1.Beast In Black - Dark Connection

2.1914 - Where Fear And Weapons Meet

3.Duskmourn - Fallen Kings And Rusted Crowns

4.Grima - Rotten Garden

5.Gojira - Fortitude

      View entire list ››

At around 450 album, I've been averaging something like 75 new albums per month since the start of 2021, not to mention albums I only listen to 1-2 songs of before moving on. It's been intense, and I'm hoping the lifting of restrictions will mean I get through slightly less music in the rest of this year, but let's see what the rest of 2021 has in store musically.

1.Between The Buried And Me - Colors II

2.Year Of No Light - Consolamentum

3.Be'lakor - Coherence

4.LLNN - Unmaker

5.Spaceslug - Memorial

      View entire list ››

As is the case with my other lists, this is for my own organizational purposes and is designed purely to help me keep track of all the many black metal bands and albums that I enjoy, since I can't keep all of this information in my head. It has no other benefit whatsoever and will likely result in tantrums should anyone else see it. I'm aware that I haven't listened to every black metal album that I should have. I only went down to the 6s on this list, so it's possible that I have listened to your favorite black metal album that you desperately need to suggest and I thought it was terrible. There are a lot of heinously incompetent black metal bands out there.

On the off-chance that you've found this and actually care about what I think (you shouldn't), be advised that my favorites come first. Some are favorites in the general sense; some are favorites within black metal. The first few of those are in some order and not so much after that.

Because this is for my own purposes and not intended to be a definitive list of pure black metal, there are some black metal-adjacent bands, or albums by black metal bands that may not themselves be black metal. That's why you'll find so much Sigh clogging up the top of the list. I prefer to keep whole discographies together on one list. I used to include Primordial, Forefather, and other such bands, but a while back I created a list for folk and I decided that those artists would fit better there.

I update these lists very infrequently. This was last updated December 7, 2022.

1.Sigh - Imaginary Sonicscape

2.Sigh - Graveward

3.Dissection - Storm Of The Light's Bane

4.Sigh - Heir To Despair

5.The Meads Of Asphodel - The Murder Of Jesus The Jew

      View entire list ››

Limited only to the albums I rate higher than 7.
Suggestions are extremely welcomed.

1.Theologian - Nonextant

2.She Spread Sorrow - Hunters

3.Choir - Songs For A Tarnished World

4.Five The Hierophant - Through Aureate Void

5.Fragment King - Retreat

      View entire list ››

1.Ethereal Shroud - Trisagion

2.Veilburner - Lurkers In The Capsule Of Skull

3.First Fragment - Gloire Éternelle

4.Replicant - Malignant Reality

5.Dormant Ordeal - The Grand Scheme Of Things

      View entire list ››

For those interested in suggestions of albums by genre

Removed:
- Trolls
- Limp bizkit outside of Alternative category
- albums already nominated. After the results, I will add the nominated albums that don't receive enough votes to be displayed in the results, as "staff write-ins".
- albums with a release date not in 2021

1.

2.Heleven - Into The Oceans

3.Imminence - Heaven In Hiding

4.Lantlôs - Wildhund

5.Leprous - Aphelion

      View entire list ››

My best and most played stuff from 2021. The order of preference is as accurate as it can be.

Best EP: Melancholia - Static Church.
Best demo: Mace ‘N’ Chain - Upon The Anvil Formed.
Best video: Iron Maiden - “The Writing On The Wall”.
Best album artwork: Neptunian Maximalism - Solar Drone Ceremony.

1.Soen - Imperial

2.Ethereal Shroud - Trisagion

3.Unto Others - Strength

4.Lake Of Tears - Ominous

5.Lucifer's Fall - III - From The Deep

      View entire list ››

1.Worm - Foreverglade

2.Mortiferum - Preserved In Torment

3.Gosudar - Morbid Despotic Ritual

4.Fluisteraars - Gegrepen Door De Geest Der Zielsontluiking

5.Ustalost - Before The Glinting Spell Unvests

      View entire list ››

Ratings go from:

WORSHIP ❤️❤️❤️: Absolute greatness, a mindblowing album.
LOVE ❤️❤️🖤: Amazing release with very few flaws.
LIKE ❤️🖤🖤: Enjoyable but far from perfect.
DISLIKE 💔: Not very good or maybe not fitting my tastes.

I've decided to stop rating albums with a numerical value as I tend to feel uncomfortable with that. This list has a minimalistic, subjective and visceral approach, based purely on sensations and personal tastes. Mainly for personal use and doesn't pretend to be a serious ranking, but emerges from the need to remember which bands and albums I enjoyed and the ones I disliked. I constantly revisit new releases so first impressions may change over time. It usually takes 8-10 spins for me to get completely sure of a rating.

1.Æther Realm - Tarot

2.Abhoria - Abhoria

3.Acid Bath - When The Kite String Pops

4.Agrypnie - Metamorphosis

5.Allegaeon - Fragments Of Form And Function

      View entire list ››

The most memorable albums from my first year on the Metal Storm crew. Loosely ranked in list order. If I forgot something, it's not worth mentioning and/or I'm being stupid. Likely "and". Or...?

1.Ophiuchi - Shibboleth

2.Pa Vesh En - Maniac Manifest

3.Godspeed You! Black Emperor - G_d's Pee At State's End!

4.Decoherence - System I

5.Thy Catafalque - Vadak

      View entire list ››

Favourite albums of 2021. Will most likely be obsolete in a few days.

1.Æthĕrĭa Conscĭentĭa - Corrupted Pillars Of Vanity

2.Converge - Bloodmoon: I [Collaboration]

3.Ethereal Shroud - Trisagion

4.Funeral Mist - Deiform

5.Year Of No Light - Consolamentum

      View entire list ››

Last updated on 11 April 2024.

1.Dream Theater - Images And Words

2.Moonsorrow - Kivenkantaja

3.Wintersun - Wintersun

4.Dissection - Storm Of The Light's Bane

5.Iron Maiden - The Number Of The Beast

      View entire list ››

This year we have one best album plus a top 30 list in alphabetical order. We people of the Black Lodge are f***ing evil, but we're also quite sick, that's why our album of the year maybe is not metal anymore, but it's still the sickest album of the year. The Top 30 is full of that malicious, tortured music that made us even more malignant this year.

1.Emptiness - Vide

2.1914 - Where Fear And Weapons Meet

3.Amenra - De Doorn

4.Antediluvian - The Divine Punishment

5.Barús - Fanges

      View entire list ››

2021 was the first year when I actively listened to whatever new single or album I found out was coming from a band I like. In the past there had usually been a severe delay between the release and my attention being directed toward it. Because I listened to more music, I found more records which I came to love thoroughly, and it's about 10 or so of such records. The one that didn't make the list was Worship by Hypocrisy. I think overall I'm urged to say the year was pretty damn good.

1.Eximperitus - Šahrartu

2.Stormkeep - Tales Of Othertime

3.Mental Cruelty - A Hill To Die Upøn

4.Lorna Shore - ...And I Return To Nothingness

5.Vildhjarta - Måsstaden Under Vatten

      View entire list ››

So earlier in 2021, I actually finished a nine year old list, and I thought starting this in July and backfilling with previous listens would be a good idea. Turns out not jotting down some thoughts about albums as you listen to them the first time is mistake, so almost every album on here has been heard at least twice - often more.

I'm going to leave it in release date order for now - maybe I'll put them in rating order, but that seems like a lot of work.

And even looking at my own list, I'm convinced there are albums I've heard that aren't on here, so that's great!

Anyway, enjoy reading and hopefully this might point you in the direction of something from 2021 you haven't bothered with yet.

Cheers!

1.Horndal - Lake Drinker

2.Unto Others - Strength

3.Obscura - A Valediction

4.Gatecreeper - An Unexpected Reality

5.Asphyx - Necroceros

      View entire list ››