Melodic Black Metal: A Starter's Guide
Quick starter piece for people looking to get into Melodic Black Metal.
No particular order, with both well known, and underground picks.
Will most likely be focusing on 90's and early 2000's releases. |
| 1 |  | Dissection
Storm of the Light's Bane
The absolute quintessential Melodic Black/Death album. It's coldly melodic blackened riffs and chilling atmosphere laid the groundwork for countless bands. |
| 2 |  | Dissection
The Somberlain
Dissection's first full LP. Also a highly suggested listen, but generally considered a close second fiddle to SOTLB. |
| 3 |  | Sacramentum
Far Away from the Sun
While not as well known as Dissection, Sacramentum's 1st and best is a must-listen. |
| 4 |  | Rotting Christ
Triarchy of The Lost Lovers
RC's 3rd and best album. Great melodic BM, but strays much further into more Gothic styles than most. |
| 5 |  | Dawn
Nær Solen Gar Nider For Evogher
Not completely unknown, but very underrated. Fantastic melodically sinister riffs. |
| 6 |  | Ancient
Svartalvheim
Great stuff. |
| 7 |  | Nightfall
Athenian Echoes
Strange mix of Black/Death/Gothic.
Quality wavers throughout, but there are some great songs here. |
| 8 |  | Unanimated
Ancient God of Evil
Basically Dissection, but still really, really good. |
| 9 |  | Naglfar
Vittra
Another band that released their best album right out of the gate. Nothing inherently unique, but high quality. |
| 10 |  | Agatus
Dawn of Martyrdom
Essentially Hellenic Dungeon-Synth BM. |
| 11 |  | Old Man's Child
Born of the Flickering
Yeah, this had to go here somewhere.
It's got the self-indulgent cheesiness that you would expect from Galder, but it works so much better here than how he would use it in albums from Dimmu Borgir. |
| 12 |  | Kvist
For Kunsten Maa Vi Evig Vike
Melodic synth, dissonant guitar riffs, and some of the thickest, most audible bass in BM. |
| 13 |  | Thy Serpent
Forests of Witchery
Essentially proto- atmo/cascadian BM. Tons of bright guitar tones and synth. |
| 14 |  | The Moaning
Blood From Stone
Extremely underrated band, but that might be because this is their only album.
Fantastic production makes every note and drum hit sing here. Great drumming, great riffs, great album overall. |
| 15 |  | Thy Primordial
Where Only the Seasons Mark the Paths of Time
Bit disjointed at times with a tad brickwalled sound, but the atmosphere and riffs and fantastic. Gets more dissonant and brutal than most Melodic BM. |
| 16 |  | Mithotyn
In The Sign Of The Ravens
Cheesy Melodic Black/Viking metal.
Nothing groundbreaking, just really fun. |
| 17 |  | Lord Belial
Enter The Moonlight Gate
Dark icy atmosphere similar to Dissection and Naglfar, with riffs that bite back. |
| 18 |  | Order of the Ebon Hand
The Mystic Path to the Netherworld
Slightly obtuse Hellenic BM with strange song structures. |
| 19 |  | Necrophobic
Darkside
The more melodic counterpart to The Nocturnal Silence, in the vein of Dissection. |
| 20 |  | Dawn
Slaughtersun (Crown of the Triarchy)
The better of the 2 main Dawn albums. |
| 21 |  | Windir
Soknardalr
It's Windir. |
| 22 |  | Windir
Arntor
It's Windir. |
| 23 |  | Windir
1184
It's Windir. |
| 24 |  | Seth
Les Blessures de lAme
Okayish French Melodic BM.
Hard to come by. |
| 25 |  | Sad Legend
Sad Legend
Sorta cheesy and self-absorbed, but it's got its moments. |
| 26 |  | Sear Bliss
The Haunting
1 word: Trombone
Really obtuse album with synths, heavy brass instrumentation, psychedelic atmospheres, and random breaks into completely nonsensical sounds.
For fans of Thy Catafalque. |
| 27 |  | Ancient Rites
Fatherland
Bombastic and cheesy Viking/Melodic BM. |
| 28 |  | Vinterland
Welcome My Last Chapter
An absolute must-listen. |
| 29 |  | Kyprian's Circle
Noitatulen Vartija
Unpolished gem of Finnish Melodic BM. |
| 30 |  | Gorbalrog
Untergang
Very unknown band with only this 1 album, had to add to the database.
Great stuff. |
| 31 |  | In Aeternum
Forever Blasphemy
Another really unknown band.
Good Melodic Black/Death from Sweden. |
| 32 |  | Mörk Gryning
Tusen år har gått...
Good. |
| 33 |  | Thy Serpent
Death
Thy Serpent's best work, and also their last. |
| 34 |  | The Meads of Asphodel
The Excommunication of Christ
I've called The Meads of Asphodel a lot of things over their tenure, but bad was never one of them. |
| 35 |  | Cirith Gorgor
Onwards to the Spectral Defile
Criminally underrated band and especially album. Amazing triumphant sounds, beautiful melodic soundscapes, and riffs for fucking days.
Listen from about 2:57 into Winter Embraces Lands Beyond to the end of the song, and tell me you don't want to air blast-beat your hands through your god damn desk at least once. |
| 36 |  | Vreid
Kraft
Great riffs that will occasionally break into complete synth leads. |
| 37 |  | Klabautamann
Der Ort
Would call Klabautamann a sort of Melodic Prog Black Metal.
Amazing songwriting, but *may* be too obtuse for some. |
| 38 |  | Cor Scorpii
Attergangar
Mysterious and melodic riffs with regular synth and piano additions. |
| 39 |  | Galar
Skogskvad
Pretty good Melodic Viking Metal. |
| 40 |  | Dark Fortress
Tales from Eternal Dusk
Great stuff. |
| 41 |  | Nocte Obducta
Nektar: Teil 1 - Zwölf Monde, Eine Hand voll Träum
Progressive but rewarding. |
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