Cor Scorpii - Monument

Band: Cor Scorpii
Album: Monument
Genre: Black/Viking Metal
Country of Origin: Norway
Year: 2008

Track Listing:

1. Ei Fane Svart
2. Endesong
3. I, the Damned
4. Our Fate, Our Curse
5. Helvetesfossen
6. Oske og Innsikt
7. Kjettar
8. Bragder I Stein

As I mentioned in the Vreid post, this is another post-Windir Black Metal band, and if you've listened to their demo, which I posted a while ago, then you know they sound much more like Windir than Vreid do. The excellent riffs that run throughout this album would make Valfar proud. They don't copy Windir, though. They create totally unique music that is similar in spirit. Absolutely amazing stuff and is even better than their amazing demo. Highly suggested!

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=54M35AIR

Vreid - I Krig

Band: Vreid
Album: I Krig
Genre: Black Metal
Country of Origin: Norway
Year: 2007

Track Listing:

1. Jarnbyrd
2. Under Isen
3. I Krig
4. Væpna Lengsel
5. Svart
6. Folkefiendar
7. Dei Daude Steig Av Grav
8. Fangegard
9. Millom Hav Og Fjell

Vreid are one of the two bands (Cor Scorpii as well) that rose up from the ashes of Windir after Valfar's tragic death. They play very modern sounding Black Metal that, instead of sounding contrived and shallow, actually sounds excellent. The music is compelling and is interspersed with occassional violin parts or Thrashiness and overall feels varied in approach and structure. It doesn't sound like Windir most of the time, but the quality of the music is certainly worthy of the "post-Windir" tag. Another interesting thing that should be mentioned, "I krig" means "at war" and the album is about the Nazi invasion of Norway during WWII. Wonderful stuff, regardless.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=D2FLTK1W

Lurker of Chalice - Lurker of Chalice

Band: Lurker of Chalice
Album: Lurker of Chalice
Genre: Ambient Black Metal
Country of Origin: USA
Year: 2005

Track Listing:

1. I
2. Piercing Where They Might
3. Spectre As Valkerie Is
4. Minions
5. Paramnesia
6. This Blood Falls As Mortal Part III
7. Granite
8. Vortex Chalice
9. Fastened To The Five Points

It's 6 in the fucking morning so I'm too tired to say much, damn insomnia. To make it short and succinct, Lurker of Chalice is a project by Wrest, the man behind Leviathan, and consists of ambience, atmospheric Black Metal that's in many ways beautiful, use of unusual song structures and practically no growls; most of the lyrics are deep rumbling or chanting/singing and the first half of "This Blood Falls As Mortal Part III" is a woman narrating over Ambient music. Great stuff, enjoy.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=X2V1LG1W

Blacklodge - SolarKult

Band: Blacklodge
Album: SolarKult
Genre: Industrial Black Metal
Country of Origin: France
Year: 2006

Track Listing:

1. ftp://SolarKult.NeXus
2. Mission
3. Iron Icon
4. PsychoActive SataN
5. 11rd Eye Chemistry
6. Drugz Mysticism [#A:Vision]
7. TeknoShaman 666
8. Luxifer Meme
9. Prequel to the Kult
10. Angels Refinery [C21H23NO5 MiX]
11. Martyr Complex
12. Forge=PhoeniX
13. Templars

Blacklodge are yet another band that infuse Electronica sounds into their music. However, unlike many bands, they do not play Post-Black Metal. They take a more traditional form of Black Metal, riff-wise, and put it into a bizarre setting. There are some odd riffs here and there, but for the most put it's straight Black Metal, infused with techno beats and sounds. While there is occassionally the use of synthesized drum sounds, for the most part the procussion section consists of Electronic beats and various synth effects. Their vocalist is also atypical. It's hard to describe what is vocals sound like so you'd have to listen but needless to say, they're rather odd. It all blends together into a very bizarre yet awesome sound. Definately stuff for a fan of bands like Aborym and Dødheimsgard (at least their later works).

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=QG9X202P

Kriegsmaschine - Altered States of Divinity

Band: Kriegsmascgine
Album: Altered States of Divinity
Genre: Black Metal
Country of Origin: Poland
Year: 2005

Track Listing:

1. Ma'aseh Bereshit
2. Altered States Of Divinity
3. Through The Eyes Of The Blind
4. Beyond The Veil
5. Prism
6. Nihilation
7. Kerigma

Kriegsmaschine ("war machine" in German; remember: Black Metal ist krieg!) is another banding riding that wave of "Orthodox" Black Metal that takes a more intelligent, religious approach to Black Metal, a notable example being France's Deathspell Omega. Kriegsmaschine show both unspeakable fury and ritualistic yet demented "calmness." Their music breathes a malevolent intelligence. It's evil yet calculated rather than wanton. They represent the aspect of Satan not as a bloody thirsty killing machine like many Black Metal bands, but rather as the tempter and cruel planner, as the tempter of Jesus in the desert or of Eve in Eden. The album is full of excellent, dark riffs and notably, amazing and audible basslines. It's no surprise that this album is brilliant, though, as it contains both members of Poland's astoundingly brilliant Mgła (I really should post some of their stuff here); M. from Mgła is Kriegsmaschine's main vocalist and he adds brilliantly. He sounds deranged and sinister, like a priest of Satan enraptured in fervor and shrieking in pained tongues. Anyway, enough analogies. Just download the album.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=PG2JR7OG

Bathory

Band: Bathory

Formed In: 1983
Genre: Black/Thrash Metal (Thrash and Viking later)
Country of Origin: Sweden


Album: Under the Sign of the Black Mark
Year: 1987

Track Listing:

1. Nocturnal Obeisance
2. Massacre
3. Woman of Dark Desires
4. Call from the Grave
5. Equimanthorn
6. Enter the Eternal Fire
7. Chariots of Fire
8. 13 Candles
9. Of Doom...
10. Outro

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=UTCJ2Z17

Album: Blood Fire Death
Year: 1988

Track Listing:

1. Odens Ride over Nordland
2. A Fine Day to Die
3. The Golden Walls of Heaven
4. Pace 'till Death
5. Holocaust
6. For All Those Who Died
7. Dies Irae
8. Blood Fire Death
9. Outro

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=4MRT4M70


Bathory is the Possessed of Black Metal. Bathory took Thrash Metal and evolved it into some of the earliest specimen of Black Metal ever. When you listen to the riffing on these albums you'll immediately hear how much Black Metal owes Quorthon. Under the Sign of the Black Mark and Blood Fire Death are two of the most influential and important Black Metal albums to ever be released. In a recent review with Metal Maniacs, one of Vreid's members said that Vreid owed Bathory for their existence, and hopefully all Black Metal bands realize that as well, because they do, too. Under the Sign... and Blood Fire Death also happen to be amazing, down to the bone Black Metal albums. They manage to display both the aggressive and epic capabilities of Black Metal. Epic tracks like "Enter The Eternal Fire" and "A Fine Day To Day" are practically blue prints for a quality epic Black Metal song. I'll stop the fellation now. I just had the sudden urge to listen to these albums today, and while I should hope most of the people who use my blog have listened to them, I wanted to share them anyway. Enjoy. Oh, and R.I.P. Quorthon, etc.

Unholy Updates, Batman!

I feel like I've neglected this blog and thus the people who were kind enough to regularly utilize it. I feel this way because I have, which is why I dropped 7 Black Metal albums on all your heads. Take it as an apology. I'll try to update more frequently. I swear!

Wolves in the Throne Room

Band: Wolves in the Throne Room
Formed In: 2004
Genre: Black Metal
Country of Origin: USA

Album: Diadem of Twelve Stars
Year: 2006

1. Queen of the Borrowed Light
2. Face in a Night Time Mirror, Part 1
3. Face in a Night Time Mirror, Part 2
4. (A Shimmering Radiance) Diadem of 12 Stars

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=275LRPYK

Album: Two Hunters
Year: 2007

Track Listing:

1. Dea Artio
2. Vastness and Sorrow
3. Cleansing
4. I Will Lay Down My Bones Among the Rocks and Roots

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=PG8IVQUI


Wolves in the Throne Room are unique as far as Black Metal bands go, and not just because of their music. To quote Metal Archives: "The band’s ideology is quite different from many Black Metal bands. In interviews Wolves in the Throne Room have shown respect for left wing politics, radical environmentalism and “eco feminism”." Not only that, but some (possibly all, I can't recall, I read the review quite a while ago) of the band members live on a farm and farm their own food, making themselves almost entirely autonomous. Their rustic, focused and environmentally friendly outlook goes so far as to seep into their music: the music is incredibly organic. It feels like a product grown from nature itself. With the exception of "Dea Artio" from Two Hunters, all of the songs on their two full lengths are exceptionally long and make use of the time to explore Black Metal's capability for unorthodox song structure. The songs are as sprawling as a forest, rolling through many emotions and utilizing both harsh and beautiful riffs to create interesting and expressive walls of sound; their music forms a tapestry, so to speak. One thing I particularly like about them is the ocassional use of female vocals on both albums, which I find particularly stunning in "Cleansing" from Two Hunters. To come up for air and wrap this clogged paragraph up, I'll just say this: Wolves are a fantastic band who've created original, artistic Black Metal. So listen. Or you suck.

Enslaved - Frost

Band: Enslaved
Album: Frost
Genre: Black Metal
Country of Origin: Norway
Year: 1994

Track Listing:

1. Frost
2. Loke
3. Fenris
4. Svarte Vidder
5. Yggdrasil
6. Jotunblod
7. Gylfaginning
8. Wotan
9. Isöders dronning

Frost is a well known yet in a way oft overlooked second wave Black Metal album. When you say Norway people are more likely to mention early Mayhem, Burzum, Emperor or Darkthrone, but Enslaved are equally important and Frost is certainly a formidable album. Before mixing their Black Metal heavily with Progressive and Viking Metal, Enslaved played pure, somewhat raw Black Metal. Though Frost isn't as raw as their earlier material, it still has that thick-yet-thin Black Metal production that characterizes raw Black Metal. The riffs are fantastic and their influence on future bands can easily be seen. The music is mostly break neck, but offers nice variation and occassional, well placed synths. "Yggdrasil" is a particularly interesting song, it being slower and including acoustic guitars and some jaw harp, with chanting replacing the usual harsh growls. Frost is great as both an album and a history lesson and any fan of original Norwegian Black Metal should give it a shot.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=OBBU08IY

Enochian Crescent - Black Church

Band: Enochian Crescent
Album: Black Church
Genre: Black Metal
Country of Origin: Finland
Year: 2006

Track Listing:

1. Tatan
2. Tango Absinto
3. Chalk Face
4. Thousand Shadows
5. Ghost Of Saturn
6. The Imperfect Vision
7. Hendekagrammaton
8. Tridents Clash
9. Black Church

Enochian Crescent are a very interesting band. They play melodic Black Metal that is more technical than most BM and their use of three vocalists results in some very cool and wild vocal tracks. Their music is interspersed with moments of cleaner guitar work, crafting a delicate balance between the harsh and graceful. The clean vocals on "Thousand Shadows" are another example of wonderful juxtaposition the band is capable of, switching from the harsh vocals to the more epic clean ones. Their lyrics, despite being Engrishy due to it being a second language for the band members, are more intelligent than what most bands muster and feel very arcane and esoteric in an indescribable way. One particularly impressive song lyrically is "Ghost of Saturn" (whose music video is here and worth it for the dancing nuns alone) which tackles the concept of old age. Overall, the album is fantastic and original and doesn't feature any weak spot; unless your a Black Metal "purist" who won't listen to anything that sounds better than Under a Funeral Moon, I'm sure you'll, at the very least, respect Enochian Crescent after listening to this album. I wholly recommend it.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=6TPH991U

Blut Aus Nord - Ultima Thulée

Band: Blut Aus Nord
Album: Ultima Thulée
Genre: Black Metal
Country of Origin: France
Year: 1995

Track Listing:

1. The Son of Hoarfrost
2. The Plain of Ida
3. From Hlidskjalf
4. My Prayer Beyond Ginnungagap
5. Till I Perceive Bifrost
6. On The Way to Vigrid
7. Rigsthula
8. The Last Journey of Ringhorn

Before Blut Aus Nord were making whacky Post-Black stuff like The Work Which Transforms God, they were a raw Black Metal band whose lyrics and music focused on Nordic mythology (hence the name, das typo and all). After changing their name from Vlad to Blut Aus Nord, they released Ultima Thulée, their first full length. "Ultima Thule" was a concept in the middle ages that denoted any land beyond the known reaches of the world and Blut Aus Nord utilize this concept, taking you far beyond into a frigid land by wrapping you up in frigid, raw riffs. The rawness really creates an atmosphere beyond what most raw Black Metal accomplishes. It's thick and encompassing while still leaving the riffs comprehensible. The ambience is further accented by echoing vocals and beautiful ambient electronics that are interspersed in all the right places without overstaying their welcome, in a way it reminds me of Varg's tactful synth use in Filosofem. The brilliance of the synths is best seen on the two ambient tracks, the haunting and reverent "My Prayer Beyond Ginnungagap" and gorgeous and ethereal "Rigsthula." This is a must have for any fan of raw Black Metal and any fan of Blut Aus Nord who is interested in what they sounded like in their early years.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=C3KVDK2I

Bosse-de-Nage - Demo I

Band: Bosse-de-Nage
Album: Demo I
Genre: Black Metal
Country of Origin: USA
Year: 2006

Track Listing:

1. Untitled

Technically this is a 5 song demo, but whoever ripped the tape left it as one, long track. Either way, it's excellent and worth a listen. It's incredibly raw and while it doesn't tread any new ground it manages its particular style of Black Metal very well and compellingly, making it a treat for the ears for any fan of raw Black Metal.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=HVMVPY2S

December Wolves - Blasterpiece Theatre

Band: December Wolves
Album: Blasterpiece Theatre
Genre: Industrial influenced Post-Black Metal
Country of Origin: USA
Year: 2002

Track Listing:

1. Warning
2. Desperately Seeking Satan
3. April Fools Day
4. Do Not Entry
5. Kolobos
6. Porn Again Christian
7. Public Aquarian Freebase
8. Solid Gold Beating
9. Sharing Needles
10. Disclaimer
11. To Kill... Again

December Wolves play incredibly chaotic, harsh yet clearly produced Post-Black Metal with Industrial overtones. They make use of some amazing sound clips too, my personal favorite being the soliloquy by the paranoic psychopath at the beginning of "Public Aquarian Freebace." I wholly suggest to people who like music that kicks them in the ass and grates against their ears.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=D0SQCJWK

Nokturnal Mortum - Lunar Poetry

Band: Nokturnal Mortum
Album: Lunar Poetry
Genre: National Socialist Symphonic Black/Folk Metal
Country of Origin: Ukraine
Year: 1996

Track Listing:

1. Tears Of Paganism
2. Lunar Poetry
3. Perun's Celestial Silver
4. Carpathian Mysteries
5. ...And Winter Becomes
6. Ancient Nation
7. The Grief Of Oriana
8. Sorrows Of The Moon (Celtic Frost cover)
9. Autodafe / Barbarian Dreams
10. Return Of The Vampire Lord

NM's third and last demo. Absolutely stunning raw Black Metal with beautiful folky synths. Absolutely stupendous. Every Black Metal fan should give this demo a listen.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=L9LKMQ00

Valfunde/Amesoeurs - Split

Bands: Valfunde, Amesoeurs

Album: Valfunde/Amesoeurs Split
Genre: Black Metal (Valfunde), Black Metal/Post-Rock (Amesoeurs)
Country of Origin: France
Year: 2007

Track Listing:

1. Hopital (Valfunde)
2. "Serenade" De Verlaine (Valfunde)
3. Les Ruches Malades (Amesoeurs)

First post in 15 days! And just in time for Christmas, yay! This wonderful split contains two new Valfunde songs, which sound much like Peste Noire's Folkfuck Folie; not surprisingly, given that Valfunde is Famine's (solo?) project. The new Amesoeurs song is brilliant and features Audrey on vocals; the production is bit less polished but that doesn't stop the song from being gorgeous, clear and atmospheric.

http://www.mediafire.com/?em1mj2yguw2

Black Lotus - Light Subsides

Band: Black Lotus
Album: Light Subsides
Genre: Black/Folk Metal
Country of Origin: Canada
Year: 2006

Track Listing:

1. Helios Amaranthine
2. Signatura Rerum
3. Canis Lupus Luna - The Song of Boreas
4. Seal 46
5. Incandescence (instrumental)
6. Machinery Brings Mold
7. Cosmic Currents
8. Light Subsides
9. Told in Chivalry

Canadian Black/Folk Metal. I can't remember much about the band and can't be bothered to interrupt Lunar Aurora. Requested by a friend, regardless.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=890WYYUW

Gallhammer - Ill Innocence

Band: Gallhammer
Album: Ill Innocence
Genre: Black Metal/Crust Punk
Country of Origin: Japan
Year: 2007

Track Listing:

1. At the Onset of the Age of Despair
2. Speed of Blood
3. Blind My Eyes
4. Delirium Daydream
5. Ripper in the Gloom
6. Killed by the Queen
7. Song of Fall
8. World to be Ashes
9. SLOG
10. Long Scary Dream

Thick and bassy Black Metal from Japan, and all the band members are women! Omigosh. Anyway, excellent almost brutal album.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=M9XU35GQ

Havoc Unit - h.IV+

Band: Havoc Unit
Album: h.IV+ (Horse Industrial Viremia)
Genre: Industrial Post-Black/Death Metal
Country of Origin: Finland
Year: 2007

Track Listing:

1. مبيد الدّيدان [Vermicide]
2. I.esus
3. When Snuff is No Longer Enough
   
4. Gen.eration Gen.ocide
5. Kyrie Eleison
6. Nihil
7. Man Vs. Flesh
8. Ignoratio Elenchi
9. Kill All Nations
10. Kristallnacht
11. Klan Korps
12. Rape Scene Act 1

Havoc Unit is the new face of ...And Oceans and they play some pretty pretty Post-Black/Death Metal. Pummeling stuff, with some cool sound clips here and there. Still doesn't top A.M.G.O.D. though.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?dmlzgcgwozp

...And Oceans - A.M.G.O.D.

Band: ...And Oceans
Album: Allotropic Metamorphic Genesis of Dismorphism (A.M.G.O.D.)
Genre: Industrial Black Metal
Country of Origin: Finland
Year: 2001

Track Listing:

1. Intelligence Is Sexy
2. White Synthetic Noise
3. Tears Have No Name
4. Esprit de Corps
5. Odious & Devious
6. Of Devilish Tongues
7. Postfuturistika
8. TBA in a Silver Box
9. New Model World

Fantastic and bizarre Industrial Black Metal with great riffs and a pleasingly thick guitar tone. Very good stuff and a must have for anyone who wants some interesting Black Metal that goes against the grain.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?2d4tmcckzxm

Fanisk - Noontide

Band: Fanisk
Album: Noontide
Genre: National Socialist Black Metal
Country of Origin: USA
Year: 2003

Track Listing:

1. I
2. II
3. III
4. IV
5. V
6. VI

Excellent NSBM from the US, the song writer is the same guy who does Eldrig so if you enjoyed Kali you'll love this. There's plenty of fantastic riffs and wonderful synths and the lyrics are pretty good for NSBM. Recommended.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=Z5FGK58O