Any black metal aficionados here?
 

I've been listening to Velvet Cacoon, and I really like it much more than I expected. They're the only black metal band I know though, literally the ONLY one (they were rec'd to me by a friend). Anyway, I've decided I wanna try and get into this genre of music, so:

what are some good albums for a black metal beginner? (something that won't discourage me, so nothing TOO extreme)

and also, what albums are regarded seminal / most important / best within the genre?

thanks.

Burzum - Filosofem and Hvis Lyset Tar Oss
Mayhem - De Mysteriis Dom Satanas
Graveland - Thousand Swords
Nokturnal Mortum - Goat Horns
Xasthur - Nocturnal Poisoning

For some slower black metal, I highly recommend Leviathan's "The Tenth SubLevel Of Suicide.

"Filosofem" is fairly easy to digest for a new listener, and is also one of my favorite black metal LPs ever.

Talking of the 'good' Leviathan, has anyone got any stuff by them? I've tried hunting down stuff in shops to no avail.

check out graves at sea

darkthrone - a blaze in the northern sky or under a funeral moon are basic; once you have a couple bm records, GET their transilvanian hunger, it's imperative.

what else?

beherit - the oath of black blood is basic too, hmmmm, xasthur is pretty sweet too, especially subliminal genocide. ohh yes, and abruptum! (you might want to check out abruptum later.)

if you choose to explore a more melodic side of bm, get:

emperor - in the nightside eclipse
satyricon - dark medieval times
sigh - scorn defeat
dodheimsgard - kronet til konge
arcturus - sideshow symphonies

a band that's melodic in a different way (less atmospheric and more guitar driven) is dissection, get storm of the light's bane.

also recommendable are enslaved who are classified as viking metal but it's an offshoot and part of the original wave of bm; certainly, their first albums like frost are very in the vein of bm.

yes yes, dodheimsgard .. insane.

i also forgot gorgoroth...pretty much anything; the last one, ad majorem sathanas gloriam, is fairly accesible but with that bm atmosphere and it's angry as fuck.

yes yes, gorgoroth - pentagram is i think considered a classic of the genre.

yeah, like the essential album.

adam: i might have what you asked me for by today, is that ok?

hey no problem man, just the fact that you're willing to help grants you infinite time to finish it. thank you!

Different styles but I consider these the BM 'classics':

Burzum - Hvis Lyset Tar Oss
Bathory - Hammerheart
Emperor - In the Nightside Eclipse
Darkthrone - A Blaze in the Northern Sky
Immortal - Pure Holocaust
In the Woods - Omnio
Mayhem - De Mysteriis Domsathan

Most later BM can ultimately be boiled down to one of these. As such this is where I'd start, see who you like and check out those influenced by them.

try sister ray or hmv (the bigger one) on oxford street. i've seen the splits w/sapthuran and xasthur in the former and howl mockery at the cross at the latter. or try ordering from supernal or aurora borealis.

be careful not to get this one though as it's a different band

anyway, if you like velvet cacoon i'd recommend marblebog, striborg, benighted leams, furze, urfaust, emit, wold, spektr, bludt aus nord, wolok if you are looking for the stranger side of black metal

also things like leviathan, lurker of chalice, deathspell omega, twilight, nactmystium, urgehal, krieg, haemoth, draugar, anaal nathrakh, 1349, enslaved if you're looking for the more conventional but still great side of current black metal


as far as the classics go

what everyone else said, plus these:

ildjarn - forest poetry
mayhem - de mystriis dom sathanas
immortal - battles in the north
blasphemy - fallen angel of doom

also, it's worth having a browse through the black metal section at aquariusrecords.org as they stock lots of great stuff and have lots of sound samples you can listen to

I Fucking Love Black Metal!!!!

I'm listening to Beherit's album The Oath of Black Blood which I borrowed the other day from the local library.
They were one of the first black metal bands to emerge from finland, extremely lo-fi, thrashy scum -era napalm death esque stuff, but with production that's way more horrendous. It has some great songs though. Witchcraft!
http://www.sadomator.com/beherit/

I discovered black metal about a year ago. I think most people who get into black metal who aren't typical metal fans are more drawn to the fucked-up and lo-fi type stuff.

Recommendations,
Furze- Necromanzee Cognent.
Slow, almost doomy black metal. Weird reverb vocals and riffs that kind of remind me of pentagram or sabbath.

Wold- Screech Owl.
Really fucked-up black metal. Reminds me of some noise/power electronics stuff due to the use of loops in the songs.

Akitsa/Prurient Split.
Haven't been any other Akitsa stuff so their could be better albums of theirs. Slow to Mid-paced BM with yelled vocals. No layering of guitars of any fancy shit, has a raw punk feel to it.

Spektr- No Longer Human Senses
French BM with an industrial influences.

Darkthrone- Transilvanian Hunger
The first black metal album I ever bought.

Burzum- Filosofem
A must have, my girlfriend loves this album and she is in no way a black metal fan (or national socialist)

Xasthur are probably the best thing to happen to BM since its initial burst of energy, And are surely the best 'band' in the scene outside of Scandinavia.

fuck!!!! i can't believe i forgot to mention spektr!!!!! that's what i've been listening to lately. get the near death experience, some parts with the samples and stuff, it's almost like good wolf eyes in between the bm bursts.

also secht, they have released just one album, but it's amazing. half of the norwegian bm scene guest on it, though.

BONE OWL

Owl?