Noise Architects

Important black metal albums you really should own... Part 1 [In no particular order]

Emperor – In the Nightside Eclipse

The now legendary Emperor are an obvious choice for one of the most essential albums to any self respecting BM collector. Not only is Nightside... their first release, it is also one of the most influential albums to come out of the early days of black metal, as it defined the symphonic style that would continue to be a trait of much of the early Norwegian scene, something which could later be seen in the popularity of fellow Norsmen Dimmu Borgir and even their British, albeit more goth inspired couterparts, Cradle of Filth. Ask many fans what their favourite album is though, and most likely you will be met with the same reply; Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk. But in terms of importance, In the Nightside Eclipse is rarely rivalled.

Immortal – Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism

No I have not chosen At the Heart of Winter or Pure Holocaust, simply because I felt the importance of the debut albums of bands is unrivalled in what was such an early and important time for black metal. Released two years before Emperor’s debut, Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism is not Immortal’s greatest effort. In fact, at times the drums can slip slightly out of sink amidst the muddied guitars [a trait common with Immortal’s early releases]. However, it cannot be denied that Diabolical... bears huge influential significance. Only one of two of Immortal’s album’s to feature acoustic guitars, albeit sparingly, it defines the difference between black metal and the trashy Scandinavian death metal that was also popular at the time. Immortal’s debut reminds us that melody and folk influences are defining elements of early black metal.

Darkthrone – A Blaze in the Northern Sky

Its hard to pick just one Darkthrone album, especially as they are, hands down, my favourite band to emerge from the Norwegian scene, and I’m sure will feature many times in this topic, for various, logical [of course], reasons. I was tempted to begin with Soulside Journey, in keeping with my trend so far, but arguably it is not a black metal album, it is more an example of the death metal emerging from northern Europe at the time, and a good one at that. A Blaze in the Northern Sky , however, is 100% black metal and is a genre-must. Not only is it one of the bands best collection of songs; (‘Kathaarian Life Code’, ‘In the Shadow of the Horns’ and ‘The Pagan Winter’), it also embodies the the whole movement at the time. From the risque name (think arson and churches) to the corpse paint to sounding as if it was recorded in a forest, A Blaze... is a perfect example of the early days of one of the most exciting musical movements of our time.