The White Stripes - The Union Forever

Best song off White Blood Cells so far. I love these types of songs - this and stuff like Queen's "'39" just pack so much epic punch into 3-minute runtimes.

Candlemass - Ancient Dreams

It's getting slightly better. Still this can't compete with the genious of Nightfall. A Cry From the Crypt is a winner of a song.

Cannibal Corpse - Unleashing the Bloodthirsty

Cannibal Corpse just crushed live last night. Everyone went crazy

I don't know yet, man. I loved the debut because it sounds very original, but the only death metal albums I've listened to are Satanica and The Satanist, and I didn't find them to be particularly interesting. I'll still have to check out the rest of their music, but I won't get my hopes up.

David Sylvian / Holger Czukay -- Plight and Premonition

Sylvian's a genius. Although I should give credit to Czukay, too, since it's a collaboration and all.

Master's Hammer - Ritual

One of the best black metal album!

Pallbearer - Sorrow And Extinction

I have a problem with this band lately it seems.

Kanashimi -- Life
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R81UYudkcow

Still one of my all-time favorite black metal tracks. I might have posted this the other day actually, but either way, here I am listening to it again.

Entombed - Left Hand Path

I honestly thought I would find this underwhelming, given how often this is name dropped as a classic album (to the point where it is a bit of an icon)... but no, it more than lives up to its rep.

Classic albums are often praised for plenty of reasons, but then again weren't you the guy who earlier mentioned you'd avoid albums with many high scores because you wanted to prevent listening from hyped albums or some weird shit? I just don't get your mentality.

NP: Septic Flesh - Ice Castle

The early Paradise Lost influences on Septic Flesh's early albums are evident, yet this atmospheric extreme metal stuff is really one of a kind. Wonderful.

Judas Priest - Defenders of the Faith

This album captures that classic heavy metal spirit so well, badass record. I prefer this one to SfV by a ton.

No that was MoT. I'm more likely to listen to albums with a bunch of reviews just to see what's up. It is just that this album was so ubiquitous that I had absurd expectations from it.

I'm not big on Behemoth myself, but if there's any one album of theirs that I really like, it's Zos Kia Cultus, and I think a lot of people feel the same. It's super heavy on the Morbid Angel-isms, just like any of their death metal works, but it doesn't go quite as overboard as The Satanist or Evangelion if I'm not mistaken. It's been eons since I listened to any Behemoth at all, but my memory tells me that albums like Thelema.6 and Satanica were just a lot of intensity with otherwise uninteresting songs, Demigod had potential but the vocals are layered over a million times on every song and it just sounds stupid and saps a lot of enjoyment out of it, and Evangelion and The Satanist are generally darker and more twisted than anything else. That leaves Zos Kia Cultus and The Apostasy, and I think the former kept that crazy intensity from the first two DM albums but loaded it with memorable riffs and beastly guitar tone, and I remember absolutely nothing at all about The Apostasy, so it's either super boring or also the blend of all their styles like ZKC was, since that was also a transition album.

Keep in mind I'm going off years old memories, but if you're exploring Behemoth, I'd say absolutely don't give up until you've given ZKC a try.


EDIT: Jeez I just went and looked at their page here to see if I missed anything, and all of their BM albums have scores in the 70s, and all of their DM albums have scores in the 80s (barring The Satanist, which is still at 79 so close enough). That's basically the exact opposite of what I would have expected.

No, I never said anything of the like .... I listen to highly rated albums, I just don't read the reviews before listening to them.

Huh. Don't know where colin got that from then.


Judas Priest - Defenders of the Faith

Yes. Yes to this. Judas Fucking Priest! \m/

I found Satanica really boring because the songs go nowhere, but still very heavy and intense. I'm only judging it based on one listen though. However, with multiple listens of The Satanist, I just couldn't bring myself to appreciate it. It was very bland and nothing about it was really grabbing me. I was also confused when I saw the scores for their albums the very first time. Sventevith really should have a higher score, and the other two mentioned be brought down a bit. I still have a lot to listen to, but I will go in with a neutral perspective. Maybe I should listen to their albums in order.

Riot — Flight Of The Warrior

really catchy chorus!

Sventevith was a grower for me, but now I really like it. Actually, all of Behemoth's black metal barring their first demo has some quality material on it. From the Pagan Vastlands is really amazing, and And the Forests Dream Eternally was the release that finally sold me on black metal.

NP:
Grave Miasma - Endless Pilgrimage

This EP is a blast. I'm picking this up as soon as it comes out. Also, I want a shirt with that artwork.

This song rules on so many levels!! Holy shit this album is already in my top 10. I won't stop listening to this for a long time.

Similarly, Riot - Fight or Fall

My favorite track off of this insanely good album

Sielunvihollinen - Syvyydestä
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlFfPCvni_8

Very catchy, very melodic black metal. Great stuff so far.

Edit: Yep, I'll be buying this for sure.

The albums from Demigod with the exception of The Satanist are all pretty intense and focus on that intensity, so if that's what you like then I suggest go for that. If not, then perhaps death metal Behemoth is not for you.

I haven't listened to their black metal output in some time, but I really like Pandemic Incantations.

BastardHead gave you a better description of what he thinks, anyway.

Virvel av Morkerhatet - Metamorphopsia

Third listen to this is a little better than the first one I had. Maybe this is a grower.

The Ruins of Beverast -- Foulest Semen of a Sheltered Elite
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbBgDgy8yKY

Disgusting album name, but absolutely fantastic black metal. The first three albums are all wonderful (although this one's probably my least favorite of the three), but I haven't gotten around to hearing the fourth yet.

Thanks for the recommendations lads, I have a lot of listening to do.

Behemoth - Ov Fire And The Void

I remember the first time I heard this song 6 years ago. It was part of the Metal Blade package on Tap Tap Revenge 3 (fuck, that's a long time ago). Now this is more like it. If more of Behemoth's stuff is like this, I'm sold.

Atlantean Kodex - The White Goddess

Very majestic. Love how colorful the production sounds. Very vibrant. Almost sounds like it's echoing throughout a cathedral or something.

Never got the adoration for Zos Kia Cultus (Here and Beyond), flimsy guitar tone and production values, inconsistent songwriting... it doesn't suck but man is it boring. Sort of like Satanica, which at least opens with one monster track, but contains maybe two good riffs in all of the remainder of the album.

Just read my reviews. At least Thelema.6 sounds legit pissed off, and feels like the true birth of Demigod-era Behemoth.

Wrath of the Weak -- Wrath of the Weak
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLhwDwxxqc4

I've never heard this all the way through. The songs do honestly sound similar to each other at times, but I'm still enjoying it nonetheless.

I've recently gone through at least a few songs from all of Behemoths albums. My favorite black metal release is Grom, and my favorite death metal is the Apostasy. IMO, Apostasy has the trademark Behemoth intensity, but with a bit more layers. The Satanist is a bit tamer but still quite enjoyable. Honestly those were the only 3 I liked enough to buy, but I do have an appreciation for the band.

Veiled in Scarlet "Reborn"

This is growing on me a bit. Despite the iffy vocals, the music is pretty enjoyable.

Lacroix Despheres -- Iris
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Q9Gu9LhwfM

It took me forever to remember this band's name, but it was well worth it. They're still probably my favorite Japanese band along with Malice Mizer. Not metal, by the way.

Nothing to do with what you posted, but thanks for introducing me to Forgotten Silence. I got KaBaAch and Kro Ni Ka in the mail yesterday and they're both really good. Looking at checking out more of their stuff. They blend a whole bunch of different genres together quite expertly. Cheers!

Gojira - L'Enfant Sauvage

Despite the average single, I'm still looking forward to Magma. Listening to this one again to get myself hyped up once again, and Gojira are still on top of their game here. Some awesome songs with great musicianship, but that's par for the course for this band. This probably isn't their best album, but it's still one of the greats.

A little bit of self-promotion, LOL. I rate it.

I'm listening to Zos Kia Cultus right now, and I disagree with you. The songwriting is very much an improvement over Satanica, and there are some great riffs. I'm still not totally blown away, but it's a pretty decent album. So far, it's the best one of their death metal albums.

Drudkh - Blood In Our Wells

Been a good minute since I last heard this. Classic atmospheric black metal.

Darkthrone - Soulside Journey


Classic death metal as never done again, unfortunately.

Bathory - Blood Fire Death

Good Walpurgisnacht to all. It can't get much better than A Fine Day to Die.

Anaal Nathrakh - The Codex Necro

Killer industrial black metal - it simply exists to kick your ass.

From one of the worst album covers ever to one of the best ever....

What is that? The cover to the deluxe edition or something?

Looks like it's fanart:

http://www.darkinkart.com/products/dance-of-death-megan-mushi

Man's Gin - Smiling Dogs

I haven't listened to this album in ages. I burned myself out on it, but now coming back I remember how great it really is. I still prefer this one to the follow up Rebellion Hymns.

Bathory - Twilight of the Gods

Somehow - on this Walpurgisnacht - I've felt like listening through the whole Bathory discography.