Recently, Krups asked me to compile a list of the 15 most influential, best or most important Black Metal albums. Certainly not an easy task, so I took the liberty to reduce it to my personal favourites. Nobody wants to read the same list of the same Norwegian bands from the same period of time over and over again. While Emperor, Satyricon, Mayhem and the likes certainly are very important and influential, you probably know them anyway when you bother enough to read this.
My personal entrance into the unholy realm of Black Metal and, to date, unrivalled in grimness – lyrically, musically, and in terms of sound engineering. No mids, just high range and bass. Had the many copycats of later years chosen this as blueprint instead of Transilvanian Hunger, who knows how Black Metal would sound today?
Nietzsche wrote: “If you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you“. Well, Filosofem is the maelstrom which grabs you and drags you so far beneath the surface that, even if you break through again, the feeling of it will never, ever, quite leave you. One of the most unique and powerful albums ever written.
One of the first bands to apply the Swedish fondness for melodies to the grim reality of Norwegian Black Metal, and certainly one of the most influential ones for decades to come.
4) Bathory – Under the Sign of the Black Mark (Under One Flag, 1987)
5) Samael – Worship Him (Osmose Productions, 1991)
With Celtic Frost and Samael, Switzerland has its own share of ground breaking bands. Although conveying a similar feeling as Bathory’s “Under the Sign…”, Worship Him makes the list because of its almost doomesque utilization of mid- to down tempo range. Into the Pentagram!
7) Behexen – Rituale Satanum (Drakkar Productions, 2003)
About that orthodox wave: Behexen did that first, years ahead of the hype and with a truly unique style of writing and composing.
8) Manes – Under ein bloodraud maane (Hammerheart Records, 1999)
Formed when about every other kid in Norway founded his own Darkthrone-clone, Manes always stood out from the mass, as they had something eerie and otherworldly about them. While probably formed too late to be truly influential, I hope that putting them on this list wins them some of the attention they deserve. Also, their later (only marginally Black Metal-related) stuff is worth checking out. Do it!
Blunt Finnish occult brutality! While “simple” is a euphemism for the riffing, the heavily distorted vocals and overall dark atmosphere make more than up for this.
11) Katharsis – Kruzifixxion (Norma Evangelium Diaboli, 2003)
Negură Bunget claimed a unique position in contemporary Black Metal for a long while. Not only did they sound deeply humane and authentic in their interviews, their music, despite its sophistication, conveyed a certain kind of warmness very atypical for that genre. Măiestrit, a reinterpretation of their debut album, forms the pinnacle of their career, unfortunately followed by a very nasty break up.
Deathspell Omega are obscure and legendary at the same time, and it is hard to pick a favourite. Paracletus, however, is the perfect fusion between their earlier, more traditional phase and their highly ambitious, almost jazz-like work of later years. Catchy melodies are paired with sophisticated arrangements and culminate in the most powerful release of DSO so far.
14) Mgła – With Hearts Towards None (Northern Heritage Records, 2012)
Mgła have received widespread attention with the release of this album, and every bit is as deserved as fans and critics claim. Their previous EPs set a high mark, but with their debut, Mgła excel in what they do best – writing one killer riff after the other, and combine them with the bleakest, most intelligent lyrics of Black Metal nowadays.
15) Lunar Aurora – Andacht (Cold Dimensions, 2007)
Lunar Aurora had a long life and have become more refined from release to release. With Andacht, they had outdone themselves – all the typical trademarks, ranging from spherical keyboard soundscapes to long, atmospheric riffing, are still there, but more on point than ever. A truly melancholic and dark masterpiece!
