Since we've been on this mini-list kick recently, I thought it'd be fun to get a little more specific in terms of style. Medieval references get bandied about a lot in black metal, but which handful of albums do you feel really translate the aura of ye olde medieval tymes best in terms of the music itself? This is going to be a relatively subjective thing, of course; some will be more literal, some more purely 'vibe'-based.

Obsequiae - Suspended in the Brume of Eos
This is kind of a no-brainer if you're familiar with it. An extremely impressive packaging of medieval musical touches in the context of polished, technically accomplished black metal.

Aorlhac - La chronique des vents
Aorlhac's whole catalogue evokes a certain medieval-ness, but I'd say none of their releases do it better than this first demo. The songwriting, riffs, and overall atmosphere here are fantastic and really bring a strong sense of that bygone age of tourneys and brash chevaliers.

Annthennath / Quintessence - Eram Quod Es, Eris Quod Sum
This is probably the best split album I've ever heard, period. Both bands put on a master class of intense, melody-laced black metal, packed with passionate riffs and an amazing balance of technicality and grit. It's entirely based on the narrative theme of the Danse Macabre, which was a prevalent touchstone of philosophy (such as it was) in the medieval age.

Ildra - Þær swefende hæleð licgað
Ildra's full-length, E∂elland, is more well-known, but for my money, this preceding demo tape is the more satisfying listen. The degraded sound quality and all the production and writing qualities of the music conjure this deep vibe of mailed warriors riding horses through the humid dawn in pastoral England circa 900 AD.

Obtained Enslavement - Witchcraft
This is probably cheating a bit, because the aesthetic influences and atmosphere are more 17th-century or thereabouts, not medieval, but it's close enough. No introduction needed. It's the paragon of symphonic black metal, rich in polyphony and elegantly composed while tearing your soul apart in a pitiless riffstorm.

There are a few more in the back pocket, but would love to hear what others have on their lists.

Abigor - Verwüstung/Invoke The Dark Age
Godkiller - The Rebirth Of The Middle Ages
Hirilorn - Legends Of Evil And Eternal Death
Mütiilation - Remains Of A Ruined, Dead, Cursed Soul
Vehemence - Ordalies

Love this thread. Not the top 5 you asked for, but I'll throw in the first 2 Satyricon albums, pre-Channeling the Quintessence Abigor, and the entire Forefather discography. Obsequiae has taken this sound to the next level to my ears.

Summoning, specially in Let Mortal Heroes Sing Your Fame. The feeling of epicness is overwhelming!

Diamond Eyed Princess - Korlgueläal. Furious and epic black metal with a lot of medieval instruments in it. Amazing stuff.

Obsequiae - Obvious choice, I'll choose Aria Of Vernal Tombs instead of the debut, though.

Nazgul - De Expugnatione Elfmuth.

Caladan Brood - Echoes of Battle: pure Summoning worship, this album is incredible! Based in the fantasy book saga Malazan Book Of The Fallen, it perfectly captures the overall vibe of the books.

EDIT: added more bands to fill my five picks.

Primordial always gave me a medieval feel so to speak. Specially in A Journey's End.
Stormkeep has two fantastic albums that fit right into medieval black metal realms.
Summoning no doubt captures that feeling, plus they're Tolkien inspired.
Obsequiae is also top notch in the genre.
Véhémence from France have 3 top tier medieval black metal albums.

All three Obsequiae albums, but especially The Palms of Sorrowed Kings (kind of surprised it isn’t more widely agreed upon that this is their best, but eh, I love then all) and the first two Satyricon. I binge Summoning’s discography regularly but I don’t really think of them as “Medieval” black metal. They’re just too much their own thing.

This is basically the correct answer.

I really can't think of any other 5 that can eclipse this

Never heard Obsequiae?

Mm, that Mutiilation album sounds medieval to y'all? How so? Doesn't give me much of a medieval impression in the least, other than a generally miserable atmosphere. Explain!

Some solid picks here otherwise, though. I'd never given Godkiller much of a listen before now, it's enjoyable. And I know and love Hirilorn's Legends..., but it never quite struck me as medieval, exactly. I can see where you're coming from, though.

Véhémence was on my extended list for sure, good band, but didn't include them because someone else was bound to mention them and I don't like them quiiite as much as the others I listed. They're surely out there in the vanguard of the medieval BM scene. Only just getting around to hearing Ordalies now – avoided it for a long time due to the, er, less-than-promising cover art. Pretty good stuff so far, even if their lusty vocals can sometimes verge on slightly annoying.



Nice one, Galdrum really stuck out as a good modern release in the 'medieval' vein when it came out a few years ago. Awesome artwork, too.
Would encourage anyone who hasn't heard that one to check it out. For a US demo, it really does an excellent job of channeling a vintage Norwegian vibe.



Ok, that's interesting, I only listed to it once before and sorta wrote it off because it basically felt like rehash of the previous album. Great as a standalone album, but within context of the catalogue, lacking in new ideas and less inspired. Haven't revisited it since. The first two are basically tied in my opinion, but I usually give the edge to the debut due to originality points and a bit more differentiation between the songs. And the slightly rougher production doth please me. The harp on the sophomore is undeniably more gorgeous than the debut's acoustic guitar pieces, though, it trumps in that regard.



Same here, that's why I didn't include them. "Fantasy" and "medieval" don't entirely translate to the same thing.

Obsequiae, Vehemence, Stormkeep, Nazgul, and Summoning are my top picks for medieval black metal. I'd also throw in Abigor too since some albums like Orkblut - The Retaliation and Supreme Immortal Art dwell in some of these topics.

Give it more spins! It's definitely in the same style but I wouldn't call it a rehash. "Ceres in Emerald Streams", "Garden of Hyacinths" and the title track are the best songs they've ever put out.

Sure! Basically the gloomy and dark atmosphere of the album fits well with the depressive and death-filled aesthetic of the album (see the cover of the 1999 release) and draws a medieval landscape far from the more epic side and more focused on the suffering and desolation of the time. A similar example would be "La sanie des siècles - Panégyrique de la dégénérescence" which reinforces this same medieval vision, but I would rather mention Meyhna'ch than Famine, actually.


When you say medieval I understand you mean anything in music that is reminiscent of the image we have of the middle ages, and that also includes artistic expressions that have been influenced by that historical period, that's why some people mention Summoning. I see Hirilorn's album as very much inspired by dark fantasy, plus it's a personal favourite of Tulzcha, the mind behind Vehemence so I think it fits this description well.

Might get some shit for this one, but this album has always been overlooked. Most likely because it has some moments where the music starts to go into some interesting directions, but the overall medieval influence is there and is a very memorable album.

Definitely Satyricon - Dark Medieval Times. Taakeslottet especially, that guitar tone and those whispered vocals combined with the synths give me a 'wandering through a dark medieval castle corridor at night' vibes. There are a lot of different instrument sounds throughout the album that remind me of medieval instruments as well.

The Shadowthrone to a lesser extent.

I love Aorlhac to bits, all their albums are great but 'L'esprit des vents' really takes the biscuit, insanely good. Having the guy from Suhnopfer (another great Medieval-styled project) on drums certainly doesn't hurt...

I also picked up Wallachia's 'Monumental heresy' some time ago and really enjoyed it, needs more spins.

It would be cool to see medieval death metal bands, the only one I know is Brodequin and Vital Remains (kind of).

This isn't a genre I've delved very deep into, but I do really enjoy Bann's two releases.

WOW! Véheménce are amazing! I've been listening to them non stop these days.
That Godkiller EP is really good too... it's a pity that this is their only stuff in that vein... I gave a listen to "Deliverance" and, Jesus fucking christ, what the fuck was that?

I have to wonder if some of these picks would be perceived as medieval without the titles and imagery referencing it. For me, Satyricon's Nemesis Divina is much more medieval sounding than Dark Medieval Times, and there's nothing to distinguish that Godkiller album from hundreds of black metal bands who don't have "Middle Ages" in the title. Obsequiae is basically Lugburz but with pictures of old castles on the cover instead of dragons. Later Summoning sounds way more medieval than anything mentioned so far, but because it's Tolkien inspired it apparently doesn't make the cut for some.

Perhaps we need a discussion on what it means to sound "medieval".

How in the world do you figure this? I hear absolutely zero similarities between Obsequiae and Lugburz.

There are also no dragons on the Lugburz cover. Love the cover, though. No dragons but it's awesome.

I did explain why I think Dark Medieval Times sounds medieval to me, and especially Taakeslottet which absolutely sounds medieval to me. Got nothing to do with the title.

That's a pretty strange take. Obsequiae's music is completely rooted in early music, even directly lifting some motifs from early music compositions. The compositions and arrangements on Lugburz are pretty straight-forward black metal.

I listened to this Godkiller album for the first time recently and I thought it was fantastic, I still have to dig deeper into it but its electronic sound together with the clean vocals and the whole biblical concept behind it really gives it a unique aura. As you said it has nothing to do with the medieval black metal period it had but I think this change of register deserves its appreciation too.