After publishing my top 5 grindcore albums I continued to compartmentalise albums that I like into genre specific lists.
So in an attempt to rid my head of these lists I would like to present my top 5 Black Metal albums of all time.
Again this list is 100% correct and cannot be argued.
1. Bathory “Under the Sign of the Black Mark”
This album was a real turning point for me in terms of pure evil heaviness. The sound is everything a black metal album needs, its raw while still being listenable as well as sounding evil in every way.
2. Darkthrone “Blaze in the Northern Sky”
Total black metal, this was important when it was released as you could almost smell that something was happening with metal. This turned shit around. Deliberately ugly for the first time.
3. Beherit “The Oath of Black Blood”
When I first heard this album I thought it was fucking hilarious. In fact I still do, but the charm is that on repeated listens it takes on something else. It sounds evil in its primitive production values, and you can tell that there is a willingness to do something more with a somewhat limited genre.
4. Impaled Nazarine “Tol Compt Norz Norz Norz”
This was a total brutal black metal album with an almost death metal polish in production style and leaning towards the absurd. Played loud this album is killer and the intros go just long enough to become painful.
5. Blasphemy “Fallen Angel of Doom”
The Canadian standout in the second wave of Black Metal, this album sounds rough and brutal from beginning to end. Almost unlistenable if thinking in terms of production values, but totally perfect for conveying a feeling of pure evil on an album.
Honorable Mention
Venom “The Singles 80-86”
While the albums are great, this for me is all the Venom I really need, all the “hits” in a nice neat package, (although I don’t think it was actually on neat). A great starting point for anyone wanting to check Venom out for the first time.
