Best Black Metal
Bathory emerged from Hungary in 1984 as a significant force in heavy metal. The band is notable for its pioneering role in blending black metal with Swedish folk music and pagan traditions. Their work explored themes of Nordic mythology and historical events, creating distinctive atmospheric soundsc...
Ne Obliviscaris’ Citadel (2014) is a progressive metal album notable for its complex arrangements and integration of violin within a black metal framework. The Australian band blends technical proficiency with melodic passages creating a distinctive sound. It appeals to listeners interested in progr...
Ne Obliviscaris’ Portal of I (2012) is a significant release in progressive metal. The Australian band combines elements of black metal and classical music through prominent violin work alongside complex arrangements and dynamic shifts. It showcases a unique approach to the genre appealing to listen...
"Axioma Ethica Odini" is the eleventh studio album by the Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved, released in 2010 via Indie Recordings. The album demonstrates the band's integration of progressive rock structures with traditional black metal elements. It features a vocal blend of Grutle Kjellson's h...
Darkthrone is a Norwegian black metal band formed in 1992, known for their raw, minimalist sound characterized by tremolo-picked guitars, blast beats, and bleak, often apocalyptic lyrical themes reflecting the genre’s early aesthetic.
'After' is the third solo studio album by Norwegian musician Ihsahn, released in 2010. Best known as the frontman for the black metal band Emperor, Ihsahn uses this album to expand his sound with significant progressive and avant-garde influences. The record is notable for its prominent use of saxop...
"Sunbather" is the second studio album by the American band Deafheaven, released in 2013. The record is a prominent release in the blackgaze subgenre, deliberately fusing the harsh, tremolo-picked elements of black metal with the atmospheric, heavy reverb of shoegaze and post-rock. It consists of se...
RIITIIR is the twelfth studio album by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved, released in 2012 on Nuclear Blast Records. The album continues the band's long-standing evolution from their black metal origins toward a more progressive and atmospheric sound, combining harsh and clean vocals with extend...
Urn is the third studio album by Australian progressive metal band Ne Obliviscaris, released in 2017. The record features the band's signature blend of extreme metal techniques, progressive song structures, and prominent violin passages. It serves as the follow-up to their 2014 release Citadel and w...
Released in 2017 by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved, "E" is a progressive black metal album that continues the group's integration of psychedelic and hard rock elements. The single-letter title references the Ehwaz rune from the Elder Futhark alphabet, which traditionally symbolizes movement,...
In Times is the thirteenth studio album by the Norwegian progressive black metal band Enslaved, released in 2015 through Nuclear Blast. The record features six extended tracks that combine aggressive extreme metal foundations with progressive rock synthesizers, complex time signatures, and layered v...
"Utgard" is the fifteenth studio album by the Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved, released in 2020. The record's title and conceptual themes are derived from Utgard, the realm of giants and chaos in Norse mythology. Musically, the album continues the band's progressive evolution by blending their...
"Exul" is the fourth studio album by the Australian extreme progressive metal band Ne Obliviscaris, released in 2022 through Season of Mist. Arriving after a five-year recording gap, the album continues the band's established style of fusing aggressive black metal elements with highly intricate prog...
Heimdal is a studio album by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved, released in 2023 on Nuclear Blast Records. It takes its name from Heimdall, the watchman of the gods in Norse mythology who guards the Bifröst bridge connecting the realms. The album continues Enslaved's fusion of progressive rock w...
Cradle of Filth is a British extreme metal band known for blending gothic and black metal elements with operatic vocals and elaborate, often macabre, lyrical themes exploring horror, mythology, and Victorian literature.
