Friday, July 5, 2013

black metal, a sample selection -- part 1

Black metal is probably one of the genres of metal with the most potential for artistic expression and the creation of a broad range of atmospheres. I think anyone with a serious, dedicated interest in music *period* will be able to appreciate some if not all of the genre's offerings (and offerings is what they are). I've got most of the rest of the alphabet chosen, but I wanted to do two installments, as it's talking a lot of time and effort and I want to get it (partially) out there.

Enjoy. (also, cut your flesh and worship Satan)

Aeternus - As I March
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rK38-NFFe0

Starting off with something not-too-inaccessible but also very high quality, Norway's Aeternus used to play a refined, mature form of black metal that had mastered atmosphere, transitions, and overall song progression/composition. Polished but still organic.

...And Oceans - Mechanic Hippie
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTFOBnfQ02E

Before turning into an electronic/metal band, Finland's ...And Oceans played a melodically symphonic and quirkily emotive kind of black metal. A little somber, a little nostalgic, and also just weird, transitioning to moments of wild fury and back again.

Antaeus - Seventh Ceremony
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cg6MgSz8KW4

Extremely violent, fast-paced black metal from France. Not everyone's goblet of virgin blood, but represents the harsher, more ferocious side of the genre and does so with intense dedication and passion for its musical goals.

Apotheosis - The Maimed God
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-q3uBA_1Pg

Very interesting one-man-band from Malta which only ever released a single album. Fantastical, bombastic, and full of mythology, this is complexly arranged symphonic black metal with atmospheric keyboard interludes and a subtle interplay between more thrashing, straightforward, battle-themed forays and more epic, sweeping sections.

Bathory - Woman of Dark Desires
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpPrmUbfXak

Bathory started it all. The man behind the whole thing, Quorthon, basically invented black metal. He laid the template for the harsh, inhuman, rasping shrieks, the lo-fi production values (because he honestly couldn't afford better equipment), the morose subject matter, etc. Here is where it all began, and his material wasn't just pioneering; it stands time's test of quality as well.

Belenos - Morfondu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6GlC_NnAN4

Another band from France, but very different from Antaeus. Extremely melodic with progressive, intelligent and overall very coherent and effective song structure. Filled with desperation, beauty and a strong sense of the sublime.

Borknagar - Grimland Domain
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiU0Fte_79A

Before turning into a much more experimental band with black metal influences, Borknagar from Norway were significantly more straightforward, though definitely still possessive of a unique style all their own, made up of slightly folk-tinged elements, unorthodox lead guitar passages, and the distinctive, atmosphere-setting clean singing of Kristoffer Rygg.

Cobalt - Gin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnHjKGcEfa4

And for something completely different: the American post-rock influenced band Cobalt, made up of two people, one of whom is a war veteran and took inspiration from his time overseas. Marked by simple, jagged, jangling guitar riffs and slower, softer, more introspective and reflective clean guitar passages, the formula is simple but the execution is exceptional.

Drudkh - Furrows of Gods
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DzTHCRmyKs

And again for something drastically different: Ukraine's Drudkh play a folky kind of black metal steeped in Ukrainian folklore, history, and art. They frequently quote directly from poems, and you get the overall impression that Drudkh is a sort of monument to Ukrainian culture. But more than just a tribute to the nation, Drudkh are are a prized musical export, playing passionate, varied, and emotionally raw black metal.

Eikenskaden - The Nymphs Will Pray for My Soul
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FykQZ4iPVFA

French black metal with prominent classical influences, this album is filled with longing, reflective piano compositions, often serving as a foundation for the extremely raw, lo-fi black metal riffs and throaty vocals on top. Great contrast.

Emperor - Ye Entrancemperium
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XNsZ-BAXgw

Other than Bathory, Borknagar and possibly a couple others, this is one of the few "classics" I've decided to include. Emperor made a huge name for themselves in the early '90s and have been a household name in black metal for years, though not without a large amount of division in the metal community. Some think their material is overrated, others think it's genius. I'm probably somewhere in the middle, but definitely leaning toward excellent. One of the first black metal albums I heard, this is driving, intense, and unique with an atmosphere of ordered chaos channeling the yin of existence.

Enslaved - I Lenker Til Ragnarok
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kbkvpqrDwM

Sandwiched between the early, more minimalistic, atmospheric albums and the later move to an increasingly '70s prog rock-influenced brand of extreme-ish metal, this is Norway's Enslaved at their most intensely straightforward, but also dynamic and definitely all-their-own. Tinges of folk, primarily in the clean vocals, round out the stomping, but flowing and at times larger-than-life-apocalyptic, melody-infused violence.

Falkenbach - Galdralag
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3Of5V7z-PE

A strong name in black folk metal, one-man band Falkenbach has established a strong legacy of pagan atmosphere and pride, from more direct black metal tracks to clean-sung heathen odes. This is the debut--raw, impassioned, cohesive, a classic in his discography, and probably my favorite.

Forefather - Deep into Time
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baXd4QsxWAY

English Anglo-Saxon black metal with an extremely melodic but also unpolished focus. Soaring, complex, interweaving guitar leads topped with intermingling pagan shrieks and strong, deep-intoned clean vocals. A landmark in melodic black metal that avoids many of the subgenre's failings and excesses; not to be missed.

Gorgoroth - Krig
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fo32nrvszIg

Known primarily in the mainstream for their iconoclastic, gruesome live shows with lots of faux-crucifixions and other "shocking" theatrics, as well as for Gaahl's "...Satan" documentary interview moment, Gorgoroth were once a powerful musical force. Trash can drums and a mixture of more violent, brutal stylings with prominent touches of melody, this is essential Norwegian black metal.

Hordes of the Lunar Eclipse - Beneath the Veridian Loche
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZYE4N-NZI4 (interesting video...)

Fog may be the better-known main project, but Hordes... is something special on its own. Magic-infused, ritualistic black metal from Indiana with some absolutely sublime melodies, this stands in the higher tiers of USBM.

Inquisition - Where Darkness is Lord and Death the Beginning
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFeIyWjiVCM

Complete mastery of a style all their own, Inquisition are primeval and droning, trance-inducing, utterly (sac)religious art. By far the best live show I've ever seen. An experience unlike any other, even on CD. Uniquely brilliant, simplistic but insanely effective with just two band members and a song-writing template of little but riffs, well-chosen, well-timed, atmospheric guitar leads, and the croaking of a man clearly possessed by someone or something.

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