The Atmospheric Black Metal Thread
Paysage - d'Hiver - "Paysage d'Hiver" (1999)
A demo tape comprising of three tracks that range from 16-20 minutes in length. Intentionally noisy no-fi production is used to create a cold, texture-rich experience with added synths & folky instrumentation. I absolutely love tracks 2 & 3 but the opener does nothing for me at all. Fans of Darkspace, Burzum & Vinterriket will love this shit. In fact, the man behind Paysage d'Hiver (Tobias "Wintherr" Möckl) is a member of Darkspace.
4/5
I was originally turned on to this via a recommendation through RYM about three years ago. I got hold of a copy and listened to it for the first time whilst out walking during one of the worst snowstorms we had experienced in England in years. Sometimes things just feel right and the album's icy atmosphere perfectly suited the surroundings. I've loved this album ever since.
4.5/5
I feel very similarly about tracks 2 & 3 Sonny but found some major obstacles that I failed to overcome with opener " Welt aus Eis". The vocals & drumming to be more specific. The vocal delivery is very different & much more direct than on the other two tracks. It sounds kinda childish & immature to my ears to be honest. I'm not sure whether it was intentional to make the drumming sound so sloppy & primitive either. Perhaps it was & I'm just not on board with it but the drums get more buried in the mix on the other two tracks & they're much better off for it. "Gefrorener Atem" & "Der Weg" certainly take some time to develop but the second half of both of those songs are nothing short of wonderful.
Paysage d'Hiver - "Im Wald" (2020)
Utterly essential atmospheric black metal for fans of Burzum, Darkspace & Darkthrone. It spans an incredible 120 minutes with the second hour being as metal music gets.
4.5/5
"Im Wald" is currently my Album of the Year. A truly incredible record.
Lurker of Chalice - "Lurker of Chalice" (2005)
I have to admit that when I first encountered this unique release I was completely unprepared for what was in store for me. That was back in 2009 & I was still yet to allow myself to become completely immersed in the incredible atmospherics of the post-metal movement so I was still looking to hear an ultra-aggressive Satanic blast-fest when I put on a "black metal" record & that's certainly not what I got from "Lurker of Chalice" so I was left struggling to come to grips with my disappointment rather than treating the record on it's merits. Since that time a lot has changed in my world & this revisit has seen me being completely opened up to the charms of what is essentially a pretty indescribable extreme metal release.
"Lurker of Chalice" is generally tagged as Atmospheric Black Metal & there's little doubt that this subgenre plays a strong role in the outcome however there's a lot more to this album than that. In fact, I'd suggest that there's probably as much Doom Metal (often venturing all the way over to the Funeral Doom end of the equation) & Post-Metal on offer as there is Black Metal & I've found it very hard to identify an easy pigeon-hole with which to place "Lurker of Chalice". The best I can do is to label it as Post-Black/Doom Metal which I feel is the fairest assessment. I love the croaky vocals which are beautifully placed towards the back of the mix so that they seem to contribute more to the atmospherics than they do guide the listener down their dark path. Interestingly I find the pure black metal sections to be the least engaging inclusions with the stunning Post-Metal atmospheres & cripplingly depressive yet still decidedly beautiful doom metal parts grabbing me by the balls & dragging me into territories of appreciation that I never expected to venture with this artist. It's an emotionally engaging experience that leaves me feeling thoroughly rewarded, even if the more conventional atmospheric black metal track "Granite" is pretty flat when compared to the other material.
4.5/5
My vinyl boxed set of Blut Aus Nord's 777 trilogy arrived today. Complete with splatter effect vinyl, a turntable slipmat and multiple posters it is s et of albums I have been meaning to revisit for some time after initially giving them all a decidedly average 3 stars on the MA site originally. Now I understand the story behind the series I am listening back through with a much clearer head now I understand the construct (and you really have to get the background to these albums to understand what the band are trying to achieve.
This weekend's top ten list is my Top Ten Atmospheric Black Metal Releases Of All Time:
01. Burzum – “Filosofem” (1996)
02. Akhlys – “The Dreaming I” (2015)
03. Altar of Plagues – “Mammal” (2011)
04. Burzum – “Hvis lyset tar oss” (1994)
05. Wolves In The Throne Room – “Two Hunters” (2007)
06. Paysage d’Hiver – “Im Wald” (2020)
07. Paysage d’Hiver – “Winterkaelte” (2001)
08. Murmuure – “Murmuure” (2010)
09. Lurker Of Chalice – “Lurker Of Chalice” (2005)
10. Darkspace – “Dark Space III” (2008)
One of my favourite of all musical genres. My top ten looks like this:
1. Wolves in the Throne Room - Two Hunters (2007)
2. Drudkh - Blood in Our Wells (2006)
3. Blut Aus Nord - Memoria Vetusta II: Dialogue With the Stars (2009)
4. Burzum - Hvis lyset tar oss (1994)
5. Panopticon - Kentucky (2012)
6. Saor - Aura (2014)
7. Paysage d'hiver - Im Wald (2020)
8. The Ruins of Beverast - Rain Upon the Impure (2006)
9. Winterfylleth - The Mercian Sphere (2010)
10. Ulver - Bergtatt - Et eeventyr i 5 capitler (1995)
Oh hey I can do this one. Let's see here:
- Paysage d'Hiver - Im Wald (2020)
- Saor - Aura (2014)
- Mare Cognitum - Solar Paroxysm (2021)
- Drudkh - Blood In Our Wells (2006)
- Spectral Lore & Mare Cognitum - Wanderers: Astrology of the Nine (2020)
- Kaatayra - Só quem viu o relâmpago à sua direita sabe (2020)
- Kaatayra - Toda história pela frente (2020)
- Ethereal Shroud - Trisagion (2021)
- Paysage d'Hiver - Paysage d'Hiver (1999)
- Summoning - Minas Morgul (1995)
Bit of a weird list admittedly, it's made me realize I don't put too much thought into stuff like this, especially since I put so much weight on newer stuff. Hard for me to really parse how things stack up against some of the older albums.
Izthmi - Leaving This World, Leaving it All Behind
Very happy to see this Seattle based black metal band back with their follow-up to the excellent debut The Arrows of Our Ways.
https://izthmiseattle.bandcamp.com/album/leaving-this-world-leaving-it-all-behind
Just checked this out today. The Arrows Of Our Ways initially impressed me, but fell off significantly since their vocalist is really grating to me for some reason. I think I prefer their more atmospheric sound here, looking forward to giving it a few more spins as I think it may be better than I currently think once I understand the pacing.
I'm a big fan of all three albums, particularly The Desanctification. Didn't realise there was any sort of story behind them to be honest.
So, it might take me a few weeks to get all this correct but I have started my re-rating and reviewing of the whole trilogy tonight, beginning with Sect(s).
Blut Aus Nord’s “777” trilogy initially passed me by as being just “three more BAN records!” Foolish though my initial summary admittedly was there is no denying that taken as three sprawling soundscapes that explore the full dynamic range of one of black metal’s more experimental artists, this trilogy commands more than just a cursory listen. To truly unfold the ethereal and haunting and downright catastrophic tale they tell here requires time to be dedicated to the cause.
The theme (I suppose I could say the story at a push) behind the trilogy is essentially the death of mankind as we know it. Predictably perhaps, this does not happen in as simple a format as a nuclear war or even a deviant strain of some pandemic. BAN’s vision is much more terrible and is delivered with a real sense of there being a taunting applause reaching a steady crescendo, somewhere in the darkest corner of the universe.
Told in three parts, this macabre yet (increasingly) relevant scenario plays out with the upmost contempt for humanity that you can muster. Do not be fooled by the relatively tame artwork that adorns Sect(s). The bold silver and gold symbolism belies a cruelty without bounds. Capturing this vision of man being stripped of his belief systems, of his ideologies, of his very existence. Artist Daniel Valencia clearly understood the vision from his discussions with Vindsval. As the first third of the trilogy, Sect(s) sets out a bold undertaking in deconstructing the known foundations of life itself, pouring scorn on the selfish nature of humanity and assaulting the very principles of cultural, religious, and existential need.
“…there once was a star on which clever animals invented knowledge. That was the highest and most mendacious minute of 'world history' — yet only a minute. After nature had drawn a few breaths the star grew cold, and the clever animals had to die. One might invent such a fable and still not have illustrated sufficiently how wretched, how shadowy and flighty, how aimless and arbitrary, the human intellect appears in nature. There have been eternities when it did not exist; and when it is done for again, nothing will have happened.” Friedrich Nietzsche, On Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense, (1873) – with thanks to Lurkersgrave.com for pointing me to this.
Nietzshce’s quote seems to be a perfect summary for the trajectory that Sect(s) starts us on for the rest of the “777” trilogy. It begins at a hopeless point of no return, without any reverse gear to select or handbrake to apply. This crude sense of humility that it flings the driver and all passengers head-first through the windshield and onto is the opening act of a series of events on an unimaginable scale.
To deliver all this BAN simply dip into their armoury of tormented chords and deviant rhythms that disorientate the listener. It is an album that you can lose all sense of narrative in and for once I have no issue with this – it is after all exactly how it was intended to be done. This is not supposed to be an easy listen. The tracks are all entitled “Epitome” followed by the relevant numerical order, but this order is against the values of the song writing of course and as such I find it has little traction.
By and large the more aggressive of the three albums, Sect(s) will appeal to the more traditional bm fan whilst also clearly setting a tone for the imaginative and the alien aspects of the style also. The opening track flies straight out of the traps leaving the listener in no doubt as to what they are in for. Niggling riffs flit about the place before the track breaks into a much more looming prospect. As with a lot of tracks on the album, BAN have this art of making riffs taunt one another. Like tormented serpents writhing in some biblical pit of reckoning; just as one thinks it has the better of another its opponent snaps its head away, prolonging the anguish of the game.
As we have come to expect with BAN, the album also has more than its fair share of ambient ludes/sections, often they appear when we least expect them, causing a sudden change of pace or tempo. These moments seem to just be placed to emphasise the misery of the unfolding story and can equally lead to melancholic melodies just as easily as they can charges of ferocious black metal. At the same time though there are arty rock moments that shimmer in their avant-garde nature, delivering a sense of maturity and total consciousness to the horrific subject matter. This is truly the beginning of the end, and the auditory assault will not let you forget that.
For an album that I hold in such high regard (now that I have taken time to listen properly to it over many spins) it is hard to find fault as so much of what goes on here only has value when explored in the context of the whole trilogy. As such there is very little wrong with Sect(s), despite its obvious deviance from the norms of extreme metal. For any first-time listeners – what the hell are you doing starting out here? Go and start at Ultima Thulee and build yourself up to this stage of the bands career. For the uninitiated, this is a hellish soundscape to comprehend. The undulation of the riffs, the constant subtlety of the drums that frustrates and compliments at the same time, finalised by vocals that you are never quite sure if they are there or not make for a dizzying experience. I have heard the word hypnotising applied to reviews of this album and I have to say that this sums my experience up perfectly. I am so in tune with the album that I can track the mesmerising dissonance that haunts the experience from start to finish. I look upon Sect(s) as being a collection of six rituals that defy linear narrative and yet are just as interesting and enthralling as any story, legend or myth you could care to think of.
4.5/5
Trhä - "Novej kalhnjënno" E.P. (2020)
Wow! Just wow! This release seems to be picking up some big ratings on other sites however my experience with it today has been a very long way from enjoyable. "Novej kalhnjënno" sounds like this mysterious solo artist from an unknown location is trying for the lo-fi atmospheric black metal sound of an artist like Paysage d'Hiver but if that was the case then he hasn't managed to achieve much in the way of the ice-cold soundscapes that that underground legend is renowned for. Instead, Thét Älëf has drenched his black metal in wispy synthesizers that often remind me more of trance than metal. The vocals & blast beats are effective but I simply can't tolerate the light-weight atmosphere & the pleasantly melodic keyboards which are very much at odds with my idea of what black metal is or should ever strive to be. I guess I'm just not the target audience for this one but I still can't help but ponder how "Novej kalhnjënno" has managed to get noticed among the masses of black metal releases that hit the internet every day.
2/5
Deafheaven - "New Bermuda" (2015)
Last month I found myself revisiting San Francisco blackgaze legends Deafheaven's fourth full-length "Ordinary Corrupt Human Love" & being really impressed with what I heard so I immediately popped the previous album "New Bermuda" into my Spotify playlist for this month so that I could see how it compared. I remember thoroughly enjoying it at the time of release & not much has changed in that regard as it's yet another quality release from an extreme metal band that simply couldn't produce a dud if its life depended on it. For the follow-up to 2013's classic (& heavily divisive) "Sunbather" album the band opted to reignite their black metal passion with this record being perhaps their most black metal release however that's not to say that Deafheaven's signature blackgaze approach has dropped off the radar by any means as they tend to skip between the two sounds quite often. There's a little post-metal here & there but I wouldn't say that the post-rock influence is anything that isn't covered by the blackgaze tag. The screaming vocal performance of front man George Clarke is a highlight as usual, as is the blasting drumming of Daniel Tracy. I guess it's fair to say that everything that Deafheaven touch is pure class. They could fart in my face & I'd probably praise the complexity of the fragrance & the textured & melodious tonality of its song. In saying that, the last track "Gifts for the Earth" does see the quality drop a touch & I'm not sure "New Bermuda" ever threatened to enter my Hall of Metal Glory with one of my more prestigious ratings. It just pips out "Ordinary Corrupt Human Love" for the highly sought-after honour of being my second favourite Deafheaven record these days though & I think most black metal fans would really dig it if they gave it a genuine chance.
For fans of Lantlôs, Numenorean & Alcest.
4/5
Trhä - "Nvenlanëg" (2020)
I first came across Mexican one-man black metal artist Trhä shortly after the release of this debut album & generally liked what I heard so I always intended on returning to it for a more comprehensive analysis at some point. However I must admit that my poor experiences while reviewing Trhä’s follow-up release (the “Novej kalhnjënno” E.P. from later the same year) saw me delaying things a bit longer while I built up the courage. Thankfully “Nvenlanëg” is a much more enticing prospect than it’s younger sibling though & has left me feeling generally positive about its merits.
“Nvenlanëg” is comprised of three lengthy tracks that amount to a total duration of 55 minutes with the main component being a lo-fi atmospheric black metal sound similar to Swiss act Paysage d’Hiver. Despite a strong focus on frost-bitten winters though, this record isn’t half as cold as Paysage d’Hiver’s classic releases. There’s a dreamy positivity to a lot of the melodies with the synthesizers being the protagonists more often than not. At times you’ll actually find a similar atmosphere to a blackgaze artist like Sadness only Trhä never veers too far from the path of blasphemy, his vocals opting for the trademark tortured route of so many of his atmospheric black metal counterparts. The regular use of winter synth style ambience breaks the album up nicely & is quite effective in its enhancement of the themes.
I can’t say that “Nvenlanëg” hits my black metal comfort zone particularly. It’s a little too light-weight for that but I do find more than enough depth in its atmospherics to keep me interested. The epic 23 minute opener “Lhelhën Majlan” summarizes the album’s content well while 18 minute closer “Alandlhan ëlh Nítak” is probably the most fully realised example of the Trhä sound. The track in the middle “Nëlhlica” doesn’t appeal to me much though to be honest. It’s simply too melodic for my taste & seems like a step down from the other two tracks.
I can’t say that I feel the fanfare around “Nvenlanëg” is warranted but it’s not a bad record nonetheless. It’s certainly a good three levels up from the awful “Novej kalhnjënno” E.P. & hits the wintery atmosphere it was aiming for pretty well, despite not gathering the darkness & evil around it in the process.
For fans of Paysage d’Hiver, Bekëth Nexëhmü & Evilfeast.
3.5/5
New Nordicwinter got released whilst I was on holiday and s I have only just noticed this past day or so that this is out. One of the more consistent atmo-black artists out there - certainly based on his last three albums anyway. Always seems to chime just right with me whenever he releases something and this appears to be the case again here although far too early for a fully fledged review.
Drudkh - "Autumn Aurora" (2004)
It's been a while since I visited the Ukrainian atmospheric/Pagan black metallers highly regarded sophomore record & I've been pleased to discover that it still hits the spot. It's definitely not the darkest or coldest atmospheric black metal release you'll find but neither does it try to be. The consistent inclusion of sweeping synths, catchy lead guitar work & melodic folk instrumentation keep things in a less imposing space for the most part but that doesn't detract from the effectiveness of this professional & engaging release. The Burzum influence is hard to miss with the album finishing at it's highest point with the classic "The First Snow" adding additional melodics to Varg's ambient, ethereal & trance-like darkness. The inclusion of folk elements in metal is not something that I usually buy into much but it's done with such finesse here that I rarely see myself tempted to complain. I think this is a slightly better record than Drudkh's highly praised 2006 "Blood In Our Wells" record to be honest & it should see all fans of the subgenre coming away with positive feelings.
For fans of Ygg, Winterfylleth & Wodensthrone.
4/5
I'm actually on the other side of the fence here as I expected a lot out of Autumn Aurora after absolutely loving Blood In Our Wells. Even though Atmospheric Black Metal has become one of my favorite subgenres, I feel like it's doomed to be very inconsistent for me as it feels somewhat random as to when I'm able to really jive with the atmosphere any album tries to convey. Even though it's the same band and the same formula, something about Autumn Aurora left me very bored and feeling like the whole thing is kind of a slog, despite it still being obviously high quality. Hardly a bad album, but it failed to grip me in the same way that Blood In Our Wells did, or even as much as some other Atmospheric Black Metal albums that may not be as widely and highly regarded. I think I need to go back to Drudkh for a refresher, especially after checking out their new 2022 album All Belong to the Night. I ended up giving both Autumn Aurora and All Belong... a 3.5 and I doubt that's correct since there were some pretty strange production decisions on the new one that made me scratch my head a little, which makes me feel like I was a bit harsh on Autumn Aurora when I listened to it.
The Ruins of Beverast - "Rain Upon The Impure" (2006)
The highly regarded sophomore album from this mysterious German solo act is a solid effort that showcases a great understanding of tension & atmosphere. The monstrous vocals are truly menacing while the two dark ambient interludes are immaculately executed & are probably my favourite inclusions on the album. The funeral doom metal influence is beautifully incorporated into a platform built on atmospheric black metal, so much so that I'd suggest that the doomier & more atmospheric moments eclipse most of the blasting sections pretty comfortably. A part of that is due to the fact that Alexander's drumming isn't terribly flash & when you combine his limited technical skills with a poor snare drum sound that stands out in the mix like a sore thumb then you get a significant obstacle to the album's chances of me holding "Rain Upon The Impure" up on a pedestal. Thankfully the song-writing is accomplished enough to overcome that flaw with the five proper songs all being of a consistent quality. The length of the album is certainly overly indulgent but you don't often hear black metal artists of the class of The Ruins of Beverast so it's hard to complain too much.
For fans of Elysian Blaze, Lurker of Chalice & Verdunkeln.
4/5
Bekëth Nexëhmü - "De dunklas sorgeakt (Ett nordiskt afvsked...)" (2022)
I don't mind the latest release from prolific Swedish one-man atmospheric black metal artist Bekëth Nexëhmü. It was his second album for the year, following just two months after "De evigas gravrit" which is self-indulgent enough in itself if not for the fact that this new record is 104 minutes long which is just taking the piss, isn't it? You can expect a very raw, lo-fi production, the consistent use of tremolo-picked riffs & blast-beats & those distant, tortured Varg Vikernes style screams, kinda like a more brutal example of the cold & atmospheric sound that other solo acts like Paysage d'Hiver, Trhä & Burzum champion. There are quite a few interludes included which comprise of some post-black metal inspired pieces as well as a couple of lengthy folk guitar instrumentals. The black metal material is hit & miss for me as some of the tracks can sound a bit too consciously epic & triumphant, occasionally turning to glistening melodic riffs that remind me of blackgaze artists like Deafheaven. The brutality factor is a definite plus for me though & the quality of some of the interludes is excellent with a few of those pieces being my favourite moments on the album. Overall, this release will probably satisfy a lot of our The North members (Xephyr in particular) but doesn't compete with the top tier in my opinion.
3.5/5
Labyrinthus Stellarum - "Tales of the Void" (2023)
Labyrinthus Stellarum are a Ukrainian three-piece from Odessa in Ukraine, who must be commended for even being able to get an album out considering the challenges they must currently be facing. They were founded by vocalist and keyboard player, Alexander Andronati along with guitarists Alexander Kostetskyi and Misha Andronati (who is a mere fifteen years old) and Tales of the Void is their debut release. I was tempted to check Labyrinthus Stellarum out after being quite struck by their track Void Dwellers which is actually the opener from Tales of the Void when it was featured in May's Academy playlist for the North.
The trio play a combination of atmospheric black metal and dungeon synth with a space theme which, admittedly, isn't the most original theme for an atmo-black outfit, but it is carried off with such beautiful arrangements that lack of originality is never an issue that leaps to mind. They don't just intersperse their black metal with some synth-laden interludes, although that does occur, they are also unafraid to incorporate the synths into the black metal sections which seems to produce a really nice, mellowing effect and actually makes Tales of the Void an incredibly relaxing album to listen to. They may have taken influence from the likes of Darkspace, particularly thematically, but their style of black metal is more laid back than Wroth's often desperate-sounding earnestness. I know I have probably made the album sound more blackgaze-y than it is, but I think fans of Deafheaven and Alcest may enjoy what these Ukrainians are delivering. The actual black metal content of Tales of the Void sounds to me more similar to Saor than to Paysage d'Hiver and when that is combined with the gently soaring synth work then it assumes a quite epic visage that is well-suited to nature-themed BM. I don't think it encapsulates the atmosphere of space as well as the top cosmic BM practitioners like Mare Cognitum and Darkspace as it feels a little too warm and earthy and doesn't really evoke the frigidity of cosmic majesty as effectively as the true masters. The synths do sometimes offer a weird, space-y dimension, such as those present on the track Cosmic Winds, but again, for me, they just as often evoke earthbound phenomena like rain or waterfalls. Of course this is my interpretation of what I am hearing and others may disagree, but I feel cosmic BM should be a little more frigid-sounding than this.
That said, this is still an exceedingly promising debut from what appears to be a young and inexperienced trio of musicians. The tracks are very well put together, the guitars are layered to wonderful effect and the synths add a nice additional dimension. Alexander Andronati has a decent shrieking vocal delivery, although his voice is buried in the mix occasionally, especially when the synths are present as they do tend to dominate. I can see this appealing to those who may not be regular black metal fans, as well as the more seasoned atmo-black veterans. No doubt the trve will take against it, but they do with anything that even hints at any production values, so there's nothing new there. A band well worth keeping an eye on as they do seem to have cracked one of the key elements of any type of music, which is the songwriting.
Favourite track: "Cosmic Winds"
3.5/5
Here's my updated Top Ten Atmospheric Black Metal Releases Of All Time following my revisit to Altar of Plagues' "Teethed Glory & Injury" album which has seen "Dark Space III" dropping out:
01. Burzum – “Filosofem” (1996)
02. Akhlys – “The Dreaming I” (2015)
03. Altar of Plagues – “Mammal” (2011)
04. Burzum – “Hvis lyset tar oss” (1994)
05. Wolves In The Throne Room – “Two Hunters” (2007)
06. Paysage d’Hiver – “Im Wald” (2020)
07. Paysage d’Hiver – “Winterkaelte” (2001)
08. Murmuure – “Murmuure” (2010)
09. Altar of Plagues - "Teethed Glory & Injury" (2013)
10. Lurker Of Chalice – “Lurker Of Chalice” (2005)
https://metal.academy/lists/single/160