Cities is getting the reissue treatment it deserves. Great albums of simple, catchy heavy metal. I wish someone would do a CD of those Witchkiller demo songs that never made it on the album. That would kicks ass.

In other news being the drunken fool that I am I forgot the GODS from the US, the almighty Black Death. Anybody even remotely into heavy metal should give them a whirl. Amazing band - so much energy and power.

Ved Buens Ende are an interesting entity to be sure. I can't say that I'm a huge fan of Written in Waters, actually. While there certainly is a good bit of quality material on it, I generally find myself longing for the more traditional black metal sounding parts than the more experimental jazz and rock sections. Virus (from what I have heard) seems to expand upon these experimental sections; I can't say I like it at all.



Mysticum – In the Streams of Inferno

This, to me, is the pinnacle of industrial black metal and, while I suppose that doesn’t say much in and of itself, is a very strong, well written album. The band made a conscious decision to use a drum machine on the album (as opposed to having Hellhammer play for them) and it is one of the few cases where a drum machine actually works better than an actual live drummer. The whole album has a very sinister, mechanical feel to it that would have been disrupted had an actual drum kit been used. They do a truly excellent job of actually integrating the industrial/trance parts into the songs, instead of just adding them for novelty’s sake. It’s quite a pity that they never continued beyond this album except for the split with Audiopain, which was actually rather good.



Kvist - For Kunsten Maa Vi Evig Vike

This album actually just received the Peaceville’s reissue treatment earlier this year. It is a very solid slab of traditional black metal in the Norwegian vein. Kvist had a knack for writing interesting melodies and riffs that make the album really move forward with rarely a dull moment. I think this album is a tad more melodic than some of their contemporaries, but if anything, it serves to their benefit and shows their ability to craft strong melodies. My only real complaint with this album is that the synths sometimes become too dominant and overbearing, but for the most part, they are implemented tastefully.

Silencer death pierce me
Weakling Dead as dreams
Twilight s/t
Horde-Hellig Usvart

^ Cities is fucking amazing, heavy, and has some of the shreddingishly delicious solos ive heard lately. Killer stuff.

I've never heard of Black Death. why? i'll get onto em and let you know what i think.

Might write a review today for Alias or Byfist, perhaps Hittman, while drinknig beer in the sun.

Look into Black Death. Amazing stuff, heavy and energetic as hell. Sometimes even gives off that ominous Mercyful Fate vibe that is rare as hell.

i forgot to mention that, good call.

I dont' know, even the traditional BM stuff on "Written in Waters" is only a part of the concept..I can't really imagine any part of that album being very listenable without being put in the context where it belongs.

I never used to like Mysticum, but I dug the album out a little while ago and listened to it, finding it pretty captivating. They were supposed to record another album; even had a title for it, "Planet Satan"...but laziness, drugs, and who knows what else kept pushing the release date back and further back until I guess people just assumed it wasn't ever going to happen. There might even be recordings of "new" Mysticum tracks floating around somewhere.

Kvist have a very enjoyable sound indeed. Love their rhythm section.

Catacombs have only released one album so far and it is absolutely monolithic. Crushing funeral doom, death/doom at its best.

Xibalba - "Ah Dzam Poop Ek". Probably the best second wave BM album from the Western hemisphere.

How the FUCK did i forget Fatal Violence?!
Their only album is a compilation of 80s demo material, and it fucking slays. one of my top rated albums of all time. killer powerthrash!!!!

It may be that the concept they were going for is just not my "thing" but I personally could do without most of the experimental bits, as the traditional BM parts are pretty cool. I would've liked to see what they would have done with a more traditional sound. Perhaps you're right, though; I don't often listen to it, perhaps I'll give it another spin.



Huh, for some reason I wasn't aware that they were supposed to record a second album. I wouldn't be surprised if it was drugs that kept them from actually getting it released, though; I've heard numerous rumors about their drug use. I'd love to see a new album realized.



Yes, the rhythm section is a particular strong point that I forgot to mention. It's really tight and fits perfectly with the other instruments. I really like the drumming style.

Weakling's one and only album has been already mentioned, hence you can close this thread...

How about that Lurker of Chalice solo project? Classic ambient black metal, IMO

Tribulation. They may put out more, but currently they are a "one album band"

Icewind (Can) is a band i've always liked, but they only had the one album. They've just announced they're recording an upcoming one however

Wongraven's Fjelltronen - the atmosphere is cloudy and dark and melancholic and foggy and *insert your word here* as hell
Slumber's Fallout...one of my favorite albums ever...very good for moments of sadness
I remember liking Triumphator's Wings of Antichrist for it's intensity

maybe i'll come with something more

Morbid Saint-Spectrum of Death
Legend-From the Fjords
Night Sun-Mournin

Abbath's I

didn't see this before. this album kills! closest thing to Demoniac (Nzl) i can think of

The band that comes most immediately to mind is Goatlord (the American band). The only album they ever bothered to put out (listed twice on the archives for some stupid reason) was one hell of a beast. Massive, horrifying guitars. Bass guitar that rumbles like an earthquake. Ace Still's hypnotizing blackened vox. Those bizarre inhuman sounding mechanical drums. everything was perfect. I've heard nary an album (save for Ride For Revenge's second full length) that could conjure such a disgusting, "wrong" atmosphere. Every time I listen to that album it just leaves me speechless. It's my favorite doom/death album and one of my favorite albums in all of metal.

Another favorite is Bestial Summoning. The only full length they ever put out was some fucking amateur stuff, for sure, but it was a wild trip. Amazingly sloppy black/thrash that rivals old brazilian black/death metal in terms of off the wall insanity. The crazy-ass vox were a real treat.

Vacant Grave was an old, oft-forgotten proto-death metal band that released a few demo's and an album. Can't remember much about them, but I recall liking their only full length.

fate. (the us one)

Ripping Corpse - Dreaming with the Dead

Although raped by production (much like Blasphemy), it is a masterpiece none the less.

A couple people have mentioned Morbid Saint's Spectrum of Death and I'll have to agree. That album is some of the most intense and aggressive thrash out there. It's absolutely relentless, bar that one interlude, but I think that is there as a safety precaution. Without it, some form physical crippling would set in on the listeners. The riffs are glorious, the production gives the album a real bright and cutting edge and the vocals are absolutely vicious (along with everything else on the album). Yes, this is gourmet thrash with some real bite to it.

My personal contribution is Vinterland. Their one album, Welcome My Last Chapter, is a beautiful piece of work. I have never heard any other album or band boast music that is so elegantly beautiful on one hand and so fiercely violent on the other. The album constantly straddles the line between the two, keeping the beauty and violence in a perfect harmony and balance. Not to mention how the release is simply dripping with emotion and this is reflected largely in the vocalists performance, who does not hold back anything in his tortured screams, wails and howls. An incredible album that will be on my playlist for as long as I listen to black metal.

They have a new album planned for the future which will be released well over a decade since the last one and I hope they can create something amazing, or else taint the great Vinterland name. Also, I'm still waiting for a re-release of Welcome My Last Chapter. Come on already!

Also one of my favorites but it doesn't count since their new album is coming out next year

I've never had a problem with the production on this album, but some people seem to. What is it that you don't like about it?

Svartsot - Ravnenes Saga


Folk Metal that blends some genres. They are listed as Folk/Viking on the archives but I feel like they are too in your face for that characterization. It can be bouncy but still pretty aggressive and I personally think the vocalist is quite talented with his deep guttural vocals mixed in with the occasional BM style vocals. If you find it, it is also one of the best mixed/produced albums I've ever heard as well.

Sample:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7WnZGkP ... re=related


They are still "active" on the archives, but the vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and bassist from this album are all gone.

Although i'm a big fan of Wormed I'm not so sure they really should apply in this thread, because according to their drummer, they are finishing up their second album now.

Eviscerated from East Bay, California has a self titled debut that is simply amazing. A damn shame they split up. Some real potential there.

EXORCIST - Nightmare Theatre

To me, the drums are an highlight of their self-titled ep, there's some really inventive drumming there. And the vocals are, I dare say, pretty unique, almost a kind of mix between growls and screams and it sounds absolutely great.

Shit. good call here.

Scald's Will of the Gods is Great Power and Repulsion's Horrified.

some osdm epitoms:

gorement - the ending quest
purtenance - member of immortal damnation
necrophiliac - chaopula
immortalis - indicium de mortuis
ceremony - tyranny from above
imperator - the time before time
assesor - invaze
rottrevore - iniquitous
transgressor - ether for scapegoat

Aspid's Extravasation is a tech-thrash masterpiece. The two reviews for it say more for it than I could, but it simply has the best damn riffs in the genre and with some of the craziest, over-the-top snarling vocals as well.

Vauxdvihl's To Dimension Logic. I usually don't like progressive metal bands outside of the upper tier, but their sole album is really mature and not clone-y at all. It has the sort of cold, clinical feeling of Fates Warning's Perfect Symmetry but some of the songwriting (especially the first two tracks) surpasses what Fates was doing at the time, sounding like A Pleasant Shade of Gray three years in advance. Pretty riff-heavy too; no excess soloing.

The Last Thing's Circles & Butterflies is another excellent but unknown progressive metal album. Take the dramatic and ballsy feel of Savatage sans piano-driven ballads and add a hint of Psychotic Waltz weirdness and you get a rough idea of what they sound like. It's progressive, but aside from the occasional interlude type track there's a strong basis in good old reliable USPM, so it's a win-win.

Tension's Breaking Point is a classic power/speed/thrash release. Simply put, if you love the debuts from Metallica, Metal Church, and Overkill, it's worth looking into. Just really fun and catchy metal, no frills attached.

i only really listen to NWOBHM and obscure 80s metal, so i could potentialy list hundreds of bands, since that was the name of the game it seems, but here's a couple more:

Rhabstallion - awesome progressively tinged NWOBHM band from former members of Budgie. released only a couple demos, then one compilation of said demos. really great and a surprising find.

Tyga Myra - NWOBHM/Speed metal much in the vein of Trojan (gbr). I reviewed their one full length and felt there was a lot of potential there. pretty good, but a bit more refinement and we could've had another Trojan.

Worship - Dooom
While I believe that their Demo Last Tapes Before Doomsday is still better, Worship wrote some pretty drowning Funeral Doom which never fails to depress me. They had a lot of potential to become gods in the genre if Fucked Up Mad Max didn't decide to off himself.

Nirvana 2002
They broke up without even recording a single full length. Quite a shame. They were pretty good as well.

Carnage - Dark Recollections
Not a huge fan of them but they should have stayed together as opposed to giving it up for Arch Enemy and Carcass.

TORTURE - Storm Alert
Very cool and nice thrash from Texas.

EXCRUCIATE - Passage of Life
Swedish death at his best !

BLIND ILLUSION - The Sane Asylum
Original thrash from the Bay Area.

ULYSSES SIREN - Above The Ashes (Compil of '80 demos)
Killer Bay Area thrash metal !

And of course, Repulsion, Carnage, Morbid Saint ...

...

Well, that's the thing...I don't think the "traditional" and "experimental" bits are really separable. Niether would mean anything without the other and the faster bits only sound about as traditional as, well, say, Burzum, but with a lot more active drumming. I dont' think the album is really all that experimental at all, actually..it's just a rather unique statement and very, very ahead of its time, in the sense that people are still trying to figure out what the album meant and still copying its blueprint today...but there's no way in hell its majesty will ever be recaptured. I tell you, every time I listen to that album I sink deeper and deeper into it. I need to re-write my review, too, as the one I did way back in 2002 just barely scratcehs the surface. You should listen to "THose WHo Caress the Pale"< though..maybe you'll enjoy that more as it's a little more in line with what other Norse bands were doing. Still pretty strange, though, and most of the songs ended up on the album.


Yeah, I used to correspond with a guy who knew the fellows in Mysticum and the VBE dudes very well, and they were all heavy users of psychedelics. A lot of people were really excited about "Planet Satan" about ten years ago...it really does seem to have been in the works, so I have no idea what happened. By the way, anybody remember that funny story about Ravn from Mysticum supposedly beating up Shagrath?



Me too. Also, that clean bass sound just rules. There's one song that starts off with this really neat little bass run and the band has lots of that trademark early second wave black metal thing where one guitar drops out and the other plays a riff alone for a while before the whole band crashes into the fray. I always loved that for some reason.

Diamond Head - Lightning to the Nations. I've skimmed over this thread and not seen it mentioned yet. Everything they did after was somewhat pale, and their newer stuff sounds like very plain modern rock (ala Velvet Revolver but without the big budget). But the debut's one of the best 'fun' albums out there; just pure, unadulterated energy with all the youthful energy you can ask for. It's easily one of the best albums of its era. People complain about the production and, occasionally, Sean Harris's vocals - but it's one of the more perfect metal albums out there. Even the nominal rock song works very well ('Sweet and Innocent').