odinofasgard, if you like unorthodox Black Metal you could check out the recs i gave 16 or 17 posts above yours. If you dont, ignore this post.

Hey. I'm looking for some albums similar to these albums:

Varathron - His Majesty at the Swamp
Hail - Inheritance of Evilness
Beherit - Drawing Down the Moon
Rotting Christ - Passage To Arcturo
Mortuary Drape - All the Witches Dance & Secret Sudaria

The closer to the sound of these albums the better.

I'm not sure this is quite what you're after, but Akhenaton's album "Divine Symphonies" is a pretty even 50/50 split between Black Metal and Dungeon Synth, in fact I'd go to say the DS element outweighs the BM. The heavily mystical/demonological theme will probably float your boat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTXjdlF8Qbk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW2wkTu7oYY

Personally though, I tend to equate the murky feel of DS classics like early Mortiis with the old-school Norwegian BM scene like Burzum and Darkthrone, though this could just be through subconscious association and artwork similarities.

Edit:

Maybe also Black Funeral's "Waters of Weeping" album. This has an occult/magickal theme, though no DS elements really.

I think mystical when I listen to Blut Aus Nord's album Ultima Thulee. Not a ton of synths but they are brilliant on that album.

Suffersystem: Check out Lurker of Chalice if you haven't. Some synth timpani sounds and ghostly chords, very dark and mysterious atmosphere. The music is not pure black metal as there are fairly few riffs.

I want some black metal albums with a production job similar to I Shalt Become's Wanderings. I want the entire production to be fuzzy and of poor quality (especially for the guitars, but everything should ideally sound like that), but almost lullaby-esque in its lack of overt harshness and not treble-filled, overly thin, or harsh. It needs to simultaneously feel raw and have the edges sanded off of it, if that makes sense.

Recap on what I'm looking for: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wIWCr8xu8o

EDIT: Oh, right. While I'm at it, I'm also looking for black metal bands with "hoot owl" vocals - high falsetto, semi-melodic wails without any scratchiness or raspy tones mixed in at all. I can't really provide any examples of what I'm looking for in this aspect, but I think I made my request reasonably clear - just throw some stuff at me and I'll see what I think.

Thanks in advance.

Do you know Lustre? That's some of the most mellow "black metal" out there. Fucking hell you like bad music though.

Bah.

Lustre were okay, I guess. A bit too cheesy (okay, way too cheesy) for me to appreciate on a regular basis, but I didn't hate them or anything. I'm not really looking for black metal that sounds particularly "mellow" in terms of its melodies, but rather BM with that sort of thick, raw, but treble-free production job. If it meets those criteria, it could be norsecore for all I care.

I believe you're looking for Strid's self-titled EP, I think itt fits your description almost perfectly. Great music as well.

Edited to make up for laziness:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4ePu63K ... ure=relmfu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdAlAmIAcOU

Dies Irae- Circle of Leth

thanks guys
I'll check em out after the long painful process of pausing Sol Invictus

I don't think you know the meaning of "cheesy", MT!

Not quite sure about this, but I like Nattfog a lot, they have sweet melodies while keeping their trad black metal sound
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gElED22g6rI

Oh man I know exactly what you mean, makes perfect sense. LOVE that shit when the music is really good. unfortunately I don't really know any..

@ MalignantThrone: This is a bit of a shot in the dark but Dodsferd's Fucking Your Creation.

MalignantThrone: have you heard Saturnian Mist's self-titled demo or Azhubham Haani's On a Snowy Winternight? Are those anything like what you mean in terms of production?

Alright guys, I've had enough of this. I gotta come out and say it, I haven't been into black metal for a while now and I can't deal with the absurdity of the whole thing anymore... Nah, just kidding.

MalignantThrone: "Genevieve"? Too obvious? Deinonychus's "The Silence of december" reminds me of a hybrid of ISB's first and fourth albums, in a way. Has the gentle sound of despair of the latter with the stark primitivism of the former. Might be a bit tenuous and subjective on my part but it's a good album that isn't too well known either way.

Suffersystem: Primigenium's "Art of war" opens with a dungeon synth track. The rest of the album is just black metal but perhaps setting the tone and the general tone will do it for you? Either Old Forest album might do you. Emperorish, the first has a distinct low-fi sound and slow, wandering structure which is rather ambiental for the simple riffing with the classic rubber band bass that almost sounds like a midi controller. The second has more FOR REAL midi controller. Check out the track "Hymn of the Deep". Prolly think of some more later.

Oh, Malig-Thron, Old Forest could be for you too. Or Deinonychus for Suffer-Sys...

mt: would russia's forest fit the production your looking for?

oh, also check out Burzum's first demo

and Godkiller's Rebirth of the Middle Ages

Looking for black metal in the vein of Celestia. Anything with prominent guitars and some melody is okay in my book.

Hehe! Cool to see someone rec'ing Burzum demos. I can definitely see how "depressive visions of the cursed warrior" can give a dungeon synth vibe. Clever recommendation!

That's on the second demo but I suppose it could work just as well. The first demo really sounds like a synth version of early Burzum songs!

Okay, I've finally got some time to check out all the recommendations you guys have given me in the past few days. Many thanks. I'll edit this post as I hear them.

Strid were very, very good musically, but I feel like their production job has just a little bit too much hiss. Still pretty close to what I was looking for, though, and the music was stellar as I said, so thank you dearly.

Dodsferd's Fucking Your Creation is nice - not only does it have the production job I'm looking for, but it's blast-oriented black metal that doesn't gargle balls! Thanks, Necro, I'm enjoying this.

Well, it is youtube afterall. Those two songs were remastered in '07, you would do well to check out those, if the '94 versions have too much hiss.

Compare this to the version I posted earlier:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUQWKugDGNY

Hi,

I'm looking for a band which play a kind of "atmo black symph black metal" like Covenant on the "Nexus Polaris" album.
Something not too fast, not too hard, with nice guitar melodie and good "atmo".
Some Old Man Childs album are a little bit like this Covenant album but not so "colorfull".

Does it ring a bell to you ?

Exemple of a Nexus Polaris song :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mCJ0GWIrbw

Thank.

Hey familiar friends. I'm looking for some Symphonic Black metal that's minimal on the symphonics alone when the guitars and actual melodies are apparent, but still have interludes and such, so nothing really like Emperor. Moonsorrow has a good example of these kind of symphonics, and even if it's not black metal, Insomnium does this as well.

I'm also looking for somewhat unknown things, since I'm pretty versed in Sympho-black already.

Thanks in advance.

Try out Iskald's "The Sun I Carried Alone"
The vocals aren't exactly what you're looking for, but I think you'll enjoy it regardless.

I want more punk-influenced, more specifically (probably?): punk-, hardcore- or even crust-influenced black metal, and of the decidedly feral and rabid kind, too. Ildjarn, Bone Awl, the lot (although I also fairly enjoy the more melodic variations, like Furdidurke and Bilirubin, and will be grateful for similar recommendations). But neither Absurd clones, nor overtly crust-y, RAC- or Oi-ish bands, please, I prefer a firm grounding of the bands' sound in tried and true black metal. Thank you!

To clarify - I don't want black metal bands with that sort of production and that sort of vocals. I want bands with the production job, and I want bands who use hoot owl vocals. Your recs don't have to utilize both!

Dodsangel
1 woman black metal act with heavy dbeat/crust influence. some songs (middle of the night) sound like straight up Bm while others are d-beaty (the link i've provided). She dated(s) Maniac of Mayhem I think... Only one demo, but very good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f50f-o03hqo

Vodr punkish black metal from Finland. I & II are great. Skip to a minute with this clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNJULdJaIoM

Prevalent Resistance. Drummer from Vordr plays(ed) in this act. Singer now sings for Horna (which you should check out, their split with Behexen is very punky- a 1 take live recording). Maybe a bit too traditional and not enough punk or Ildjarn like sound, but worth a shot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IutbkBzNHDU

Ash Pool Never been much of a fan of this band, but worth a listen as they kind of tagged onto Bone Awl's sound some time ago.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSk8S7ET ... re=related

Akitsa Quebecois act. Some releases are super primitive Ildjarn-like efforts, others are a bit more developed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pszNbg9kNeo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_bug1Yf ... re=related

Ancestors sloppy punk mess from Das Oath/Charles Bronson (both of which are punk/hardcore bands) frontman Mark McCoy. If this appeals to you check out his 15 other projects as they're all similar (Arts, Haxan, etc).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mht7tBVE ... re=related

Nuit Noire Bizarre French act who utilizes some strange vocals and stranger song cover choices (Lady Gaga cover should be heard). Songs vary from release to release, but they're a very unique and playful band and should be given a chance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sF4w3eu ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEdaNf47 ... re=related

Dude, Infernal Stronghold.
http://infernalstronghold.bandcamp.com/

I'm looking for some good stuff that is similar to Shade Empire, with the industrial black/death sound with some nice clean and harsh vocals.
Here's an example of what I mean.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... k5Ug#t=98s
That particular verse is what stands out for me and what I want recommendations on but the entire song is good so anything similar is fine.

You might like Zyklon. They don't have clean vocals but the cold industrial black/death sound is omnipresent in their music

Hope you see this.

Tatir - both demos
Grand Belial's Key
Christ Agony
Order of the Ebon Hand
Thou Art Lord
Zephyrous
Vorphalack
Kawir (first EP and first album)
Sacriphyx (direct Varathron/Rotting Christ influence with doom, gotta check it out man)

Check out gents from Bone Awl's side projects: Raspberry Bulbs and Galloping Shadow. Both would be right up your alley!

Good rec's. I'd also recommend Thy Darkened Shade.

http://thydarkenedshade.bandcamp.com/releases

Try Strongblood, Akitsa if you don't know them already, Vordr, Sort Vokter(Too obvious?It was Ildjarn other band after all), Bilskirnir, and the brazilian Evil

I can see Evil having some punk influence, especially with the simplicity of their style. Bilskirnir, on the other hand, seems a little more Graveland-ish to me compared to the rest.

Bilskirnir is shitty folk rock with screams from what I've listened, it has no punkish aggression, or any other form of aggression to be honest.

I recommended Evil mostly because they are basically a brazilian Ildjarn clone, so I thought he might like it. Bilskirnir, at least on their ep Ahnenerbe, has a pretty punkish song, and at some points they remind me of early Absurd, though they are indeed more "epic" and Graveland-ish and perhaps not feral enough for what he is asking for.

That's some ace stuff right there. Both of those bands have that same cool exclusively Greek vibe that Varathron possess.