The Icelandic Black Metal scene received quite a bit of hype and love in the middle of the last decade. As with most things, the supply of greatness couldn't live up to the demand. We have a handful of true gems from this scene and a lot of mediocre schlock.

Ordered from best to worst based on my opinion. Listen and decide for yourself.

1.Misþyrming - Söngvar Elds Og Óreiðu

2.Wormlust - The Feral Wisdom

3.Almyrkvi - Umbra

4.Carpe Noctem - In Terra Profugus

5.Wormlust - The Wormlust Collective

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100 full length albums that I favor in approximate order of preference plus 10 non-LP releases at the end. Limited to metal albums and albums featured on the site.

1.Indesinence - Vessels Of Light And Decay

2.Mitochondrion - Parasignosis

3.Murmuüre - Murmuüre

4.Deathspell Omega - Paracletus

5.Ustalost - The Spoor Of Vipers

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No reviews for this year.

Non Metalstrom Bands

Anicon: https://anicon.bandcamp.com/
Antigone's Fate: https://antigonesfate.bandcamp.com/
Pure Wrath: https://purewrath.bandcamp.com/
Reprisal: https://reprisal.bandcamp.com/
The Beast of Nod: https://thebeastofnod.bandcamp.com/

Best Covers

Suotana - Land of The Ending Time https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a2771423527_10.jpg

1.Sulphur Aeon - The Scythe Of Cosmic Chaos

2.Elderwind - The Colder The Night

3.The Beast Of Nod - Vampira: Disciple Of Chaos

4.Wilds Forlorn - Sapiens

5.Antigone's Fate - Insomnia

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1.Elvellon - Until Dawn

2.Sulphur Aeon - The Scythe Of Cosmic Chaos

3.Barren Earth - A Complex Of Cages

4.Rivers Of Nihil - Where Owls Know My Name

5.Seventh Wonder - Tiara

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I'll be spending 2 months in the US so probably won't manage to beat the 130-odd albums I heard in the first half of the year, but I'll do my best.

1.Dirge - Lost Empyrean

2.Ingrina - Etter Lys

3.Between The Buried And Me - Automata

4.King Buffalo - Longing To Be The Mountain

5.A Forest Of Stars - Grave Mounds And Grave Mistakes

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1.Hwwauoch - Hwwauoch

2.Evoken - Hypnagogia

3.Ars Magna Umbrae - Lunar Ascension

4.Dirge - Lost Empyrean

5.1914 - The Blind Leading The Blind

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Are you addicted to the eerie sound of Deathspell Omega, Ulcerate and Portal? Then this list is for you.

1.Above Aurora - Path To Ruin

2.Abyssal - Antikatastaseis

3.Ad Nauseam - Nihil Quam Vacuitas Ordinatum Est

4.Ad Nauseam - Imperative Imperceptible Impulse

5.Akhlys - The Dreaming I

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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

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1.Bathory - Under The Sign Of The Black Mark

2.Bathory - Blood Fire Death

3.Master's Hammer - Ritual

4.Darkthrone - A Blaze In The Northern Sky

5.Immortal - Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism

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