4 Best Black Metal Albums of the 2000s

killcut — Sun, 10 Oct 2021 14:43:16 +0000

Over the past decades, black metal has worn many shades. There have been the more primitive ones, there have been some intelligent ones, and some portraying doom. The new millennium saw its tentacles spread in every creative direction you can imagine. Of course, the genre has also led to some darker areas as well. Here, we’ve presented some of the best black metal albums spanning the past couple of decades.

Whether they’ve been commercial hits or underground gems, they’ve certainly made an impact, especially on the black metal fans. Sometimes a grand celebration, challenging at times, there’s certainly something magical about these albums:

1. Casus Luciferi

Released in 2003, this is the second studio album by the Swedish black metal band, Watain. The album was also released by Norma Evangelium Diaboli on a limited edition vinyl record. A Romanian label known as Mirgilus Siculorum released this album on tape in 2004. In October 2008, the album was remastered and reissued while also including a bonus track.

The release of Casus Luciferi is considered a significant event in the career of Watain. The band was also infamous for its weird concert rituals. During their live performance in Brooklyn, they doused the members of the audience with animal blood. This caused some of them to vomit, generating much controversy.

2. Si Monvmentvm Reqvires, Circvmspice

Formed in 1998, Deathspell Omega is a French black metal band based in the French city of Poitiers. In 2004, they released their third full-length album titled Si Monvmentvm Reqvires, Circvmspice. The title is a Latin epitaph’s misquoted version. The epitaph is found in St Paul’s Cathedral on the tomb of Christopher Wren. It literally translates as ‘If you seek his monument, look around you.

The album is the first part of a trilogy released by Deathspell Omega. The other two are Faslte, Maledicti, in Ignem Aeternum released in 2007 and Paracletus released in 2010. Si Monvmentvm Reqvires, Circvmspice deals with themes of putrefaction, antinatalism, and decomposition.

3. Instinct: Decay

After Instinct: Decay was released, Decibel Magazine declared it the 4th best album of the year. This is the third full-length album from the American psychedelic black metal band, Nachtmystium. The name of the band is derived from the German ‘Nacht’, which means ‘night’. The made-up term ‘mystium’ is quite similar to the Latin adjective ‘mysticism.

According to the band’s founding members Blake Judd and Pat McCormick, the band’s name mean ‘encompassing darkness’. Instinct: Decay was released in 2006 and its cover was designed by Rebecca Clegg. The band’s success was marred by the arrest of Judd in 2013 under the charges of theft. Later the band went on a hiatus until 2017 when it reformed and performed at four concerts.

4. The Work Which Transforms God

This is the fourth studio album from the French black metal band, Blut Aus Nord. It was released on the 17th of March 2003 by Appease Me Records. The album was reissued with new artwork the following year on Candlelight Records. Considered to be among the best releases of Blut Aus Nord, it received several positive reviews.

The album was a breakthrough release for the band as well as for the overall black metal genre. The Work Which Transforms God was again reissued in 2005. This version included the EP Thematic Emanation of Archetypal Multiplicity in the form of a second disc.

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4 Songs That Tell You More About Black Metal

killcut — Thu, 27 May 2021 14:17:11 +0000

In a way, it’s quite difficult to associate black metal with the music that falls under it. More than any other sub-genre of heavy metal music, black metal has been defined and redefined many times. Even satanism used in this genre has been interpreted in ways that are different as well as contradictory. These days, it is more or less assumed that black metal can mean anything.

Some of the fans see it as a kind of music that’s very liberating. Over the years, this sub-genre of heavy metal music has grown into many different things. Right from the darkness of the band Mayhem to Darkthrone’s primitiveness, black metal wears many hats. If you wish to get a taste of black metal music, these are the songs you must listen to:

1. Black Metal

This is the song that truly defined black metal in the year 1982. It was also the title of the album. During the rising wave of heavy metal bands, this song distinguished the band Venom from the rest. It was noisier, faster, and harder. This band was louder than Motorhead and had more speed when compared to Priest.

It had more shocking imagery than Black Sabbath. They had already made a considerable impact with their debut album Welcome to Hell, which was released in 1981. With their second album Black Metal, they made it clear that they were among the best.

2. Sacrifice

This song was a part of the debut studio album of Bathory, a Swedish metal band. The album was also titled Bathory. Released in 1984, this album was considered as one of the contenders for the first record of black metal. The music critic Rob Ferrier was of the opinion that the music of Bathory had a unique charm.

The raw power of Sacrifice just couldn’t be ignored. Some critics like Eduardo Rivadavia believed that the songs of Bathory were way ahead of their time. All the tracks of the album were written by Quorthon, whose real name was Thomas Borje Forsberg. He was a Swedish singer, songwriter, and record producer.

3. Into The Crypts of Rays

Celtic Frost is probably among the greatest heavy metal bands the world has ever seen. They arose in the early 1980s from the rural parts of Switzerland. Martin Ain and Tom G Warrior whose partnership was called Hellhammer had split to form Celtic Frost. Although they were quite influential as Hellhammer, they split because of a greater vision.

The opening track Into The Crypts of Rays from their debut EP Morbid Tales was simply thrilling. It had more confident songwriting and echoed darkness and morbidity in a better way. The track also proved that it was something new and far greater.

4. Deathcrush

The arrival of the band Mayhem is considered a historical event in black metal by many. It is certainly the first band to begin the second wave in this genre. They were the band that truly saw black metal as a genre in itself. The bands before them like Venom, Celtic Frost, and Bathory were, of course, great in their works.

However, Mayhem put together death metal, satanic metal, death metal, and thrash metal to create something exceptional. The title track of their EP Deathcrush stands testimony to this fact. This mini-album had a limited print run, but appeared in the top 20 albums listed by Kerrang! magazine.

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