Black metal albums you should check out

Hail, dear friends

First of all, thanks for the kind words and comments, suggestions and corrections that I have previously received in my blogs and for the 1000 followers goal I recently achieved and I thought this was a great way to celebrate this accomplishment.

Secondly: ahahah, you thought this was the third part of my death metal survival guide? Nope, not yet, but I will manage to write it as soon as possible in order to complete my series.

While my main favorite metal genres can be limited under the etiquette of death metal, Im always open to discover and deepen my knowledge towards the popular yet beautiful black metal, that lately I really put aside, possibly for my lack of time ( yes, this is one reason ) or due to other circumstamces caused by a major will ( laziness ). Pro tip: don't be like me and try never to procrastinate!

Luckily, I finally managed to cover and review some black metal albums that catched my attention.....

Frankly, being satisfied with my choices has been hard mostly because I try to find something unique and different. However, black metal is a very consistent genre and I'd say there are plenty of promising bands to discover.

Here below I will give you some examples of what I mean....

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Judas Iscariot - Distant in solitary night (1998)

Moribund records really gave us a true black metal masterpiece by a band that unfortunately split up in late 2003. As the band's name implied, Akhenaten considered the story of the band Judas Iscariot as documentation of one individual's inner sruggles against the moral boundaries set by Christianity: from day one, the american band Judas Iscariot has crushed out vengeful, primitive and uncompromising US Black Metal, and has become a staple of the scene. However, when Akhenaten's name is mentioned, it's usually albums like 'The Cold Earth Slept Below' or 'Heaven in Flames' that get on the honor roll of the great Judas Iscariot albums. Distant in Solitary is equal - and in some ways even more of a classic than those two fantastic albums. Talking about the artwork, it is truly oustanding and perfectly fit the atmosphere, with cold, dark colors and background forests.

So in conclusion, the release is definitely one of the best works from this band. It has some excellent songs and very few stale.

" Enjoy the silence and the blissful touch of the moon "

                                        ~

Old Man's Child - Slaves of the world (2009)

Melodic black metal at its finest? Possibly. Old Man's Child is not only is a true pionner of black metal but ( originally, the band was about death metal, but they changed their style after some years ). Slaves of the world is their latest studio album released in 2009. At the other hand, I dont exactly know what happened to the band, even though they never split.

Their music is totally original featuring riffs that are tremolo picked like hell featuring a lot of intensity! It mixes quite superbly with the vocals not to mention the bar chords working with the choruses and main singing. Galder's also improved in his lead guitar playing on this one.

The production itself is superb too and was recorded at Studio Fredman in Gothenburg, Sweden, where countless amazing bands like this one record their music. Lyrics are smartly written, evil, they fit with the album, images featured on the cover of the album and on the insert.

Great stuff here. Worth checking out more of them.

                                      ~

Peste noire - La Sanie des siècles: Panégyrique de la dégénérescence (2006)

Often, the french metal scene is overshadowed.

Seemingly produced some of the rawest and one might argue some of the truest black metal of the modern times: this band is one of those examples of great production combined with strong musicianship and a overall dark, raw sound. Peste Noire, with from the famous Alcest and Amesouers, is another one of these French black metal bands that have conveyed the rawest and most beautiful aspects of the music. Guitar playing is simple, flowing, with many stereotypical French style of playing as well as their own tinge of originality. Some very beautiful acoustic patterns also present, furthering the sound of the music.

Vocals are very well-composed, while another rarity is that you can actually hear the bass on the background. Artwork is so essential yet astonishing and creepy, with cold basic colors black and white that contribute to make it unique. Amazing record, I give this album a 10/10.

Enjoy the Great Death.

                                       ~

Sojourner - Empires of Ash (2016)

Pretty much the atmospheric black metal record that I enjoyed the most in the last year.

When beholding the magnificent artwork of ‘Empires of Ash’ one cannot help but think of times long ago, a time when great castles pierced the sky, epic battles commenced across great fields and vast woodlands, green in nature only turned red with death and all this dwarfed by mountainous valleys as far as one can see. Emilio’s rasped vocals blend perfectly, his snarl quite decipherable for those that like to follow the lyrics. The two Mikes provide a very solid rhythm section with Mike Lamb playing drums and guitars at impressive level, normally more at home in the doom genre with this being his first dabble in the epic realms. Production is almost perfect, allowing all instruments to shine with keyboards present to intentionally boost the atmosphere.

Curious fact is that this band is international, and that means its belongs to multiple countries. So, why not to infuse all the best elements into one, glorious and utopic album? Mission accomplished.