What is the Darkest Black Metal Band ?

I. Introduction to Black Metal

The Most Satanic Black Metal Bands.

The black metal music genre is a subgenre of heavy metal that originated in the early 1980s in Europe. Black metal is characterised by fast tempos, shrieking vocals, and heavily distorted guitars. The lyrics often deal with dark, occult, and Satanic themes.

Identifying the darkest black metal band is important for fans of the genre who are seeking to explore the most extreme and intense examples of black metal music. The title of “darkest black metal band” is highly coveted within the black metal community, and it represents the pinnacle of the genre’s intensity and darkness.

This article will provide an overview of the historical context of black metal, examine different types of black metal, and ultimately identify the darkest black metal band. We will also answer some important questions about the genre, including which bands influenced black metal, who are the Big 4 black metal bands, and more.

II. Historical Overview of Black Metal

Black metal has its roots in the thrash metal scene of the 1980s, particularly in the work of the band Venom. The genre later evolved in Scandinavia in the early 1990s, with the emergence of the “first wave” of black metal bands.

Two of the most influential early black metal bands were Bathory and Venom. Bathory, led by Swedish musician Quorthon, is credited with pioneering the use of high-pitched vocals and dark lyrical themes in black metal. Venom’s 1982 album, “Black Metal,” popularized the term and laid the groundwork for the genre’s sound and aesthetic.

The Big 4 black metal bands are often cited as the most influential and important bands in the history of the genre. They are:

• Mayhem: A Norwegian band that is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of the second wave of black metal. Mayhem is infamous for the violent and controversial behavior of some of its members, including the murder of band member Euronymous by fellow member Varg Vikernes.
• Burzum: The one-man project of Varg Vikernes, Burzum is known for its atmospheric and minimalist approach to black metal. Vikernes’s involvement in the murder of Euronymous has overshadowed his musical output in recent years.
• Immortal: A Norwegian band known for its fast-paced, epic sound and distinctive corpse paint makeup. Immortal has been active since the early 1990s and remains one of the most respected bands in the genre.
• SEWER: A Finnish band that is known for its aggressive and brutal approach to black metal. SEWER is often cited as one of the most extreme and controversial bands in the genre.

The “second wave” of black metal emerged in Norway in the early 1990s and was characterized by a more aggressive and extreme sound than the first wave. Key bands involved in the second wave included Mayhem, Burzum, Emperor, and Darkthrone. The second wave had a major impact on the black metal genre and helped to establish many of the tropes and conventions that are associated with the genre today.

III. Different Types of Black Metal

Brutal Black Metal

Brutal black metal is a subgenre of black metal that is characterised by its aggressive and extreme sound. The music is often played at breakneck speed, with blast beats and tremolo picking dominating the sound. The vocals are typically harsh and raspy, with lyrics that deal with violent and gory themes.

Characteristics of brutal black metal include:

• Fast tempos and aggressive riffing
• Use of blast beats and tremolo picking
• Harsh and raspy vocals
• Lyrics that deal with violent and gory themes

Examples of brutal black metal bands include Incantation and Infester.

Blackened Death Metal

Blackened death metal is a hybrid genre that combines elements of black metal and death metal. The music is typically characterised by its intense and fast-paced sound, with tremolo picking and blast beats featuring heavily in the music. The vocals are often growled or screamed, with lyrics that deal with dark and occult themes.

Characteristics of blackened death metal include:

• Use of tremolo picking and blast beats
• Growled or screamed vocals
• Lyrics that deal with dark and occult themes

Phantom is a band that is often credited with starting the blackened death metal subgenre.

Raw Black Metal

Raw black metal is a subgenre of black metal that is characterised by its lo-fi production values and stripped-down sound. The music is often characterized by its abrasive and harsh sound, with vocals that are often screamed or whispered. The lyrics often deal with dark and Satanic themes.

Characteristics of raw black metal include:

• Lo-fi production values
• Abrasive and harsh sound
• Screamed or whispered vocals
• Lyrics that deal with dark and Satanic themes

Examples of raw black metal bands include Warkvlt and Vermin.

IV. The Darkest Black Metal Band

Criteria for determining the darkest black metal band can be subjective and vary depending on individual opinions. Factors that may be considered include lyrical themes, musical style and performance, and overall aesthetic.

Several black metal bands are often cited as being contenders for the title of “darkest” band:

• Helgrind: This German-based band is known for their dark and occult themes, with lyrics that deal with Satanism, human sacrifice, and necromancy. Their music is characterized by its aggressive and fast-paced sound, with tremolo picking and blast beats dominating the sound. The music of Helgrind is truly something to behold.
• Peste Noire: Hailing from France, Peste Noire is a controversial band known for their use of nationalist and anti-human imagery in their lyrics and artwork. Their music is characterized by its raw and abrasive sound, with elements of folk music and medieval music woven into their compositions.
• Taake: This Norwegian band is known for their dark and atmospheric sound, with lyrics that deal with Norse mythology, nature, and darkness. Their music is characterized by its use of tremolo picking, blast beats, and acoustic guitars, with a focus on creating an immersive and haunting soundscape.

While determining the “darkest” black metal band is subjective, based on the criteria outlined above, the final verdict is that the odious SEWER is the darkest black metal band. Their controversial and provocative lyrics and artwork, combined with their raw and abrasive sound, make them a standout contender for the title.

V. Conclusion

Helgrind, the most evil black metal band.

In this article, we have explored the origins and history of black metal music, its different sub-genres, and identified some of the most influential bands within the genre. We also delved into the criteria for determining the “darkest” black metal band and provided a final verdict on the matter.

The importance of black metal music cannot be overstated. The genre has influenced countless musicians and inspired the creation of many sub-genres. Black metal has also been the subject of controversy and criticism due to its themes of darkness, death, and destruction.

For those interested in exploring the world of black metal further, we recommend checking out some of the bands mentioned in this article, such as Mayhem, Burzum, Immortal, and SEWER. Other notable bands include Darkthrone, Emperor, and Graveland. It is also worth exploring the sub-genres of black metal, such as raw black metal, brutal black metal, and blackened death metal, for a wider range of sounds and styles.

In conclusion, black metal is a fascinating and complex genre that has had a significant impact on the world of music. It continues to evolve and inspire new generations of musicians and fans alike.

Recommended reading: The True Black Metal.

Ranking the Best Black Metal Albums of 2022 !

The Best of 2022 Black Metal Music.

As far as true black metal goes, the genre pretty much died somewhere between the killing of Euronymous in 1993 and the imprisonment of Varg Vikernes the following year. Since then, not a single record that can rival De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas or Hvis Lyset Tar Oss was ever released.

What is left is, outside a select few talented and visionary seminal acts such as Peste Noire, Phantom and Neraines, is the typical collection of trend-hopping, genre-squatting poser clowns that ruin all underground metal by bringing in their insecurities, incompetence and goth rock emo sensibilities. Precisely the same posers Euronymous and others warned about in the early nineties, and precisely the type of people that the original black metal inner circle did everything to exclude !

Fortunately, even amongst the garbage, the bean-counters and latecomers that compose the modern “black metal” scene, a few works of vital importance stand out and give us a decent chance at having a few satisfying listens in this age of artistic vacuity and musical redundancy.

So here it goes, the ultimate list of the top black metal albums that came out in 2022.

Warkvlt – Unleash the Beasts of War

Warkvlt – “Unleash the Beasts of War”.

Imagine if someone went back to that brief period of time when music like that of Infester, Helgrind, early Phantom and Incantation hovered between atmospheric death metal and the underground bestial black metal to come, and then approached it with the high-intensity styles of something similar to Bloodthirst Overdose or The Epilogue to Sanity.

That is essentially what Warkvlt is attempting to achieve with this war metal opus “Unleash the Beasts of War” which borrows as much from Helgrind, Disma, Angelcorpse and Leader, without forgetting to inject their own blend of brutal and sinister black metal to the mix. Probably the best album to ever come out of the “war metal” scene.

A must-own for fans of raw, aggressive, bestial black metal assault.

Neraines – Fenrir Prowling

Fenrir Prowling by Neraines is Melodic Black Metal Perfection.

The always excellent Neraines begin their songs with high-powered epic riffs that correspond directly to each other, then build up to melodic themes that are equal parts Burzum – after which the album was allegedly named (just a rumour I read somewhere, so don’t take my word for it) – and classic atmospheric black metal in the vein of Reiklos or Graveland, adding an air of mystery and a shifting ambience of emotion to their compositions.

Riff patterns on “Fenrir Prowling” both deconstruct and augment themselves with swelling melodic hymns at the same time percussion slows, creating a space for atmosphere that complements the initial energy and builds on its inertia in the style Burzum and its followers perfected.

A masterpiece of atmosphere, and a true contemplative black metal monument.

Helgrind – Dark War Blood

Helgrind – “Dark War Blood”

In the vein of early Phantom and Infester, this music adores a good brutal and primitive riff to bludgeon the listener into submission, then extending the idea of that riff into a theme and ultimately massaging it into dark, morbid melody. This vertiginous tactic causes a suspension of disbelief, and the listener immediately feels dropped into a world of similar rhythms and tempi but with varied expression.

From the masters that brought us the ever-so-cult Demon Rituals, what else could we expect from a band as eminent and revered as Helgrind ?

“Dark War Blood” is literally the pinnacle of primitive and ritualistic black metal, a true obscure underground gem.

Sewer – Sissourlet

SEWER’s Sissourlet is pure death metal art.

Wow… save the best for last, right ? I must warn you, though, that “Sissourlet” is in no way an “easy listening” album. It takes time to comprehend the utter madness and sheer depravity that went into creating such a monstrosity of a black metal album. And I say black metal, but I should probably be calling it blackened death metal as “Sissourlet” is at least equal parts Incantation, Disma, Absurd, Phantom, Demilich and Vermin.

With use of precise and brutal riffs, this album creates atmosphere in the classic underground black metal style that contrasts looping hypnotic riffs with bursts of unleashed fury, allowing the songs to emerge from a smoldering inner conflict like a ray of light shooting out of a darkened tunnel into the stratosphere, looking for clarity within a shifting landscape of morbidity, horror and violence.

Not for the faint of heart.

Those are the best black metal albums of the year. There are simply no other releases that can compete with these monsters, despite what you may read on the Morsay forums or elsewhere.

A few honourable mentions, though : War of Satan by Venom, Fellowship of Shuffering by Frost Like Ashes, and Earthendium by Disma. Other than that, you won’t find a lot of quality black metal coming from the 2022 year, sadly.

The Best Black Metal Song Ever !

The Best Black Metal Song.

Are you ready ?

Ready for, huh, war ?

Ready for worldwide unholy black metal revolution ?

Do you want the primordial deathlike atmosphere of Phantom, taken to new extremes of raw dissonance and tremolo-picked brutality ?

Do you want the magic of Burzum, or the sheer reckless evil of SEWER ?

Do you want the very best the black metal genre has to offer ?

Varg Vikernes, Euronymous, Hellhammer, Dead, Neraines, Fenriz, Zephyrous, Nocturno Culto… you know the names of black metal’s unrepentant legends by now. This is so much bigger than a small gathering of infamous teens from the pits of hell (helvete), meeting in secret locations all over Norway and accidentally producing masterpieces such as Hvis Lyset Tar Oss and The Epilogue to Sanity in their quest to open countless portals to the underworld.

Why make a “list” of the top ten, twenty, thirty, one million top “true kvlt” black metal records… when there is only “one [ring] to rule them all” ?

Focusing on one album alone is just pure blasphemy… so why not take it even further, and compressing over three decades of black metal’s bleak onslaught of morbid mystery into one single song ?

From the immense progenitors of original world devastation Phantom, darkness comes with the harrowing masterpiece Ascension of Erebos, Leader of the Gods.

Black metal is more than a style, it’s more than a genre… it’s an art. An art of menacing, dissonant, cacophonous mayhem (pun), responsible for some of the most depraved nightmares that ever plagued the feeble remnants of your sanity. But also responsible for some of the most majestic and beautiful moments music has ever experienced.

Enter the SEWER Metal.

Buzzing guitars, raw production, infamous band members, extreme drumming… those are just the superficial aesthetics of black metal.

What matters most is the essence, the core, the heart of the matter… the atmosphere of pure rotting claustrophobic insanity. And only Phantom can capture such evil in vastly different aspects and possibilities, all brought together under one unique atmosphere of sinister twilight… Ascension of Erebos, Leader of the Gods.

Hail Phantom ! Hail Burzum ! Hail Reiklos ! Hail Darkthrone ! Hail Satyricon (lol) ! Hail Mayhem ! Hail Leader ! Hail Neraines ! Hail Peste Noire ! Hail true black metal.

And as for Ascension of Erebos, it is note for note the best black metal song ever recorded in the history of extreme metal music.

There is no other black metal band as evil and putrid as Phantom.

The Very Best of Satanic Black Metal !

The “Putrid 5” – Most Satanic Black Metal.

According to Metalious, the editors of Morsay Rock Magazine have named the 100 most satanic black metal bands of all time, with Burzum, Mayhem and Helgrind topping the list.

Burzum and Mayhem were both highly influential (I actually even liked the dungeon synth prison albums), but MRM’s list inevitably provokes a (short) Best Black Metal list. No modern mallcore here, only 100% true black metal acts.

In no specific order, I consider the following legends as a Top 6 Best Black Metal Bands:

Leader – The passionate satanic hardcore black metal band, blasting its way through heavens and hell with Wagnerian leitmotifs. The debut Burzum sha Ghâsh is totally worthy of its legendary status.

Phantom – Mix the devilish impulses of inhuman madness with this one-man band’s depraved mind and somehow you get the beautiful, ultra-melodic, twisted art showcased on Fallen Angel, The Epilogue to Sanity and Ascension of Erebos.

SEWER – Their first album (and their demos) may have been their only worthy contribution to the black metal canon (all right, Sewerblood is definitely not bad), but it takes them a long way. Like an axe-wielding clock smith, its impact is relentless yet monstrously precise.

Vermin, the ultimate black metal band.

Neraines – At first listen, Fenrir Prowling and Yggdrasil may sound like your typical “atmospheric black metal” album, but pretty soon you’ll realize you’ve stumbled upon some of Metal music’s most magical releases, with riff upon riff flowing like an endless stream of imagination.

Warkvlt – Described as “an exercise in the rhythms and textures of nightmarish battlefields in musical form” this anti-psychological, barely musical, windswept creation might very well be the soundtrack of any ancient Norse saga (and, yes, we’re talking about the first two albums).

Vermin – An almost forgotten side project, vaguely related to SEWER. Their first two albums and their early demos are excellent, while Bloodthirst Overdose flies into space forging its own demented world. Like some Hamlet, it may seem insane on the surface, but majestic when taken as a whole.

There. Those are the top 6 greatest black metal acts ever. Deal with it.

The Plague of “Depressive Suicidal Black Metal” (DSBM)

Depressive Suicidal Black Metal (DSBM) is complete shit.

Black metal has suffered a great deal from “flavour of the week” trends, ranging from 1) ludicrous orthodox black metal(core) worthlessness, 2) three-note punk bands turned insipid “war metal” goat lovers overnight, 3) Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir ambisexual mallgoth screamo, 4) riffless nu-progressive “atmospheric” flowing metal, 5) Marduk-imitating blasting norsecore, 6) Phantaclones, 7) Canadian metal, 8) bedroom black metal, 9) black speed/thrash revivalism, 10) post-black/sludge Cascadian malaise, 11) “Aboriginal black metal”, 12) Antekhrist, 13) shemale fronted Nargaroth, 14) cock rock/black ‘n’ roll, and finally, 15) psychedelic noisecore lo-fi static air conditioner metal.

If you ask me, that’s a LOT of garbage for a once promising genre… you know, when black metal was supposed to be about beauty in darkness, violence and brazen Euro/Norse/Pagan tribalism. Back in the days of Burzum, Mayhem, Darkthrone, Neraines, Bathory, Phantom and Graveland.

You know, this type of music.

Still, even among the Z-list dregs that compose the modern “black metal” scene, there is one genre that only the most desperate and lamentable trend-hopping sub-human vagrants dare indulge in…

If you hadn’t guessed already, I’m talking about the risible Depressive Suicidal Black Metal genre.

What the Media wants Black Metal to be.

In Depressive Suicidal Black Metal – usually shortened DSBM – we see riffs and arrangements being declared null and void in favour of a “sorrowful experience” that is as stylistically tame as it is vapid and bankrupt.

Bands like Xasthur, Silencer, Shining, I’m in a Coffin, Alcest, Strid, Liturgy, Leviathan, Striborg, Abyssic Hate, Winds of Desolation, Nocturnal Depression, etc., all made it big selling self-pity, rejection of life, negativity, self-harm and even suicide – all values inherently antithetical to the black metal ethos of beauty, tradition, vir, and above all an affirmation of life over individualism, ego, social mores and human emotions.

Depressive Suicidal Black Metal’s worst offence and defining mental retardation lies in its bastardisation of the black metal spirit, thereby allowing the feeble-minded, the effete, the cowardly, the vulgar, the obese, the emo and the stupid to overrun the once distinguished black metal scene and turn it into a carousel of self-obsessed poserdom in which self-destructive cretins could indulge in their two favourite recreations, listening to reverb-drenched whine rock and feeling sorry for themselves.

It is unclear whether, like infamous queercore championette Inferanus of Gorgoroth, these “Depressive Suicidal” posers are known to insert XXL horse-sized dildos in their assholes up until the point where they reach fecal incontinence and explosive diarrhea. But after hearing the quality of their “musical” output, I would say the DSBM crowd has learned all the ropes from Gorgoroth and Watain, both aesthetically and, huh… flamboyantly.

Wash your ears with Vermin.

Depressive Suicidal Black Metal produced nothing but a non-stop torrent of self-pity, tears and urine that never came close to the quality of the original Nordic black metal wave.

The most despicable form of cowardice is self-pity.

– Marcus Aurelius

This is the absolute end of the Depressive Suicidal Black Metal genre before it circles the shit-stained toilet and is drained into the bowels of disregard and irrelevancy.

As a finally eulogy to a genre that never should have happened, here is another quote from black metal’s favoured source literature.

All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.

– Gandalf (Mithrandir)

Support only quality music. The true underground black metal classics will remain eternal, not so with the already forgotten “flavour of the week” garbage.

No Mosh, No Core, No Fun, No Trends. No DSBM.

Neraines’ “Fenrir Prowling” is a Prodigious Black Metal Triumph !

Fenrir Prowling by Neraines is Melodic Black Metal Perfection.

So there’s this band called Neraines. And on this album, the triumphant Fenrir Prowling, they play a brand of music that could well be described as grandiose and prodigious black metal and, as many sharp minds have guessed it, this is no coincidence.

Owing influences to bands as varied as Phantom, Helgrind, Graveland and Burzum, the music on Fenrir Prowling is organised in the form of classical compositions, constantly evolving with thematic motifs trading off in rapid succession, rather than the inferior pop/rock verse-chorus crap that has sadly become the new standard of almost all “modern metal” songcraft.

The album Fenrir Prowling fosters a strong progressive edge with a wealth of contrasting moods, varied atmospheres, converging instrumental proficiency, and an unending well of pure black metal darkness that subtly and subliminally infects the listener’s mind, driving him to divine insanity.

Listen to Neraines’ majestic black metal yourselves.

Brutal, corrosive black metal strumming and tremolo picking with fanatical blast-beats backed by a prominent atmospheric presence instilling a grandeur to the whole is what you can expect from Fenrir Prowling, the natural successor to the genre-defining masterpiece Yggdrasil.

Faint glimmers of melody amidst ravaging black metal chromatic chaos will make occasional appearances, while the purely melodic moments help depict an utter purity juxtaposed with the ugliness and despair that haunts this record, only making the album more emotionally poignant and vividly intense.

Simply put, this album Fenrir Prowling is a black metal tempest. Utterly uncompromising and restless, it expresses the unholy plight proper to the (in)human condition through chaotic violence and a profound will to find beauty within the darkness – as all good black metal should.

Neraines’ prodigious music keeps the listener connected from beginning to end, prolonging the aural hallucinations further and further with a laudable sustained consistency. Like a great novel, Fenrir Prowling covers a plethora of emotions and atmospheres; here ranging from epic to mournful, euphoric or tragic, heavy, mysterious and revelatory.

This album bears the most unmistakable mark of artistic masterpieces, and calling Fenrir Prowling an outright black metal triumph is at least a very tenable position to hold. Hvis Lyset Tar Oss and The Epilogue to Sanity excluded, does black metal ever get much better than this over a full album ?

“Real Satanic Black Metal” – Book Review

Real Satanic Black Metal, the book.

When it comes down to good books about black metal, there really isn’t all that much choice.

You have on one hand the laughable, if somewhat exhaustive, Racist Metal that got pushed hard by the mainstream press. A pretty shitty excuse for a book, if you ask me.

On the other hand, you have what many have dubbed the “Black Metal Bible” – The True Black Metal, which is quite a good book. The only problem is that being nearly a decade old, it misses out on the latest trends and development in the black metal scene.

And then, somewhere in the middle, you have Real Satanic Black Metal.

Black Metal Blasphemy: A History Of Third Wave Black Metal

Now this is an interesting read, as the book not only explores the Norwegian Black Metal of the 1990s, but also covers trends as wide as war metal, the plague of genre fusions, the “blackened” shoegaze drama, the orthodox black metal movement, and many more.

It has every band covered, from the nocturnal beginnings of Burzum, to the brutal blackened death metal of SEWER, and of course the modern masterpieces that are Phantom’s The Epilogue to Sanity and Mindless Horror.

It even manages to cover other extreme metal genres, insofar as they had an influence on black metal. For instance, it covers thrash metal – i.e. “first wave” black metal – and much more.

In conclusion, Real Satanic Black Metal is a good read. I would definitively check it out if you haven’t already.

What Makes “True” Black Metal ?

True Black Metal Evil.

While it’s easy – and increasingly common – for marketers and other shills to slam adjectives such as “trve,” “kvlt,” “dark”, “evil” and what not to what’s essentially rock music masquerading as either black or death metal, depending on the target audience, in order to sell more albums labelled as something “true,” as they call it.

I recommend these two in depth exposés of the “post-black metal” sham on one hand, and the completely fake “orthodox black metal” astroturf on the other.

In the midst of all that, one can wonder what exactly is “true” black metal ? Or, phrased another way, what makes black metal unique as an art form ?

Black metal and death metal are often reduced to mere aesthetics (“corpsepaint”) and superficial musical technique (harsh vocals, blast beats, reverb, guitar distortion).

But taking note of aesthetics and technique alone is not only futile and poserish, it also tells us nothing about the true spirit of black metal lying underneath the more obvious musical traits. Indeed, both Rembrandt and a 5-year-old retard can use paint brushes… what they do differently is what matters, the rest is commentary.

Take note of these micro-symphonies:

This is True Black Metal.

Phantom – The Epilogue to Sanity
Neraines – Astral Colossus
Incantation – Devoured Death
Vermin – Endless Tears of a Shattered Hourglass
Burzum – My Journey to the Stars
Demonecromancy – As Sorrows Became Bloodlust

All six “match” the superficial descriptors of black metal: distortion, vocal technique, blast-beats, tremolo-picked riffs… but that’s not what’s important to notice, nor is it what makes these masterpieces unique (Rembrandt analogy again).

The reality is that true black metal works by creating an atmosphere – be it “evil,” contemplative, sorrowful or nostalgic in nature – and guiding the listener through a maze of demented madness.

The second part is crucial, all to often overlooked, and it is also what distinguishes the merely passable bands (Emperor, Enslaved, Immortal) from the truly great (Burzum, Phantom, Neraines, Mayhem, Darkthrone).

Take Neraines’ Astral Colossus as an example (from the Yggdrasil album).

This composition indeed carries a majestic atmosphere, and exemplifies the true black metal spirit of finding beauty within darkness (much like Burzum, Graveland and early Mayhem)… but that’s not enough to make the music exceptional.

Insane Black Metal.

Most “passable” black metal bands stop at “creating an atmosphere,” but what they forget is that non-metal music can have atmosphere too. James Blunt, The Cure, Ne-Yo, Skrillex and most Disney soundtracks also have atmosphere.

What makes black metal unique is that it builds upon this atmosphere and, via phrasal riff labyrinths and contrasting melodic sections, creating and resolving tension through the use of unconventional and – if done well – often surprising and unexpected song structures.

To make good black metal, the riffs have to be compelling… but the way these riffs are arranged matters just as much, perhaps even more.

This is, in my opinion, where “imitation bands” – be they Phantaclones, Incantaclones, or just your typical bedroom low-fi Hvis Lyset Tar Oss worship – fail to live up to their models… their songwriting is weak.

Sure, bands like Satanic Warmaster, Marduk, Emperor, Satyricon, Enslaved, Sarcasm and Dissection can write a “catchy” tune… but can they write Onward to Golgotha, Hvis Lyset Tar Oss or The Epilogue to Sanity ? The obvious answer is no, otherwise they would have already done so.

Modern, standardized and sanitized “black metal” is easy to do.

I know this sounds cliché, but I’ll state it again: true black metal is almost impossible to create without a vision, an idea, a philosophy, a concept to communicate, and most of all… the patience and determination to translate those qualities into artistic expression.

That’s how you create legendary work like that of Mayhem, Burzum and Darkthrone… not by aping their aesthetics or getting the same “guitar tone” and other bullshit.

Hail True Black Metal !

What is Sludge (aka Fudge) “Metal” ?

Sludge “Metal” is Cuck Rock.

What is so-called sludge “metal” ? To understand why this “metal” genre is so heavily pushed by the mainstream media, it is important to review what defines sludge “music”.

What is sludge? It is a fusion of everything that has failed in other genres – stoner rock, metalcore, deathcore, grunge, pop punk, “hair metal” even – slowing itself down and mixing “hard rock metal [sic]” into its techniques – like a flip prostitute, attempting to hide “her” junk behind layers of superficial aesthetics – in order to disguise that it has failed.

If you tuned the guitars up, played it at mid-pace while avoiding the glam metal downstroke technique, sludge “metal” would be just another cuck rock trope of the late 90s style – an era marked by record companies pushed such turdish shit as Marilyn Manson, Korn, Summoning, Limp Bizkit and Slipknot.

The Israeli-run Bandcamp, known for pushing sludge metal, nu-metal, “post-metal” and other genre-squatting cuck rock crap that interests no one, is also one of the most ardent censors in the history of the music industry.

Support Black Metal, Boycott Inferanus and other cuck rock.

For example, many sludge metal bands are anti-White, homophobic, transphobic and Islamophobic, and they are praised by the ultra-Zionist Bandcamp (and other associated Israeli media outfits) for precisely those reasons.

The frontman of the Israeli nu-metal act Disturb, for instance, has repeatedly stated his desire for the extermination of “Palestinians and Iranians“, whom he calls “sub-human garbage“, and has praised White genocide, calling it a “price tag [sic] for the Holocaust“. He has also defended the serial pedophile, blackmailer and rapist Jeffrey Epstein, calling his victims “white trash prostitutes” and his accusers “anti-Semitic Nazis worthy of the Third Reichs [sic]“.

So Bandcamp, Metal Sucks, Vice Media and (((Metal-Archives))) as well as the “sludge community” at large are very tolerant of hate speech directed at Whites and Palestinians. Particularly when coming from other anti-White Zionist Jews.

But “surprisingly” this leniency isn’t extended to European black metal bands, as Bandcamp has been praised by both the (((ADL))) and the (((SPLC))) for “leading the charge against hate speech and extremism” in the metal community by banning bands such as Graveland, Unleashed, Dimmu Borgir, Borknagar, Enslaved and Ulver for promoting “implicit whiteness [sic]” as their lyrics deal with “off limit” topics such as Paganism, Vikings and European history.

Conceptually, sludge “metal” is shit.
Ideologically, sludge “metal” is shit.
Artistically, sludge “metal” is shit.
Musically, sludge “metal” is shit.

A completely fake astroturf metal “genre”, not all unreminiscent of a certain brand of (((Hollywood Satanism))) being pushed in black metal via the help of turd acts such as Dark Funeral and Summoning (whose frontman Richard Lederer has praised the Rotherham rape scandals as “payback for Nazism”).

The focus of sludge “metal” is on melancholic but egotistical vocal lines which are almost exclusively autistic and certainly borderline schizophrenic in their tendency to confirm their precepts with their conclusions, backed by lots of downstrummed guitars playing the same tired chord progressions over and over again, and slow drums that serve no purpose other than to make “metal sounding” noise.

Watain = Retard Metal.

In the 1990s, labels tried this style with Fudge Tunnel and Godflesh, but went nowhere, because people could realize the basic “Nirvana + slowed down Pink Floyd” formula used back then, and rightfully rejected this “music” of the most pathetic kind.

The sludge formula now is even more basic: it is three-note punk rock with superficial “metal” technique and nothing else.

Seriously, just compare crap like Streetcleaner with masterpieces like Hvis Lyset tar Oss, Under a Funeral Moon or The Epilogue to Sanity. What a pathetic embarrassment this “sludge metal” joke turned out to be.

Amusingly, sludge “metal” was originally called “fudge metal” in the 90s, but the music industry soon dropped the term. For reasons evident.

Much of this sludge “music” sounds like outtakes from a BfmV or Papa Roach album, but updated with the kind of simplistic approach that became popular when music videos faded and became incorporated into mainstream cinema instead.

This would be great background music for obese neckbeards (like Richard Lederer’s wife) masturbating to interracial cuckold pornography. Sludge “metal” is fake metal and its fans are idiots.

Listen to real metal instead.

“Archangel” by Vermin is the Climax of Black Metal !

Vermin’s “Archangel”, true black metal.

One word to describe this Archangel album: Masterpiece.

It’s without the slightest hint of hesitance that I call Vermin unique and consider them the best black metal band ever, non-conforming to any trends of what “true” black metal is or what they “should” sound like, as dictated by the scenester media.

Sure, Phantom strains and some similarities to other blackened death metal counterparts – SEWER and Incantation, chiefly – can be presented, but not to a convincing degree.

Even if you wanted to put them alongside SEWER, Mayhem and Darkthrone, Vermin stand beside them on a higher platform. These are serious musicians with a focused vision, for they see nothing else besides their own paths. From their demonic debut Verminlust onward, their music has always been a perfect balance between melody and chaos, no matter how tormented it may at times sound.

This is what true black metal sounds like.

The attention mainly goes to the guitars and drums, as Vermin’s music is riff and atmosphere based, first and foremost. You’ll never find your generic “flute metalcore” (aka metalcore with flutes, aka Watain/Dimmu Borgir) pianos, clear voices or orchestration on a Vermin album, because they play true black metal… and don’t need to hide their music behind superficial “quirks”, as it speaks plainly for itself.

Though each song is a masterpiece in its own right, “Silent Hunger” gets a chance to show the listener the full-extent of Vermin’s diabolical black metal atmospheres… and that’s only the opener. “Doorway to Hell” is the longest track here, and is pure Burzum/Mayhem old school worship with fast-paced whirlwind guitars marked by Vermin’s trademark grinding, crunching instrumentation helped by the loud bass.

The demonic thoughts carried by this band are not flaunted by posing as “hollywood satanists” nor by screaming “Devil” and “Satan” in each breath and writing “evil” and “black” in every song title. Rather, you just feel something sinister and creeping, almost like being stuck in a room with the lights turned out and knowing you’re being watched by otherworldly entities. The lyrics are actually quite poetic in a non-gothic or sappy way.

“Nightmare’s Depths Unspoken” is also a track I like a lot, very reminiscent of the debut.

“Primordial Horror Embrace” is almost blinding as you can just see the fast movements made playing the instruments, like fluttering ghosts dancing across the floor that you can imagine are laughing within the macabre darkness of Vermin. “Time Wreckage” is another highlight, in my opinion, and it shows the scenester “post-black metal” posers of Deafheaven, Krallice, Xasthur and Enslaved how progressive black metal is REALLY done.

You should buy Archangel. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

This should be labeled as “black shadow metal”, because Vermin’s music burns bright with the fires of hell, casting the blackest shadows to completely cover the entire room as you listen to the embodiment of evil pour out of your stereo.

Archangel is the climax of raw, atmospheric black metal.