Just gonna leave this here Sorry if I messed up the spelling or forgot an artist. Tier 1 Alcest Summoning Deafheaven Wolves in the Throne Room Harakiri for The Sky Tier 2 (Any band from Norway) Mgła Watain Dissection Marduk Dark Funeral Sargeist Horna Tier 3 Blasphemy Revenge Beherit Damaar Naked Whipper Tier 4 Blut Aus Nord Deathspell Omega Diapsiquir Jute Gyte Mamaleek Tier 5 any in the Les Legions Noire Mutiilation Vlad Tepes Obskiritatem Black Cilice Sortilegia Moonblood Xasthur Leviathan Tier 6 (The Nerdy Shit) Abruptum Sutekh Hexen Semen drenched slave of the Devil Emit check out Enbilulugugal too
I think the band in the thumbnail is Weakling in case someone was interested(its wolves in the Throne Room, idk why I thought it why I confused it for the weakling logo)
@@dethronedemperor I worked with Dustin from enbilulugugal before he died last year for my latest release. iamdeadsmiles58.bandcamp.com/track/lonely-goat-corpse-ft-enbilulugugal
Still waiting for "Man hitting a guitar into a trash can while screaming Satan at the top of his lungs" metal, entirely recorded on a 1995 phone answering machine.
I'm from Lebanon and I was very pleasantly surprised to see Damaar on here, you were spot on about how overly religious this country is. Great vid btw, earned my sub
@@rufussamsquanch_6547 Especially since we have bands like Abigor and Deathspell omega as well as blut aus nord etc being widely talked about compared to necroholocaust for instance.
It's very individually imo. For me bands like Bölzer, Pseudogod, Archgoat, Teitanblood, Grave Miasma, Adversarial, Vassafor are far more accessible than any single Deathspell Omega post Infernal Battles song..
@@artyomkurakin3393 agreed, I think these are way more head bang worthy than Diapsiquir or Mamaleek. Yeah, I get that since Bestial is more raw it’d be next to the “Necro” tier but I wouldn’t say it’s less accessible than the Oddball tier
@Fabrizio Garreta yeah but I think this is about inaccessibility and not intensity. Not necessarily saying war metal is accessible, but at least there’s a market for that genre. What market is there for Diapsiquir or Mamaleek?
What about depressive black metal or “DSBM?” Silencer, Austere, Exiled From Light. You mentioned Xasthur and Leviathan but yeah. Haha sorry I don’t mean to sound like an elitist but that is definitely a subgenre of black metal that has a fairly large listener base.
@@Nightgaunt616 I'm checking them out now. They're definitely "out there" but in a good way. I wouldn't consider them "Darkweb" since they lack that "creep out" factor that will ruin your high (note to self: NEVER listen to Emit while blazed).
Great point about Damaar- I love that "legitimate"/lived experience coming through music. Makes such an impact, even when the chops aren't apex. Throwing it out there about Revenge- living/growing up in the same area as them, I very much get the same feeling about Revenge. I don't know them personally or anything, and perhaps I'm projecting, but I feel like their music bleeds the discontent of Alberta very specifically
Lebanon isn't as bad religiously as he describes it tho lmao. They wouldn't have been killed for their music (mostly because it was underground) but still. The drummer went to australia and converted back to islam is the version I heard. And I think the vocalist was in a thrash band called nightchains which I recommend you check out
@@muchwizardrainbowgandalfwi675 well I said that cause ive heard so many people say they got "death threats" from their music thus which is why they fled to Australia.
Another one that could be on tier 6 is stallagh. It's a project formed by some guys who work at an asylum and they convinced the people in charge to let them record the patients screaming as a form of therapy. You can kind of hear some riffs and drums in the background at points, but it's mostly just screaming. It's just really hard to listen to.
Just found your channel. Been looking for a rather underground knowledge type channel such as yours for awhile now and you totally fit the bill for me. Without going into too much more high praise, I appreciate the way you lay out your explanations. Most places come off very linear like they're reading straight from a script but I can tell no scripts probably ever needed for you because the time and knowledge is that deep. Ty man! Currently going through your catalog as well as anticipating new vids!
I got dragged into the genre by Al-Namrood. I think their very unique approach to the genre makes them a really good starting point. Both through the folk elements like the utilization of the arabian scale and traditional arabic instruments as well as through the more accessible style of their current vocalist Humbaba (since "Heen Yadhar Al Ghasq"). Also I never met anybody - metalhead or not - who wasn't interested in taking a listen to their music after learning that their from Saudi-Arabia and could literally be executed for their music.
@junesuprise who you never met and wtf are you talking about 😂 why would someone who you don't know be interested about you not being interested in something?
i was refering "Also I never met anybody - metalhead or not - who wasn't interested in taking a listen to their music after learning that their from Saudi-Arabia and could literally be executed for their music."@@punkjay4681
Yes, Alcest are such a great place to start for most. I've played their records for a few friends and everyone found them beautiful, even if they didn't like metal in general.
One I didn’t mention that’s similar to Alcest but easily my favorite for the style would be “Lantlos” Their album “Neon” is perfection and that balances out shoegaze and black metal to a near perfect even degree.
Alcest is just plain calming for a lot of songs I mean try and do a full length cover of "sur le ocean couler de fer" without accidentally carrying yourself into an almost hypnotic sleep. It's perfect
Bro I recently found your channel and Im in love. I turned my ad blocker off for you lol. Its everything Ive ever wanted in a metal channel. The format, the tidbits of backstory with some bands (but not so much that it detracts from the music), etc...are all fantastic. Please dont detract too much from the whole "sitting in a chair infront of records spitting knowledge" format. One suggestion is you could add the bands you mention in your description. Other than that, keep on keeping on. Ill plug your channel as much as I can on the various metal subreddits.
@@huggiedistance u should prolly listen to City Morgue/Zillakami, maybe sum scarlxrd. It really all depends on what ur lookin for, if ur lookin for metal or at least harder soundin rap then I’d say those 2. I like a lot of underground street rap but idk if you’d like it cuz obviously we on a black metal video
@@yungwxiner4226 hell yeah man, I love city mourge and scarlxrd, I'm actually mostly into thrash metal and the band anthrax had a huge relation to early gangsta rap. Public Enemy and NWA are some of my favorite rap groups.
I used to literally call them “Magla”. Until I got to know a polish friend who told me it’s “Mgła”. Literally, no other syllable than the A, and the L is pronounced weirdly.
Emit's music isn't all noisy. They (he?) has also released some Dark Ambient stuff like Spectre Music Of An Antiquary (which is actually quite relaxing to listen to, if you can believe it). Also, one of the guys who played in Emit has got a Roman Catholic Black Metal band called Reverorum Ib Malacht, which is every bit as weird and odd, though much less noisy. I must admit though, it's weird (but welcoming) to see people outside the UK know about Emit. Tier 6 could basically be called the Todestrieb Records roster, as we have a fair few of these weird, oddball noisy Black Metal bands, such as T.O.M.B., Extinction, Basilisk, and The Tyrant of Manchester (yes that is the band name)
Since you talked about Damaar n religion: there's this anti-islamic black metal band called Janaza. It's a musical project by an Iraqi woman (who, in fact lives in Iraq, how brave). Pretty good stuff.
I absolutely adore Jute Gyte! His recent records Oviri and Mitrealität in particular are some of the most impressively composed and uncompromising extreme guitar music out there with some really fascinating, alien riffing and incredibly imaginative production. Also, all respect for bringing up Diapsiquir. Definitely one of the oddest black metal acts I've listened to, peculiarly charming in this super off-kilter way. The way that you described them was absolutely on point. Incidentally, funny thing when you compared Sutekh Hexen to Prurient: I'm not sure if you're aware of this or not, but Dominick Fernow is in several black metal projects, including Departure Chandelier and Ash Pool (whose song "Holocaust Temple" has some incredible melodic vocal work). Guy seriously gets around.
I really enjoyed this video. One thing that surprised me was that the avant-garde / dissonant stuff was below the "war metal" tier. I'd say that Beherit is much less accessible than Deathspell Omega, at least to my ears. Great video though!
I can't see anyone talking about Mamaleek. I feel you 100% how you seem mesmerized trying to give off an impression of what they music is; it's the most creative thing i have heard in my music life. It is so rich, so deep, the way their wright their songs is something i have never came accross in any genre. it's clearly a demonstration of music as an art.
Satanhartalt is a group that you could consider to be Tier 6 black metal. Being a black noise, it is very eerie and dark, super raw, I love it. It's like exploring a Medieval hell (the art on their tapes gives that vibe).
I'm really glad you gave Jute Gyte a mention; he is one artist I never hear anyone speak or know of. I actually listen to all of his styles he makes, sometimes his chaotic black metal, sometimes his ambient glitch stuff really hits the spot if I crave something less stimulating. Have you ever heard of the band Wold? I feel like they could have had a mention under your Dark Web Black Metal tier. They are basically harsh noise with Donald Duck or Eric Cartman on vocals. It's some nasty, scathing shit. But it's oddly relaxing to listen to? Also, perhaps Gnaw Their Tongues could have been another band for this tier as well? More of that experimental, nasty dark black metal stuff. Nice video though, I enjoyed it. P.S. You may have gotten me interested in Sutekh Hexen. Also, I actually love Deafheaven, and I used to listen to Alcest.
I remember how claustrophobic Rites Through the Twillight of Hell felt when I was still discovering BM (long ago). This demo is still something extremely fascinating to me, even though I must be one of the only person to like this demo given how they could barely play their instruments at the time lol. But the production and smothering of the sound was so perfect in creating the atmosphere...
I feel honored to have been able to give this the 666th like haha. Also for the oddball tier I think I'd personally add Todestoss, I don't feel like they get mentioned enough. They're totally nuts and fascinating. For the raw tier I think I'd add Nihill and Novae Militiae. I don't know, maybe they're not essential but they're some of the best in my eyes Great video! Lots of bands I'm excited to check out after watching this
@@ConvincingPeople do not worry we shall hunt you down, it has been foretold, you will not poison thy gene pool. We are ancient we have always watched you.
Once I listened a track from WITTR with my mom and she dig it. She said the music was awesome, but didn't get the shouting vocals. So, yes, Wolves is pretty much Tier 1
If you want noise with a black metal vibe listen to Hurqalya by Sacrificial Totem. This release in particular was dubbed "blackest ambient metal" and while I don't think there's enough black metal influence in it to be placed in this list the discussion of noise at the end made me think of it.
Cool. I love these iceberg videos. Very well done and deep explained. My favorite subgenre of metal is black metal and its a deep dark abyss to get into.
I read some time ago that Abruptums cloustrophobic vocalist was forced into a storage coffin and they recorded his screams of panic for the vocals on an album. This was in the book Blood, fire, death: The Swedish metal history by Ika Johannesson if anyone for some reason was wondering.
Hasn't the vocalist of Xasthur done also something like that, but on a collaborative album with Sunn O)))? I guess it's on the Black One, the last song.
Sounds like you're describing Saudi Arabia rather than Lebanon. Lebanon is one of the more liberal countries in the Middle East. Although, you can't get too liberal in the Middle East-that's true
Been more of a Death Metal fan traditionally, but the range of sounds that you can get within black metal is so much more creatively freeing, thanks for the recommendations! They are great! 1914 is my favorite “bestial” or “war” metal band because they honor the horrors of war and slow down the tempo because it’s not just about the action, but the consequences of such horror.
Yea that's not war metal . 1914 is blackend death doom. 1914 is way better than any war metal crap noise. War metal is white noise and is recorded live .
really dig this video. don't know shit abt black metal but it's cool seeing it getting broken down into six "types" that actually delves into the subject further than "guy screams in his car for 40 minutes and makes a 4 hour long black metal project with it" my only gripe with this is that it feels like a band recommendation video and not really an iceberg. it'd take a small group of seasoned fans to pull together a berg covering not only notable bands, but also historical events like controversies, tropes like shithouse quality black metal, injokes and practices and common beliefs in the scene, all sorts of shit, and then ranking all that shit by obscurity. it would be super sick seeing something like that, but its understandably a shitload of work
No Grausamkeit / B.S.o.D? Hes been doing “herion” black metal in germany since 1995 when he was 15, truly a deranged underrated genius with over 140 drug charges lol
You could probably expand it to more tiers. I think some of the "harsher" atmospheric bands like Drudkh and some of the more symphonic or folkish bands like Nokturnal Mortum and Moonsorrow could fit in a tier between 1 and 2. Also there's room for another tier between 2 and 3 for bands like Peste Noire, Goatmoon, and Warwulf that still sort of "carry on the spirit" of black metal but at the same time are trying to keep it more obscure and inaccessible. And then there's the question of whether or not NSBM gets its own tier for the sheer inaccessibility of its themes and messages.
@@Olonsorg Wrong. But they are pretty much as close to it as you can get without being full blown NSBM. You want actual NSBM? Check out Wolfnacht and Ar*an Blood.
@Ryan Williams lol looks like your comment was shadow-banned by youtube for saying a verboten word. I can see it in my notifications because you replied to me but I don't think anyone else can. And I can't help it if more "problematic" bands make better black metal than the politically correct ones. Maybe you should make your own RABM band and show all us "ebil nahtzees" how it's done.
@@matthewcarson3736 Very few good NSBM and borderline NSBM bands imo, but gotta give props where props is due. Peste Noire's early albums rule. Peste Noire - Split - Peste Noire on the other hand though... lol
As a collector of Drowning the Light it was never been an unlistenable infamous stuff, the tracks often had melodies, and vampyric cries were very unique, and has changed a lot through the years. Edit: Darkthrone no longer a Black Metal band.
Recommended updates: Level 1: Summoning: Just the first record "Lugburz" which is actually BM, Would add Venom and Bathory to a certain extend too Level 2: Unanimated, Ancient Rites, Keep of Kalessin, Evol, Anaal Nathrakh, Necrophobic, Decameron, Satanized, Impaled Nazarene or more contemporarely: Sarastus: Enter the necropolis Level 3: Belphegor, Mor Dagor, Forgotten Woods, Pest (both from SWE and from NOR), Level 4: Abigor (especially "Fractal Possession"), Dodheimsgard, Mysticum (the first album) Level 5: Nargaroth, Judas Iscariot, Katharsis (Germany), Graveland, Satanic Warmaster, Urgehal, Level 7: There are plenty of those who just release cassettes or limited EP - Sombre Records from Germany were famous for releasing such bands Level 8: Tape traded shit like the "Chainsaw gutsfuck" demo from Mayhem on tape.
Great list. I got to know some interesting new bands, especially in the lower 2 tiers. Here are some of my additions: Tier 1: Panopticon, None, Agalloch Tier 2: Judas Iscariot (American so doesn't fall under the anything-from-Norway category) Tier 2.5 (Crust punk): Drakthrone (later), Wolfbrigade, All Pigs Must Die, Oathbreaker, Black Breath Tier 4: Imperial Triumphant, Krallice, Oranssi Pazuzu, Liturgy, Thy Catafalque (they may also go in Tier 1), Sigh Tier 6: Stalaggh (if you want to still call that black metal or, you know... music)
I seem to be a strange case, as I managed to end up on both ends of the black metal ice berg without really crossing into the middle. Very shortly after being shown Darkthrone, Mayhem, Burzum, Bathory, etc, I somehow found Dead Before Death by Emit. Can confirm, basically noise. Interesting noise, gut wrenching noise, but noise.
For me it was the opposite about the raw black metal. I always thought that this genre should sound like this and therefore, it became my favourite. I love the haunting atmosphere that raw black metal produces.
Yeah, I am under the impression that it is the essence of black metal, and the other genres are more about experimentation or finding other ways to express this, giving rise to extremely different things. That being said, I've been into BM for so long now that I totally understand that newer fans may be put off by how barebones this stuff can be. Also, production quality has improved massively since then and as such it's very understandable that people may have a harder time than before to get back into this. (Also, I'm not a snob: it's a good thing production quality went up as it allows some stuff that wasn't really possible before. Good production quality can help enhancing brutality or specific feelings in ways that weren't possible before, overall helping to expand what black metal can be).
Not a fan of the music but I observe it as a form of entertainment. Black metal had its heyday in the '90's and early 2000's. But there are so many artists now and they're all so similarly wired (to my ears) it's hard to really tell one from the other. IMO extreme music is heading in the direction of non-genre specific metal. Bands like Meshuggah are doing things like taking thrash music and adding truly extreme blendings of percussion and guitars with unique vocals. Or Portal took death metal to an atmospheric place, a la norwegian black metal. Their music is truly chaos, something most bands require horrific visuals to attain. Again, not something I can sit there and listen to but fun to observe how this form of art is evolving from the sidelines.
I don't know if these kinds of "tier lists" have any kind of meaning in the age of free-circulated information. My first BM experience was Ultima Thulee and To Cavirs, and then I moved on to more "popular" ones like Summoning and Eldamar to end up discovering more of the genre later.
Experimental Black Metal: one can see behind you on the raft Master's Hammer, Korova/Korovakill, Sigh, Absu, Melechesh, Tormentor (Hungary), Raism/Dialobos Rising, Necromantia, Evol - this is just the top of the iceberg.
As someone who considers himself "well-versed" in Fucked-Up BM, I got suggestions: Hellvatron, Nyogthaeblisz, and Serpantrance to start. Great SE Asian bands like Deiphago and Tetragrammacide. Also, any band associated with 4444 Reich - Reek Of Unzen Gas Fumes, Grizzly Fetish, Shrapnel of Malediction, etc. Side note: killer Triumvir Foul shirt! Damn good Death/Black band from right here in Portland, OR!
it's funny, you seem to get two kinds of people: first is the people who get turned off by tier 5, and the people who can only get into black metal by way of tier 5. my theory is that everything more accessible than tier 5, to the latter group, just sounds like something else they're used to, played "wrong". it is precisely because their ears are not tuned to anything similar to this, and they have no frame of reference for it, that they are able to take it for what it is and enjoy it.
My favorite subgenre is dark ambient black metal; stuff like Chaos Moon, Nihill, Mare Cognitum, Lluvia, Moon (AUS), Esoterica. Pretty much the stuff to which most wouldn't listen with the lights off...
Speaking of torture, you can easily add Stalaggh to level 6, especially the Pure Misanthropia album. Noise one can barely call black metal, supposedly recorded live in a mental institution where the lunatics hear and respond the noise, their screams and fits all recorded as well. Awesome stuff.
"stuff that really pushes the sanity level" Me guessing ahead: Ooh, ooh, Depressive Suicidal Black metal, definitely! Also Me: Oh no...what if it goes deeper??
Just gonna leave this here
Sorry if I messed up the spelling or forgot an artist.
Tier 1 Alcest
Summoning
Deafheaven
Wolves in the Throne Room
Harakiri for The Sky
Tier 2 (Any band from Norway)
Mgła
Watain
Dissection
Marduk
Dark Funeral
Sargeist
Horna
Tier 3 Blasphemy
Revenge
Beherit
Damaar
Naked Whipper
Tier 4 Blut Aus Nord
Deathspell Omega
Diapsiquir
Jute Gyte
Mamaleek
Tier 5 any in the Les Legions Noire
Mutiilation
Vlad Tepes
Obskiritatem
Black Cilice
Sortilegia
Moonblood
Xasthur
Leviathan
Tier 6 (The Nerdy Shit)
Abruptum
Sutekh Hexen
Semen drenched slave of the Devil
Emit
check out Enbilulugugal too
I think the band in the thumbnail is Weakling in case someone was interested(its wolves in the Throne Room, idk why I thought it why I confused it for the weakling logo)
Thank you! I'd been researching as I was listening. But for the life of me, I couldn't figure out diapsiquir and black cilice lmao
Props for mentioning Enbilulugugal. They fucking slay
eh idk why i dont like sutekh hexen, its just okay. Maybe try gnaw their tongues
@@dethronedemperor I worked with Dustin from enbilulugugal before he died last year for my latest release. iamdeadsmiles58.bandcamp.com/track/lonely-goat-corpse-ft-enbilulugugal
I only clicked on this to get some new bands into my rotation, didn't expect to learn as much as I did about my favorite subgenre. Good work man.
Black Metal Surface Level itself is a deep abyss in the music world.
Hell it's a deep abyss just on the Heavy Metal Iceberg.
@@derrickbonsell true
And it should be left alone and never disturbed.
🤘⚰💀🐐🐐
not really
The slam side isn't any shallower
Still waiting for "Man hitting a guitar into a trash can while screaming Satan at the top of his lungs" metal, entirely recorded on a 1995 phone answering machine.
are we sure merzbow hasnt done this?
Just so we're clear, does it have to be metal trash can or will any old material do? I'm asking for a "friend" with a "project"...
Trve Kvlt
🤣🤣
Go listen to Impaled Northern Moonforest
I'm from Lebanon and I was very pleasantly surprised to see Damaar on here, you were spot on about how overly religious this country is. Great vid btw, earned my sub
Much respect!
@@dread-cthulu Thank you!
@@chrisistopher yooo man im from Lebanon too
@@occultus284 happy to see other lebanese people in the community
@@chrisistopher yep, follow me on Instagram if you want so we can get in touch more. Occultus.666
Honestly I’d switch the war metal and experimental tier around, war metal is far less accessible and more obscure than deathspell omega.
Agreed
@@rufussamsquanch_6547 Especially since we have bands like Abigor and Deathspell omega as well as blut aus nord etc being widely talked about compared to necroholocaust for instance.
It's very individually imo. For me bands like Bölzer, Pseudogod, Archgoat, Teitanblood, Grave Miasma, Adversarial, Vassafor are far more accessible than any single Deathspell Omega post Infernal Battles song..
@@artyomkurakin3393 agreed, I think these are way more head bang worthy than Diapsiquir or Mamaleek. Yeah, I get that since Bestial is more raw it’d be next to the “Necro” tier but I wouldn’t say it’s less accessible than the Oddball tier
@Fabrizio Garreta yeah but I think this is about inaccessibility and not intensity. Not necessarily saying war metal is accessible, but at least there’s a market for that genre. What market is there for Diapsiquir or Mamaleek?
What about depressive black metal or “DSBM?”
Silencer, Austere, Exiled From Light. You mentioned Xasthur and Leviathan but yeah. Haha sorry I don’t mean to sound like an elitist but that is definitely a subgenre of black metal that has a fairly large listener base.
I was waiting for it too, was surprised to see Xasthur in the raw section.
I wish I could enjoy Silencer... and it pains me that I can't.
@@HopefulNihilist why can’t you?
@@SinizterOfficial
The vocals.
I don't consider myself to be picky, but I just can't get used to them. And believe me, I tried.
Elite taste my friend
Darkweb Black Metal = perfect description of Emit. The music sounds like the picture looks.
Rofl yes
Check out Portal
@@Nightgaunt616 I'm checking them out now. They're definitely "out there" but in a good way. I wouldn't consider them "Darkweb" since they lack that "creep out" factor that will ruin your high (note to self: NEVER listen to Emit while blazed).
But the thing is Emit really ISNT BM its black ambient! no metal passages
@@wewuzwolves4428 i just listened to emit stoned and my ears are melting
An iceberg for black metal that I haven't seen that before
Ulver and Agalloch would also fit pretty damn well in tier 1 I think
-and pretty much any band with a pagan theme.
yes yes yes
Ulver - Bergtatt is a rite of passage in my opinion.
Id also say Apati
Everything they made that is not Nattens Madrigal. That record in particular is a bit rough for the uninitiated.
Great point about Damaar- I love that "legitimate"/lived experience coming through music. Makes such an impact, even when the chops aren't apex. Throwing it out there about Revenge- living/growing up in the same area as them, I very much get the same feeling about Revenge. I don't know them personally or anything, and perhaps I'm projecting, but I feel like their music bleeds the discontent of Alberta very specifically
As an Albertan, this is true.
As a Lebanese dude, I agree
Lebanon isn't as bad religiously as he describes it tho lmao. They wouldn't have been killed for their music (mostly because it was underground) but still. The drummer went to australia and converted back to islam is the version I heard. And I think the vocalist was in a thrash band called nightchains which I recommend you check out
@@muchwizardrainbowgandalfwi675 yoo what's your ig
@@muchwizardrainbowgandalfwi675 well I said that cause ive heard so many people say they got "death threats" from their music thus which is why they fled to Australia.
Another one that could be on tier 6 is stallagh. It's a project formed by some guys who work at an asylum and they convinced the people in charge to let them record the patients screaming as a form of therapy. You can kind of hear some riffs and drums in the background at points, but it's mostly just screaming. It's just really hard to listen to.
not really black metal though its legit just noise is all it is
Nah the Stallagh is just some edgelord nihilists from lebannon and the netherlands lol the whole story is a marketing trick.
its not black metal its more in the harsh noise genre
@am i a pseudo intellectual? yes or no i mean yeah but pure misanthropia has like 0 black metal influence whatsoever
@am i a pseudo intellectual? yes or no ?
Just found your channel. Been looking for a rather underground knowledge type channel such as yours for awhile now and you totally fit the bill for me. Without going into too much more high praise, I appreciate the way you lay out your explanations. Most places come off very linear like they're reading straight from a script but I can tell no scripts probably ever needed for you because the time and knowledge is that deep. Ty man! Currently going through your catalog as well as anticipating new vids!
I got dragged into the genre by Al-Namrood. I think their very unique approach to the genre makes them a really good starting point. Both through the folk elements like the utilization of the arabian scale and traditional arabic instruments as well as through the more accessible style of their current vocalist Humbaba (since "Heen Yadhar Al Ghasq"). Also I never met anybody - metalhead or not - who wasn't interested in taking a listen to their music after learning that their from Saudi-Arabia and could literally be executed for their music.
Thanks for adding a new band to my playlist :)
We never met but I’m not interested. Sounds “clickbaity” if you know what I mean.
@junesuprise who you never met and wtf are you talking about 😂 why would someone who you don't know be interested about you not being interested in something?
i was refering "Also I never met anybody - metalhead or not - who wasn't interested in taking a listen to their music after learning that their from Saudi-Arabia and could literally be executed for their music."@@punkjay4681
Normally I don't like these iceberg videos, as I think they're pretty overdone, but this one was actually engaging. Good stuff!
Yes, Alcest are such a great place to start for most. I've played their records for a few friends and everyone found them beautiful, even if they didn't like metal in general.
One I didn’t mention that’s similar to Alcest but easily my favorite for the style would be “Lantlos”
Their album “Neon” is perfection and that balances out shoegaze and black metal to a near perfect even degree.
Id also say Les Discreits or however you spell it
Alcest is just plain calming for a lot of songs I mean try and do a full length cover of "sur le ocean couler de fer" without accidentally carrying yourself into an almost hypnotic sleep. It's perfect
Thanks for bringing up Xasthur and Leviathan/ Lurker of chalice.
I fkin love Xasthur
Master's Hammer album in the background, nice
One of the best albums of all-time!
@@canticlesfromthecatacombs7856 absolutely man
Czech classic. Metalheads here are proud, that someone actually knows our bands!
black metal virtue signaling
Nice pfp!
top of the ice berg MAYHEM bottom of the ice berg MAYHEM background story
i think the background story is pretty mainstream , i mean even people who dont listen to black metal know about the whole varg vikernes stuff
@@a.r.i.a5003 hahahah Varg..... well he's a MEME now.... so yeah its pretty mainstream...... agreed
All Mayhem is insanely good
@@a.r.i.a5003 top of the ice berg Mayhem story. Bottom of the iceberg The ToF
Mayhem is the drizzling shits.... just pure unadulterated crap..
Bro I recently found your channel and Im in love. I turned my ad blocker off for you lol. Its everything Ive ever wanted in a metal channel. The format, the tidbits of backstory with some bands (but not so much that it detracts from the music), etc...are all fantastic. Please dont detract too much from the whole "sitting in a chair infront of records spitting knowledge" format. One suggestion is you could add the bands you mention in your description. Other than that, keep on keeping on. Ill plug your channel as much as I can on the various metal subreddits.
Don’t know how I ended up here cuz I listen to rap music but this was an interesting video, ill probably check out these bands now.
Start in tier 2
What rappers do you like? I'm currently getting into rap from metal and punk.
@@huggiedistance u should prolly listen to City Morgue/Zillakami, maybe sum scarlxrd. It really all depends on what ur lookin for, if ur lookin for metal or at least harder soundin rap then I’d say those 2. I like a lot of underground street rap but idk if you’d like it cuz obviously we on a black metal video
@@yungwxiner4226 hell yeah man, I love city mourge and scarlxrd, I'm actually mostly into thrash metal and the band anthrax had a huge relation to early gangsta rap. Public Enemy and NWA are some of my favorite rap groups.
@@yungwxiner4226 but I would love some more street rap suggestions.
5:27 I commend you for pronouncing mgła correctly, haven't heard many people even try
I used to literally call them “Magla”. Until I got to know a polish friend who told me it’s “Mgła”. Literally, no other syllable than the A, and the L is pronounced weirdly.
@@JacobA666 Ł is pronounced like english W, eg. White, biały, ławka, wow, łał
if only you wrote 'commend' correct when complimenting someone on their pronunciation lol
@@JacobA666 well Magla has the same meaning as Mgła, just a different language
@@whitewizard1914 what do you know.. linguistics are amazing :)
Emit's music isn't all noisy. They (he?) has also released some Dark Ambient stuff like Spectre Music Of An Antiquary (which is actually quite relaxing to listen to, if you can believe it). Also, one of the guys who played in Emit has got a Roman Catholic Black Metal band called Reverorum Ib Malacht, which is every bit as weird and odd, though much less noisy. I must admit though, it's weird (but welcoming) to see people outside the UK know about Emit. Tier 6 could basically be called the Todestrieb Records roster, as we have a fair few of these weird, oddball noisy Black Metal bands, such as T.O.M.B., Extinction, Basilisk, and The Tyrant of Manchester (yes that is the band name)
Best black metal iceberg ive seen so far, unique tiers, and great recommendations
Since you talked about Damaar n religion: there's this anti-islamic black metal band called Janaza. It's a musical project by an Iraqi woman (who, in fact lives in Iraq, how brave). Pretty good stuff.
I thought that band was debunked as a hoax some years ago.
@@JohnDiabol Oh, I didn't know that. But, whether that's true or not, the music still slaps.
@@formrkelse3138 I'm definitely always up for some anti Islamic black metal.
Think I'm going to make a response video just adding on some points of this. Really well put together stuff!
I absolutely adore Jute Gyte! His recent records Oviri and Mitrealität in particular are some of the most impressively composed and uncompromising extreme guitar music out there with some really fascinating, alien riffing and incredibly imaginative production. Also, all respect for bringing up Diapsiquir. Definitely one of the oddest black metal acts I've listened to, peculiarly charming in this super off-kilter way. The way that you described them was absolutely on point.
Incidentally, funny thing when you compared Sutekh Hexen to Prurient: I'm not sure if you're aware of this or not, but Dominick Fernow is in several black metal projects, including Departure Chandelier and Ash Pool (whose song "Holocaust Temple" has some incredible melodic vocal work). Guy seriously gets around.
Just started getting into Black Metal! Saving this one, this looks like it'll be really helpful.
I really enjoyed this video. One thing that surprised me was that the avant-garde / dissonant stuff was below the "war metal" tier. I'd say that Beherit is much less accessible than Deathspell Omega, at least to my ears. Great video though!
Me: (backing up a forklift) i'll take the whole berg, thank you
I can't see anyone talking about Mamaleek. I feel you 100% how you seem mesmerized trying to give off an impression of what they music is; it's the most creative thing i have heard in my music life. It is so rich, so deep, the way their wright their songs is something i have never came accross in any genre. it's clearly a demonstration of music as an art.
Satanhartalt is a group that you could consider to be Tier 6 black metal. Being a black noise, it is very eerie and dark, super raw, I love it. It's like exploring a Medieval hell (the art on their tapes gives that vibe).
Appreciate the recommendation!
Thanks man
is this dungeon synth?
I'm really glad you gave Jute Gyte a mention; he is one artist I never hear anyone speak or know of. I actually listen to all of his styles he makes, sometimes his chaotic black metal, sometimes his ambient glitch stuff really hits the spot if I crave something less stimulating.
Have you ever heard of the band Wold? I feel like they could have had a mention under your Dark Web Black Metal tier. They are basically harsh noise with Donald Duck or Eric Cartman on vocals. It's some nasty, scathing shit. But it's oddly relaxing to listen to?
Also, perhaps Gnaw Their Tongues could have been another band for this tier as well? More of that experimental, nasty dark black metal stuff.
Nice video though, I enjoyed it.
P.S. You may have gotten me interested in Sutekh Hexen. Also, I actually love Deafheaven, and I used to listen to Alcest.
The microtonal album ship of theseus is one of my fav8
Also I love escatalogical scatology by gnaw there tongues
I feel like S T A L L A G G H should be there somewhere, probably in a seventh tier
eight tier and silencer or diagnose lebensgefahr
I would put some of the dsbm bands on the 7th or even the 8th tier
i feel like the occasional instrumentals feel more noise-grind, no?
I thought he was going to bring up them in the last tier because you really can’t understand anything expect for screaming children
Or probably in the garbage
thank you for the Damaar suggestion! been looking for something like this (similar to one of my favorite CDs, Slavia's Strength and Vision) THANK YOU.
I am from Lebanon and I really admire the fact that you dedicated around 4 min just to talk about Damaar! Horns to you dude \m/
Yo man im also from Lebanon
@@occultus284 Awesome! You're in a band?
@@charbelalsahlani5566 i wish
@@charbelalsahlani5566 im looking for band mates, i want to start a War metal band that’s exactly like Damaar vocals
@@occultus284 What instrument do you play?
Actually, the band that made me love black metal was Mutiilation. As soon as I heard Transylvania I knew this genre is something magical...
I remember how claustrophobic Rites Through the Twillight of Hell felt when I was still discovering BM (long ago). This demo is still something extremely fascinating to me, even though I must be one of the only person to like this demo given how they could barely play their instruments at the time lol. But the production and smothering of the sound was so perfect in creating the atmosphere...
I feel honored to have been able to give this the 666th like haha.
Also for the oddball tier I think I'd personally add Todestoss, I don't feel like they get mentioned enough. They're totally nuts and fascinating. For the raw tier I think I'd add Nihill and Novae Militiae. I don't know, maybe they're not essential but they're some of the best in my eyes
Great video! Lots of bands I'm excited to check out after watching this
Holy shit, another Todesstoß fan in the wild! I think they keep the five or so of us apart so we don't breed and further poison the gene pool…
@@ConvincingPeople do not worry we shall hunt you down, it has been foretold, you will not poison thy gene pool. We are ancient we have always watched you.
It’s so beautiful to see how many insanely talented and creative people black metal has gone on to inspire
Amy examples? I'm actually curious
@@MooSaidChicken Igorrr
Once I listened a track from WITTR with my mom and she dig it. She said the music was awesome, but didn't get the shouting vocals. So, yes, Wolves is pretty much Tier 1
If you want noise with a black metal vibe listen to Hurqalya by Sacrificial Totem. This release in particular was dubbed "blackest ambient metal" and while I don't think there's enough black metal influence in it to be placed in this list the discussion of noise at the end made me think of it.
I'm more the deathcore/deathmetal guy, but this video was very interesting to listen to. Thank you!
Cool. I love these iceberg videos. Very well done and deep explained. My favorite subgenre of metal is black metal and its a deep dark abyss to get into.
IT, the founder of Abruptum, also had a band called Ophthalamia which was amazing. Definitely worth checking out.
Ophtalamia, they are great on their first album vocalist was Jon from Dissection, on later albums Legion from Marduk
@@mariozd971 I particularly love the second one
@@ashkandi1337I thought I was the only one!
I read some time ago that Abruptums cloustrophobic vocalist was forced into a storage coffin and they recorded his screams of panic for the vocals on an album. This was in the book Blood, fire, death: The Swedish metal history by Ika Johannesson if anyone for some reason was wondering.
That’s pretty great!
A friend of mine once locked himself in a dryer to record vocals for one of our projects in high school, LOL.
Hasn't the vocalist of Xasthur done also something like that, but on a collaborative album with Sunn O)))? I guess it's on the Black One, the last song.
@@peterlustig821 Yes! Dude is a massive claustrophobe too. What an absolute lunatic Malefic is
Sounds like you're describing Saudi Arabia rather than Lebanon. Lebanon is one of the more liberal countries in the Middle East. Although, you can't get too liberal in the Middle East-that's true
Been more of a Death Metal fan traditionally, but the range of sounds that you can get within black metal is so much more creatively freeing, thanks for the recommendations! They are great! 1914 is my favorite “bestial” or “war” metal band because they honor the horrors of war and slow down the tempo because it’s not just about the action, but the consequences of such horror.
1914 are fucking sick
Try to listen another ukrainian bm band Burshtyn, they also have very good songs.
1914 are not war metal lol
Yea that's not war metal . 1914 is blackend death doom. 1914 is way better than any war metal crap noise. War metal is white noise and is recorded live .
R.I.P Damaar
I've never been so excited to learn lol
22:02 Prurient (Dominck Fernow) is a member of Departure Chandelier credited as Fanalis
really dig this video. don't know shit abt black metal but it's cool seeing it getting broken down into six "types" that actually delves into the subject further than "guy screams in his car for 40 minutes and makes a 4 hour long black metal project with it"
my only gripe with this is that it feels like a band recommendation video and not really an iceberg. it'd take a small group of seasoned fans to pull together a berg covering not only notable bands, but also historical events like controversies, tropes like shithouse quality black metal, injokes and practices and common beliefs in the scene, all sorts of shit, and then ranking all that shit by obscurity. it would be super sick seeing something like that, but its understandably a shitload of work
I'm also wearing a Triumvir Foul shirt today. #twinning
No Grausamkeit / B.S.o.D?
Hes been doing “herion” black metal in germany since 1995 when he was 15, truly a deranged underrated genius with over 140 drug charges lol
You could probably expand it to more tiers. I think some of the "harsher" atmospheric bands like Drudkh and some of the more symphonic or folkish bands like Nokturnal Mortum and Moonsorrow could fit in a tier between 1 and 2. Also there's room for another tier between 2 and 3 for bands like Peste Noire, Goatmoon, and Warwulf that still sort of "carry on the spirit" of black metal but at the same time are trying to keep it more obscure and inaccessible. And then there's the question of whether or not NSBM gets its own tier for the sheer inaccessibility of its themes and messages.
I immediately had the thought of where KPN might fit into all this
Peste Noire are NSBM.
@@Olonsorg Wrong. But they are pretty much as close to it as you can get without being full blown NSBM. You want actual NSBM? Check out Wolfnacht and Ar*an Blood.
@Ryan Williams lol looks like your comment was shadow-banned by youtube for saying a verboten word. I can see it in my notifications because you replied to me but I don't think anyone else can.
And I can't help it if more "problematic" bands make better black metal than the politically correct ones. Maybe you should make your own RABM band and show all us "ebil nahtzees" how it's done.
@@matthewcarson3736 Very few good NSBM and borderline NSBM bands imo, but gotta give props where props is due. Peste Noire's early albums rule.
Peste Noire - Split - Peste Noire on the other hand though... lol
You should do the iceberg on all genres!!
As a collector of Drowning the Light it was never been an unlistenable infamous stuff, the tracks often had melodies, and vampyric cries were very unique, and has changed a lot through the years.
Edit: Darkthrone no longer a Black Metal band.
Thanks for breaking this down, I've been wondering lately what the limit for darkness would be, and I think I found it
Welcome
Loved the video, so much information, and so well explained. Thank you for such short yet well thought-out analysis.
Recommended updates:
Level 1: Summoning: Just the first record "Lugburz" which is actually BM, Would add Venom and Bathory to a certain extend too
Level 2: Unanimated, Ancient Rites, Keep of Kalessin, Evol, Anaal Nathrakh, Necrophobic, Decameron, Satanized, Impaled Nazarene or more contemporarely: Sarastus: Enter the necropolis
Level 3: Belphegor, Mor Dagor, Forgotten Woods, Pest (both from SWE and from NOR),
Level 4: Abigor (especially "Fractal Possession"), Dodheimsgard, Mysticum (the first album)
Level 5: Nargaroth, Judas Iscariot, Katharsis (Germany), Graveland, Satanic Warmaster, Urgehal,
Level 7: There are plenty of those who just release cassettes or limited EP - Sombre Records from Germany were famous for releasing such bands
Level 8: Tape traded shit like the "Chainsaw gutsfuck" demo from Mayhem on tape.
I think diagnose: Lebensgefahr should be in the 6th tier. Its basically just black metal noise with screams and weird noises
Any chance we can get a list of these bands mentioned for looking up purposes? Thank you!
If you haven't seen it already, there's a pinned comment at the top with all the bands mentioned
@@skeletalremains8555 I did see it! Thanks for the thought to reply!
Appreciate that Master’s Hammer - Ritual LP in the background🤘🏻
Great list. I got to know some interesting new bands, especially in the lower 2 tiers.
Here are some of my additions:
Tier 1: Panopticon, None, Agalloch
Tier 2: Judas Iscariot (American so doesn't fall under the anything-from-Norway category)
Tier 2.5 (Crust punk): Drakthrone (later), Wolfbrigade, All Pigs Must Die, Oathbreaker, Black Breath
Tier 4: Imperial Triumphant, Krallice, Oranssi Pazuzu, Liturgy, Thy Catafalque (they may also go in Tier 1), Sigh
Tier 6: Stalaggh (if you want to still call that black metal or, you know... music)
Liturgy is literally layer 1 stuff
Strongly agree with your tiers, @kristofbe1 - also, never heard of None, so I’ll be checking them out!
Right on! Just found this channel.. let the binge watching begin
I seem to be a strange case, as I managed to end up on both ends of the black metal ice berg without really crossing into the middle. Very shortly after being shown Darkthrone, Mayhem, Burzum, Bathory, etc, I somehow found Dead Before Death by Emit. Can confirm, basically noise. Interesting noise, gut wrenching noise, but noise.
"Necro Black Metal"
Malaise - Bringer of Destruction
The most stripped down to the bones black metal demo out there. 1 riff per song
Luftwaffe Raid
Satanic Funeral
Obehag
Lethal Diabolic
Durthang
Nad
Yo big props for covering this, black metal on the internet is so polarizing to discuss
Another few projects that could fit in the bottom tier could be Grausamkeit, Witchmoon, Friedhof, and Paysage D’Hiver.
Oh hey you even used the iceberg graphic that I personally made like a decade ago. Its weird to see that keep popping up.
For me it was the opposite about the raw black metal. I always thought that this genre should sound like this and therefore, it became my favourite. I love the haunting atmosphere that raw black metal produces.
Yeah, I am under the impression that it is the essence of black metal, and the other genres are more about experimentation or finding other ways to express this, giving rise to extremely different things.
That being said, I've been into BM for so long now that I totally understand that newer fans may be put off by how barebones this stuff can be. Also, production quality has improved massively since then and as such it's very understandable that people may have a harder time than before to get back into this. (Also, I'm not a snob: it's a good thing production quality went up as it allows some stuff that wasn't really possible before. Good production quality can help enhancing brutality or specific feelings in ways that weren't possible before, overall helping to expand what black metal can be).
Every raw black metal song I have listened to sounds like sh1t but I love it for that if that even makes sense
I am starting to get into black metal...this video helped me allot! Thank you kind sir :)
sunn o))) have occasional tier 6 moments. *ducks. Axis Of Perdition scrapes into 6 occasionally too.
More people need to listen to Coldworld.
That boy knows how to make amazing DSBM.
I sort of expected stuff like DSBM and Silencer to be in tier 6.
Good education for someone like me who only recently discovered Black Metal and hasn't yet moved past the Norwegian bands.
Not a fan of the music but I observe it as a form of entertainment. Black metal had its heyday in the '90's and early 2000's. But there are so many artists now and they're all so similarly wired (to my ears) it's hard to really tell one from the other. IMO extreme music is heading in the direction of non-genre specific metal. Bands like Meshuggah are doing things like taking thrash music and adding truly extreme blendings of percussion and guitars with unique vocals. Or Portal took death metal to an atmospheric place, a la norwegian black metal. Their music is truly chaos, something most bands require horrific visuals to attain. Again, not something I can sit there and listen to but fun to observe how this form of art is evolving from the sidelines.
I don't know if these kinds of "tier lists" have any kind of meaning in the age of free-circulated information. My first BM experience was Ultima Thulee and To Cavirs, and then I moved on to more "popular" ones like Summoning and Eldamar to end up discovering more of the genre later.
We also have MZ412 which is like if Abruptum met more traditional dark noise with the general feel of burzum
burzum will never be outdone. It was one man posessed with greatness
Experimental Black Metal: one can see behind you on the raft Master's Hammer, Korova/Korovakill, Sigh, Absu, Melechesh, Tormentor (Hungary), Raism/Dialobos Rising, Necromantia, Evol - this is just the top of the iceberg.
You can articulate very well
I would add "Reverorum ib Malacht" on tier 5 probably. Some of weirdest stuff I've heard lately.
YES glad to see them mentioned in the comments
I found them by googling Catholic black metal, great stuff
@@wyattxhim I was listening to them yesterday on the way home from work
A big suggestion for tier 6:
German band Dawnfall with their album Drei Räume
Emit’s visual artwork is so talented on how it can convey emotion
He should have included Cradle of filth in the first tier, it's such an obvious example
Didn't expect you to mention diapsiquir! First time i've ever heard someone talk about them in a video, very cool!
As someone who considers himself "well-versed" in Fucked-Up BM, I got suggestions: Hellvatron, Nyogthaeblisz, and Serpantrance to start. Great SE Asian bands like Deiphago and Tetragrammacide. Also, any band associated with 4444 Reich - Reek Of Unzen Gas Fumes, Grizzly Fetish, Shrapnel of Malediction, etc.
Side note: killer Triumvir Foul shirt! Damn good Death/Black band from right here in Portland, OR!
Sick Triumvir Foul shirt, dude. Subscribed!
I'm so thankful this video has been uploaded. Do you have any videos reviewing all your records? I would love to see something like that.
I have a playlist for my vinyl collection
it's funny, you seem to get two kinds of people: first is the people who get turned off by tier 5, and the people who can only get into black metal by way of tier 5.
my theory is that everything more accessible than tier 5, to the latter group, just sounds like something else they're used to, played "wrong". it is precisely because their ears are not tuned to anything similar to this, and they have no frame of reference for it, that they are able to take it for what it is and enjoy it.
you need to check out this japaneses guy project called manierisme it sounds so wretched and sad
Love his work. Too bad none of it is on vinyl
Great video really enjoyed the info and your personality. You just got a new sub
I had no idea you got yourself a blackout tattoo, looks good on you too.
My favorite subgenre is dark ambient black metal; stuff like Chaos Moon, Nihill, Mare Cognitum, Lluvia, Moon (AUS), Esoterica. Pretty much the stuff to which most wouldn't listen with the lights off...
Speaking of torture, you can easily add Stalaggh to level 6, especially the Pure Misanthropia album. Noise one can barely call black metal, supposedly recorded live in a mental institution where the lunatics hear and respond the noise, their screams and fits all recorded as well.
Awesome stuff.
Bethlehem
I really recommend Eneferens, he would probably be on the pretty black metal tier but in my opinion he is one of the best
Black metal and Summoning fan reporting for duty
Whee! I went to uni with the guy from Emit. Great guy, slightly unhinged. We used to call him Evil Mike : )
"stuff that really pushes the sanity level"
Me guessing ahead: Ooh, ooh, Depressive Suicidal Black metal, definitely!
Also Me: Oh no...what if it goes deeper??
When I saw that you put Mlga in tier 2 I was scared! Haha 😂
Would you say Blackened Grindcore as a whole could fall into tier 5 or 6? Also would Satanic Warmaster be in tier 5?
I’m p sure Blackened Grindcore would be more applicable to the Bestial tier since Naked Whipper is a Blackened Grindcore band