth be told Watain pretty much stole the show. It was not just the stage show, that had their typical fire and lights in the ritual setting, but they were the one band who it felt did not have their sound comprised and they were not only louder than Incantation, but came across as louder and more intense than Morbid Angel. They stuck to a set of their more in your face fast and furious songs, which worked well. Where death metal can be the image of evil it is the sound of black metal that actually emanates darkness and I think this was proved here .


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This was my second time seeing Morbid Angel without David Vincent. I think "Kingdoms of Disdained" is the first album of their's that really picks up where they left off after "Domination".   They were much more intense when I saw them with Tucker open up for Pantera back in the day. The problems I previously stated with the venue that plagued Incantation were the same ones that befell Morbid Angel. They came on with little fanfare and the lights on. Trey walked onto the stage and mumbled something to the crow, making me think he was really high Where Morbid Angel came out on top of Incantation is the fact that despite the problems with volume, which might have made them marginally louder than Incantation, when they played old stuff the songs powered through. The new stuff not as much , even the songs off of "Kingdoms Disdained". The evil felt more obligatory than when I have seen them in the past.  I still bought a Morbid Angel shirt, partially because I already have two Watain shirts, but they did not make me feel bad about their performance it was jsut not what I have seen them to be capable of in the past.

the Top 10 Metal Albums of the Decade

Pulling from all the other  best of decade lists this is the over all best of metal albums list for the decade. The decade began before this blog was started , I can not just rely on sorting through previous reviews. 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.  Black metal certainly left it's mark on the decade , while only one actual black metal band is on this list there are 3 others with touches and influence of black metal or used to be black metal bands that grew into something else. This is not going to be  the most hipster of the lists that say Vice puts out, what matters is the fact; these are the albums I listened to the most. Any ways here are the Top 10 Metal   albums of the decade.


10-Goatwhore - "Blood For the Master " 2012













9-Morbid Angel - "Kingdoms Disdained" 2017 










7-Evoken- "Atra Mors" 2012











7- Agalloch - "Marrow of the Spirit" 2010 




 





6-Anthrax- "For All Kings"-












5-Iron Maiden- "the Final Frontier" 2010 











4- Shining- "Fodd Forlorare"  2011







3- Fistula- "Longing for Infection" 2016




 







2- Pallbearer -- "Foundations of Burden" 2014












1- Watain - "Lawless Darkness " 2010




 

the Top 10 Albums of the Decade"

Pulling from all the other  best of decade lists to create this list of the top 10 over all albums of the  decade. The decade began before this blog was started , I can not just rely on sorting through previous reviews. 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.The decade found some gems by a broad range of artists from Country to Pop to Black metal and Doom.This might not be the most  hipster of the lists that say Vice puts out, what matters is the fact; these are the albums I listened to the most. Any ways here are the Top 10 Albums of the decade .






10-Chris Stapleton- 'the Traveller" 2015 










9-Clutch- Psychic Warfare 2015 













8-Health- "Death Magic"-  2015





 





7-Royal Thunder- "Crooked Doors" 2015



 





6-Pallbearer- "Foundations of Burden" 2014




 





5-Chelsea Wolfe - "Pain is Beauty"  2013 












4- Morrissey - "World Peace is None of Your Business" 2014 












3- David Bowie- 'the Next Day" 2013





 







2- Taylor Swift- '1989" 2014





 






1-Watain- 'the Lawless Darkness" 2010





 

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

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.

 

the Top 10 Black Metal Albums of 2018

It is that time again. Black Metal is in a weird place this year. There is no lack of it, as the sub-genre has left it's stain on almost all forms of metal, it is the attitude that finds it's self being compromised and watered down. Hateful was one of the best days once used to described it's sound and now that is being apologized for due to the current political climate.So here are some band's who help make black metal hate again. The score from my reviews to help determine the ranking , but also how many times Last FM told me I listened to each album.An album can have all the critical acclaim in the world but if it does not inspire multiple listens then how good can it actually be ?

While the top ten lists for other genres leaned more heavily on the side of  new blood for black metal is was the  more well established acts who put out the greatest quality albums .  Rather than posting media of a track from each band I am leaving a link to the review, which will contain Bandcamp or Full Album Streams. Ok enough talking about it, the time has come to dig into the top 10 black metal albums of 2018.

10-Mutilation Rites - "Chasm"

 Many of New York's black metal bands come from the hipster circles of Brooklyn. They bring elements of punk, post-rock and avant garde indie rock into the mix. Mutilation Rites separates themselves by only bringing more metal into the equation. Most of the improvements come from the production end, as they might weigh in on more of the death metal side of  their sound, but the identity of the band is firmly intact even with line up changes.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/07/mutilation-rites-chasm.html

9- Hegemone- "We Disappear" 


 While this album originally scored lower than Mutilation Rites , it grew on me and I listened to it more. It's woeful blackened Sludge that throbs against scathing screamed vocals . Occasionally the vocals drop down into a lower growl. There is a weird almost industrial pounding breaking down mixed with post- rock , so these guys are not afraid to step out and experiment. They have the dark sonic intensity that I am on the look out for in heavy music.


 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/08/hegemone-we-disappear.html

8-Curse Upon a Prayer -"Three Woes"


 Make Black Metal hate again.This band from Finland has the balls to not give a fuck and this album lashes out at Islam. Now there is a political slant since aside from the hippies in Sweden, the rest of Scandinavia tries to be fairly isolationist.Thundering double bass, blast beats and tremolo picked guitar all do their part to make this black metal as fuck.Their are hints of melody in the guitar. They passion with which they throw themselves into their music compensates for anytime they might not be the most original band on the planet.


 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/05/curse-upon-prayer-three-woes.html

7-Cultes des ghoules-"Sinister" 

 The fourth album from the Polish black metal band finds , an almost more Urfaust sound . The vocals are more sung in a resonate bellow on the first song , than howled or screamed manically. They continue to get darker , though perhaps not heavier.It's a mature effort on their part and finds a balance between making fans of true black metal happy as their grim souls can be, without getting stale and embracing experimentation.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/09/cultes-des-ghoules-sinister.html

6-Mol- "Jord"

This album came out in April and almost breezed by under the radar which would've been a damn shame. They hammer into their songs with a meaner sneer than the bulk of the so called "black gaze' bands despite being not far removed from Deafheaven sonically. Most of the songs are strong and they take what could be a tired bandwagon and freshen it up.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/06/mol-jord.html

5- Nachtmystium- "Resilient"

 These guys are one of my favorite black metal projects. They are not all blast beats. In fact it's just a dark tortured pulse. Very similar to depressive suicidal black metal, though Judd is just not being melodramatic about it and has tried to kill himself in other ways than the most obvious , which I think is also a metaphor for his music. Better than most black metal acts have mustered since it is not at all redundant.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/12/nachymystium-resilient.html

4-Craft - "White Noise and Black Metal" 

 Right from the smoother guitar tone of the first song it's obvious things are now very different for this band. The sonic sprawl of their sound allows them to get away with more blast beats than before It is however not as hateful as I hope which took at period of adjustment for me, but in the end it did grow on me. It's less confrontational and more mature, a phrase that might not seem to be praise in many black metal circles , but here it works for what they are doing.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/06/craft-white-noise-and-black-metal.html

3-Wayfarer "World's Blood" 

 This band from Colorado creates some dark brooding metal that makes you forget they are from the States. The vocals are a lower growl that leans more in the death metal direction. When they pick up the pace there is the shadowy feeling looming with a more black metal influence. So regardless of genre there is a great mood and atmosphere coating this album. Some songs ebb and flow into clean passages like more kinetic version old Agalloch. This album grew on me in the best ways possible thanks to it's well balanced sense of dynamics and a great dark guitar tone.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/08/wayfarer-worlds-blood.html

2-Watain-"Trident Wolf Eclipse"



Watain are back with a renewed venom on their 6th album. They hit you with a thundering combative thrashing dialed way up. There is more of a blasting fury colored feral rawness yet retaining the more nuanced accents of their songwriting. In tone compared to "the Wild Hunt" proves this to be a much more straightforward black metal album, as they return to their more mean spirited roots. They band could have easily said "This album is going to be a return to our heavier more punishing sound, and they would not have been lying.


https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/12/watain-trident-wolfe-eclipse.html

1-Totalselfhatred - "Solitude" 


7 years since their last album, they once has a more aggressive take on depressive black metal,but it is hard to complain about what goes down as it's so well done. My ears can not escape the fact that the first song falls neatly into the depressive black metal box, where their earlier work had more of a unhinged feral quality to it. I also don't remember synths and piano playing as big of a role as they do here. The album really needed to be played loudly in order to soak in all the layers. Maturity is one of this album's characteristics. Gone are the rock god solos, but everything well played, with no doubt they are excellent musicians who have grown up to serve the song. They are little more mellowed with time, but with a wider depth of emotion.


https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/02/black-metal-history-month.html