The UK isn't exactly known for its black metal so here's a list of the best we have to offer, proving we have a number of unappreciated gems that can compete with the best there is. Each of these are hand-tested by me and come with a money back guarantee. Each offers something interesting and excellent, not just a bunch of ordinary dross picked for their regional significance! For further reading you could do worse than check out the Metal Archives reviews. Apart from Thus Defiled which has yet to receive any they all garnered positive reviews, some overwhelmingly so (Fen, TAoP, Forefather, Spearhead, Lyrinx). No order.
If you were wondering about the list picture... it's a cushion. That's how black metal the British are.
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1.
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Fen - The Malediction Fields
Post-Rock/Atmospheric Black Metal: Majestic, sweeping and epic with a raw subtext. The leaders of their field |
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2.
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Akercocke - The Goat Of Mendes
Progressive Black/Death Metal: Suave and Satanic: bringing sexy back to hell |
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3.
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The Meads Of Asphodel - Damascus Steel
Experimental Black Metal: Medievil dress-up lovers do it their way with thought provoking lyrical themes |
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4.
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The Axis Of Perdition - Deleted Scenes From The Transition Hospital
Industrial Black Metal: Silent Hill worshipping mentalists make the apocalypse sound even less appealing |
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5.
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A Forest Of Stars - The Corpse Of Rebirth
Atmospheric Black Metal: Sophisticated violin-laden Victorian blackened poetry |
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6.
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Code - Resplendent Grotesque
Avant Garde Black Metal: Forward thinking take on the genre featuring Ved Buens Ende's frontman, fans of which (and Virus) will likely cream themselves over this |
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7.
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Anaal Nathrakh - The Codex Necro
Grind/Black Metal: The Brummie Cunts go nuts with nihilistic brutality. Die On Your Knees! |
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8.
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Winterfylleth - The Ghost Of Heritage
Pagan Black Metal: Anglo-Saxon Paganists pay homage to their heritage with dirging melancholy |
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9.
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Wodensthrone - Loss
Atmospheric Black Metal: The UK's premier Drudkh competition |
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10.
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Forefather - Steadfast
Viking Black Metal: You want epic, uplifting guitar leads and air-punching harmonies? Then that's what you get |
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11.
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Bal-Sagoth - The Power Cosmic
Symphonic/Epic Black Metal: Oh you wanted REALLY epic black metal... then try this |
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12.
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Caïna - Temporary Antennae
Post-Rock/Experimental Black Metal: Strange and unpredictable, highly textured musings from a single mind |
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13.
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Lyrinx - Nihilistic Purity
Depressive Black Metal: Another critically revered slice of downtrodden misery. |
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14.
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Frost - Cursed Again
Mayhem Black Metal: The closest you'll ever get to De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas without the genuine article (MS profile isn't the UK's Frost) |
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15.
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Askival - Eternity
Folk Black Metal: Deep, contemplative folk inspired compositions from Scotland. The thinking man's Primordial |
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16.
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Worms Of Sabnock - Dark Harmonies
Melodic Black Metal: The Meads of Asphodel members take on more traditional, flute, string and clean vocal driven melody. A personal favourite of mine, especially the song "In The Shadows Of A Genius" |
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17.
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Skaldic Curse - Pathogen
Progressive Black Metal: Cold, frosty and intense with a complex and darkly intelligent bent. More than meets the eye and begs for multiple spins |
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18.
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Spearhead - Decrowning The Irenach
Death/Black Metal: Critically acclaimed, crushingly precise blackened bludgeonings. Technical wizards that are destined for big things |
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19.
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Archaicus - The Elder Scape
Atmospheric Black Metal: Re-lighting the early Satyricon torch with spectacular results. From my home county too |
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20.
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Thus Defiled - Daemonspawn
Death/Black Metal: Little different from Spearhead; a huge, deep tone with many sick rhythms and nifty solo's to satisfy the hungriest metaller |
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21.
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Basilisk - A Joyless March Through Cold-Lands
Raw Black Metal: Stylish and highly memorable lo-fi riffage. So good Joyless (of Forgotten Woods) ripped off their songs in the form of a bootleg |
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22.
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Emit - Abortions
Dark Ambient/Noise/Black Metal: Inhuman cuts of static, fuzz, hatred and God knows what else. Not for the faint of heart |
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23.
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Ebonillumini - The Ebon Channel
Post-Black Metal/Female Vocal: Beautiful soaring lady voices adorn this little gem of an EP |
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24.
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Ghast - May The Curse Bind
Doom/Black Metal: Dirty, dank and depraved heaviness of the most digusting kind. Not what you'd expect from the Welsh |
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25.
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Niroth - Niroth
Black Metal: Traditional black metal done right: plenty of cleverly structured chord progressions amidst a misty production |
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26.
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Void - Void
Industrial Black Metal: Contorted and unpredictable entry in the industrialised black metal circuit |
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27.
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Halo Of The Sun - Ghosts
Ambient Black Metal: Dark, slow and brooding. They'll get under your skin rather than burn it straight off |
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28.
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Vostok - From Lofty Peaks
Black/Doom: Affectingly gentle music whilst torturously vocaled black/doom from Scotland |
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29.
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Subvertio Deus - Psalms of Perdition
Orthodox Black Metal: If Wodensthrone be the UK's equivalent of Drudkh then Subvertio Deus are surely our version of Deathspell Omega |
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30.
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Fyrdsman - Forgotten Beneath the Soil
Atmospheric Black Metal: Debut EP of soaring epic melody and pagan pride |
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31.
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Acolyte - Leng
Progressive Black Metal: Taking more than a few pointers from Enslaved, Acolyte's debut EP is a stunningly strong and striking prog-black affair with a sound as confident as bands many years their senior. |
