The Best Black Metal Album - Metal Storm Awards 2025

Arkhaaik - Uihtis

History is a popular source of lyrical inspiration for metal bands, but ancient history, and especially Bronze Age-history, is rather less so. Arkhaaik, bolstered into a three-piece since the release of their debut by the addition of drummer Voidgaunt (in turn rendering the band's line-up the same as that of Arrows, who made their own statement of intent in 2025), apparently consider this an oversight, as the sophomore release from the Junger Tumilon-associated trio is centered around Bronze Age hunting. With the use of tribalistic percussion, group chanting and animal/nature sounds, Uihtis embraces the primitive; however, the fierce and unique black metal backbone to the record also brings sophistication. As is to be expected in a release from the incestuous and innovative Junger Tumilon scene, Uihtis is an album full of surprises and creativity, with an artistic vision to be truly admired.

Der Weg Einer Freiheit - Innern

Though it hasn't fundamentally changed their essence, Der Weg Einer Freiheit spent the last decade increasing the post-metal side of their sound, which is why Innern is likely the most post-metal sounding of the bunch here. Thus, alongside the blastbeats and the shrieks, there are great drum fills that keep things dynamic, soaring guitar melodies, pristine production, and long-form songwriting with a build-up/release ebb and flow that makes Innern feel large.

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Lamp Of Murmuur - The Dreaming Prince In Ecstasy

From Bloodstorm to Dreaming, from a speared and bleeding figure to a portrait of heaven's eye, it's clear just from the packaging that Lamp Of Murmuur has not settled where it last trod.  Some listeners feared that the obvious Immortal influence on Saturnian Bloodstorm signaled a loss of the project's unique personality, and so The Dreaming Prince In Ecstasy throws off those trappings for something closer to the richly atmospheric and gothic-flavored black metal of Lamp Of Murmuur's earlier works.  This is no mere retreat, however, for the thick, dreamlike sound, clean vocals, and additional instrumentation push this album toward something not just gothic but psychedelic, even proggy.  And Lamp Of Murmuur can still write some of the best melodies in black metal, so once again this one-man band triumphs in both songwriting and sound.

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Martröð - Draumsýnir Eldsins

There was a time when Icelandic black metal was all the rage, or at least that kind of dissonant black metal that the scene championed. Martröð, the supergroup that released a single EP, felt like the scene's biggest loose end, but now, even with a restructured, less-supergroup-y lineup that feels more like Guðveiki with extra steps, that loose end is finally tied up. HV's raspy vocals all throughout Draumsýnir Eldsins sound nightmarish, especially within the nauseating, labyrinthine riffing, with the album having a strong atmospheric focus both in its expanded soundscape breather moments and in its densely layered pummeling ones.

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The Great Old Ones - Kadath

The Great Old Ones, the French black metal band specialized in adapting H.P. Lovecraft's cosmic horror mythos, have chosen his most imaginative adventure tale, The Dream-Quest Of Unknown Kadath, for the influence of their newest masterpiece. Their dense, overlapping, and intertwining layers of guitar work undulate like the nameless larvae of the Other Gods, who caper and flounder all through the aether. The crowded, layered production gives a fittingly dreamy quality to the album, giving the listener at times a dizzying feeling of vertigo as the band shoots off, their soaring guitars riding the star-winds. Incessant pounding of drums keeps the album flowing, while, below the surface, lurks a patiently rumbling bass guitar, setting an alluring rhythm. Do you seek the demon-guardian fortress of Kadath, dear metalhead? Do you burn with the flame of quest? Go call your feline friends, hitch a ride on a zebra, and don't forget the secret words of the ghouls. Kadath awaits!

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This Gift Is A Curse - Heir

Six years ago, This Gift Is A Curse were nominated in the Sludge Metal category for A Throne Of Ash; this time around, they find themselves in the Black Metal category. That is not to say that Heir has fully forsaken the sludge metal and hardcore aspects that made A Throne Of Ash such a devastating record, but the focus has shifted intently towards black metal, and it is a hellish, relentless vision of black metal surging with fury. Heir is by no means one-dimensional, however; alongside the sludgier remnants of their former records are moments of ambitious experimentation, most notably the Portishead-inspired mechanical percussion in "Cosmic Voice", a song that is relentless in an entirely distinct way.

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Varnheim - Void

Across four sprawling tracks (each between roughly nine and thirteen minutes), the Polish quartet pieces together bleak, suffocating soundscapes anchored in crushing riffs, claustrophobic dissonance, and vocals that sit somewhere between ritualistic incantation and raw aggression. Void, Varnheim’s third full-length, strikes a balance between oppressive atmosphere and memorable melody, with some surprisingly emotional guitar leads and nuanced pacing that are giving each composition its own pulse inside a dark psychological labyrinth, full of shadows slowly closing in.

Volahn - Popol Vuh

The celestial bodies are now in position. They demand a sacrifice so our sun can rise again. The listener is the unfortunate chosen one. Before they are cast down a whirlpool to face Xibalba, they must first endure the sounds that come therein. Mesoamerican culture and mythology are explored through the lenses of intense, fast-paced black metal in a way that only Volahn knows how. The leading project behind the mysterious Black Twilight Circle has returned a decade after the savage Aq'Ab'Al carved our hearts out with an obsidian knife. Popol Vuh is a far more furious affair, with Volahn leaving behind some of their adrenalized melodies and instead focusing on harsher, faster, and darker compositions. Flutes, death whistles, acoustic guitars, and alternative percussion are still well implemented in between the layers of sharp, dizzying, and chaotic riffs. A first-timer would do well to advance with caution: Popol Vuh will be a perplexing experience as the listener makes sense of the cacophony and discovers the wonders and magic hidden deep within the dark jungle.

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Yellow Eyes - Confusion Gate

Yellow Eyes has quickly become one of the most prolific and intriguing black metal bands in the American scene. Confusion Gate is their 7th full-length in their 15-year career and it’s also by far their most ambitious effort yet. Their brand of black metal has the tendency to be pulled in multiple directions while still feeling firmly rooted in the harsh nature of the genre. By incorporating influences from the likes of dark ambient, neofolk, dungeon synth, and industrial, Confusion Gate becomes a fascinating ride of unpredictability as melody, dissonance, and technical prowess intertwine.

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Zeicrydeus - La Grande Heresie

Zeicrydeus is a new one-man project by Phil Tougas, who is an extremely talented musician, also known from bands like First Fragment, Atramentus, Chthe'ilist, and about a dozen others. This band’s debut, La Grande Heresie, oozes Hellenic black metal of the '90s with its dark atmosphere and its classic heavy metal leads, while the prominent bass gives strong Necromantia vibes. The album is certainly wearing its influences on its sleeves, but it is also crafted with pure love for the style and honesty, and if riffs are what you are after, this will definitely not disappoint you.