15 Best Black Metal Albums of All Time | Ultimate Guitar

As voted by UG community:

15. Gorgoroth - Pentagram

The list opens up with some classic 1990s Norwegian black metal. Coming from the lovely coastal city of Bergen, Gorgoroth launched their debut album "Pentagram" in 1994, further defining this brutal genre.

14. Woods of Ypres - Woods V: Grey Skies and Electric Light

Sitting somewhere between doom and melodic black metal, Wood of Ypres began making great music in the early 2000s. From all of their works, their fourth and final album "Woods V: Grey Skies and Electric Light" was voted for this list. Recorded in 2011, it was released a year later and about two months after the tragic death of the band's frontman David Gold, which automatically ended the band.

13. Master's Hammer - Jilemnický okultista

Now going over to the Czech Republic, we have Master's Hammer up next and their sophomore full-length "Jilemnický okultista" from 1992. This is one of the examples of how great the black metal genre is for concept albums.

12. Wolves in the Throne Room - Diadem of 12 Stars

Black metal music experienced somewhat of a revival with the new wave of bands in the 21st century. American group Wolves in the Throne Room are one of the groups that began exploring the "atmospheric" or "ambient" black metal. For this list, we have their debut album "Diadem of 12 Stars."

11. Deafheaven - Sunbather

The weirdest thing about this album is its cover art. What would those trVe Norwegian black metal pagans say about it?

10. Immortal - Pure Holocaust

There's no way to avoid good old Mr. Abbath Doom Occulta on this list. On the 10th spot comes the trVest of the trVe – Immortal and their sophomore album "Pure Holocaust."

9. Mgła - Exercises in Futility

It seems that Poland has a lot of good stuff to offer when it comes to black metal. Keeping the classic old style of the early black metal scene, while also adding a few of their own elements into it, Mgła are one of the most intriguing bands of this subgenre today. For this list, we have their 2015 album "Exercises in Futility.

8. Ulver - Nattens Madrigal – Aatte Hymne Til Ulven I Manden

Once again going to Scandinavia, we have the third record by Norwegian legends Ulver. Titled "Nattens Madrigal – Aatte Hymne Til Ulven I Manden," this is another example of how concept albums can work well in black metal. Translated into English, it means "Madrigal of the Night – Eight Hymns to the Wolf in Man."

7. Dissection - The Somberlain

There's hardly any band out there that's as brutal as Jon Nödtveidt's Dissection. The group's debut album comes up on the 7th spot of the list, "The Somberlain" from 1993

6. Venom - Welcome to Hell

Now we're going way back to the old days, to the band that started all of the "extreme" metal genres – the almighty Venom. When it came out in 1981, their debut album "Welcome to Hell" was unlike anything the world has ever heard before.

5. Darkthrone - A Blaze in the Northern Sky

Of course, there's just no way to avoid mentioning Darkthrone on a list like this one. Started by Leif Nagell, aka Ferinz, the band further pushed the boundaries of metal music which was already going into some darker directions. This is why their second album "A Blaze in the Northern Sky" is considered to be the genre classic.

4. Bathory - Blood Fire Death

Bathory were another pioneers of those extreme metal movements that started their work in the early 1980s. Led by Thomas Börje Forsberg, also known as Quorthon, the band worked until the musician's death in 2004. For this list, we have 1988's "Blood Fire Death"

3. Burzum - Filosofem

Although shrouded in controversy, Varg Vikernes' body of work is still considered to be one of the defining ones in black metal movement. All of the instruments on the record were performed by Varg himself under intentionally bad and lo-fi conditions. Well, we guess this is one of the main elements of staying trVe to one's art.

2. Mayhem - De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas

Probably the biggest name in the genre, Mayhem went through hell before actually releasing their first record. Interestingly enough, the album "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas" also features Varg Vikernes as "Count Grishnackh" on the bass (this was probably a really cool name back in the late '80s and early '90s Norway). It took a few years for the entire writing and recording process, and it finally came out in 1994.

1. Emperor - In the Nightside Eclipse

While there have been lots of discussions about what's the best black metal band (or best band of any subgenre), there's no denying of Emperor's greatness as a musical force within the genre. To be fair, Vegard Tveitan, widely known as Ihsahn, is one of the rare early '90s black metal artists from Norway that fully dedicated himself to writing music and growing as an artist. This is why an album like "In the Nightside Eclipse" comes at the very top of the list.

Blimey! Even I had two of the titles in the list - the ones from Venom and Bathory

The new Paradise Lost single, I've listened to twice back to back, I realy like it :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWqNcw-oIbU

Terrible list :nono:

I know :lol: it makes no sense, I love 'Nightside...' but it's not the #1 BM album of all time! Some other very strange additions too, Dissection, I love them but BM? Nope, next!