| Album Artwork |
Artist/Album |
Thoughts/Links |
 |
(1995) [Demo]
|
I really like what these guys did on the Black & Crimson Glory demo the year after this but I couldn’t find this demo for years until now. They mixed melodic black/death metal with heavier death metal in a completely awesome way, not unlike Grotesque/early At the Gates. The version of the demo that is linked below includes 6 songs from the same session that weren’t included on the 4 song demo that was originally circulated. The whole thing is pretty great and has excellent sound. This should appeal to fans of the first two At the Gates records and early Unanimated.
Link: Listen on their Bandcamp! |
 |
(1996) [Demo]
|
Could only find one song from this demo on their myspace. This is not the Gothic death/doom band but a German band that never released much, the full length is impossible for me to find.
Link: Listen on MySpace! |
 |
(1996)
|
Mid-paced gothic black metal that uses symphonic elements (uh, keyboards) and riffs that should all come together to remind you of Samael and the Greek black metal sound. The main influence appears to be Rotting Christ including the weird drum machine. I like Profanum but I think the weirdness that people hear on their releases comes more from the choice of mixing that puts keyboards up front and the poorly implemented drum programming. The music is melodic and it is black metal certainly, but it belongs in the symphonic black metal category first and foremost.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
 |
(1996)
|
A very average melodic black metal release with very few original ideas of the time. You might wonder why I love a band like A Canorous Quintet but I can’t get into the abrasive meloblack/death style here, it should be obvious as this band couldn’t string together more than a half-thrash riff before they go back to taking ideas from better Swedish bands. Recording is demo quality across the board and every damn song has a stupid and pointless acoustic intro and the melodrama is never completely sold. One of those albums folks might like, I just think it is complete shit outside of the first few minutes of “The Final Act of Mine”.
Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vz57WPv4Kjw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HODJTIU7RjI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCrK7uchbI4 |
 |
(1996)
|
I wish Cradle of Filth had never existed because their style and success spawned several imitators. The whole idea of vampire themed gothic black metal went some weird places and this is an incredibly mediocre band. I’m not sure how they put out a full-length that sounds like melodic black metal if it went out of tune and lost an essential chromosome. I see the ambition here but I think if you follow this band’s discography you’ll find they could never really keep up with the pace of black metal much less write an actual melody while tremolo picking. Completely awful music.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
| No Image Available |
(1996)
|
A black metal band from Germany that made several attempts at melodic black metal over several decades. The style on this demo is purely black metal but the melody isn’t particularly driving, in fact it feels slower than the band would like to play. It is almost like the guitarist would be better off playing on a Darkthrone album while the drummer wants to make something more like Dissection. A good demo when given the chance to breathe. Never a truly impressive group but never terrible.
Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZii8H431dQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWGdjdiT7IA |
 |
(1996)
|
Necromass are an extremely obscure group despite their layered sound, ambitious melody, and sharp balance of death metal and melodic black metal styles. The vocalist definitely leans towards death metal in style though he throws in other styles occasionally if you’re patient enough. The bass guitar work in this album is somewhat remarkable as it really provides a foundation for this music and not so much the ‘attack’ of it. The same way Sadus‘ bassist drove the music to other worlds so does this bassist without being as much of a prodigy. I absolutely love this album for how different it is while still providing death/black metal with genre pleasing riffs, growls and hisses. It bugs me when metal fans are too quick to bounce off a band like this, and for me this band is the Demilich of melodic black metal, unique and weird and just far enough out there to keep me coming back year to year.
Link:
Listen on YouTube! “Abyss Calls Life” album
Listen on YouTube! (first album, a true underground classic in blasphemic black metal) |
 |
(1996) [EP]
|
A clearly symphonic black metal band that rarely creates melodic black metal moments. Secondary genre tag at best. Completely non-essential stuff especially on this EP which is entirely unimpressive and terribly recorded. Don’t get me wrong, wait until I gush about Old Man’s Child, lol… I just think this band sucked. The title track has a nice middle section with twiddly keyboards but it’s nothing to get excited about.
Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNhRGIk3gys
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbZsN83bg4A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjcqQWNuiKg& |
 |
(1996)
|
It bothers me to see people instantly labeling this band’s debut as unoriginal considering that it was released in 1995 and very few bands were piecing together albums with even half the amount of riffs, much less creating individual songs with unique personality. Most black metal bands were riffing off of simple permutations and relying on necro sound and vocal expression to stand out. Old Man’s Child had an already formed personality here that combined traditional heavy metal melodic ideas into a viking/black metal framework while never abandoning the second wave black metal attack. There are a few Dissection inspired riffs but the moments that really stand out are the keyboard-lifted mid-paced sections that are atmospheric and completely flip the table over bands like Dimmu Borgir who had figured out melody but never where to put it. It took this guy to take that band onto bigger things and they were smart to take him on. I don’t think this is the best release by this band, but I am somehow a fan even though this guy is the ‘cheesy power metal’ of black metal. Is this essential listening for melodic black metal? Yes, no really it totally is… this is highly melodic black metal with a lot of variation and just general conviction.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
 |
(1996) [EP]
|
It always bugs me to hear Dawn compared to related to Dissection when I felt this band had their own style until the second full-length, which dropped a lot of the black metal aspects on previous releases. This EP is a nice continuation of what they did on the first album but the guitar melodies are more restrained and better written. It does lose some of it’s necro-charming status being so well produced, and instead sounds like it was recorded with the same set-up (albeit clearer) than the first Sacramentum album. Dawn created some of my personal favorite melodic black metal and their style really should be heralded next to Sacramentum and Dissection. This EP didn’t really hint at what Dawn would do with their sound next, which was a sort of At the Gates inspired change but it does show the band fully willing to commit to a song’s long-winded structure as the main tracks and the cover each reach for at least seven minutes of song. Thrash metal covers were common around this time and you’d see bands cover Kreator and Sodom but it was rare to hear a completely awesome Infernal Majesty cover like the one on here. One of my favorite covers and I wish they’d just made a band that sounded like this.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
 |
(1996) [EP]
|
Folks who are fans of Peter Tatgren’s work will find it interesting to hear him drumming on this EP, though that attribution could be incorrect. I always figured he just recorded it. The drumming is the most interesting part of the album, too. The style is not unlike Sacramentum, high speed but never overdoing the bass drum hits. Very standard and fast melodic black metal, like a more evolved form of that first Swordmaster EP.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
 |
(1996) [EP]
|
So, what I’ve linked here in this one is the full EP and that video also includes their two demos. Sorhin’s EP and first album are amazing riff-packed black metal releases that resemble a tighter, more aggressive version of something like Dawn that is more concerned with aggression than beauty. That isn’t to say that Sorhin doesn’t produce lovely moments on Skogsgriftens rike, in fact this is some of their best material melodically speaking as the pace slows down here. I’m amazed that melodic black metal isn’t the primary genre for this and Sorhin’s first album as the style is on par with other bands in that style. I always loved this band because it showed me early on that black metal can absolutely have amazing guitar riffs and not rely on production atmospherics to create an awesome sound. This is definitely melodic black metal and deserves that as its primary genre tag.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
 |
(1996) [Demo]
|
Not necessarily what I’d call melodic black metal. Sounds like something inspired by Bathory and sounds like a lot of this type of folk/viking demos coming out of Finland at the time. I like that kind of stuff so it was interesting to hear.
Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHGiqAsLdNg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRTvl49exjE |
 |
(1996)
|
Sounds more like second wave black metal influenced stuff rather than straight melodic black metal upon first listen. A lot of folks have negative things to say about USBM in the 90’s and I find it all pedantic and retarded. Fuck all of that idiotic noise. Yes, a lot of bands took the opportunity to release things that were derivative. Who cares? Ever listened to Swedish death metal? All those Sunlight Studios bands took directly from Autopsy among others, it doesn’t matter especially not these days. Black metal is black metal, nobody cares how true or original it is anymore. In 1996 this was just your average competent black metal album that isn’t especially melodic but could qualify for the secondary genre tag. I’m reminded of Immortal for the most part.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
 |
(1996) [Demo]
|
A very decent Swedish melodic death metal demo that shows some sophisticated ideas for incorporating melody into black metal styles. The riffs feel dramatic and epic but the vocals are a bit loud and the guitars are too fuzzy when things slow down. Sure, it’s a demo.
Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpD_Ueab6z4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfRTQRP9fb8 |
 |
(1996) [Demo]
|
Both demos from Catamenia are excellent and show a high speed, intense and intricate take on melodic black metal. The vocals lean into black metal here and the guitars mostly follow in style. I like the ’95 promo better, but it sounds like a drum machine. Winds sounds like an actual band and incorporates keyboards into the sound. The link includes both demos, so skip to about 12 minutes into the video to get to Winds.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
 |
(1996) [Demo]
|
Not a melodic black metal band at all. Crown of Autumn was an epic folk/symphonic black metal band from Italy and this demo showcases that style pretty well minus the symphonic stuff. There is melody and there is black/death moments but nothing this band put out really belongs under the melodic black metal arena in my opinion. That isn’t a bad thing in fact this is a really weird prog-metal feeling demo from a band with a unique style. The bad vocals remind me of Quorthon‘s later days and the music is never gothic in style just kind of epic.
Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Em0FZePgchI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9DOsbEqkgo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZy2kl1XGVs |
 |
(1996)
|
This is what I’d call a symphonic black/death metal release. It is labeled as a release but it is a 16 minute EP. There are very few elements of melodic black metal here but it is a cool release. Kind of awful mixing and the keys don’t work at all but still worth a quick spin.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
| No Image Available |
(1996)
|
A demo with varying success in melody and recording quality. It is definitely ambitious melodic black/death metal but nothing so amazing. Symphonic black metal was gaining such popularity at the time that this is an unfortunate victim of unsuccessful casio keyboard noodling. The most interesting parts here are the death metal influenced tracks like “As Darkness Descends” that kinda work despite the weird over worked recording. Unique for a Finnish demo in 1996, and kind of a special mix of genre influences.
Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Y6XTVAPZyo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oirBgv_YS8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1opZ8xRqFF8 |
 |
(1996)
|
I guess several parts of this album could be considered melodic black metal. There are very quiet symphonic black metal elements here too. Realm of Silence is just another black metal album from this time period though, there is nothing that special about it and it fails to capture the driving melody of melodic black metal or the abruptness of post-second wave black metal either. Good album, though it is remarkably adept at stealing Dissection riffs and not doing much to make them their own. Nothing special.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
 |
(1996)
|
Christ Agony drops their death and doom influences down a full notch and instead takes inspiration from melodic black metal on their third full-length and the results are pretty amazing. The style is very different and while I don’t always love the drums it is successfully melodic black metal that you could compare to Dawn or early Abigor at times. This band really could do no wrong on their early material and this album is the most typically ‘melodic black metal’ out of their discography. One of my favorite bands in general and a unique and hugely underrated album.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
 |
(1996) [Demo]
|
A real gem of a demo that is roughly recorded but beautifully played. The biggest issue with the sound of this demo is the drum hits sometimes overwhelm everything else, otherwise it is sparkling, wondrous and cryptic melodic black/death metal. This band, at one point, featured members of Ablaze My Sorrow and Eucharist and it more clearly represents AMS in style. If you love A Canorous Quintet and those other bands, you gotta hear this demo. It isn’t a clean sounding demo but damn there are some strong riffs here. This is a great example of a band that combines melodic death metal and melodic black metal in a distinctly Swedish way, black metal in vocals and death metal in drumming but the guitars are a mysterious mix of both. SPooooky!~
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
 |
(1996)
|
Kvist is absolutely black fucking metal though they are a curiously less bombastic than their fellow Scandinavian black metal peers. The growled vocals are restrained and almost spoken on the more reflective tracks, it sounds like they were inspired by bands like Emperor and Satyricon rather than borrow from their country mates as you’d expect in 1996. The mid pace is at once sinister and calming at the same time, like warm demonic voice on a winter evening as I walk through the forest. The most inviting Satanic warmth. Kvist created an act that could not be followed, so they didn’t. This is the ultimate mic drop in a year with some incredible movements in melodic black metal this band was as thoughtful as Vinterland yet more subtle in melodic intent. The keyboards are mixed underneath the guitars so they often blend together extremely well. A classic in the sub-genre.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
 |
(1996)
|
*SPPPplurrrrrffhhhhtt!* is the noise my brain made as it deflated and spun itself into a hysterically flopping disc of human ignorance. Inhuman & Insensible is a progressive death metal album with symphonic elements that are likely inspired by Therion or Nocturnus as I can’t really fathom other possibilities. If you’ve ever listened to Eternal Dirge, a German death metal band that used a lot of symphonic elements this is comparable but far more melodic and includes clean vocals intermittently. The awesome thing is that this Slovakian band were also influenced by thrash metal and melodic black metal and the three styles of music clash together in some wild, unpredictable ways. I could go on about how amazing this album is but I think few people would listen to me unless they were fans of the first Unanimated album, enjoy symphonic death metal, or melodic death metal in general. I love this stuff, though melodic black metal fans will only find the genre represented 30% of the time.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
 |
(1996) [Demo]
|
A sincere demo that showcases decent melody and a successful melodic black metal and viking metal hybrid, though it feels raw and necro compared to their upcoming release. I don’t like the vocals much, not because of the demo quality of the tape but their loud and monotonous shrieking nature don’t create the sound of much more than a wounded goblin dying on a hill. Heavy stuff for this type of viking metal.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
 |
(1996) [EP]
|
A single that includes two versions of the song from “Storm of the Light’s Bane” with Tormentor and Slayer covers, an instrumental, and a live song I can’t be bothered to listen to. The big deal here is “Son of the Morning” which must have been a toss off from the album and I’m not sure why because it is one of the coolest songs and the only reason to get this EP. Feels more black/thrash than anything on the full-length.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
 |
(1996)
|
I’ve only heard the remastered version of this and not the original mix. It is symphonic black metal that usually blasts at it hard like Immortal and is occasionally more dramatic and melodic, though the symphonic parts are more Emperor than Immortal by far. A neat album and all but kind of average for the time period.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
 |
(1996)
|
Symphonic and melodic black metal that is most often mid-paced and they do a couple of really ‘metal’ jog-along tracks that make it feel jaunty. The symphonic elements aren’t very good, transitioning between fantasy Casio keyboarding to some more spacey accompaniment. Part of me really likes this album because it reminds me of a janky, half-speed Old Man’s Child with 16-bit videogame keyboards and all that, but I don’t really get a kick out of it’s jank the way I do other black metal albums. It is just average if not delivered with some conviction at least.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
 |
(1996)
|
A really cool gothic metal album in how extreme it is. The programmed drums shift between loud clicky blasting, mid-paced stomp and atmospheric pish-pish. They’re awful programmed drums but the black/gothic metal mixture works and the keyboards are hilariously loud and prominent in the coolest way. It’s a shame about the drum blasts being wonky because YSB is a really cool thing if you don’t mind gothic black metal. And I mean black metal influenced by gothic rock of the era, not just having a gothic image.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
 |
(1996)
|
Interestingly enough Dimmu Borgir weren’t a completely stupid mess on this record. Their style waffles between melodic death metal and mid-paced, somewhat epic themed folk metal style, and some very weak symphonic moments. The guy on keyboards is great on some tracks but he sure fucks up a few of them with his uninspired runs. I don’t have any real issue with Dimmu Borgir and this album is far from offensive, it just isn’t really amazing outside of a few tracks. The opener has a really gripping riff around four minute in and the rest of the album never really tosses a moment like that at you again, which is disappointing because it is a bright spot that goes beyond the more atmospheric and clunky feel of Stormblast. Not essential melodic black metal at all, but well worth a listen if you like mid-paced black metal with keyboards.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
 |
(1996)
|
Considered a classic in the Swedish school of melodic black metal. Vinterland featured a member of Maze of Torment, he played on their only melodic death metal release (the first album) and that record is equally satisfying if you like both styles. Vinterland is a sorrowful and sincere black metal album that doesn’t venture too far from the Sacramentum/Dissection/Dawn school of things but it absolutely belongs alongside those bands in terms of quality. Welcome My Last Chapter is somewhat impenetrable at times because the melodies aren’t repetitive and tend to develop over longer tracks rather than verse/chorus/verse like similar bands. If you’re looking for something that isn’t saccharine or overly melodramatic, but still seeped in gloom, this is definitely that.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
 |
(1996)
|
The debut from A Canorous Quintet lands primarily on the melodic death metal side of the fence but the riffing style, unique production, all point towards melodic black metal as well. Silence of the World Beyond is melodramatic and sometimes campy but it outclasses records like Slaughter of the Soul for me in terms of melodic death metal with a unique and powerful feel. This was released on No Fashion records, and it fits really well next to bands like Unanimated and Dissection rather than In Flames etc. I love this record.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
 |
(1996)
|
If you were as upset as I was to find basically zero melodic black metal albums that sound like Dawn‘s debut album “Nær Sólen Gar Niþer For Evogher” then here is an example of a similar approach with less atmospheric clattering going on. Frantic drumming, buzzing melodic guitar riffs and shouted vocals here resemble Bathory and almost sound more like a 1994 release rather than 1996 in terms of basic production. The focus of the mix is entirely on the fast paced dual guitar riffing. Unsunned isn’t the most impressive melodic achievement to come from early melodic black metal but it is one of the better quality examples of that style. The mood is more angry and goes from full Mayhem fury to ‘Blood Fire Death’ quickly in several songs. An excellent rarity from Norwegian label Head Not Found, and a release I’d really never heard of until more recently. This appeals to my Sorhin riffing senses, as well. Very metal but still very black metal above all else.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
 |
(1996)
|
Before this band kind of became a Dimmu Borgir sized joke in the 00’s this album was pretty good. The melodic riffs don’t really kick in until the second song and this melodic style seems to be only present when David Parland was in the band as they’d change entirely after this album. He was also in Infernal, Necrophobic and both bands became far less melodic once he left. In fact I guess this shares some DNA with Necrophobic’s “Darkside” album as it only includes about 30% melodic black metal and the rest is more typical Swedish black metal.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
 |
(1996) [Demo]
|
Symphonic black metal band that seems to have taken cues from Emperor and Dimmu Borgir. It is in that style and the slow pace plus the faux-epic style just doesn’t work for me. Symphonic elements are nothing special on these demos and the riffs just aren’t there. If you’re interested in atmospheric and wonky demos from this era of black metal, this is a good one. I’m not enough of a symphonic black metal fan to geek over such a mediocre set of demos.
Link: Listen on YouTube! Compilation includes ’97 demo also. |
 |
(1996)
|
The line that exists between pagan black metal, viking/black metal, and melodic black metal is incredibly vague and it seems the difference really depends on the band’s choice of label, and lyrical themes. Sacrilegium are a Polish band that seem most influenced by Darkthrone on earlier recordings, especially those vocals and production, but they incorporate a heavy amount of background synth and melodic black metal guitar prowess. The result is a raw and silly record that only seems to be taking the guitars seriously, I’m not even sure if those are real drums to be honest or at least the cheapest set ever accompanied by programmed cymbals. If you’re into this raw, lo-fi stuff there are some grand and symphonic ideas here but it just isn’t something I’d consider impressive or particularly good at what its doing.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
 |
(1996)
|
A gothic metal album from Portugal that has some Rotting Christ influences. This has far more in common with the Peaceville goth doom/rock stuff like that fourth Paradise Lost album, but with more chugging and noodling again like Rotting Christ. Great in terms of being a seemingly outsider gothic metal band, but kind of horrible if you consider it a melodic black metal album. I wouldn’t say it is black metal personally, maybe symphonic black influenced gothic metal.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
 |
(1996)
|
Blasfemia Eternal is a black/thrash album with a lot of death metal riffing, not unlike Absu‘s earlier records. The drums are programmed and the snare is a terrible double click when things get going fast. It is a cool album and all, but I don’t hear any semblance of melodic black metal here. The material is often mid paced, but the songs are driven by thrash and standard black metal riffs, with some songs taking a break for keyboards. I hate the drum machine.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
 |
(1996)
|
One of the better albums on this list, at least in the 90’s. This was overlooked for reasons I could understand, I mean the cover art is odd and unlike what other bands were doing (besides Unanimated a few years previous). It seems like a band building upon Unanimated’s early style but updating it to Sentenced‘s “North From Here” level of musicianship. This is progressive and challenging black/death metal with an emphasis on melodic black metal hysterics. The damn album is packed full of technical and fanciful riffing that melts my fucking brain. An underrated classic black/death album.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
 |
(1996)
|
I like this album despite some kind of unremarkable sections it has. I don’t like the female vocals, their style adds nothing to extreme metal and the singing rarely defines the track they’re accompanying. Other than that this is a warm, fuzzy melodic black metal album that is melodic in the same way that Aeternus was on their first album. This has some slight folk metal implications but I think that is relevant to the story being told rather than the real meat of what the music is, which is fairly straightforward mid-90’s black metal. I enjoy it quite a bit, though 96-99 were pretty crowded years for melodic black metal and this doesn’t stand out as much.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
 |
(1996)
|
This is an interesting album as its production went the way of cleanliness yet they obscured the clarity to give a fair nod to Rotting Christ’s less professional production past. I immediately loved this album after first hearing it, I think it was the first Rotting Christ album I’d heard where it was at least accessible enough to figure out what this weird black metal thing was in 1996. The pace of this album is that of a doom or traditional heavy metal album, the movements are deliberate and sometimes build and swell. The issue most folks have with Triarchy is that the riff style and sound don’t change enough and I think that is valid criticism. You’re getting the Rotting Christ signature sound as it has formed, though the next album would more of a sea change in accessibility and sound production. This might be labeled gothic but it really isn’t.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
 |
(1996)
|
Sear Bliss is maybe more recognizable on later albums when the use of keyboards and uh, the occasional saxophone keeps things lively. This is a slower, kind of mid-paced black metal album that almost invokes some kind of gothic doom metal if it wasn’t lead by clear black metal vocals. It is melodic but I’d say it leans more towards the symphonic side of things and sounds more like Greek black metal than Scandinavian, which should make sense as they’re Hungarian. Interesting but a shade mediocre as a full listen. It drags its ass a lot.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
 |
(1996)
|
A nice symphonic black metal album that is occasionally melodic. This shouldn’t be labeled as melodic black metal, but 17 people blindly did so. Notice that the second Gehenna album isn’t labeled as melodic? Because it is symphonic black metal, this is the same style. I’m not just splitting hairs, this shouldn’t fit in the canon of melodic black metal.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
 |
(1996)
|
Forests of Witchery might seem like a symphonic black metal album at first, the use of keyboards is heavy throughout the album, but this is what I’d consider a melodic/atmospheric black metal album. Sure, this is actually splitting hairs but the result is keyboard heavy atmospheric black metal that rarely sounds like black metal to be honest. Besides the growl-hiss of the vocals you’re getting mid-paced almost viking metal guitars and sometimes prideful clean vocals. There is a palpable melancholy here that is easy to pick up on, though the keyboards are sometimes cheerful. Any fan of Moonsorrow or similar should enjoy the more epic songs and the grandiose structure of them. This band is interesting on each album for different reasons, I think this one is the most warm and fuzzy feeling, kind of like early Falkenbach. I don’t really know where it fits into melodic black metal, but I really like it.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
 |
(1996)
|
A Norwegian symphonic black metal album from a band that would later become The Kovenant, a cyber-goth mall band. They later re-recorded the album adding electro stuff and made it far worse. This is pretty good compared to a lot of symphonic black metal out there, kind of like a circusy Emperor with a lot of Dimmu Borgir keys. Not as melodic as Old Man’s Child and generally not fit to be called melodic black metal.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
 |
(1996)
|
A defining moment for melodic black metal and a work of metal art that eclipses Dissection‘s amazing contributions to the sub-genre twofold. Far Away From the Sun is at once melodic, streaming consciousness and fully extreme metal to its core. The cloudy production wouldn’t work without the incredible melodic guitar riffs which drive each song and the echoing vocals resemble Necrophobic‘s growl more than the popular black metal of 1996. The faster sections resemble some kind of clattering thrash metal attack while the tremolo picked songs drill to and fro like a violin solo. I personally find this album to be a peak for song arrangement within melodic black metal and it exudes a sort of confident mastery that so few extreme metal albums possible could. The first song alone has as many riffs as a Dark Angel song and takes as much skill to pace with. I’m just eternally transfixed by this album, it is the whole reason I ever paid attention to black metal in the first place and I’ve listened to it so much I can literally play it in my head before I go to sleep at night. The definitive best album on this list.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
| No Image Available |
(1996) [Demo]
|
An impressive demo with extensive track lengths and deep melodic black metal cuts. The songwriting is sometimes rudimentary but the demo shows great promise. I’m hoping I can find their ‘Untergang’ release when I get to it, because this band has a great sound. Some really great melodic black metal came from Germany in the 90’s and it is all mostly new to me at this point so it is fun to discover surprisingly quality release like this. The sound is a little murky but it is always furious black metal with some light symphonic and heavy melodic aspirations.
Links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtJX5pDPOjo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZhtqE9zjyo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teNlIyBFaWU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNx8g01hI78 |
mystificationzine.com 