Revolver Magazine's "25 Essential Black Metal Albums" Article

I'm comfortable with the blackgaze status of "Souvenirs d'un autre monde" & would agree that it's the most influential Alcest release Ben. I don't think we'll need it though as "Sunbather" is all that's required here in my opinion. The popularity & profile of blackgaze took off exponentially after that record blew up.

Time for our next black metal subgenre. We’re down to the last few now.

DEPRESSIVE BLACK METAL

Now things get a little more challenging for me. While I’ve spent quite a bit of time with numerous popular releases in this subgenre over the years, I’m still not sure whether it really deserves to be its own thing. I do think there are distinct aspects of depressive metal, but rarely do they all come in one package. I can’t help feeling that the subgenre is often incorrectly applied due to suicidal-themed lyrical or visual content influencing the genre tagging.

Regardless, below are a bunch of potential releases, along with my personal feelings as to why they should or shouldn't be considered for the list. I’m not highly confident here, so I’m hoping to get some feedback from any experienced Academy attendees before settling on a couple of releases that could potentially make the list.

Strid - Strid (1994)

This release is generally considered to be a defining effort in the creation of what we now call depressive black metal. I can see why it's considered important, but I honestly don't think it was particularly popular until long after it was released. I could be wrong, but I think it's one of those releases for which its importance was only realised once the subgenre had well and truly advanced. I wasn't even aware of it until recent years, but that may have more to do with my listening habits than reality. Did it influence some of the early bands? Perhaps, but I'm not convinced enough to include it. Maybe someone else knows more about this?

Bethlehem - Dictius te necare (1996)

This album is labelled depressive black metal pretty much everywhere, but I personally feel that it's only really the vocals that truly represent the subgenre in question. The album doesn't otherwise venture far from the band's Dark Metal debut album, including sections of death doom. I don't hear much in the music that resembles the description applied to depressive black metal, so I wouldn't include it in the list.

Abyssic Hate - Suicidal Emotions (2000)

This release (from Australia) is often cited as a highly influential release for depressive black metal, and it’s easy to see why with the cover and lyrical content very much focussing on despair and suicidal thoughts. That said, there’s so much Burzum on display that it makes me wonder why this is considered depressive black metal while Burzum isn’t. Regardless, apart from an early riff that reminded me of a Lifelover track, I don’t hear anything particularly fresh here. It’s certainly enjoyable though!

Silencer - Death - Pierce Me (2001)

An infamous release for a number of reasons, not least of all due to the probably bullshit stories about vocalist Nattramn. But this is definitely an early example of the sound I equate to being depressive black metal, and I'd have to imagine highly influential. I thought that Silencer may have taken inspiration from Shining’s debut, Within Deep Dark Chambers, which was released a year earlier, but it seems Silencer were already recording Death - Pierce Me around the time that album was released. I therefore think this one is a candidate for the list.

Xasthur - Nocturnal Poisoning (2002)

First things first… I love this album, despite its flaws. Nocturnal Poisoning undoubtedly made a very big splash on release, but it’s questionable as to whether it’s a good representation of depressive black metal. It’s a fucking weird sounding album, and most certainly has a desperate melancholy to it, but so do lots of black metal releases. Regardless of what I think, this album helped kickstart the US depressive black metal movement and arguably an isolated one-man black metal epidemic as well. A lot of people appear to list Xasthur’s To Violate the Oblivious as a better representation of the depressive black metal sound, so perhaps that’s a better option to put forward?

Leviathan - The Tenth Sub Level of Suicide (2003)

Another US band, Leviathan contains more hatred and black metal extremity than most bands labelled depressive black metal. I feel like a number of tracks on this release are straight up black metal, but I have to admit that when Wrest slows down, there are definitely comparisons to Xasthur’s highly emotional and melancholic work. It's difficult to decide whether Xasthur or Leviathan were more influential in the early 2000’s, but it would feel wrong to mention one without the other. I discovered them at around the same time too, as I think a lot of other black metal fans did.

Shining - IV - The Eerie Cold (2005)

Shining already had several releases that circled the depressive black metal wagons, but by the mid 2000’s, they’d added numerous other recognisable elements to that early sound. 2002's III - Angst - Självdestruktivitetens Emissarie was a top-notch album, but it would be their fourth release, The Eerie Cold, that would reach a larger audience and solidify their unique celebration of madness and suicide. Band leader Niklas Kvarforth is often cited as the instigator of the suicide encouragement motif that would, for better or worse, become a major part of the subgenre. The band's next album would increase their exposure to an unprecedented level, but I think the band’s sound and influence was already well and truly set by that point.

Anyone experienced in this area that has input here?

Sorry to be behind the curve here but my quick 2 cents about Blackgaze:

It's definitely one of the smaller Black Metal subgenres that could be encapsulated by just Sunbather, but I think it deserves a bit more than that. I think the current resurgence of Shoegaze/Noise Rock in the indie spheres has been allowing Blackgaze to make some waves again, so limiting the subgenre to one example seems a bit harsh. I did some digging on early Blackgaze releases and of course Alcest and Deafheaven were the only ones to gain any notoriety, so I think we're covered on that. I'd agree that either Souvenirs d'un autre monde or Écailles de lune deserves a spot as Deafheaven doesn't end up where they are if Alcest wasn't a part of the equation. I couldn't find any specific interviews but as much as it's worth Wikipedia cites that Alcest was a pretty big collaborator and influence on Deafheaven before Sunbather released, so I think tracing back that path is worth it for the list. Then I think it's a question whether the list values the "prototype" (Souvenirs) or the stronger early example (Écailles) of Blackgaze. I'd personally go with Écailles if I was forced to choose, but I'm sure most people would see it both ways. 

I know pretty much nothing about Depressive Black Metal so I'll see myself out o7

Ben, the Strid self-titled released was technically only a 7" single. Should it even be considered here?

Sorry to be behind the curve here but my quick 2 cents about Blackgaze:

It's definitely one of the smaller Black Metal subgenres that could be encapsulated by just Sunbather, but I think it deserves a bit more than that. I think the current resurgence of Shoegaze/Noise Rock in the indie spheres has been allowing Blackgaze to make some waves again, so limiting the subgenre to one example seems a bit harsh. I did some digging on early Blackgaze releases and of course Alcest and Deafheaven were the only ones to gain any notoriety, so I think we're covered on that. I'd agree that either Souvenirs d'un autre monde or Écailles de lune deserves a spot as Deafheaven doesn't end up where they are if Alcest wasn't a part of the equation. I couldn't find any specific interviews but as much as it's worth Wikipedia cites that Alcest was a pretty big collaborator and influence on Deafheaven before Sunbather released, so I think tracing back that path is worth it for the list. Then I think it's a question whether the list values the "prototype" (Souvenirs) or the stronger early example (Écailles) of Blackgaze. I'd personally go with Écailles if I was forced to choose, but I'm sure most people would see it both ways. 

I know pretty much nothing about Depressive Black Metal so I'll see myself out o7

Thanks Xephyr. I agree that Alcest has to be included. It's just a matter of which album.

Ben, the Strid self-titled released was technically only a 7" single. Should it even be considered here?

I really only mention that release as it's generally considered the earliest example of the sound, which I'm interested in assessing. Do you have any feedback on any of the other releases or are we out of your wheelhouse?

Sorry to be behind the curve here but my quick 2 cents about Blackgaze:

It's definitely one of the smaller Black Metal subgenres that could be encapsulated by just Sunbather, but I think it deserves a bit more than that. I think the current resurgence of Shoegaze/Noise Rock in the indie spheres has been allowing Blackgaze to make some waves again, so limiting the subgenre to one example seems a bit harsh. I did some digging on early Blackgaze releases and of course Alcest and Deafheaven were the only ones to gain any notoriety, so I think we're covered on that. I'd agree that either Souvenirs d'un autre monde or Écailles de lune deserves a spot as Deafheaven doesn't end up where they are if Alcest wasn't a part of the equation. I couldn't find any specific interviews but as much as it's worth Wikipedia cites that Alcest was a pretty big collaborator and influence on Deafheaven before Sunbather released, so I think tracing back that path is worth it for the list. Then I think it's a question whether the list values the "prototype" (Souvenirs) or the stronger early example (Écailles) of Blackgaze. I'd personally go with Écailles if I was forced to choose, but I'm sure most people would see it both ways. 

I know pretty much nothing about Depressive Black Metal so I'll see myself out o7

Thanks Xephyr. I agree that Alcest has to be included. It's just a matter of which album.

It's a difficult one.  Now their sophomore is much more metal, but Souvenirs is much more popular and a bit more lauded.  You could say that the genre was more well focused and cemented on Ecailles, but I think Souvenirs is more relevant to the history of blackgaze's development, so I'll vote Souvenirs.

I really only mention that release as it's generally considered the earliest example of the sound, which I'm interested in assessing. Do you have any feedback on any of the other releases or are we out of your wheelhouse?

Despite being generally across all of the releases you mentioned, you're right that the depressive black metal subgenre isn't exactly my wheelhouse as I've always felt that a) it wasn't consistent enough in its use of its differentiators to justify its own subgenre & b) it completely goes against the feeling of empowerment I generally look to gain when listening to metal music. I was across the Strid & Bethlehem releases back in my tape trading days but I don't recall people talking about a new subgenre at the time. My gut feel is that it only really coalesced into a movement of any note in the 2000's so, as with blackgaze,  I don't think the most influential release should necessarily be one of the earliest ones. Of the releases you've listed, I'd suggest that the Leviathan one would be the one that I feel has left the most significant mark on the black metal scene so I'd probably go with that one personally.

I agree that depressive black metal only really became a thing anyone talked about in the early to mid 2000's. Could it be reasonable to state that the subgenre can be broken in half, being the warped sound that originated in Sweden (Silencer / Shining), and the more black metal focussed sound that came out of the United States (Xasthur / Leviathan), with most subsequent bands reflecting one or both of those movements?

If I assume the answer is yes, then I think Silencer's debut wins out over Shining for influence if not quality. I find it very difficult to split Xasthur or Leviathan though. Both brought loads of new fans to black metal and undoubtedly influenced lots of bands. My gut tells me that Xasthur is more important to the development of the subgenre despite the Leviathan album being the better release. I'm going to include both for now and ask that anyone that has an opinion on the matter raise their voice.

Silencer - Death - Pierce Me (2001)

Xasthur - Nocturnal Poisoning (2002)

Leviathan - The Tenth Sub Level of Suicide (2003)

OK, it's time to move on to what has to be the biggest subgenre of black metal...

ATMOSPHERIC BLACK METAL

It's always nice when there's one standout band that simply cannot be excluded. In this case, that band is...

Burzum - Hvis lyset tar oss (1994)

There will no doubt be opinions on whether the selected album should be Hvis lyset tar oss or Filosofem, but my personal opinion is that Hvis lyset tar oss came first, and ultimately laid down the platform that the genre is known for. That said, I could understand the argument that Filosofem was more influential on the sheer weight of popularity. Thoughts?

Ulver - Bergtatt: Et eeventyr i 5 capitler (1995)

It's true that Ulver only released one album that belongs to this subgenre, but Bergtatt has to be considered. This dark fairytale brought a dark folk element along with other non-metal aspects (such as acoustic guitar sections and clean vocals) while still retaining a strong connection to black metal. Arriving only a year after Hvis lyset tar oss, I feel like this album had a big impact on what was to come.

Summoning - Minas Morgul (1995)

One could argue that I only included this to piss off my brother, but that wouldn't be true. There's no doubt in my mind that Summoning took black metal in an entirely new direction, with it's focus on Tolkienesque imagery and atmosphere. While the horns, keyboards, sound effects and fantasy epic feel may on paper appear to go against what black metal is all about, the underlying riffs and vocals are 100% connected to the genre. Minas Morgul isn't the band's best album, but it was the first to take this path, and would set the groundwork for their subsequent releases as well as hordes of other Middle-Earth clones (such as Caladan Brood and Emyn Muil).

Agalloch - Pale Folklore (1999)

This is an album I include with some hesitation. There's no doubt that the band had a big impact on the scene, with their melding of black metal and folk. Of course, Ulver did that first, but the origins of the two bands (Ulver are from Norway, while Agalloch are from the United States) resulted in very different sounds. So why the hesitation? Well, Ulver felt like a black metal band bringing in folk aspects, whereas Agalloch feel like a post-metal band utilizing black metal techniques. While my personal opinion of an album shouldn't influence whether it's included on the list, I must state that I find the album to be poorly performed and not particularly compelling, while later releases (namely The Mantle and Ashes Against the Grain) that focus more on the post-metal aspect are far more convincing. Agalloch definitely had an influence on post-metal, but just how much influence did they have on black metal?

Paysage d'Hiver - Paysage d'Hiver (1999)

While Burzum is an obvious influence on the style of black metal that Paysage d'Hiver's perform, and Darkthrone is likely the influence for the sound, this Swiss one-man band certainly brought something new to the genre. The band name means Landscape of Winter, and that's exactly what you get here.  The intentionally lo-fi production combined with the icy cold riffs and Wintherr's screams that seem to pierce through a blizzard make for a genuinely atmospheric album. One in which the major instruments (who cares about bass anyway) remain entirely audible despite the cacophonous environment. We obviously wouldn't have Darkspace without Paysage d'Hiver, and there are plenty of other bands (Trhä immediately come to mind) that have tried their hand at this sort of thing.

Weakling - Dead as Dreams (2000)

This is an album I only recently devoted enough time to fully grasp and appreciate, but it's generally considered to be the release that kicked off the U.S. black metal movement in the 2000s, just as the Scandinavian movement was stuttering after a glorious decade. That said, I can hear the influence a numerous predecessors on Dead as Dreams (strangely it's Emperor that enters my mind quite often), so I'm not sure it's musically as influential as it was to the region from which it originated. If anything, there's a very progressive approach to song structures that makes it unique, but not in a way that I can unquestionably link back to it. I may include this in my shortlist, but not with certainty that it will appear in the final list.

Blut aus Nord - The Work Which Transforms God (2003)

While Blut aus Nord's Memoria Vetusta series contains a much more traditional version of atmospheric black metal, that certainly can't be said for The Work Which Transforms God (which to be honest, I'm not really sure should be considered an atmospheric black metal album). This release sounded nothing like anything that came before it, combining incredibly warped riffs and unhinged vocals. The only question is whether or not other bands were influenced by this disturbing approach. Well I don't think it's a coincidence that fellow countrymen Deathspell Omega transitioned from a fairly typical old school black metal outfit into the highly dissonant and somewhat avant-garde entity they became in 2004. That band would in turn influence craploads of bands, so perhaps The Work Which Transforms God deserves an element of credit?

Drudkh - Autumn Aurora (2004)

This Ukrainian band is often labelled a Burzum clone, but that feels a bit unfair to me. Sure, Burzum is clearly an influence, but while Paysage d'Hiver took Burzum to the coldest environment imaginable, I feel like Drudkh introduced a warmth to proceedings that, along with the gentle folkish melodies and almost-but-not-quite-monotonous repetition, gives their music a very comforting effect. This is harmless yet effortlessly enjoyable music, which may or may not be what you personally want from your black metal (no need to comment Daniel). I'm not sure this distinguishment alone justifies calling Drudkh pioneering or influential though.

Wolves in the Throne Room - Two Hunters (2007)

These guys fully admit to being highly influenced by Weakling, which straight off gives us a reason not to include them, but that would be doing this U.S. band a disservice. For whatever reason, Wolves in the Throne Room have been labelled a hipster band, but this likely has as much to do with the huge popularity they gained in a short period of time as it does with the band's anti black metal nice guys reputation. But while many elitist black metal fans seem to feel violated by the watering down of their beloved genre by skinny jeans wearing vegans that wear glasses they don't need, one listen to Two Hunters should make it clear that these guys really understand what makes great atmospheric black metal. I have no doubt that the band brought a lot of new fans to the genre, many of whom may have gone on to make albums of their own, but I'm not sure they're doing anything we hadn't heard prior to 2006 (I can hear a fair bit of Drudkh in their sound too).

You'll note that I haven't mentioned Panopticon. This is mostly due to me not having listened to them beyond a few tracks added to The North playlist. I do understand that they introduced a distinctively American folk aspect to their work (bluegrass etc.), but I'm not sure that sort of instrumentation has found its way into other artist's work (at least not yet). Please correct me if I'm off the mark here.

OK, so which of the above am I going to shortlist? I'll select three that I feel strongly about, and three that have potential. As always, please let me know your thoughts. I'm by no means set on any of this.

Burzum - Hvis lyset tar oss (1994)

Ulver - Bergtatt: Et eeventyr i 5 capitler (1995)

Summoning - Minas Morgul (1995)

Paysage d'Hiver - Paysage d'Hiver (1999)

Weakling - Dead as Dreams (2000)

Blut aus Nord - The Work Which Transforms God (2003)

The Burzum conundrum is certainly a tough call as both records changed my life upon release. "Hvis lyset tar oss" is undeniably the true source & includes the track that many (including me) consider to be the high point of the entire subgenre but "Filosofem" is arguably the more consistent & complete record of the two & there's a case to say that it's the most widely celebrated release in all of black metal. I honestly can't see a list like this one without "Filosofem" being right at the top. It simply wouldn't feel right to me so I've gotta go with it. If I'm only allowed to pick from the releases you've listed then "Hvis lyset tar oss" would easily make the cut of course.

I'd suggest that "Bergtatt" should be a no-brainer as it represents the blueprint for the folky/Pagan side of atmospheric black metal & was hugely influential.

Paysage d'Hiver simply MUST be here as they're easily the second most important band in the subgenre & the only one that comes close to touching the majesty of Burzum too in my opinion.

As much as I hate to admit it, I'm forever finding myself shocked & appalled by just how popular & influential Agalloch's "Pale Folklore" has been & it dropped the year before the Weakling album too so I'm gonna have to reluctantly concede that it needs to be included (even though I absolutely despise it).

And finally, I'd go with Wolves in the Throne Room over Weakling. Not only do I think "Two Hunters" is comfortably the better record but I also think it's been more influential in the way the Cascadian black metal scene has developed as it's reached a much wider audience & has created a whole bunch of pretty decent copy-cats.

The Blut aus Nord record isn't really atmospheric black metal for mine so it shouldn't be considered for this category.

The less said about Summoning the better really. I mean, there's not a tonne of bands that sound like Summoning out there right now, is there? At least, I hope not.

If we only have to go with one, just due to its track record alone Filosofem kind of has to make the cut. It's one of the album that everyone points to and always comes up in conversation no matter if you're just getting into Black Metal or were a diehard from day one. I was curious, and it may help to point out that, Hvis lyset tar oss and Filosofem are cited to have been recorded a mere 6 months apart and released 1 year and 8 months apart. While you could argue that's a decently long timeframe at the birth of subgenre, especially since Ulver and Blut Aus Nord released their debuts between that time and could have been (probably were) influenced by Hvis lyset tar oss among other Black Metal bands at the times, Filosofem has had a much larger impact in the long run. For completeness sake it might come down to adding both of them in the end. 

Agreed with Daniel on Ulver.

Agreed with Daniel on Paysage d'Hiver.

I'm not aware of how big Agalloch was at the time when Pale Folklore initially came out, since I'd consider The Mantle to be more "essential" in terms of the sound they popularized. I'd still be fine with Pale Folklore as I can believe what Daniel is saying where it was a true catalyst for folky stuff in Atmospheric Black Metal. 

I gotta go with Wolves in the Throne Room over Weakling as well. It's pretty shocking how often their name came up in music conversations with people who dabble in Black Metal, whereas I only learned about Weakling through this list and have never heard them mentioned or seen them attributed to anything I've come across. I'm sure the threads are there, but I'd have to trust someone who was more in touch with the scene on that one. 

A Summoning inclusion would make sense to me since there are plenty of higher fantasy, Dungeon Synth toting Black Metal bands that owe a lot to Summoning's 1990's material. Daniel's right where Summoning are still pretty unique in their sound, but they're very much the reason why I don't bat an eye when a random Atmospheric Black Metal release has goofy string synths in the background or a random fantasy interlude between songs. It's definitely a much narrower swathe of releases though, so I'd say most of these other albums are more important for the list, especially considering the incredible amount of important 1990's material for Atmospheric Black Metal? 

I don't feel like Drudkh were exactly a catalyst for that "warm" Black Metal sound, but I have nothing to back that up. I feel like the folk inclusions, while differently utilized, is already handled by an Agalloch release 2-4 years prior to Autumn Aurora. 

I wish I knew more about Blut Aus Nord's discography because they seem like too important and consistent of a band, even to this day, to skip out on, but I wouldn't know which one to champion. 

Panopticon is where things get weird for me. To me they're a no-brainer since I'm from the US and it's immediately interesting seeing American Folk being used in Black Metal, but that could be said about many other bands that use their more regional sounds in conjunction with Atmospheric Black Metal. This is a genre based on repetition, obviously atmosphere, and evoking something out of the listener through sometimes abstract concepts, so any region is going to have its own flair to it. To overly simplify, I'd imagine Scandinavian Atmospheric Black Metal sounds and feels cold and dark because it's fuckin' freezing out there. Panopticon is no different since it uses the American south as its backdrop rather than Gothenburg or Oslo. I'm only stuck on this because it feels like if Panopticon is included, what about the other bands that have done a fantastic job of incorporating their region's folk music like Saor or Kaatayra? There are other bands that have American Western or Southern influences like Untamed Land as well as Native American influence like Pan-Amerikan Native Front, but I can't see Panopticon being a massive, cornerstone influence on any of these. Everything in this category feels so separated; that's what makes it great, but not exactly useful for a list like this in my opinion.

Thanks for the feedback Daniel / Xephyr.

I agree that The Work Which Transforms God is better to discuss under Black Metal rather than Atmospheric Black Metal, so that's off the list.

While it hurts me to do it, I think I also agree that Filosofem can't be excluded, so that's the Burzum album of choice for the list.

All of us agree that Ulver and Paysage d'Hiver need to be there, which is great.

I'm going to settle on the below list for now. I really don't know which of these releases will end up in the final 25, but I do feel the first three are locked in.

Burzum - Filosofem (1996)

Ulver - Bergtatt: Et eeventyr i 5 capitler (1995)

Paysage d'Hiver - Paysage d'Hiver (1999)

Summoning - Minas Morgul (1995)

Agalloch - Pale Folklore (1999)

Wolves in the Throne Room - Two Hunters (2007)

I've spent the last week or so pondering how to handle the last remaining genre, being the top level Black Metal genre itself. I think this is by far the hardest to lock down, so Daniel and I had a lengthy phone call to produce the below shortlist. I think we agreed on most of them, with only a few included or excluded where our opinions differed. Let's start with some definites...

Bathory - Under the Sign of the Black Mark (1987)

Yes, Bathory technically launched the black metal genre with 1984's debut album, but it was Under the Sign of the Black Mark that really influenced the upcoming Norwegian movement. Blood Fire Death was obviously also in our discussion, but for pure influence and origin, it has to be Under the Sign.

Darkthrone - A Blaze in the Northern Sky (1992)

It goes without saying that A Blaze in the Northern Sky has to be on the list. While the band hadn't 100% let go of their death metal roots, their primitive ferocity, icy cold riffs, demonic vocals and all-round aesthetic took black metal to darker, more extreme territory.

Darkthrone - Transilvanian Hunger (1994)

While it would be nice to only include one album per artist in this list, I feel Darkthrone has to be the exception. While it may have been tempting to include multiple albums for important artists such as Bathory and Burzum, only Darkthrone demand it due to their two hugely important albums influencing completely separate aspects of black metal. Transilvanian Hunger is responsible for the intentionally lo-fi production values and the relentless yet hypnotic sound that so many bands would pick up on from the moment it was released.

Mayhem - De mysteriis dom Sathanas (1994)

It's incredible that recording for this album began in 1992. While I'm not going to state that Mayhem's masterpiece is the epitome of what true black metal is, I do think that De mysteriis dom Sathanas, with its strong production, complex song structures and impressive musicianship, paved the way for black metal being arguably the most popular metal genre today.

With those 4 albums out of the way, let's dive into some of the other releases that are at least worth discussing for the list. It would be great to get some opinions on any of these albums (or any others for that matter), so please let us know!

Sarcófago - I.N.R.I. (1987)

Arriving in the same year as Bathory's Under the Sign of the Black Mark, these Brazilian's brought high intensity thrashing madness out of South America. While this debut isn't a clear cut example of black metal, the techniques are definitely there, and both Fenris and Euronymous were very much influenced by it. You could argue that these guys were the ones to bring additional ferocity to the genre.

Enslaved - Vikingligr veldi (1994)

It's not clear to me exactly how influential early Enslaved was, but what I do know is that it didn't sound like anyone else in the scene at the time. The band brought an epic aspect that, along with the Viking themes, could very well have led to the huge number of Viking-fused atmospheric black metal bands that exist today. The fact that the average track running time exceeds 10 minutes also fits the mould. My gut tells me Enslaved may have been a stepping stone rather than being influential enough for a list like this, but they're in the ballpark for sure.

Immortal - Battles in the North (1995)

This may come as a surprise, but bare with me. Pure Holocaust and At the Heart of Winter are undoubtedly more loved albums than this one, but that's not what this list is about. The fact is that Battles in the North brought unprecedented extremity to the genre. I recall laughing at how outrageously fast it all was back in the day, and yet there are countless bands that have gone down the same path since.

Satyricon - Nemesis Divina (1996)

Nemesis Divina is one of those releases that you could argue didn't bring anything new to the table, but it came at a time when black metal was making the transition from underground blasphemy to crowd-pleasing accessibility. It sits right in the middle, containing a fair portion of ferocity and complexity, while remaining for the most part quite accessible. Part of this is no doubt due to an increase in production that bands like Emperor and Satyricon were gaining access to, but whatever the reason, Nemesis Divina took off, and undoubtedly influenced other artists through sheer weight of popularity.

Blut aus Nord - The Work Which Transforms God (2003)

I (incorrectly) included this in my atmospheric black metal shortlist, but this is where it belongs. I personally feel that it's no coincidence that fellow countrymen Deathspell Omega's eventual sound (the one they're known for now) arrived on the scene a year after The Work Which Transforms God unleashed it's otherworldly warped dissonance onto unsuspecting listeners. I guess the question we have to ask is whether other bands were influenced by this release, or whether all the innumerable clones simply point back to Deathspell Omega. I feel it's likely the latter, but I wanted to include them for discussion nonetheless.

Deathspell Omega - Paracletus (2010)

I don't think it would have been incorrect to include this release in the definites list at the top of this post. That's how much of an influence I feel this band's sound has had on black metal overall. The only decision is which album to include. I think you could argue that Fas – Ite, maledicti, in ignem aeternum was the band's first album to really nail down the sound, but the monumental popularity of Paracletus can't be ignored.

Mgła - Exercises in Futility (2015)

Daniel and I disagree on the inclusion of this release. While I would never argue that Mgła aren't a great band, and their popularity speaks for itself, I'm personally not convinced that they've brought anything new to black metal. I guess I included Satyricon for helping to bring in an increased accessibility to the genre while staying true to it's foundations, so I can see the argument for Mgła to be included on the same grounds. Anyone have an opinion on this one?

Batushka - Litourgiya (2015)

Bastushka sounded really fresh when this album dropped. They weren't the first to introduce chanting to black metal, but they were certainly the first to dive all in on it. The result was an atmosphere we hadn't really experienced before, and when you added in the mystery surrounding the the band members, this Polish band became a bit of a phenomenon. While I don't know of any bands that have gone down the exact path, I'm continually hearing aspects of Batushka's sound in other releases. Certainly enough to include them on this shortlist, but I'm not certain there's enough to warrant the final 25. Thoughts?

Liturgy - H.A.Q.Q. (2019)

I’ll admit that I’m not really into this sort of thing, so I’ll need some assistance / persuasion when deciding whether it deserves a place on the final list. One thing I do know is that Liturgy are hugely popular, and from the releases I’ve heard, brought an avant-garde madness to the genre that was otherwise missing. Speaking of avant-garde, Daniel and I discussed bands like Ved Buens Ende, Solefald, Dodheimsgard and Fleurety, but felt they either didn’t influence enough bands or weren’t quite black metal enough to warrant inclusion. Liturgy probably ticks both boxes, although perhaps it's too soon to truly call them influential?

Oranssi Pazuzu - Mestarin kynsi (2020)

This one’s all Daniel. I’ve never heard it, but he tells me it’s fantastic, and brings a psychedelic aspect to black metal that feels fresh and interesting. I can’t argue with its rating and popularity on RYM, but I wouldn’t personally know whether it has been influential or not. It’s only been out for 4 years, so it shouldn’t be difficult to pinpoint releases that came out from its shadow. Have you found that to be the case Daniel?

I'm putting forward the below list, but welcome anyone's opinion...

Bathory - Under the Sign of the Black Mark (1987)

Darkthrone - A Blaze in the Northern Sky (1992)

Darkthrone - Transilvanian Hunger (1994)

Mayhem - De mysteriis dom Sathanas (1994)

Deathspell Omega - Paracletus (2010)

Enslaved - Vikingligr veldi (1994)

Immortal - Battles in the North (1995)

Batushka - Litourgiya (2015)

I would suggest that we'd need more conventional black metal releases than just eight Ben. I was thinking around 12 of the 25 should be straight-up black metal personally.

As far as Oranssi Pazuzu goes Ben, I've never thought "Mestarin kynsi" was a black metal record as such. It feels more like blackened post-metal to me (as opposed to post-black metal). Artists like Hail Spirit Noir, Nachmystium, Njiqahdda, Shataan & The Nest have all dabbled in psychedelics over the years but I'm not sure that I can say that many of those were directly influenced by "Mestarin Kynsi" as most of them came to fruition prior to the album's release. I simply feel that "Mestarin kynsi" has opened up the world of black metal for so many people that might never have experienced it without it though so it's a different type of influence.

I see no reason why there should be 12 influential conventional black metal releases as some sort of minimum. In fact I think that actually goes against what I would expect for the list. I would expect it would be bands that branched out and did something other than conventional black metal, and influenced others to come along for the ride in the process, that should go in above popular black metal releases that didn't do anything particularly new.

If you feel any of the other conventional black metal albums deserve a spot, please let me know why.

I currently have 27 releases that I've shortlisted, so rather than discuss any individual subgenres any further, let's throw that list together and you can tell me if you feel like anything should replace anything else.

Here's the 27 I've got so far...

MOST INFLUENTIAL BLACK METAL RELEASES

1987 Bathory - Under the Sign of the Black Mark (BLACK)

1990 Blasphemy - Fallen Angel of Doom.... (WAR)

1992 Darkthrone - A Blaze in the Northern Sky (BLACK)

1993 Dissection - Storm of the Light's Bane (MELODIC)

1993 Rotting Christ - Thy Mighty Contract (MELODIC)

1994 Darkthrone - Transilvanian Hunger (BLACK)

1994 Enslaved - Vikingligr veldi (BLACK)

1994 Mayhem - De mysteriis dom Sathanas (BLACK)

1994 Emperor - In the Nightside Eclipse (SYMPHONIC)

1995 Summoning - Minas Morgul (ATMOSPHERIC)

1995 Ulver - Bergtatt: Et eeventyr i 5 capitler (ATMOSPHERIC)

1995 Immortal - Battles in the North (BLACK)

1996 Burzum - Filosofem (ATMOSPHERIC)

1996 Cradle of Filth - Dusk and Her Embrace (SYMPHONIC)

1997 Dimmu Borgir - Enthrone Darkness Triumphant (SYMPHONIC)

1999 Agalloch - Pale Folklore (ATMOSPHERIC)

1999 Paysage d'Hiver - Paysage d'Hiver (ATMOSPHERIC)

1999 Windir - Arntor (MELODIC)

1999 Conqueror - War Cult Supremacy (WAR)

2001 Silencer - Death - Pierce Me (DEPRESSIVE)

2002 Xasthur - Nocturnal Poisoning (DEPRESSIVE)

2003 Leviathan - The Tenth Sub Level of Suicide (DEPRESSIVE)

2007 Wolves in the Throne Room - Two Hunters (ATMOSPHERIC)

2010 Deathspell Omega - Paracletus (BLACK)

2010 Alcest - Écailles de lune (BLACKGAZE)

2013 Deafheaven - Sunbather (BLACKGAZE)

2015 Batushka - Litourgiya (BLACK)

I think it's a pretty decent list. Releases I'm not 100% sold on are (in order of uncertainty)

2015 Batushka - Litourgiya (BLACK) - I'm comfortable removing Batushka, as I'm not sure it's influenced that many bands.

1999 Conqueror - War Cult Supremacy (WAR) - Are Conqueror really doing anything that Blasphemy didn't do a decade earlier?

2003 Leviathan - The Tenth Sub Level of Suicide (DEPRESSIVE) - I don't feel we need both Xasthur and Leviathan, and since I see Xasthur as having more of the sound that represents depressive black metal, I'd be happy with that.

1994 Enslaved - Vikingligr veldi (BLACK) - Enslaved were certainly different, but just how much did this album influence others? Not sure!

If I remove all of them though, I'd need to add 2 more releases.

Thoughts? Anyone?

I see no rationale for Batushka being on here, likewise Conqueror.  I am not convinced that Enslaved release holds much sway either but then again it has been a long time since I heard it.  I would argue for keeping Leviathan though as there is more depth to his particular style of depressive bm as opposed to the gloriously staid consistency of Xasthur.  For me Leviathan have more intensity overall and I would pick that album ahead of the Xasthur one.

I see no reason why there should be 12 influential conventional black metal releases as some sort of minimum. In fact I think that actually goes against what I would expect for the list. I would expect it would be bands that branched out and did something other than conventional black metal, and influenced others to come along for the ride in the process, that should go in above popular black metal releases that didn't do anything particularly new.

I assumed the list was intended to reflect the market where a good half of the black metal releases are of the conventional variety & comparatively few fall into the war metal or blackgaze space for example. Apparently not.

Feel free to tell me which albums you feel deserve a place and why. I understand that you think there should be around 12. What are they, and which artists followed in their wake? If it’s Liturgy or Oranssi Pazuzu, then I’m genuinely interested in other artists that have followed their lead. Learn me.

I agree with Vinny on removing Batushka. I've listened to a lot of modern Black Metal and there aren't a lot of bands that follow in Batushka's footsteps with the chanting aspect; the only one that springs to mind is Thy Darkened Shade and their 2014 album Liber Lvcifer I: Khem Sedjet which predates the Batushka album. 

Since we're going purely influential, I'm also with Vinny on removing Conqueror and keeping Blasphemy as the sole War Metal representative, unless someone else wants to suggest an example that's pushing the genre in the modern era. Something like Infernal Coil's Within a World Forgotten since that seems to be hailed as War Metal graduating into something more than the original Blasphemy-core, but I'm not an expert on that. 

I don't listen to a lot of Depressive Black Metal so take this opinion/suggestion as you will: I would keep Xasthur and Leviathan and remove Silencer. Unless Silencer's 2001 is cited as being a real influence on either of the other two albums, in which case I would keep Silencer and Xasthur. I did find out that Bethlehem's Dictius Te Necare predates all of these under the Depressive Black Metal tag, releasing in 1996, and while the production is much clearer and the songwriting isn't as frantic, it still has the reflective and despairful atmosphere along with a vocal style that I've heard from many a Black Metal band. I'm just not sure how well this album was known by other musicians at the time. If Bethlehem comes into the discussion, it'd be Bethlehem and Xasthur for me personally. I went back and forth but I think Ben's right in saying that Xasthur is the more quintessential Depressive Black Metal sound, even though I think Leviathan has the more interesting album.

I think Enslaved stays.

I'm unsure on having both Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir beside each other as the final Symphonic Black Metal representatives, especially since In the Nightside Eclipse is already there. I'm not an expert on either of these bands, but from what I can tell, modern Black Metal bands more closely follow Dimmu Borgir's Enthrone Darkness Triumphant than Dusk and Her Embrace, which sounds still sounds pretty unique to me. I'd have to spend some more time coming up with a more modern representative for Symphonic Black Metal, I don't know if there is one to be honest.