The guy who wrote the article is a BM/Doom musician he plays in the bands witchsorrow and cultfinder he knows his stuff and has been around the scene for a long time, When you are dealing with Kerrang I'm guessing there's a need to balance the list between more mainstream and more underground black metal, If he was writing for zero tolerance or fistful of metal magazine for instance I'd expect a different list. Bare in mind Kerrang is NOT a metal magazine, its a rock magazine with metal leanings.
Bands that would have made the list for myself: The Ruins of Beverast - Rain Upon the Impure. Midnight Odyssey - Funerals From the Astral Sphere. Akhlys - The Dreaming I. Panopticon - The Scars of Man Urfaust - Der freiwillige Bettler Darkspace - III Drudkh - Autumn Aurora Rebirth of Nefast- Tabernaculum
Yes to everything, good to see some Urfaust in there, I'd also add Spectral Lore, Mare Cognitum and Paysage D'Hiver. The Spectral Lore and Mare Cognitum split is an absolute masterpiece, if you guys haven't heard it yet do it right now it's called Wanderers: Astrology of the Nine!
The only thing I Would have replaced is- panopticon with Pursuit Of The Sun And Allure The Earth by Woods Of Ypres, and Autumn Aurora with Blood In Our Wells.
Honestly, considering it's Kerrang, this isn't a terrible list. Kerrang is huge and covers the biggest names in metal. A lot of the bands on this list like Cradle, Enslaved, Watain, etc are really good entry level bands. They definitely were for me. This list appears to be geared more towards people who maybe dabble in a little Black Metal here and there but haven't taken the real plunge into the genre. I could easily see people like that checking things on this list out and then diving deeper. A lot of these bands are where it started with me and now I'm listening to Vlad Tepes as I'm typing this.
I've noticed a trend with these popular metal pages. They almost always add a band from a certain era and are all like "I bet you didn't know this was a thing" and It's added for the sake of being different rather then an actual impact. Also they add whatever is trendy atm, that's fair enough that it got alot of traffic and is talked highly of, I honestly thought Batushka, Watain, and DSO were forsure gonna be on here since of all the controversy and their popularity, but what do i know, that's my opinion. I still think Watain is if you bought The first few Dissection albums off of Wish
My Sworn To The Dark LP just sits there collecting dust. Their are just too many far superior albums in my collection to count for me to really bother with watain.
Midian was my introduction to more extreme metal and got me to look back into their catalog and black metal. So I'd completely understand Midian being on the list.
I think it was an OKAY list, but without making my own video... No Leviathan is absolute doodoo Ruins of Beverast - Rain Upon the Impure is overlooked by many, but is STILL one of the greatest albums ever made. No Drudkh is fuckin nonsense And I guess you could plop a Paysage D’Hiver release in the 90s, but I mean, he should be here. Middian and Volcano shouldn’t be on here. Not only because they’re not really BM, but both bands’ best material was in the 90s. But whatever, it’s not the worst list I’ve ever seen or anything.
You're spot on with the Enslaved, Satyricon, Watain albums - odd choices indeed when better ones could have been chosen. Don't sweat it, lists you don't make yourself are worthless really and are often dictated by the current big thing. It's probable your taste in black metal is probably a bit obscure (or, if you prefer, "trve kvlt") for a list from Kerrang! to be honest. As for you not liking Watain - each to their own; it would be boring if we all liked the same stuff. They were my gateway into Black Metal immersion (and I am old enough to have been around for both the origins and the first Norwegian wave - streaming services have a lot to answer for ;-) ) and for that I'll always be grateful. Popular/controversial enough for me to have noticed them, tuneful enough for me to get into them, and the journey started from there.
Hey man I'm curious if you've ever checked out Der Weg Einer Freiheit? I feel like you'd like them but I've never seen you mention them unless you did in one of your vinyl videos and I just missed it
I always enjoy seeing magazines do lists, regardless of how i feel about it. Still like reading them. Thing about this list, most of these albums turned a lot of heads around the time they came and were unique for the time. That Deathspell Omega album is by far my favorite from their discography. Stunning fucking piece of work. And, I've always been a fan of Watain, but that's definitely not the best album in 20 years. To me, they just do a really good job at carrying the torch for that old school Swedish black metal sound.
^ I'm a serious WATAIN fan but I can understand or respect that opinion, just because I wouldn't want any 1 band to be worshipped or revered above another
Great video! I think the only album we disagree is Enslaved's Isa, all their stuff since Below the Lights are just amazing, fantastic blend of black metal and prog (and they started to sing in english). But yes, it's definitelely not a choie on a black metal list. By the way, no Mgla here breaks my heart. And Paracletus is #1 for me hands down.
To be entirely honest, I’d agree with midian by cradle. It was singlehandedly the album that got me into black metal 3 years ago and I still jam out to it so much to this day, no other album I’ve ever listened to has stuck with me this much, I still believe “her ghost in the fog” is one of the greatest songs I’ve ever listened to, regardless of genre
What made me like Watain was buying their 4 first albums collection. You're right, they all kind of do the same thing but once you get to Lawless Darkness they become more melodic and then Waters of Ain is the big finale. It kind of reminds me of fade to black. But the pick for Lucifari baffles me because Sworn to the Dark is a way better record from start to finish.
I agree so much with the Enslaved pick, maybe I would place it higher. It's of my favorite álbuns and it kind of has a cult following like all of their albums of thst era.
I know I’m REALLY late to watch but I saw Blut Aus Nord in the thumbnail so had to watch. I was glad to see you didn’t shit on them. I enjoy TWWTG but I wouldn’t say it’s their best, so I was surprised to see it here. Good video! And new subscriber.
i do agree with you man. i actually do like watain and they put a hell of a live show (started liking them a fair amount cuz i saw em live) but i never would've guessed that they'd be number one. put something like human serpent's inhumane minimalism or one of my personal favs being havukruunu's havulinaan (though many may disagree) as number one or at least in the top 5. kerrang gotta get their shit together
As some one from the U.K.- Kerrang stopped being a proper metal / rock magazine in the late 2000’s and started pandering toward the emo crowd and have carried on ever since
like I said its a rock magazine with metal leanings, im sure you'd agree if it was zero tolerance etc putting the list together it would be a different story.
I think it's a great list, I don't think any of them would have made my list, but I appreciate them going with unexpected albums instead of the same old.
Dudeeee I was excited to begin to listen to the Watain discography and so album after after album I’m like …”am I missing something?” there’s barely any songs that caught my attention and I don’t understand why their name is thrown around a lot and praised 😵💫
Albums I would include: Beherit - Engram Ravencult - Temples of Torment An Acherontas album (not sure which one) Nehemah - Shadows From the Past Satanic Warmaster - Carelian Satanist Madness A Horna album (not sure which one) Arckanum - ppppppppppp
Mate glad to hear you say you've come to appreciate early Cradle. Dusk and Vempire are absolutely monumental, deeply satanic metal albums. There is so much to comprehend on both those releases. The twin guitar NWOBHM melodies, the Scandinavian black riffs, the Paradise Lost death doom riffs. All of that combined with the lyrics showcased all members at the top of their game.
Some of my picks: Tsjuder - Desert Northern Hell Paysage d'Hiver - Winterkälte Sarkom - Aggravation of Mind Naglfar - Virus West Odraza - Esperalem tkane
Watain have amazing songs, perfect live theater show. Are creative and try stuff out. That list is pretty good for kerrang. Not the standard stuff. Most of the bands really deserve to be on such list.
I would not say it's the greatest thing or the most groundbreaking one, but the reason I Iove some Watain albums, especially Lawless Darkness it's the lyrical theme. "Anti-cosmic" Qliphotic belief seems true and realistic on songs like Waters of Ain, and gives me emotions I can only feel listening to Dissection's final record. This kind of theme taking a serious approach, not looking like a gimmick, I can only feel in Watain and maybe Outlaw (Brazilian/German band). If anyone knows any other band that deals with such themes please tell me...
Pretty cool video. Can see where you’re coming from. There’s just no way around the wtf! of this list on a whole. Only thing I can see as being a positive is maybe taking another look at these albums just probably a little closer than prior to.
It was a great list, and putting watain in the first spot made sense. In my opinion it breathed life into a commercially dead and stagnant genre. Rock solid production, good stuff
I don’t listen to a whole whole lot of black metal but I think Paracletus shoulda been in Si Monvmentvm Reqvires Circvmspice’s place. And I think Marduks Plague Angel is one of the best of this century
I respect Casus Luciferi a lot personally. I’ve loved it since it came out. And I don’t really care about anybody else’s opinions. I don’t like most of the stuff that they put out after it but it was definitely a big gateway album for me. I think the secret spice is the awesome bass lines and great brutal and yet atmospheric production. And Puzzles ov Flesh is such a banger. I think the album paved the way for more “well produced” and intelligently crafted black metal to still be successful both commercially and in still creating that vibe of pure evil that is so essential to the genre
I love Watain but Lawless Darkness is their masterpiece. I’m surprised they went with Casus Luciferi let alone at number 1 for best of the century. I would pick Lawless Darkness but not sure if it’s my favorite of the century.
Satrycon - Volcano was awesome because all my friends listened to indie and classic rock and I could sneak it on in the car or at a party and not really get yelled at.
Aye, Isa never done much for me really. Ruun was killer. Kinda gutted about that new live dvd set coming out. Doesn't look like there's any of the early stuff. Great band though.
Though the passing of nearly three years has cast a shadow upon this video, I am perturbed, nay, astounded by the utter absence of any mention concerning Batushka's inaugural opus. Verily, their musical composition hath ensnared my senses, their style, an enchantment unparalleled. Permit me to disclose that this judgment emanates from one who hath immersed oneself in the ethereal strains of Elvish chants for countless millennia.
You've been really hard on Forgotten Tomb. I would have choose Songs To Leave instead of Springtime Depression. But the best Depressive/Suicidal BM album is Silencer - Death Pierce Me anyway.
Nah there are just so many better DSBM Bands than Forgotton Tomb: Woods Of Desolation, Thy Light, Nocturnal Depression, apati, Hypothermia, wedard ColdWorld,, Germ, Lustre and so many more
Honestly, your review of the list is actually pretty fair and balanced. Had they replaced Nachtmystium with any Leviathan album as the pinnacle of USBM in the 21st century I could have understood it a lot better. Also, Taiwan >>> Watain. At least they picked the best Watain album, the mixture of Dissection and DMDS era Mayhem has it's appeal, even if they really rely a lot on what Ofermod did on their first EP. For Watain it's like a lot of those newer Swedish Orthodox BM bands, style over substance.
I don’t think Watain sounds like Dissection at all, I don’t know why people constantly compare them, maybe just because of that melody they have. I personally love Watain because they just have great melodies, lyrics and the whole visual approach, but that’s just my view, most people don’t like them at all, who cares. That list is pretty stupid I can agree with you ... if you ask me my personal list would be this 1.Anorexia Nervosa-Drudenhaus 2.Hate Forest-Sorrow 3.Frozen Forest - Ancient Ritual 4.Funeral Goat-Mass ov Perversion 5.Behexen-Rituale Satanum 6.Goatmoon-Finnish Steel Storm 7.Sargeist-Satanic Black Devotion 8.Satanic Warmaster-Carelian Satanist Madness 9.Darkthrone-Sardonic Wrath 10.Urgehal-Goatcraft Torment 11.Beastcraft-Into the Burning Pit of Hell 12.Tsjuder-Desert Northern Hell 13.Triumfall - Antithesis Of All Flesh But of course there are many many great albums like Nyktalgia-Nyktalgia Silencer-Death-Pierce_Me Brocken Moon - Das Märchen Vom Schnee Be Persecuted- I.I and many others.
Winterfylleth are here because they’re British and Kerrang’s a British magazine, they get a lot of hype in the press here. But yeah they’re just solid, I always wish Wodensthrone took off instead Midian is actually a really loved album I see COF fans talk about a lot, second only to Dusk. Mostly because it was people’s first black metal album which is yeah increasingly gothic but the writing is still strong. They don’t fall off until Damnation for me although I prefer their 90s albums and their last two to Midian God later Satyricon sucks Enslaved are another one of those magazine bands, they’re always solid and good but sometimes more prog than black although on certain albums the balance still switches. Surprised it wasn’t Riittiir or Below the Lights, the latter would be a fair pick Glad to see Diadem getting some praise rather than just Two Hunters all the time Watain are the halfway point between Mayhem and Dissection for me and I guess that along with the image is why they got big, they filled that hole. Solid good band but I always think DsO who were putting out so much more revolutionary black metal at the same time and approach to satanism which isn’t so cartoony makes them look like a joke in comparison
Great entry level band! Their first few records are legitimately very good. I think all their mediocre to bad stuff from the mid part of the 2000s until now have really hurt their legacy tho
1. Minenwerfer - Alpenpasse 2. Summoning - with doom we came 3. Nagelfar - Virus West 4. Nocturnal Mortem - the voice of steel 5. Nargaroth - Era of Tharenedy 6. Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult - Nocturnal March 7. Shining - the eerie cold 8. Graveland - Memory ajd Destiny 9. Inquisition- bloodshed across the empyrean 10. Mayhem - chimera
I can’t comprehend how can you make such a list and not include anything by Mgła. Also, if 2000 is taken into consideration and they love USBM So much then where the hell is Weakling?
Being only thirteen spots probably really hurt this list. If there were 50-100 spots to really flesh out the list it may not be so bad. You can tell Kerrang wanted to put on mainstream Black Metal albums, as well as classics of the genre, but rapidly jumping around from atmospheric to DSBM to Viking to Orthodox black metal albums just makes the whole list feel Schizophrenic.
Enslaved Isa hell yea. When it came out it was very well praised. It was when they were really transitioning into the more progressive stuff but still had some of the older style riffing on that album. After that though they kept changing more and more progressively. Cradle of Filth Midian was a big album for them and i remember all the hype from it when it came out. After that they kept getting bigger and less blacker. Alot of the other picks i agree shouldn't be on the list though. For that matter the last 20 years has been pretty unoriginal as far as any kind of metal. Black metal has become a joke with all the subgenres. In a top 10 or 13 some big names need to be on there but not so much with all these smaller bands that kinda copy everything. I mean its a greatest black metal albums of the 21st century list but from Kerrang which they went total cringe decades ago. Never take them seriously lol.
I just clicked on this video, let's see if Darkspace, Aosoth Sigh, Thy Catafalque, nocturnal mortum, Teitanblood and mgla got on there. And now I have watched the video and none of them made it on there.......ok now I am confused.
To be honest you completely missed the point with Enslaved. Even with instinct Decay to an extent, as these are suggestively here more to promote the influence that came after thanks to them but I digress with the latter as Oranss Pazuzu dominate them however with Enslaved's two albums prior and Negura Bunget along with that Nach album laid psychedelic bm's foundation. Si Monumentum and especially the underrated as hell Kenose helped dissonance more than serve avantgarde IMO as avantgarde is the go-to cliche hipster term that gets used when it's uncertain to describe lol. BM really kicked off becoming experimental by Filosofem which is where everything truly changed. Forgotten Tomb is Katatonia worship and has some decent vibes but I've not heard of much DS including the two you mentioned. Midan is just here because they needed something British LMFAO.
I am not the biggest expert on black metal ,I am a huge fan of what allot of people call first wave black metal and I love certain black metal 2nd wave on bands some of which i know black metal purists crucify me for . But i can give maybe some thoughts on Watain. Watain I feel you are accurately describing as less brilliant Dissection, but to classic and traditional metal heads (aka me) Dissection was the best of the early 90s black metal bands (along with Emperor,and Nifilheim) because of the melody lines and the clear Iron Maiden and Accept worship along with the Bathory and Venom worship. Because of that Watain is a black metal band for Traditional Metal Heads, I can turn on Lawless Darkness alongside Fatal Portrait by King Diamond or Filth Hounds of Hades by Tank and it works ,yes it is well produced yes it is dare i say poppy and yes it is not very original but it works well for me as a bridge of trad metal and black metal and yes i am aware bands like Destroyer 666 do this far better ,anyway hope my rant was helpful or at least a clue into how some people think.
I know I'm late. I wouldn't put watain anywhere close to number 1 but I do enjoy them. Simply put, I like the hot, fiery and evil atmosphere they come up with. I know it seems over the top and cringe to others, but I enjoy it.
Si momentum was my intro to Deathspell Omega...so for me easily the best like it is truly uncompromising to me. The "prototype" take doesn't fit with me personally. Maybe it's just because I listened to the whole trilogy at once or something.
Other than Nachtmistium, I'm not surprised by any of those picks - hardly any of those are my favorites but those have been the most popular BM bands last couple of decades - so I'm surprised that you're surprised...
For DSBM they could’ve also put Torn Beyond Reason by Woods of Desolation, because it’s just an incredible album, not only in BM but in music as a whole, at least in my opinion
I think Neil(Imperial) from Krieg actually wrote all of Instinct:Decay? Not positive. For Watain though you actually nailed it. Watain was always to me like getting more Dissection, but obviously not at a Dissection level but there’s also a heavy Bathory vibes to where they performed a live record: Tonight We Raise Our Cups and Toast in Angels Blood: A Tribute to Bathory with Quorthon’s father doing the introduction. It’s a pretty good set. m.ua-cam.com/video/l4tja3StsAg/v-deo.html here’s Quorthon’s dad’s intro- ua-cam.com/video/JmRp2p2GCA0/v-deo.html
It's bad enough they put nachtmystium in 3rd instead of Negura Bunget (one of my personal favourites), but the real crime against humanity here is not including (old) Ulver, Arcturus, Drudkh, Summoning or Windir (this is the most egregious offence)...
I would have totally agreed with you if you had not said these things about Xasthur. As for watain, They are not a really special band and Casus is certainly not their best but lawless darkness really stands out imo
I would probably do a few swaps here but I dont honestly beef with most of the list Id swap: °Nocturnal Poisoning for the Tenth Sub-Level of Suicide, or True Traitor True Whore, you're right that Leviathan is a better band in pretty much everyway and both of those albums are way more unique than Xasthur's, while remaining just as influential °Swap Volcano for Sunbather. The argument at this point about whether Sunbather is Black Metal is a very tired one, its been going on for literally a decade, but it is one of the most influential albums in Post-Black Metal and was a landmark of the decade, regardless of what your opinion is of it personally. °Id be willing to keep Nachtmystium due to his influence (if being a shitbag were an issue we'd have the nix half the list anyway) but Id swap Instinct Decay for Silencing Machine which most people regard as the band's magnum opus and a defining release for the 2010s. °I agree entirely with swapping Forgotten Tomb for Coldworld, though I like them your criticism of them does ring true, they never bring anything new or impressive to the table. °I could be persuaded to keep Watain on but thats not the album Id choose. I think you could have either Casus Luciferi or Lawless Darkness there, though I would push it further up the list. If I were to swap it out altogether itd probably be Nightbringer's Hierophany of An Open Grave
@@wyattxhim I'm with you, his posting frequency has been trending down for a time. Thanks for doing what you are doing, by the by. The Furnaces take was quite choice.
It feels like some albums were only here because of the bands being so important in the 90s, even though their later stuff is nowhere as memorable. I mean, I'd definitely agree with some of these bands on a 90s BM list, but for a 21st century list... not so much.
late to the party for sure, but i can answer your question abt why watain is so celebrated. they are ACCESSIBLE! not challenging, not stressful, easily digested. in my opinion, ofermod are a much, much better band [from the same circle and also generally] but nobody speaks on them. "rabid deaths curse" was watains best material [again, opinion]. even still, its nothing groundbreaking.
This kid can't just be happy that Myrkur wasn't number one?
Most overrated shit ever. Gimme bullet belts, barbed wire, machine guns and knives any fucking day....
@@DAVEDEATH1000 yup
Considering a lot of this list was chosen by sales numbers, I’m really shocked that Sunbather wasn’t on here.
They were probably trying to consolate the elitists
You know your band is shit when even a lame rock publication can't stand you.
The guy who wrote the article is a BM/Doom musician he plays in the bands witchsorrow and cultfinder he knows his stuff and has been around the scene for a long time, When you are dealing with Kerrang I'm guessing there's a need to balance the list between more mainstream and more underground black metal, If he was writing for zero tolerance or fistful of metal magazine for instance I'd expect a different list. Bare in mind Kerrang is NOT a metal magazine, its a rock magazine with metal leanings.
^ sounds about right
Ok, but keep in mind they released the list.... In the words of Mesuggah....Obzen😂😂😂
Bands that would have made the list for myself:
The Ruins of Beverast - Rain Upon the Impure.
Midnight Odyssey - Funerals From the Astral Sphere.
Akhlys - The Dreaming I.
Panopticon - The Scars of Man
Urfaust - Der freiwillige Bettler
Darkspace - III
Drudkh - Autumn Aurora
Rebirth of Nefast- Tabernaculum
Panopticon is a huge snub
Yes. Yes yes yes yes.
great list but for panotobore .
Yes to everything, good to see some Urfaust in there, I'd also add Spectral Lore, Mare Cognitum and Paysage D'Hiver. The Spectral Lore and Mare Cognitum split is an absolute masterpiece, if you guys haven't heard it yet do it right now it's called Wanderers: Astrology of the Nine!
The only thing I Would have replaced is- panopticon with Pursuit Of The Sun And Allure The Earth by Woods Of Ypres, and Autumn Aurora with Blood In Our Wells.
Honestly, considering it's Kerrang, this isn't a terrible list. Kerrang is huge and covers the biggest names in metal. A lot of the bands on this list like Cradle, Enslaved, Watain, etc are really good entry level bands. They definitely were for me. This list appears to be geared more towards people who maybe dabble in a little Black Metal here and there but haven't taken the real plunge into the genre. I could easily see people like that checking things on this list out and then diving deeper. A lot of these bands are where it started with me and now I'm listening to Vlad Tepes as I'm typing this.
Tara by Absu, Satanic Black Devotion by Sargeist, and Sudentaival by Horna would have been far better picks for this list.
sanojesi aarelle i think is how its spelled is also underrated as hell
I've noticed a trend with these popular metal pages. They almost always add a band from a certain era and are all like "I bet you didn't know this was a thing" and It's added for the sake of being different rather then an actual impact. Also they add whatever is trendy atm, that's fair enough that it got alot of traffic and is talked highly of, I honestly thought Batushka, Watain, and DSO were forsure gonna be on here since of all the controversy and their popularity, but what do i know, that's my opinion.
I still think Watain is if you bought The first few Dissection albums off of Wish
I agree dude, watain sucks
My Sworn To The Dark LP just sits there collecting dust. Their are just too many far superior albums in my collection to count for me to really bother with watain.
Midian was my introduction to more extreme metal and got me to look back into their catalog and black metal. So I'd completely understand Midian being on the list.
I think it was an OKAY list, but without making my own video...
No Leviathan is absolute doodoo
Ruins of Beverast - Rain Upon the Impure is overlooked by many, but is STILL one of the greatest albums ever made.
No Drudkh is fuckin nonsense
And I guess you could plop a Paysage D’Hiver release in the 90s, but I mean, he should be here.
Middian and Volcano shouldn’t be on here. Not only because they’re not really BM, but both bands’ best material was in the 90s.
But whatever, it’s not the worst list I’ve ever seen or anything.
You're spot on with the Enslaved, Satyricon, Watain albums - odd choices indeed when better ones could have been chosen. Don't sweat it, lists you don't make yourself are worthless really and are often dictated by the current big thing. It's probable your taste in black metal is probably a bit obscure (or, if you prefer, "trve kvlt") for a list from Kerrang! to be honest.
As for you not liking Watain - each to their own; it would be boring if we all liked the same stuff. They were my gateway into Black Metal immersion (and I am old enough to have been around for both the origins and the first Norwegian wave - streaming services have a lot to answer for ;-) ) and for that I'll always be grateful. Popular/controversial enough for me to have noticed them, tuneful enough for me to get into them, and the journey started from there.
Grand Belial’s Key need to make a new album and blow all of these away.
@Ivory_ Lagiacrus_YT Damn right 😉
"Let's put some very original bands on this list, bro"
NOBODY:
* Ok, Watain
Hey man I'm curious if you've ever checked out Der Weg Einer Freiheit? I feel like you'd like them but I've never seen you mention them unless you did in one of your vinyl videos and I just missed it
I always enjoy seeing magazines do lists, regardless of how i feel about it. Still like reading them. Thing about this list, most of these albums turned a lot of heads around the time they came and were unique for the time. That Deathspell Omega album is by far my favorite from their discography. Stunning fucking piece of work. And, I've always been a fan of Watain, but that's definitely not the best album in 20 years. To me, they just do a really good job at carrying the torch for that old school Swedish black metal sound.
Yeah man. I guess they're going on influence for a lot of these picks. Especially those early 'orthodox' releases were a big deal for years to come
^ I'm a serious WATAIN fan but I can understand or respect that opinion, just because I wouldn't want any 1 band to be worshipped or revered above another
Great video! I think the only album we disagree is Enslaved's Isa, all their stuff since Below the Lights are just amazing, fantastic blend of black metal and prog (and they started to sing in english). But yes, it's definitelely not a choie on a black metal list.
By the way, no Mgla here breaks my heart. And Paracletus is #1 for me hands down.
time to scroll through these comments for recommendations, god bless ya lads
To be entirely honest, I’d agree with midian by cradle. It was singlehandedly the album that got me into black metal 3 years ago and I still jam out to it so much to this day, no other album I’ve ever listened to has stuck with me this much, I still believe “her ghost in the fog” is one of the greatest songs I’ve ever listened to, regardless of genre
What made me like Watain was buying their 4 first albums collection. You're right, they all kind of do the same thing but once you get to Lawless Darkness they become more melodic and then Waters of Ain is the big finale. It kind of reminds me of fade to black. But the pick for Lucifari baffles me because Sworn to the Dark is a way better record from start to finish.
Wild Hunt has some pure Bathory worship on it, its great.
Great video!
I agree so much with the Enslaved pick, maybe I would place it higher. It's of my favorite álbuns and it kind of has a cult following like all of their albums of thst era.
I know I’m REALLY late to watch but I saw Blut Aus Nord in the thumbnail so had to watch. I was glad to see you didn’t shit on them. I enjoy TWWTG but I wouldn’t say it’s their best, so I was surprised to see it here.
Good video! And new subscriber.
I've always thought Watain was way more similar to other modern BM bands like Mgla rather than Blackened Death.
^ mostly true, yes... & they may as well be the very BEST at this modern, or modernized style of Black Metal, at least so far
@@josec5105 Definitely. I honestly thought they were incredible. Probably the best example of modern black metal that strays from the 2nd wave style.
i do agree with you man. i actually do like watain and they put a hell of a live show (started liking them a fair amount cuz i saw em live) but i never would've guessed that they'd be number one. put something like human serpent's inhumane minimalism or one of my personal favs being havukruunu's havulinaan (though many may disagree) as number one or at least in the top 5. kerrang gotta get their shit together
As some one from the U.K.- Kerrang stopped being a proper metal / rock magazine in the late 2000’s and started pandering toward the emo crowd and have carried on ever since
like I said its a rock magazine with metal leanings, im sure you'd agree if it was zero tolerance etc putting the list together it would be a different story.
I think it's a great list, I don't think any of them would have made my list, but I appreciate them going with unexpected albums instead of the same old.
I really love the prog side of Enslaved. But, yeah, weird choice.
Dudeeee I was excited to begin to listen to the Watain discography and so album after after album I’m like …”am I missing something?” there’s barely any songs that caught my attention and I don’t understand why their name is thrown around a lot and praised 😵💫
Albums I would include:
Beherit - Engram
Ravencult - Temples of Torment
An Acherontas album (not sure which one)
Nehemah - Shadows From the Past
Satanic Warmaster - Carelian Satanist Madness
A Horna album (not sure which one)
Arckanum - ppppppppppp
Added:
Fides Inversa - Mysterium Tremendum et Fascinans
Grand Belial's Key - Kosherat
Added later:
1184 by Windir
Nagelfar-Virus West
Nokturnal Mortum- Voice of steel
That Satanic Warmaster and Beherit albums are truely amazing. I wish Beherit made more metal albums. I love both of their metal albums.
what do you think of old school dimmu borgir
Plz make a list of your "Top 13" best black metal albums of century and include new bands (if u think they deserve) in the list. 🍻
Mate glad to hear you say you've come to appreciate early Cradle. Dusk and Vempire are absolutely monumental, deeply satanic metal albums. There is so much to comprehend on both those releases. The twin guitar NWOBHM melodies, the Scandinavian black riffs, the Paradise Lost death doom riffs. All of that combined with the lyrics showcased all members at the top of their game.
Some of my picks:
Tsjuder - Desert Northern Hell
Paysage d'Hiver - Winterkälte
Sarkom - Aggravation of Mind
Naglfar - Virus West
Odraza - Esperalem tkane
Uhm, Virus West is by Nagelfar, not Naglfar. Expect a bunch of decapitated pig heads in your mailbox.
Watain have amazing songs, perfect live theater show. Are creative and try stuff out. That list is pretty good for kerrang. Not the standard stuff. Most of the bands really deserve to be on such list.
I would not say it's the greatest thing or the most groundbreaking one, but the reason I Iove some Watain albums, especially Lawless Darkness it's the lyrical theme. "Anti-cosmic" Qliphotic belief seems true and realistic on songs like Waters of Ain, and gives me emotions I can only feel listening to Dissection's final record. This kind of theme taking a serious approach, not looking like a gimmick, I can only feel in Watain and maybe Outlaw (Brazilian/German band). If anyone knows any other band that deals with such themes please tell me...
Pretty cool video. Can see where you’re coming from. There’s just no way around the wtf! of this list on a whole. Only thing I can see as being a positive is maybe taking another look at these albums just probably a little closer than prior to.
It was a great list, and putting watain in the first spot made sense. In my opinion it breathed life into a commercially dead and stagnant genre. Rock solid production, good stuff
^ yep
I don’t listen to a whole whole lot of black metal but I think Paracletus shoulda been in Si Monvmentvm Reqvires Circvmspice’s place. And I think Marduks Plague Angel is one of the best of this century
I respect Casus Luciferi a lot personally. I’ve loved it since it came out. And I don’t really care about anybody else’s opinions. I don’t like most of the stuff that they put out after it but it was definitely a big gateway album for me. I think the secret spice is the awesome bass lines and great brutal and yet atmospheric production. And Puzzles ov Flesh is such a banger. I think the album paved the way for more “well produced” and intelligently crafted black metal to still be successful both commercially and in still creating that vibe of pure evil that is so essential to the genre
I love Watain but Lawless Darkness is their masterpiece. I’m surprised they went with Casus Luciferi let alone at number 1 for best of the century. I would pick Lawless Darkness but not sure if it’s my favorite of the century.
^ I 2nd that
*sees the list* Oof, that's bad! Enslaved are in my top 10 bands of all time but that Isa pick is so confusing. Oh well, it's Kerrang after all.
Satrycon - Volcano was awesome because all my friends listened to indie and classic rock and I could sneak it on in the car or at a party and not really get yelled at.
Yea,I'm a big Enslaved fan. But Below The Lights or Monumention should have been there instead of Isa
Aye, Isa never done much for me really. Ruun was killer.
Kinda gutted about that new live dvd set coming out. Doesn't look like there's any of the early stuff.
Great band though.
The list is not bad at all, could be better could be worse. Some great picks in there! I am actually satisfied with the list for the most part
Though the passing of nearly three years has cast a shadow upon this video, I am perturbed, nay, astounded by the utter absence of any mention concerning Batushka's inaugural opus. Verily, their musical composition hath ensnared my senses, their style, an enchantment unparalleled. Permit me to disclose that this judgment emanates from one who hath immersed oneself in the ethereal strains of Elvish chants for countless millennia.
You've been really hard on Forgotten Tomb. I would have choose Songs To Leave instead of Springtime Depression. But the best Depressive/Suicidal BM album is Silencer - Death Pierce Me anyway.
Nah there are just so many better DSBM Bands than Forgotton Tomb: Woods Of Desolation, Thy Light, Nocturnal Depression, apati, Hypothermia, wedard ColdWorld,, Germ, Lustre and so many more
@@alucard3317 Nytalgia-Peisithantos and Wigrid-Hoffnugstod.
Honestly, your review of the list is actually pretty fair and balanced.
Had they replaced Nachtmystium with any Leviathan album as the pinnacle of USBM in the 21st century I could have understood it a lot better.
Also, Taiwan >>> Watain. At least they picked the best Watain album, the mixture of Dissection and DMDS era Mayhem has it's appeal, even if they really rely a lot on what Ofermod did on their first EP. For Watain it's like a lot of those newer Swedish Orthodox BM bands, style over substance.
I don’t think Watain sounds like Dissection at all, I don’t know why people constantly compare them, maybe just because of that melody they have.
I personally love Watain because they just have great melodies, lyrics and the whole visual approach, but that’s just my view, most people don’t like them at all, who cares.
That list is pretty stupid I can agree with you ... if you ask me my personal list would be this
1.Anorexia Nervosa-Drudenhaus
2.Hate Forest-Sorrow
3.Frozen Forest - Ancient Ritual
4.Funeral Goat-Mass ov Perversion
5.Behexen-Rituale Satanum
6.Goatmoon-Finnish Steel Storm
7.Sargeist-Satanic Black Devotion
8.Satanic Warmaster-Carelian Satanist Madness
9.Darkthrone-Sardonic Wrath
10.Urgehal-Goatcraft Torment
11.Beastcraft-Into the Burning Pit of Hell
12.Tsjuder-Desert Northern Hell
13.Triumfall - Antithesis Of All Flesh
But of course there are many many great albums like
Nyktalgia-Nyktalgia
Silencer-Death-Pierce_Me
Brocken Moon - Das Märchen Vom Schnee
Be Persecuted- I.I and many others.
Anorexia Nervosa’s Drudenhaus is one of the most powerful black metal albums ever. Nice choice!
Nyktalgia is awesome! Finally someone's mentioning them.
Interesting
I'm surprised they didn't have Emperor in the list.
^ yup
Immortal's Sons Of Darkness too. Amazingly no talk of Agalloch or Dimmu whatsoever.
Winterfylleth are here because they’re British and Kerrang’s a British magazine, they get a lot of hype in the press here. But yeah they’re just solid, I always wish Wodensthrone took off instead
Midian is actually a really loved album I see COF fans talk about a lot, second only to Dusk. Mostly because it was people’s first black metal album which is yeah increasingly gothic but the writing is still strong. They don’t fall off until Damnation for me although I prefer their 90s albums and their last two to Midian
God later Satyricon sucks
Enslaved are another one of those magazine bands, they’re always solid and good but sometimes more prog than black although on certain albums the balance still switches. Surprised it wasn’t Riittiir or Below the Lights, the latter would be a fair pick
Glad to see Diadem getting some praise rather than just Two Hunters all the time
Watain are the halfway point between Mayhem and Dissection for me and I guess that along with the image is why they got big, they filled that hole. Solid good band but I always think DsO who were putting out so much more revolutionary black metal at the same time and approach to satanism which isn’t so cartoony makes them look like a joke in comparison
Not the biggest watain fan but that album is excellent. Just as good as many black metal classics.
What albums would you put on a list like this one?
See my comment above for my top 13
> mentions Coldworld's "Melancholie2"
I see a man with culture.
That album is a masterpiece in my opinion
Rebel Extravaganza by Satyricon is incredible, don't sleep on it folks
Indeed it's my favorite actually
I certainly prefer it over Volcano
So is 666 International by Dodheimsgard,to me. What a weird time.
I am glad that Negura Bunget made it to their list
Everyone stating Kerrang as their metal source has already lost in life.
Cradle of Filth Midian was my First black Metal Album. 😅
Great entry level band! Their first few records are legitimately very good. I think all their mediocre to bad stuff from the mid part of the 2000s until now have really hurt their legacy tho
1. Minenwerfer - Alpenpasse
2. Summoning - with doom we came
3. Nagelfar - Virus West
4. Nocturnal Mortem - the voice of steel
5. Nargaroth - Era of Tharenedy
6. Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult - Nocturnal March
7. Shining - the eerie cold
8. Graveland - Memory ajd Destiny
9. Inquisition- bloodshed across the empyrean
10. Mayhem - chimera
Spicy!
What’s your list?
They probably wrote that list on while they were on the toilet scrolling through Spotify.
I thought the exact same. Seems like a random selection of songs pulled from one of those "Black Metal Essentials" playlists curated by Spotify
Totally agree. Really weird list this.
Lol. Thoughts about this from a channel named after the band HIM. So hilarious
LMFAO XDDDDD
The HIM fandom is really reaching out of their comfortzone for content LULZ
@@airairairhair I just shit my pants
Blood In Our Wells is my 1 of the 21st century.
Thorns' self titled release should have been included
I can’t comprehend how can you make such a list and not include anything by Mgła.
Also, if 2000 is taken into consideration and they love USBM So much then where the hell is Weakling?
If they have such a hard on for USBM Grand Belial's Key would make for a great contender. 😈
Just listen to Malfeitor and Reaping death by Watain and you will understand.
Being only thirteen spots probably really hurt this list. If there were 50-100 spots to really flesh out the list it may not be so bad. You can tell Kerrang wanted to put on mainstream Black Metal albums, as well as classics of the genre, but rapidly jumping around from atmospheric to DSBM to Viking to Orthodox black metal albums just makes the whole list feel Schizophrenic.
These magazine lists are always hilarious.
Enslaved Isa hell yea. When it came out it was very well praised. It was when they were really transitioning into the more progressive stuff but still had some of the older style riffing on that album. After that though they kept changing more and more progressively. Cradle of Filth Midian was a big album for them and i remember all the hype from it when it came out. After that they kept getting bigger and less blacker. Alot of the other picks i agree shouldn't be on the list though. For that matter the last 20 years has been pretty unoriginal as far as any kind of metal. Black metal has become a joke with all the subgenres. In a top 10 or 13 some big names need to be on there but not so much with all these smaller bands that kinda copy everything. I mean its a greatest black metal albums of the 21st century list but from Kerrang which they went total cringe decades ago. Never take them seriously lol.
I just clicked on this video, let's see if Darkspace, Aosoth Sigh, Thy Catafalque, nocturnal mortum, Teitanblood and mgla got on there. And now I have watched the video and none of them made it on there.......ok now I am confused.
tbh i was surprised about some of the picks. i just expected post black metal and quasi-black goth bands..
To be honest you completely missed the point with Enslaved. Even with instinct Decay to an extent, as these are suggestively here more to promote the influence that came after thanks to them but I digress with the latter as Oranss Pazuzu dominate them however with Enslaved's two albums prior and Negura Bunget along with that Nach album laid psychedelic bm's foundation. Si Monumentum and especially the underrated as hell Kenose helped dissonance more than serve avantgarde IMO as avantgarde is the go-to cliche hipster term that gets used when it's uncertain to describe lol. BM really kicked off becoming experimental by Filosofem which is where everything truly changed. Forgotten Tomb is Katatonia worship and has some decent vibes but I've not heard of much DS including the two you mentioned. Midan is just here because they needed something British LMFAO.
CoF is a whole separate genre for me. Love Midian, but I get your criticism though.
Midian is a fun pop album. Watain’s albums are interchangeable to me but I enjoyed the shit out of them live.
^ I 2nd that
What's fun pop? Lol. It's blackened gothic metal. Better than 90% of black metal honestly. Dusk and Cruelty? Absolutely god tier.
@@veneficus582 what instrument do you play in the band?
As a satyricon guy i am confused by the pick of volcano. Nero and Diabolical now are waaaaay better.
I think deadwood lake is pretty good
I am not the biggest expert on black metal ,I am a huge fan of what allot of people call first wave black metal and I love certain black metal 2nd wave on bands some of which i know black metal purists crucify me for . But i can give maybe some thoughts on Watain. Watain I feel you are accurately describing as less brilliant Dissection, but to classic and traditional metal heads (aka me) Dissection was the best of the early 90s black metal bands (along with Emperor,and Nifilheim) because of the melody lines and the clear Iron Maiden and Accept worship along with the Bathory and Venom worship. Because of that Watain is a black metal band for Traditional Metal Heads, I can turn on Lawless Darkness alongside Fatal Portrait by King Diamond or Filth Hounds of Hades by Tank and it works ,yes it is well produced yes it is dare i say poppy and yes it is not very original but it works well for me as a bridge of trad metal and black metal and yes i am aware bands like Destroyer 666 do this far better ,anyway hope my rant was helpful or at least a clue into how some people think.
Fact: Nachtmystium Eulogy IV rules
It is,but I havent heard it in a good bit. I dont like how Blake is a swindler,but he wrote good stuff.
figured Kentucky would be here
I honestly would have had Si Monvmentvm Reqvires, Circvmspice as #1, but I'm just a fanboy.
I know I'm late. I wouldn't put watain anywhere close to number 1 but I do enjoy them. Simply put, I like the hot, fiery and evil atmosphere they come up with. I know it seems over the top and cringe to others, but I enjoy it.
Also I nocturnal poisoning is probably my favorite black metal album currently.
Si momentum was my intro to Deathspell Omega...so for me easily the best like it is truly uncompromising to me. The "prototype" take doesn't fit with me personally. Maybe it's just because I listened to the whole trilogy at once or something.
Other than Nachtmistium, I'm not surprised by any of those picks - hardly any of those are my favorites but those have been the most popular BM bands last couple of decades - so I'm surprised that you're surprised...
Cause it’s not their personal favorites but more what they think has made the greatest impact on the genre
@@wyattxhim I was as surprised as u, though, couple of years ago when I saw how popular Watain are
For DSBM they could’ve also put Torn Beyond Reason by Woods of Desolation, because it’s just an incredible album, not only in BM but in music as a whole, at least in my opinion
I think Neil(Imperial) from Krieg actually wrote all of Instinct:Decay? Not positive. For Watain though you actually nailed it. Watain was always to me like getting more Dissection, but obviously not at a Dissection level but there’s also a heavy Bathory vibes to where they performed a live record: Tonight We Raise Our Cups and Toast in Angels Blood: A Tribute to Bathory with Quorthon’s father doing the introduction. It’s a pretty good set.
m.ua-cam.com/video/l4tja3StsAg/v-deo.html here’s Quorthon’s dad’s intro- ua-cam.com/video/JmRp2p2GCA0/v-deo.html
It's bad enough they put nachtmystium in 3rd instead of Negura Bunget (one of my personal favourites), but the real crime against humanity here is not including (old) Ulver, Arcturus, Drudkh, Summoning or Windir (this is the most egregious offence)...
How much do you want to bet Wyatt was talking about Anthony Fontana?
Forgotten Tombs "Songs tot leave" is in my opinion the best DSBM record.
I'll never go past Abyssic Hate - Suicidal Emotions.
Poifektion
I would have totally agreed with you if you had not said these things about Xasthur. As for watain, They are not a really special band and Casus is certainly not their best but lawless darkness really stands out imo
Aκριβώς.
Just wait for another WATAIN album, THEN criticize them later ( too early now)
I would probably do a few swaps here but I dont honestly beef with most of the list
Id swap:
°Nocturnal Poisoning for the Tenth Sub-Level of Suicide, or True Traitor True Whore, you're right that Leviathan is a better band in pretty much everyway and both of those albums are way more unique than Xasthur's, while remaining just as influential
°Swap Volcano for Sunbather. The argument at this point about whether Sunbather is Black Metal is a very tired one, its been going on for literally a decade, but it is one of the most influential albums in Post-Black Metal and was a landmark of the decade, regardless of what your opinion is of it personally.
°Id be willing to keep Nachtmystium due to his influence (if being a shitbag were an issue we'd have the nix half the list anyway) but Id swap Instinct Decay for Silencing Machine which most people regard as the band's magnum opus and a defining release for the 2010s.
°I agree entirely with swapping Forgotten Tomb for Coldworld, though I like them your criticism of them does ring true, they never bring anything new or impressive to the table.
°I could be persuaded to keep Watain on but thats not the album Id choose. I think you could have either Casus Luciferi or Lawless Darkness there, though I would push it further up the list. If I were to swap it out altogether itd probably be Nightbringer's Hierophany of An Open Grave
Watain is...okay. I'm not a huge black metal head, more of a spectrum listener but yeah. Watain is just um like yeah, ya know?
Respect Enslaved dork
Kerang! What would they know about black metal 😕
Nice enbilulugugal shirt
Watson is respected because of dissection
I love Watain but luciferi? Lawless darkness or Wild hunt are much better albums
Isa wasn't a terrible choice but I feel like Below The Lights is Enslaved's finest hour in the 21st century.
Below the Lights actually got me into black metal.
Why can't OdiumNostrum just write-up the list, already. That dude knows what's up.
wish he would upload more often
@@wyattxhim I'm with you, his posting frequency has been trending down for a time.
Thanks for doing what you are doing, by the by. The Furnaces take was quite choice.
It feels like some albums were only here because of the bands being so important in the 90s, even though their later stuff is nowhere as memorable. I mean, I'd definitely agree with some of these bands on a 90s BM list, but for a 21st century list... not so much.
late to the party for sure, but i can answer your question abt why watain is so celebrated. they are ACCESSIBLE! not challenging, not stressful, easily digested. in my opinion, ofermod are a much, much better band [from the same circle and also generally] but nobody speaks on them. "rabid deaths curse" was watains best material [again, opinion]. even still, its nothing groundbreaking.