So, I like a fair load of so-called atmospheric black metal. Be it the dark and haunting style of Verdunkeln and The Ruins of Beverast, to the more straight forward hypnotic drone of Forteresse, the grandiose atmosphere of Sear Bliss and the overhwhelming chaos of Darkspace, I sometimes feel that atmospheric black metal is the true sound of black metal or that all black metal is atmospheric... For example, I would describe bands like Drudkh, Alcest, Fen, Peste Noire, Blut aus Nord as atmospheric, though they are often described otherwise...Typically, black metal imagery has revolved around nature and rural concepts, but I think there is a push towards different imagery separated from a known, geographical location; eg. the cosmos/space with Darkspace, other worlds with Alcest, filth with Peste Noire, etc.

So I wanted to ask, what is it that creates this 'atmosphere'? Is it the melodies? The lyrics? The production? I read a lot of people here saying that they like to listen to certain styles of bm in certain climate conditions or certain contexts (eg. Drudkh in autumn, so on....) This interests me, because it is almost an example of synaesthesia- audio data being interpreted and translated both visually and emotionally; I would love to get a better idea of how this occurs as it strikes me as the absolute purpose of all art, to create something which is more then it appears to be on the surface. This to me is one of the reasons why black metal can inspire such passionate support. Despite the often trite and pseudo-intellectual nature of it, it seems capable of truly capturing a feeling and conveying it.

To me, its a combination of elements, with lyrics being the least important. Take a band like Drudkh- I've no idea what they are talking about, but the structure of the melodies plus the art work bring to mind an autumnal landscape (probably attributable to the cover art of Autumn Aurora). Paysage d'hiver makes me think of a nuclear winter-bound world probably due to the use of wind FX and layered instrumentation.

So I thought we could talk about that and maybe link some tracks, explaining what sort of feeling or landscape the selected tracks evokes in you.

This is a track from Germany's Verdunkeln, from their fantastic album of last year. All of Verdunkeln's music conjures up a visual landscape of grey marbled shadows, distant sunlight, murky underwater, abandoned cities, so on...


Thoughts?

Lyrics are definitely least important.
I think with bands like Darkspace, everything about them and their music says 'cold, mechanical and distant'. The repetition, the keyboards, the crushing guitars, everything.
I don't think Alcest's 'fairy' imagery comes across very much in the music, but it does remind me a lot of love. The melodies and the soaring clean vocals just have that effect on me, I guess.

Black metal music, despite the shitload of sub-subgenres, has a common factor. Atsmosphere.
Even the most relentless, brutal bands recall (in their own rights) some kind of imaginery that goes along with the music
I cant really say the same about Death metal (even thought many death metal acts do have a LOT of atmosphere, Portal or
Antediluvian being two perfect examples)
Thats the main reason why i love bm, i just starting to get into the obscure but i already love it to death. The romantic, bohemian, melodic feel is everywhere, even in the most brutal bad ass black metal acts. The whole imagery sourrounding the genre helps to create this mental images while listening to the music, the occult vibe and the whole theatrical approach (atmosphere, make up, attitude towards life, etc) sums to the gritty noisy sounds. Also the place where black metal was born, thats a direct factor definitely. Where else if not in the cold woods of europe? even the attitude towards life of most people there its cold and very blackmetalish jaja xD

Most atmospheric black metal bands put me off considerably despite my enjoying the atmosphere in black metal quite a bit. It's definitely much stronger in bands like Horna (especially albums such as Ääniä Yössä, Sanojesi Äärelle...) than, say, Tsjuder or Urgehal, but all three of these are much more atmospheric and captivating than nonsense like Lustre or Woods of Desolation.

I'm so with Ilwhayn.

Thunderbolt fucking slays, only Satan, no faggy forest shit

I def would not class Paysage D'Hiver faggy forest shit They are a perfect example of how to create an atmosphere using music, in this case of winter. I can see where Acidgobbin is coming from as albums such as these can create an image that the music is based on. Production, cover, lyrics imo do all play a key roll to create the atmosphere.

I think you will find everybody will have different opinions of how they view the atmosphere in black metal. I have only used one band as example but similar things can be said for many other bands. It cant be denied that black metal bands can conjour up an image like no other genre, well for me anyway.

I also muat add that I personally find Paysage D'Hiver's music a more fitting listen during the winter months.

I always thought "atmospheric" black metal was kind of a misnomer- I mean, ANY good music has atmosphere, that's really the whole point of music; to create an ineffable feeling greater than the sum of its parts. As to why it's called atmospheric black metal in the first place, well, I mean you can argue for days on whether or not ABM actually gives off some sort of atmosphere because that's a completely subjective matter, but it's merely called that because atmosphere is the primary focus- instead of centering the music around riffs like traditional black metal does the genre takes advantage of the hazy walls of sound tremolo riffing and treble-heavy distortedness intrinsic to BM and uses it as a textural background as opposed to having it as the prime element of focus. This gives many bands the opportunity to explore the other aspects of metal and even make them the main focus, combining them with the core wall of sound, and it allows for a lot more variation in the genre than its minimalistic nature might suggest; everything from Paysage d'Hiver to Gris to Summoning to Alcest to Darkspace has been tagged as "atmospheric black metal" in one way or another and those are some VERY different bands conceptually. Black metal as a whole is a genre with much more of a focus on atmosphere than most, and where "normal" black metal ends and atmospheric black metal begins is anybody's guess, but focusing primarily on not the taste but the texture of the music is more or less the alpha and omega of where the atmosphere comes from, and this is something I personally love and wish more bands did.

Other elements that give the genre its unique and captivating persona: vocals are much less important, existing more as a whisper that lurks at the corners of riffs than as a guiding voice that leads the song. Drums are often very static and repetitive- not to say that also comes at the expense of nuanced drumming, Autumn Aurora contains a fine example of some great atmospheric black metal drumming. Songs, in general, are sparse and drawn out, giving bands more time to slowly develop and evolve a larger theme. When these things are put together, it takes black metal's connection to nature and the primitive spiritual world mixed with the overwhelming sense of passion and joy found in post-rock (even if post-rock isn't a major influence on a given band) giving a sound that's beautiful and instantly appealing, yet simultaneously abrasive and dense.

I don't know if I really answered your question or just went in circles and I also understand I'm hugely generalizing but that's how I'd break down atmospheric black metal for ya. It's one of my personal favorite subgenres of music and despite what shitty bedroom DSBM bands and post-black hipster nonsense the media feeds you might make you think, I think it's one of the metal genres with a lot of room to wander around and there's a lot of places it can still go. Just look at the new Ruins of Beverast track or Cold Body Radiation's Deer Twillight album, they both sound positively fresh and breathe new life into the genre.

Usually when I'm hiking or out in the woods I like music that invokes the atmosphere around me. It makes the experience that much better. At night in a tent, I can really feel something like Burzum or Walknut. When I'm actively hitting a trail I like adventuresome and grandiose black metal like Kroda or Askival. And here is where I disagree with Ilwhyan, when I am at the top of a mountain or at a beautiful scenic place Lustre and Woods of Desolation are some of my favorites to play. A bands atmosphere can really come out based on your environment.

And Acidgobblin, that Verdunkeln song is great. I hadn't heard anything off that album yet but I really enjoyed that first one they did. Grey marble does seem to be fitting imagery but I wonder if I only feel that way because you said it and the photo in the video.

Now here's a song with some real unique atmosphere to it. At least for black metal. I feel like this should be played while riding into battle in a middle eastern desert.

I always rely on Emperor (esp. the debut and Anthems...) to give the atmosphere I want when I walk through the woods at night or lay down for bed. Darkthrone's trilogy makes for great winter music, as does Satyricon's first two or three, and Burzum excells in the spring months I find. I do like a lot of these other bands that have been mentioned, but there's just something very special for me about the bands I mentioned, especially Emperor.

As far as I know, neither Newcastle, Stockholm or Oslo is located in any woods.

You are right. But hey! as an spanish speaker (not an excuse to fail at english but whatever xD) sometimes I cant express my thoughts in the proper way. I was talking about the whole natural and social/historical conditions of those places. Cold, snowy locations, with a strong , lets say, pagan legacy. Of course there are no woods in the central areas of Sweden and Norway but for sure those countries are far more related to woods and mountains than other places.

On top of the obvious elements that create the 'atmosphere' (the melodies are probably the defining feature for me), I think the artists projection of its music contributes somewhat on a visual level which then fuels the imagination. Taking Paysage d'Hiver as a simple example - it is clear through the music that the sounds are based around Winter, but this is also reinforced through the cover art, and then some artists might take this a step further through their appearance when performing live.

Other than that, can only add that you have a fantastic taste in music That Verdunkeln album was one of my favourites last year...

Man... I really need to go outside more, but it's hard to find even a patch of trees or a small hill around here let alone a mountain or forest. I need to move. Sorry I have nothing really relevant to contribute to this thread at the moment, just trolling!

I agree when you say it's a combination of elements, and while I wouldn't include the lyrics I would still include the vocals because they can create an atmosphere all their own. I find that atmosphere and emotion tend to go hand-in-hand with black metal, but obviously to an extent - Marduk and Dark Funeral have a very angry sound to their music but I wouldn't call them atmospheric. Considering that atmosphere is such an important aspect to black metal as well, I think you could really call a lot of bands atmospheric even though they may not have that generic stereotypical sound that you would usually label like that. To me, I feel a lot of it is trying to set a certain mood and isn't focusing so much on technicality, and that mood is usually determined when you hear the song - it's that gut reaction you have to the opening seconds. What do the guitars make you feel like? The vocals? Bass? Drums? What does the production remind you of?

I'm a strong believer in good production. It doesn't need to be pristine - metal in general should have a certain grit to it - but if the atmosphere suffers a bit so that the instruments can be made clearer I'm ok with that. Besides, I still feel you can create something atmospheric that has decent production. Drudkh's newest album for example, I think there is a decent level of atmosphere in it even though it has good production. Production helps, yes, but I feel that it has more to do with the emotions and moods you create within your songwriting.

^I'd say that Marduk are a bit of an anomaly in terms of atmosphere. I have found certain songs and albums to be highly atmospheric; the albums Wormwood and Rom 5:12 have a very occult and arcane feeling, quite mystical. Panzer Division doesn't really have much atmosphere, just intensity.



That's the thing; it seems impossible to explain why this works; how can music somehow create a fitting backdrop for a real-life situations? Not many other styles really do this. Ambient does, but what else?



Oddly enough, I'd already written the OP before deciding I needed a song to illustrate and strangely, the Verdunkeln track (perhaps arbitrarily) made use of grey marble as a static image. Its just fits, but how can music resemble something inert like stone? (cue pun about rock music...) But yeah, check that album out- its a great album that I've heard nothing about here on MA. I might have to write its first review...

Anyway, some interesting responses here...

I might be hated for this haha but I must say that the "Cascadian BM" bands have the best atmosphere in my opinion. They right really good music and it sounds like the Pacific Northwest or even astral projections to an extent with some bands.

The two best songs that exemplify the epitome of black metal beauty imo would be

Untitled(Side 2) from Fell Voices' 2010 album

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8Jx4u1GbLQ

Also imo the best black metal album of 2012 and as of right now for me is Fauna's "Avifauna. But in particular the first song "Soaring into Earth" is a truly moving piece of music

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rbd0Iz2NYx8

I hope you take the time to enjoy the music and feel the way I do about the songs

Bands like WITTR, Fauna and others ones are really good creating an evoking atmosphere closely related to nature. Though they dont use keys very often I consider WITTR one of the most atmospheric bands in the bm scene. So I agree with you.

Anyway, atmosphere is a key factor in bm and the main reason why I love this style, and this is the reason why criticize so much bands than focus too much on playing hard and fast instead of creating a dark atmosphere, like these "war bm" bands or like Marduk did with Panzer Divison, for me these ones are far from how bm should sound.

Hvis Lyset Tar Oss remains the pinnacle of atmosphere in Black metal. Though as one said above, ALL good music is atmospheric but I suppose that would depend on your definition of the term.

It doesn't get much better than this:

WIITR actually do use keys. I also wasn't aware of the fact until I read about them using them and then you can notice them in some songs, especially on the latest album. Just pointing that out ahha. But I'm glad you agree with me on the atmosphere thing

The Meads is a fantastic example. Even though their earliest demos were drenched in keys and MIDI stuff, they always had a completely unique atmosphere that's not easy to forget. Just listen to the Jihad EP. When Paradise hits, you're hooked.

You like spreading that around.

People need to know...

Oooooooooooh, because of this I used the expression "very often" .

And yes, they used the keys more in the last album than in the first works.

Unlike L'Ilwhyan I absolutely love Lustre. It's a pretty damn simple formula the guy uses, with only a few examples of notable wanderings away from the core style, but I think it's a pretty damn magical one, too. It's basically Burzum - take the essential black metal elements on "Hvis lyset tar oss" but use them to play "Tomhet." I haven't really bothered listening to much post-prison Burzum material but I always thought it was a shame that Varg never really married the ambient bits to his more atmospheric black metal tracks in a single song. Lustre basically do that, and do it really well.

For me it really just boils down to riffs and melodies. I tend not to go for the really violent types of black metal where riffs, melodies and rhythms are muddied by jackhammer blasting and whatnot, but I appreciate everything from the most basic "standard" black metal to pretty fruity atmospheric stuff. But if it doesn't have memorable riffs/melodies I'm not going to take much away from it, no matter the particular style in question.

^I reckon that the actual song "Det Som Engang Var" sounds a little like a marriage of 'ambient' Burzum with BM Burzum...

I'd love to hear some slower ambient/atmospheric BM that used melodies akin to Ulver's 'Nattens Madrigal' with murky weird atmosphere of Darkspace...Any suggestions for that?

Just wondering, what the hell are people defining as "atmospheric black metal" here? Because I certainly wouldn't lump stuff like The Meads of Asphodel, Dark Funeral or Emperor under that banner, not to negate the quality of those bands. There's a difference between black metal that has atmosphere and actual "atmospheric black metal"...I thought that was the purpose of this thread, to dissect and define the nature of atmospheric black metal in and of itself. Things seem to have gotten a little broad and vague.

As much as I'd like to agree, anti-modernism does play hand-in-hand with Black Metal as much as white goes with rice. It's not like these R&ABM bands are going off about public healthcare reforms and other liberal idiosyncrasies but rather an inherit disgust for the almighty dollar. While these American bands are indeed quite modern themselves, they share essentially the same mindset as more ancient sounding groups such as Borknagar- even Burzum to some extent.

While I wouldn't consider Dark Funeral "atmospheric BM", I would certainly call Emperor that, at least their first and second albums. Yes, they have fast, blasting parts and heavy parts, but the bulk of their earlier work is, at least for me, keyboard heavy, atmospheric BM. If you can classify mid-era Ulver and even early Satyricon as this style, then Emperor certainly fits.

This doesn't make sense to me in the least bit. Black Metal is decidedly anti-modern, and this is supported by the image. The false notion that Black Metal is about feelings, the individual, and simple rebellion is a very modern one, these archetypes are what most people seem to want in their music; contrast this to "Hail Satan" which is almost a religious statement, and thus, very anti-modern. I feel like the "almighty dollar" thing would be inclusive to such an anti-modernist outlook, and definitely not a focus or a conclusion. I can expand on this.

Emperor´s stuff in the demo era was more atmospheric, but after that I would define them as "symphonic", mainly in the second album.

Lustre is a good example of an atmospheric bm band, other good examples are Forest Silence, Elffor or Drapsnatt. In all these examples keys play a main role to define these bands with this brand.

I don't know, while I do like that first Drapsnatt album it's not really all that "atmospheric" for me - perhaps it would be if the production were vastly different but the loud drum mix, prominent bass and general percussive feel to the pretty heavy riffing kind of pull it out of that realm. I haven't heard the other two albums so I guess with a slightly different riffing style and completely different production I could imagine this band being very atmospheric.

Agreed about Forest Silence, though.

I think there's probably enough room for interpretation to conclude that there's a pretty broad definition for "atmospheric".

I just went out and picked up that Verdunkeln album based on that one song...great stuff.

I find Petrychor's "Effigies and Epitaphs" to be incredibly atmospheric.

I never even thought of listening to bm out in the woods, never thought of listening to music while hiking at all actually (preferred to commune with the sounds of nature, I guess) - but it actually sounds like a great method and location to listen to bm. I will have the try it sometime.

Although I really enjoy live black metal shows, I don't listen to it very much otherwise :/ If I'm having a stressful day, I'll put on Alcest while I'm working, or chill out to a few songs of Blut Aus Nord when I get home, to get rid of stress and get my head back in the right place. Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of time to just lay back with headphones on and get lost in the soundscapes of black metal, especially abm

I'm not sure I even consider the newer Alcest (Souvenirs d'un autre monde, Ecailles de lune, etc) metal at all, but I like it as much as his older, straight-up black metal stuff (Tristesse Hivernale), and I listen to them pretty indiscriminately when I'm on an Alcest kick. The newer shoegaze-like Alcest evokes a happy, peaceful fantasy landscape, as the song title "Tir Nan Og" suggests; the older bm Alcest is more of a sad winter landscape, but just as calming. Of course this impression may be partly due to the influence of song/album titles - but then, as the artist's choice those should probably be accepted as important influences in creating the desired atmosphere, no?

I don't have a track to contribute, since due to lack of listening time my knowledge of abm is pretty shallow, but this a cool discussion and I'm enjoying the tracks shared so far.

I prefer to take a mp3 along with me and do a overnight wildcamp in the woods or moorlands locally, usually I spend long a week or two every year up in Scotland where the true wilderness can be found and set up a place to hide away from humanity for a few days. Only the occasional sound and sight of an aircraft high-above is any reminder that humans still exist.

Its mainly to get a feel of how atmospheric black metal is percieved by the songwriter and you really need to live that moment of percieved misanthropy, much in the same way that rave/dance music can only be appreciated at places like Creamfields or an amateur rave somewhere in the wilds.

I am not very familiar with Draspnatt´s first album but the other two ones are without any doubt quite atmospheric, so listen to them because they are great.

Alcest, though being something very different and far from bm it is very atmospheric too and in the heaviest songs, which are a little bit closer to bm they still sound quite atmospheric.

As other guy has mentioned the woods are a wonderful location to listen to bm, specially these kind of atmospheric bands, Negura Bunget, Wolves in the Throne Room or Forest Silence are the perfect soundtrack for these places, and a lot of times I have decided to buy an album or not after having listened to it in the forest. Anyway, there is not a bigger pleasure than sitting in the middle of a forest and just listen to the sounds of the nature, it’s simply magic and very peaceful.