RYM Top 40 Black Metal Releases - a personal ranking analysis
After spending the last few years thoroughly exploring and ranking over 500 highly received metal releases, I thought it might be interesting to analyze where my opinions differ (or agree) with popular consensus. Since black metal is probably the genre I spend the most time with, I've decided to start with the first page of the RYM black metal releases of all time. I've replicated the RYM list here at Metal Academy...
https://metal.academy/lists/single/320
...and here's my ratings / rankings for it...
https://metal.academy/lists/single/339?releasesFilters=1&userFilter=3
Before I go any further, I want to state that music will always be a personal experience. The below analysis is just a bit of fun, and everyone has the right to disagree with me. I encourage you to tell me when you do, with the respect we generally have here at the Academy. I also acknowledge that this sort of analysis will hold more value as the list increases, which I'll do as I complete each RYM page for each genre.
MY TOP 10 (the releases from the RYM top 40 that I've ranked the highest)
- Burzum - Filosofem
- Burzum - Hvis lyset tar oss
- Mayhem - De mysteriis dom Sathanas
- Emperor - In the Nightside Eclipse
- Emperor - Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk
- Lurker of Chalice - Lurker of Chalice
- Paysage d'Hiver - Winterkaelte
- Ulver - Bergtatt: Et eeventyr i 5 capitler
- Deafheaven - Lonely People With Power
- Deathspell Omega - Paracletus
Comments: I could have guessed the top 6 here, but I'm genuinely surprised at how much I loved both Paysage d'Hiver's Winterkaelte album and, in particular, Deafheaven's latest. There will certainly be albums outside RYM's top 40 that will replace some of the above as I increase the pool.
MY BOTTOM 10 (the releases from the RYM top 40 that I've ranked the lowest)
- Windir - 1184
- Windir - Arntor
- Moonsorrow - Verisäkeet
- Tukaaria / Odz Manouk - Tukaaria / Odz Manouk
- Darkthrone - Panzerfaust
- Nokturnal Mortum - The Voice of Steel
- Dissection - The Somberlain
- Emperor - Emperor
- Murmuüre - Murmuüre
- Drudkh - Blood in Our Wells
Comments: Given I'm only looking at the RYM top 40 black metal releases of all time at this point, none of the above are by any means bad releases. That said, I have a general aversion to folk metal, so keep that in mind when seeing the likes of Windir, Moonsorrow and Nokturnal Mortum on my lowest ranking releases. I actually really enjoy the last three releases on this list, but I've always felt that Darkthrone's Panzerfaust and Dissection's The Somberlain are overrated albums, and can't compare to those band's best releases.
TOP 10 WHERE MY RANKING IS CLOSEST TO THE GENERAL CONSENSUS
Exactly the same position
- Emperor - In the Nightside Eclipse (both 4)
- Emperor - Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk (both 5)
- Odz Manouk - Odz Manouk (both 29)
Difference of 1 position
- Deathspell Omega - Paracletus (me - 10, RYM - 11)
- Deathspell Omega - Fas – Ite, maledicti, in ignem aeternum (me - 21, RYM - 22)
- Drudkh - Blood in Our Wells (me - 31, RYM - 32)
- Deafheaven - Lonely People With Power (me - 9, RYM - 8)
- Deafheaven - Sunbather (me - 16, RYM - 15)
- Murmuüre - Murmuüre (me - 32, RYM - 31)
TOP 10 WHERE MY RANKING DIFFERS MOST TO THE GENERAL CONSENSUS
- Lurker of Chalice - Lurker of Chalice - 33 difference (me - 6, RYM - 39)
- Paysage d'Hiver - Winterkaelte - 23 difference (me - 7, RYM - 30)
- Mayhem - De mysteriis dom Sathanas - 23 difference (me - 3, RYM - 26)
- Gris - Il était une forêt... - 21 difference (me - 28, RYM - 7)
- Immortal - Sons of Northern Darkness - 19 difference (me - 18, RYM - 37)
- Dissection - The Somberlain - 15 difference (me - 34, RYM - 19)
- Burzum - Hvis lyset tar oss - 14 difference (me - 2, RYM - 16)
- Bathory - Blood Fire Death - 14 difference (me - 23, RYM - 9)
- Dissection - Storm of the Light's Bane - 14 difference (me - 15, RYM - 1)
- Bathory - Under the Sign of the Black Mark - 12 difference (me - 25, RYM, 13)
An interesting list Ben. There are a few I haven't listened to, but I may have a crack at it myself in the coming days. We won't ever see eye-to-eye on the best Burzum album I suspect as the 25-minute ambient piece ruins Filosofem for me and I guess a tolerance for ambient music is a requirement for that to be a top-tier album. To be honest, much to the scorn of most people I suppose, I am even favouring the debut S/T over everything else Burzum-related nowadays. No Darkthrone in your top ten is also where we would deviate in our opinion as I would definitely have at least two in there and Transilvanian Hunger has now become my #1 black metal album. Then again, they are my favourite band, not just black metal or even metal, but of all music.
I don't know why, possibly your championing of Summoning, but I always thought you were better disposed towards folk metal than you evidently are.
I don't know why, possibly your championing of Summoning, but I always thought you were better disposed towards folk metal than you evidently are.
Summoning are grand and bombastic for sure, but there's no folk in there. Speaking of which, while I shamelessly love Summoning, I'm fairly certain none of their albums will challenge my top 10 black metal releases. They do have a lot of 4.5 star albums though.
No Darkthrone in your top ten is also where we would deviate in our opinion as I would definitely have at least two in there and Transilvanian Hunger has now become my #1 black metal album.
I do have Darkthrone at 11 and 13 though, so still obviously a big fan. My ratings spreadsheet calculates my average percentage for all the subgenres, which has really emphasized my passion for atmospheric black metal and death doom / funeral doom. It has also very clearly highlighted my dislike (bordering on complete bewilderment) of stoner metal. My further attempts to get into Electric Wizard and Sleep have failed dismally. Maybe some other stoner bands will tickle my fancy, but I don't think I'm ever going to enjoy these much-loved entities. I tried!
No Darkthrone in your top ten is also where we would deviate in our opinion as I would definitely have at least two in there and Transilvanian Hunger has now become my #1 black metal album.
I do have Darkthrone at 11 and 13 though, so still obviously a big fan. My ratings spreadsheet calculates my average percentage for all the subgenres, which has really emphasized my passion for atmospheric black metal and death doom / funeral doom. It has also very clearly highlighted my dislike (bordering on complete bewilderment) of stoner metal. My further attempts to get into Electric Wizard and Sleep have failed dismally. Maybe some other stoner bands will tickle my fancy, but I don't think I'm ever going to enjoy these much-loved entities. I tried!
In all honesty, Ben, I am very quickly wearying of stoner metal and rock myself. I still enjoy a lot of the doomier stoner stuff such as EW and Sleep, but the more rock-oriented iterations of stonerdom have begun to leave me cold. This is probably inevitable as I become more enamoured of extreme metal genres. Another possible reason is that as I have long since moved away from the stoner life style I once enjoyed, it feels less relevant to me as a person and isn't anything I really identify with any more as I have little contact with that world now.
My own top ten black metal releases:
01. Burzum - "Filosofem" (1996)
02. Deathspell Omega - "Kenose" E.P. (2005)
03. Akhlys - "The Dreaming I" (2015)
04. Darkthrone - "Transilvanian Hunger" (1994)
05. Oranssi Pazuzu - "Mestarin kynsi" (2020)
06. Burzum - "Hvis lyset tar oss" (1994)
07. Oranssi Pazuzu - "Värähtelijä" (2016)
08. Wolves in the Throne Room - "Two Hunters" (2007)
09. Bathory - "Blood Fire Death" (1988)
10. Mayhem - "De Mysteriis dom Sathanas" (1994)
My own top ten black metal releases:
01. Burzum - "Filosofem" (1996)
02. Deathspell Omega - "Kenose" E.P. (2005)
03. Akhlys - "The Dreaming I" (2015)
04. Darkthrone - "Transilvanian Hunger" (1994)
05. Oranssi Pazuzu - "Mestarin kynsi" (2020)
06. Burzum - "Hvis lyset tar oss" (1994)
07. Oranssi Pazuzu - "Värähtelijä" (2016)
08. Wolves in the Throne Room - "Two Hunters" (2007)
09. Bathory - "Blood Fire Death" (1988)
10. Mayhem - "De Mysteriis dom Sathanas" (1994)
Just in case you don't realise, my list is only taking into account releases in the RYM top 40 black metal releases.
I do but I feel that comparing the opinions of yourself & our other regular contributors to those of the wider RYM community is like a winemaker arguing over the quality of fine wine with a teenage Passion Pop devotee if I'm being completely honest.
I do but I feel that comparing the opinions of yourself & our other regular contributors to those of the wider RYM community is like a winemaker arguing over the quality of fine wine with a teenage Passion Pop devotee if I'm being completely honest.
RYM has helped me a lot with my musical education and exploration. Having said that, my core is built on "hot takes." I typically make my ratings based on a "subjective best" criteria, meaning I stick with a technical evaluation and assign it a numerical rating, do that I can give sir ratings to genres I don't care for. And this also explains why I typically criticize albums that are too long or samey, so this ended up being why I lowered my Burzum rating by a whole star. Doesn't even reach my top 1000 metal albums anymore (though I still need to go over those other Burzum, Windir and Cradle of Filth albums to modernize my top 100 black metal albums).
This also explains why I had such difficulty finding a melo-black album for my top 100 after falling out of favor with Windir's Arntor. And my number 1 doesn't even reach the RYM top 400. But our charts are a bit difficult to gauge recommendations from because so few users are rating these albums on a consistent bases.
I do but I feel that comparing the opinions of yourself & our other regular contributors to those of the wider RYM community is like a winemaker arguing over the quality of fine wine with a teenage Passion Pop devotee if I'm being completely honest.
Yeah, I know. But it's a fun exercise that I think will get more interesting the more releases I rate. It's not like there's any valid alternative that has such a large audience for comparison.
My top 10 out of the RYM top 40
1: Moonsorrow: Verisakeet (100)
2: Emperor: Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk (98)
3: Leviathan - Lurker of Chalice (98)
4: Dissection - Storm of the Light's Bane (98)
5: Immortal - At the Heart of Winter (97)
6: Ulver - Bergtatt (96)
7: Murmuüre - Murmuüre (96)
8: Agallock - Ashes Against the Grain (96)
9: Bathory - Blood Fire Death (96)
10: Mayhem - De mysteriis dom Sathanas (96)
My top 10 in general
1. Emperor - Prometheus (100 / Symphonic Black, Traditional Black)
2. Blut aus Nord - The Work Which Transforms God (100 / Atmo-Black, Dissonant Black)
3. Alcest - Souvenirs d'un autre monde (100 / Blackgaze, Shoegaze, Post-Metal)
4. Emperor - Emperial Live Ceremony (100 / Symphonic Black, Traditional Black)
5. Enslaved - Mardraum (100 / Prog Black)
6. Moonsorrow - Verisakeet (100 / Folk Metal, Pagan Black)
7. Cabinet - Claustrophobic Dysentery (100 / Bestial Black, Black Death)
8. The Ruins of Beverast - Foulest Semen of a Darkened Shrine (Black Doom, Atmo-Black, Death Doom)
9. Sear Bliss - The Arcane Odyssey (Melo-Black)
10. Stormkeep - Galdrum (Melo-Black)
As you can see, having both Prometheus and Mardraum as their artists' top slot on my chart shows off my love of the more experimental stuff and my occasionally controversial hot takes. Even by saying that specific live album is Emperor's best, when some would claim it's their worst, I prove that point.