JLR2DEG: Top Blackgaze Albums of the Last Decade

Hawks 09.05.19	Nice. m/
alamo 09.05.19	i uninstalled 33 last week. dont see much use for anti viruses these days tbh
Sabrutin 09.05.19	Sweet will peep more later, saw 36 and I'm happy. What happened to the art for 37?
GhandhiLion 09.05.19	Something something envy with blastbeats
JLR2DEG 09.05.19	@Sabrutin - I noticed the art for 37 as well. I have edited that album and uploaded the correct album art but I guess it has not been approved yet.
JLR2DEG 09.05.19	@GhandiLion - "Envy with blastbeats" is a somewhat accurate description of blackgaze. Screamo was my gateway to blackgaze and Envy is one of my favorite bands...especially their albums from 2001 to 2003 : )
GhandhiLion 09.05.19	Envy are cool, yeah. Also La Quiete are another screamo band who were doing the post-rock thing.
TheSpirit 09.05.19	i have listened to many of these but haven't rated so thank you for making a list also 1 is hella underrated
JLR2DEG 09.05.19	@TheSpirit - I completely agree that 1 is underrated. It is a shame that there was no more output (I could find) from bands like Ethereal Beauty and Soliness. I found some more songs by Dernier Martyr on the 2009 The Plague of Our Lands compliation but the songs on 1 are much better.
JLR2DEG 09.05.19	@GhandiLion - The Italians and the French did screamo right. So many great bands...La Quiete, Raein, Ogni Giorno, Daitro, Sed Non Satiata, Mihai Edrisch...the list goes on and on.
sizeofanocean 09.05.19	Yeah i got into Envy a few months ago and then i immediately understood why they were referred to as proto-blackgaze Just listen to Unrepairable Gentleness (those opening riffs are intense)
GhandhiLion 09.05.19	The thing with blackgaze is that it's a melting pot of previous genres so there is variety in what bands sound like. Envy sound fairly similar to Deafheaven at times, but they don't have the shoegaze elements. But Envy also have little in common with Alcest - Blackgaze is a broad genre.
JLR2DEG 09.05.19	@sizeofanocean - That song definitely has a "blackgaze vibe" to it. A Dead Sinking Story is probably my favorite Envy album followed closely by the All the Footprints You've Ever Left and the Fear Expecting Ahead album.
JLR2DEG 09.05.19	@GhandhiLion - I agree completely. It is the "melting pot of previous genres" nature of blackgaze that makes it so compelling to me. I think that the mixture of black metal, post rock, and shoegaze (with a little screamo thrown in for good measure) is the most compelling. There are a lot of similiarities between post rock influenced screamo and blackgaze. The genre is definitely not for purists. : )
GhandhiLion 09.05.19	I actually missed a part out from the end of my comment. I was going to say that that the term blackgaze is misleading, given that many of the bands don't sound much like shoegaze.
sizeofanocean 09.05.19	"The thing with blackgaze is that it's a melting pot of previous genres so there is variety in what bands sound like. Envy sound fairly similar to Deafheaven at times, but they don't have the shoegaze elements. But Envy also have little in common with Alcest - Blackgaze is a broad genre." That is true. But Envy really paved the way for Deafheaven at least i think
JLR2DEG 09.05.19	@GhandhiLion - Very true. There are a lot of atmospheric black metal, folk influenced black metal, and even progressive black metal bands that get lumped into the blackgaze genre. Personally, I prefer the black metal bands (as you can see from my list) that actually have some shoegaze and/or post rock influences.
GhandhiLion 09.05.19	Oh I agree that Envy paved the way for them, that's for sure.
GhandhiLion 09.05.19	@JLR2DEG " There are a lot of atmospheric black metal, folk influenced black metal.... " Yeah, I hear some Agalloch in Deafheaven and others. Maybe Krallice too (it's been awhile, but I seem to recall thinking that)
teamster 09.05.19	Very nice JLR - top notch. Props for Trautonist, love their sound.
JLR2DEG 09.05.19	@Teamster - Thanks bro. When I first heard Trautonist some time ago, I was not able to get into them for some reason. I revisited their albums recently and have been playing them over and over since. I also love their sound. : )
teamster 09.05.19	Yup Markus Siegenhort worked very hard with them.
AnimalsAsSummit 09.06.19	My Purest Heart for You - Tragic End
nightbringer 09.06.19	Nice list, should check some of these.
JLR2DEG 09.06.19	@AnimalsAsSummit - Tragic End is a pretty good album and it has a blackgaze feel to it. Personally, though, I do not get into much DSBM or "harsh noise" kinds of bands. Thanks for the suggestion...I had not heard My Purest Heart for You in a while and I like to revisit music I have heard before that did not peak my interest at the time.
JLR2DEG 09.06.19	@nightbringer - Thanks bro. Let me know if you like any of the albums listed. I would recommend starting with 10, 12, 19, 21, 24, 27, 34, or 38.
dbizzles 10.12.19	There is so much blackgaze I haven't heard because a lot of the newer bands just don't seem innovative. I'll have to jam some of this though.
budgie 10.12.19	JLR2DEG could you go thru this list and write "metalcore vocals" and "no metalcore vocals" next to each entry to help me filter through lol
dbizzles 10.12.19	Actually, yeah, if they exist anywhere on any of these, that would be a very nice filter for me as well. Tyia.
JLR2DEG 10.13.19	@budgie and @dbizzles - Sorry guys...no metalcore vocals here. The vocals on these albums would be best described as a mix of "upbeat" black metal and skramz style vocals.
JLR2DEG 10.13.19	@dbizzles - I chose the bands/albums on this list partly due to them being more innovative and original than some of the new bands out there. Let me know if you listen to any albums from the list that you like.
budgie 10.13.19	by metalcore i meant skramz too, it's the same for me. could you tag the skramz ones?!
JLR2DEG 10.13.19	@budgie - I would say that it could be argued that 12, 14, 32, 37, and 39 have some skramz influences on the vocals.
budgie 10.13.19	gracias
dbizzles 10.14.19	I’ll check some
Skoj 10.17.19	commenting to remind myself to listen to this list.
JLR2DEG 10.20.19	I just made some updates to this list including albums by Nullingroots, Triste L'Hiver, and Mesarthim. I am hopeful for some new 2019 releases that make the list. The last new album to make the list was from April 2019.
JLR2DEG 10.20.19	@Skoj - I appreciate your interest in this list. I hope you come across some albums that catch your attention.
JLR2DEG 10.25.19	After my first listen, I added the new Alcest Spiritual Instinct album to the list. I am enjoying it much more than I enjoyed Kodama although the albums are pretty similar. I think that Spiritual Instinct has more of a black metal edge than Kodama.
dbizzles 10.25.19	H Y P E
JLR2DEG 11.16.19	I just added Kodama by Alcest and The Language of Limbs by Constellatia. The later was just released on Friday and is a great listen. Constellatia's vocalist is from Wildernessking and their guitarist is from Crow Black Sky. Enjoy!!
JLR2DEG 11.25.19	After finally reviewing their entire discography, I added the best albums by Sadness to the list. I feel that most of their music from 2017 to 2019 is the best of their discography. It was defintiely some good listening.
budgie 11.25.19	sadness is great! i didn't really consider them blackgaze but i guess the sound is close enough.
JLR2DEG 11.25.19	@Budgie - I think their pre-2017 work is more DSBM style...especially with high pitched shreiks. Their 2017 and forward work has a much more positive and uplifting vibe with a lot of shoegaze "walls of sound" which fits blackgaze style better IMO. Either way, they are great. : )
budgie 12.01.19	going to add MISERTUS to this?
JLR2DEG 12.02.19	@budgie - I am thinking about it. I want to revisit their previous albums before making that decision. They are really good. : )
budgie 12.02.19	nice! i need to check the rest of teir stuff
JLR2DEG 02.29.20	I just added Violet Cold's new Noir Kid album as the first album of 2020 to make the list. Great album. : )
budgie 02.29.20	fuck yeah i gotta jhump on it, thanks for the notice
parksungjoon 02.29.20	have you heard sannhet
Bedex 02.29.20	nice to see some love for 3
JLR2DEG 02.29.20	@budgie - I hope you enjoy it...it is a really good album and consistent with his Anomie and kOsmik albums.
JLR2DEG 02.29.20	@parksungjoon - I have heard Sannhet. Great music but I have never personally been able to get into instrumental bands. I just love the screams too much. : )
JLR2DEG 02.29.20	@Bedex - Agreed...I think that the Demo, Roads to Judah, and Sunbather albums cannot get enough love. : )
parksungjoon 02.29.20	fair enough mate
budgie 03.09.20	constellatia is dope
Scoot 03.09.20	51 what the actual fuck is that band name
budgie 03.09.20	it's a split you dope
Aberf 03.09.20	Missing Entropia - Vesper
JLR2DEG 03.09.20	@budgie - Constellatia is totally dope. I was a big fan of Wildernessking before Constellatia came along and the new Language in Limbs LP reminds me alot of Wildernessking's The Devil Within EP.
JLR2DEG 03.09.20	@Aberf - Entropia's Vesper is a good black metal/progressive metal album but I personally have a hard time with the heavy sludge metal influences. Blackgaze has a tendency to sound more "upbeat" and I would not refer to sludge metal as sounding "upbeat".
JLR2DEG 03.09.20	@Scott - 51 is a very good split - you should take a listen. The Falaise songs and the Sadness song are, imo, the best on the album.
Aberf 03.09.20	Astronoid is the least blackgaze, blackgaze album. I would say that it's uplifting power-metalgaze
JLR2DEG 03.13.20	@Aberf - That is a reasonable categorization. I remember reading that Astronoid refers to themselves as "Dream Thrash". Because they mix aspects of black metal, post rock, shoegaze, progressive metal, etc., I think that they could be categorized under a few different genre labels. What I find the most compelling is heavy music that is able to cleanly and seamlessly blend different genres. The "emo" or "pop" vocals used by Astronoid make them stand out as pretty unique.
budgie 03.13.20	i cant listen to anything that has emo vocals
Dewinged 03.13.20	Nice, just reviewed that Violet Cold album this morning. What do you think of it?
JLR2DEG 03.13.20	@budgie - I am not a big fan of emo vocals either...but screamo vocals are right up my alley. : )
JLR2DEG 03.13.20	@Dewinged - I just read your review of Noir Kid - very nicely done. Aside from the "chipmunk" vocals in Synergy, which is a great song aside from that, I have really enjoyed the new album. He has definitely evolved his sound as you spoke about in the review. I think that Anomie was his best blackgaze album by far but Desperate Dreams, kOsmik and Noir Kid are pretty high on my list. : )
budgie 03.18.20	an autumn for crippled children - light of september, is really beautiful
budgie 03.18.20	"I am not a big fan of emo vocals either...but screamo vocals are right up my alley. : )' i thought they were the same thing!
JLR2DEG 03.18.20	@budgie - The Light of September is an amazing album...I especially dig the blast beats in Fragility. As for "emo" vocals, I was thinking along the lines of clean vocals (i.e. Sunny Day Real Estate, Dashboard Confessionals, and tons of major label bands these days) versus screamed vocals (i.e. Orchid, Saetia, City of Caterpillar, etc.). I have a very hard time getting into most emo bands with clean vocals.
budgie 03.18.20	ah ok, those i don't like either, but i was thinking about vocals like in deafheaven do you know this album? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MA8-dV6orwo
JLR2DEG 03.18.20	@budgie - I do know that album. So Hideous combines black metal, post rock, and classical. My favorite record by them was from back in 2011 when they were known as So Hideous, My Love... The EP is called To Clasp A Fallen Wish with Broken Fingers. A link is below if you want to check it out. https://pestproductions.bandcamp.com/album/to-clasp-a-fallen-wish-with-broken-fingers
budgie 03.18.20	thanks!
JLR2DEG 03.19.20	@budgie - If you end up checking the EP out, please let me know what you think of it.
budgie 03.19.20	im checking now, i like it instrumentally but the vocals are the kind i dont really enjoy, not sure if theyre what you all call screamo but, dont like this vocal style unfortunately, theyre the vocal style used in so many post-metal/blackgaze bands
JLR2DEG 03.19.20	@budgie - I would call their vocals "screamo" and you are correct that a lot of blackgaze bands have vocals that sound more "screamo" than, say, traditional black metal style vocals. These kinds of vocals work well for me but they are not for everyone. : )
teamster 04.03.20	http://wolvesofhades.bandcamp.com/album/hamelin I noticed you are the only one who voted for it so I am assuming you created the page, lol. Wow, what a sound, the piano is great! Great start to their career.
JLR2DEG 04.03.20	@teamster - I think Voivod created the page but did not rate the album. I remember listening to the album the first time and noticing how the piano work in the song really stood out and made the band sound unique. I have not typically come across bands that mix black metal, hardcore, crust, and piano. : )
JLR2DEG 04.11.20	I just added some albums and reworked the list a bit. I hope you enjoy!!
teamster 04.11.20	Love this my dude - I come back to it quite often. Thanks for the hard work!
JLR2DEG 04.11.20	@teamster - I appreciate it dude. I have been thinking about adding a "listen to this song" suggestion for each album to make the list better. : )
budgie 05.01.20	anyone jam new an autumn for crippled children
bloodshy 05.01.20	how good is it?
budgie 05.01.20	im loving it
JLR2DEG 05.01.20	@budgie - I just finished listening to the new AAFCC album and it is really good. I need to listen to it a few more times before I rate it but I do expect it to make this list. I am also looking forward to listening to the new Hiraeth compliation (3 songs each by Sadness, Soulless, In Autumnus and Grief & Bliss). Check it out if you like. https://sadnessmusic.bandcamp.com/album/hiraeth
JLR2DEG 06.08.20	I just did some rework on this list and it is now up to date. I would recommend checking out Urantia's new Vermis album (https://pestproductions.bandcamp.com/album/vermis) and, of course, the new A Light in the Dark album. Both are excellent. : )
budgie 06.08.20	cool nice update!
Keyblade 06.08.20	man the early part of the decade was a great period for the genre
Deez 06.08.20	No 'rhea'?
JLR2DEG 06.08.20	@Deez - Nice catch. I cannot believe that I missed Rheia on this list. Look for it to be added soon. : )
JLR2DEG 06.08.20	@budgie - Thanks brother. : )
JLR2DEG 06.08.20	@keyblade - Yes sir...I think that the albums from the earlier part of the decade laid down the path for what was to come. : )
teamster 06.09.20	Thanks for the update. Listening to Urantia as we speak. Pretty cool.
JLR2DEG 06.10.20	@Teamster - Glad you like them. I am really digging them too.
budgie 04.21.21	anymore anymore
JLR2DEG 04.22.21	@budgie - Long time brother. What does “anymore anymore” mean?
budgie 04.22.21	hey man :) just been itching to hear some new blackgaze, havent heard any good new releases in a while
JLR2DEG 04.22.21	@budgie - There is a new An Autumn For Crippled Children album coming out next month. The first two songs they released are pretty awesome. I have otherwise not heard any great blackgaze releases so far this year (IMO).
budgie 04.22.21	oooh sweet im excited for that then
deathofasalesman 04.22.21	plantgazer just sounds so funny to me bookmarked, sweet list
JLR2DEG 04.22.21	@deathofasalesman - Glad you like the list. Did you mean that the Plantgazer album name or the album itself sounds funny? There are some great songs on that album IMO.
deathofasalesman 04.22.21	The title alone just screams a e s t h e t i c to me, but i'm down to check it out
zaruyache 04.22.21	sunbather / plantgazer lotta obscvre stuff on here, not looked into blackgaze for a while so ima check some
zaruyache 04.22.21	new stuff from the last year tho maybe uh Svalbard Old Growth Skyforest blue noise
DaveT0738 04.22.21	Roads To Judah is m/
ConcubinaryCode 04.22.21	Really like 58
JLR2DEG 04.22.21	@zaruyache - Thanks for the suggestions. I really enjoyed the new Svalbard and Blue Noise albums. I consider them more hardcore/screamo than blackgaze but that is just me. Skyforest and Old Growth are pretty cool but for some reason I have never been able to get into black metal with folk/nature influences. I guess I am just a picky old man. : )
budgie 02.18.23	anything new to check jlr2deg?
teamster 02.18.23	[2]
budgie 02.19.23	[3]
twlight 02.19.23	kick ass list, needs a feature
budgie 02.19.23	agreed feature this shit johnny DO IT
twlight 02.19.23	might as well, i mean come this is a killer list and needs some love
budgie 02.19.23	blackbu gazemp
JLR2DEG 05.18.23	@twilight and @budgie - You are both very kind. : )
budgie 05.21.23	anyone check the latest heretoir?
budgie 06.18.23	im checking the first lonely star lp called ashen, almost love it but the programmed drums hurt it def worth checking though
budgie 06.18.23	think the guitar is also going through one of those USB processor modules lol
zaruyache 06.18.23	the programmed drums combined with that muffled guitar tone sound like early 2010's dsbm so i think it works.
budgie 06.18.23	booo it could be so much better. all the one man programmed drum projects work despite the drumming not because https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wnz05EbtPdM this is what "lofi" black gaze should sound like
Tb1114 06.18.23	commenting to come back to
zaruyache 06.19.23	I mean it is bad, but by now it's also just such an iconic black metal trait from that era that it doesn't bother me as much as it otherwise would.
JLR2DEG 08.17.23	Hey everyone. I have not been on Sputnik for a while. I was not able to get into the new Heretoir LP. As of late, I have been listening to Botanist (IV Flora LP and Collective Setlist 2017 LP) as well as the new Violet Cold Multiverse LP and City of Caterpillar Mystic Sisters LP. Further, I always keep up with Sadness and Damiam's other bands like Life and Trha.
SomeCallMeTim 08.17.23	Sputnik's official Blackgaze authority has spoken. (really cool list honestly)
Hawks 08.17.23	Yessss!!! Dude I just jammed 26 and it's one of the best black gays albums I've heard in a long long time.
JLR2DEG 08.17.23	@Hawks - Good to hear from you, man. #26 Trautonist is a great album. I wish that their follow up album Ember would have been better.
zaruyache 08.18.23	blackgaze for this year should prob just be agriculture imo.
JLR2DEG 08.18.23	@Zaruyache - Been a long time. Glad you are still active on Sputnik. As it is 2023, I need to make some changes to my list to keep it up to date.
budgie 08.19.23	just jammed track closure from the new autumn for crippled children album and i thought it was pretty bad? is it better in the context of the album.
JLR2DEG 08.21.23	@budgie...a lot of AAFCC sounds the same from one album to the next. The best song on Closure, in my opinion, is "Where Pain Begins". That song has a short section of blast beats which is hard to find in recent AAFCC albums.