Here I present Part I of the latest in a series of a comprehensive sub-genre analysis features that I began with Technical Thrash Metal and Melodic Hardcore in past years, on another site. This edit/rewrite of the 10% finished feature means that I will discontinue my ongoing ‘Melodic Black Metal: An Exhaustive Study’ efforts on Rateyourmusic. The method for this type of feature is really simple: I procure a chronological list of demos, EPs and full-lengths from various sources. I then listen to every release in order and report my thoughts on each. I then decide if they truly resemble the sub-genre after I’ve experienced everything labeled as such to date. This isn’t about being a genre label elitist it is my personal method for understanding musical style and the need for distinction between sub-culture movements in underground music. The first part lists and comments on the first 60 releases commonly labeled Melodic Black Metal from 1991 through 1995.
I have long sought the meaning of life through heavy metal sub-genre exhaustion and recently, while sitting and chanting incantations and curses housed within torturous walls of meaningless comfort, bemused myself with the observation that Melodic Black Metal holds the key to the meaning of all things. What more academically inspired vision is there than to spend some my ‘free time’ than to listen to this mysterious sub-sub-genre and reveal the mythos of the Khaos Gnostic universe through my ear-holes and out my slowly crippling fingers.
Of course I can’t call this an exhaustive study unless I address the existence of demo recordings, so they are included. I also can’t blindly accept everything labeled “Melodic Black Metal” on sites like Discogs and Rateyourmusic as ‘gospel’ and as such I will be giving the final, definitive observation on whether or not a band deserves the sub-genre modifier. Some of these, especially the ones from the prime era of Melodic Death Metal are NOT primarily melodic black metal metal at all… but they are labeled as such because the difference can be infinitely difficult to distinguish as melodic death, melodic black metal and symphonic black metal blended together at various points in history.
I can’t promise a few albums won’t slip through my abyss-stained maw filter, which is gaping, but kindly contact me and let me know if I’ve missed an important release that qualifies as melodic black metal. I will only be selective if you argue something retarded like “Dimmu Borgir is melodic black metal, dumbass!” where I would promptly block you and move on.
| Album Artwork | Artist/Album | Thoughts/Links |
|---|---|---|
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UnanimatedFire Storm(1991) [Demo] |
Nocturnus-influenced melodic death metal that serves as a proto-melodic black metal example if you’ll pay attention to the band’s sound, riff delivery, use of keyboards. This feels very much like an early example of melodic death metal with black metal elements. If you don’t feel like Dissection totally ripped off this band, this might change your mind putting them side by side. I’d venture a guess that they simply evolved together rather than in opposition to each other. Both bands were still very much death metal groups at the time, but I’d argue that Unanimated ‘created’ this style on this demo, feel free to say I’m wrong I very well could be totally off the mark. “The Blackness of a Fallen Star” sure feels like The Somberlain, though.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
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DissectionInto Infinite Obscurity(1991) [EP] |
Links: |
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“The Somberlain” Promo-92(1992) [Demo] |
Here in 1992 we finally get the fully formed Dissection sound that you’d hear on the first album. The line between death and black metal is very, very fine and the melodic riffs tend to land this one in black metal territory for many people. It has to do with the feeling more than anything, but to me that is absurdist as saying Slayer developed black metal by using Venom’s ‘evil’ feeling. Bitch please. This is a fine demo and it in fact does have black metal vocals throughout, though they aren’t as hissing or wild. The compositions are otherwordly and just always felt like they were written way above the level of young-ass Swedish kids that in fact put this together. The Somberlain demo/rehearsal tape is an incredible discovery and it makes good sense this band was picked up and popularized, it was as good or better than ATG and felt completely original, the chugging Morbid Angel style delivery of the past has now been canned for smooth-ass guitar work that is transcendental.
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DawnApparition(1993) [Demo] |
This is a death metal demo by all accounts and a really heavy, brutal style that reminds me of Seance at times oh except for the melodic death/black metal guitars that drive the songs. Most of these songs would make their way onto one of my favorite melodic black metal albums in 1994, but we’ll get there. Dawn were experimenting with melody and drum styles here that were more along the line of Dissection’s elevated style and arrangements but the vocals are so clearly death metal. I still consider this a classic demo in the melo-death/black side of things. Oh and very importantly: This was released in 1992 and not 1993, it says so on every copy of the tape Apparition ’92. I love this band, sometimes more than bands who are clearly a little better.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
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AgatusA Night of the Dark Ages(1993) [Demo] |
Agatus put out a really cool early Greek black metal demo here and it deserves some praise just for being early and somewhat emblematic of the Greek black metal sound and scene. Of the two man band here I at least know one guy was essential to the band Zemial, who I like quite a bit. I’m not sure why folks on this site consider something like this melodic black metal but not Varathron, this is basically a faster version of that bands early stuff. Great demo and well worth listening to, even if I’d personally call this heavy/black metal.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
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EvolThe Tale of the Horned King(1993) [Demo] |
Oh? Did we just discover a fantastic demo that nobody has ever heard that is truly melodic black metal or… Oh, yeah right. This is a slow motion Venom sounding thing from Italy that includes hilarious keyboards and female vocals. It feels more like black/gothic metal most of the time and when the guy is just yelling in his elf voice over the guitars this is OK stuff. Feels a bit more like black/doom/psych experimentation with first wave black metal in mind much like Root. Absolutely does not qualify as melodic black metal, unless you want to know what Paul Chain black metal might sound like?
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
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UnanimatedIn the Forest of the Dreaming Dead(1993) |
This was recorded and released before The Somberlain and Thy Mighty Contract, and it might be the messiah of melodic black metal if it wasn’t primarily an At the Gates style death metal record. Whoa now, it is a very good death metal record and the things that Dissection would put out almost a year later refined this sound quite a bit. Did Dissection rip off Unanimated? No, it seems like they all influenced each other at the time and this has its own style. Great death metal album but this one only gets a melodic black metal secondary because it focuses pretty hard on being death metal. If you haven’t heard this record and you like old school death metal it might blow your mind.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
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Rotting ChristThy Mighty Contract(1993) |
Finally we get to the ‘real’ first melodic black metal full-length that was recorded a full year before release and thusly pre-dated even Dissection’s “Somberlain” promos and half of the tracks written for that album. It was also released one month before “The Somberlain”. I’m not at all comparing the quality of the two albums but they both share similar approaches to melody and atmosphere. “Thy Might Contract” came from the swamp-like mid-paced Greek black metal scene and sped things up enough to feel extreme and completely mystifying. The drum machine really bothers some people but get over it quick because the riffs on this thing are unlike anything else, they certainly beat that drum machine hard enough to clearly lean things into melodic black metal territory. It really sounds like a death metal band trying to get Varathron’s sound up to Sarcofago’s speed and I find this to be one of the best black metal albums in general. However you feel about this band’s late 90’s gothic metal leanings, its hard to argue that they haven’t made a respectable career out this flawed-yet-special inception. Shit, I forgot they even started as a grindcore band, too.
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DissectionThe Somberlain(1993) |
Black metal absolutely had a guitar hero in Nödtveidt, he was a terrible person and a murderer. It was clear he was the driving force of the group for better or worse. This album set a really high bar for both death and black metal music and the melodic possibilities of extreme metal in general. I won’t say this is some kind of classical music interpretation but it absolutely creates a dark black metal atmosphere without losing production fidelity. It is restrained and powerfully rhythmic in its use of tremolo picking for intensity and tricks from classical guitar playing to exude an aggressive and classy form of music. Dissection is that rare hyper-evolution in songwriting that seems to have occurred alongside the truly inspiring black and death metal scenes of 1993, Dissection were influenced heavily by others but they created their own thing entirely out of that inspiration. Uh, it’s good music and the cover art looks like a take on King Diamond‘s Abigail.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
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MidvinterMidvinternatt (1994) [Demo] |
The first of many things so obscure that I had to add it to YouTube from my personal collection. Midvinter’s full length is an oddball Swedish melodic black/death album and this demo shows a formative version of that sound three years previous to the album’s release. I mean, that is more or less what a demo is meant to be. This demo feels almost more in the vein of Bathory influenced black metal with some Viking whoa-whoas. Not the best sound quality for a demo of that time period but far from the worst.
Link: |
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GehennaFirst Spell(1994) [EP] |
I believe one of the guys from Twin Obscenity ended up in Gehenna, if this is the right Gehenna, and that makes sense with what this actually sounds like. The keyboards could basically be backing tracks from a Ghost album on a few tracks. I really enjoy the way this album incorporates keyboards as a lead, it is almost power metal in a way as you’ll get several solos along the way. It feels like some kind of gloomy progressive rock with black metal vocals. Not all of the album is mid-paced circus Abba music though. The band’s sound would change drastically over time and production would be far less warm later on, this one is about on par with the first Falkenbach record in terms of general fuzz and warmth with loud leading keyboards. Trance inducing heavy psych black metal. Is it melodic death metal? Yeah, but probably not what anyone would expect.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
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OphthalamiaA Journey in Darkness(1994) |
Is this black metal at all really? I mean outside of the black metal vocals that are largely Dissection’s vocalist with some other guests. Just because it was made by members of black metal doesn’t stop it from being a bunch of fucking Pentagram and Candlemass riffs which are all really good. I mean this album is just incredible and completely overlooked. Before I’d heard it I never imagined how cool it could be if a good black metal vocalist headed a spooky doom band, it works almost as good as doom with death metal vocals. The riffs aren’t always amazing but they go places and I love all of the trance-like meandering the album does. This is a couple albums worth of doom riffs tossed like salad into a tense buttgrinder that never forgets to loosen up… But it is a little gothy and the spoken word parts are kinda silly with the Swedish accent.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
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Dark FuneralDark Funeral(1994) [EP] |
Well I like the first Dark Funeral album but this EP is just more necro-cool and ferocious. You could tell the main songwriters, or at least the guitarists were more focused on melodic black metal in these early days. They are second tier stuff in terms of what was coming out of No Fashion records at the time but this is a great EP. It has the true spirit of black metal, that wild attack is happening, but it is driving along a melody rather than just wild blasting and fury like Immortal. Good EP, not essential listening unless you’re interested in this band.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
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DawnNær sólen gar niþer for evogher(1994) |
Finally a melodic black metal album that is completely black metal in both vocal delivery, guitar tone and overall production. Not to discount albums before this one, but “Nær Sólen Gar Niþer For Evogher” outclasses everything recorded previous that is also labeled melodic black metal and this is the true original prototype for the style behind Sacramentum‘s first album and Dissection’s second album. Dawn took the tremolo picked melody idea as far as they could with what appear to be death metal song that were already melodic in the Dissection style and transform the sound and delivery to black metal entirely. That isn’t to say that Dawn copied Dissection but certainly were inspired by the band they’d formed alongside in the same town at the same time. It doesn’t really matter how related the bands are, I think this sound and set of songs is the archetypal mold for what melodic black metal actually sounds like. The noisy, mid-ranged obsessed production can be hard to get past but the unhinged vocalist and riffs hit some melodic areas that don’t eclipse Dissection’s superior composition and writing skills but offer a raw, natural feeling (condomless black metal). Whatever, I love this album. Best thing on this list.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
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SacramentumFinis malorum(1994) [EP] |
Even though the production was completely insufferable with the drums sounding like garbage in the middle of the mix, the guitar work on Finis Malorum is so completely original that all anyone could think to compare it to was Dissection. The tremolo picking isn’t violent so much as it is passionate and full of feeling, its as if they’re highly trained violinists expertly translating that instrument’s resonance into speed picking and classical Iron Maiden overtures. Sacramentum’s discography is amazing from start to finish but this EP and the first album are probably the most impressive guitar performances and compositions to come from Sweden’s black metal output. Though this EP is inferior I can’t help but shit my pants with the shocking quality of the songs they wrote here.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
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Thy SerpentFrozen Memory(1994) [Demo] |
I really like this band but the demo is true kvlt basement garbage. The whole thing is just incredibly unpleasant to listen to and I couldn’t make it through the whole thing. The songs themselves are squawking bird vocals over melodic symphonic black metal that sounds more like Darkthrone than anything else. This band would go on to be completely amazing, though.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
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AgatusBlack Moon(1994) [Demo] |
So, that’s a drum machine right? I feel like every black metal demo kinda had a drum machine around this time. This one sounds incredibly computerized but I don’t really care because the music itself is really good. Mid-to-fast paced black metal that has a solid heavy metal punch to it, somewhere in between pagan black metal and Bathory. Great couple of songs though I don’t think I’d call them melodic black metal, there is really no outstandingly obvious melody outside of a couple of lead into guitar solos. Second track is amazing especially.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
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FesterSilence(1994) |
There is a lot to like about Fester once you really give them a chance. But what exactly influenced this style of.. well, what is this record? I think it is fair to put this alongside the style of Greek black metal in that it just kind of walks along at a slow pace with faster parts skittering here and there. The vocals are mostly whispered and that is the most infuriating about it because it ends up feeling like gothic metal more than anything else. To call this death metal is maybe overlooking how unheavy it is, and a lot of the songs feel more like 90’s metal angst than artsy-avant death as it is often labeled. This isn’t so much progressive as it is grabbing for straws for inspiration. I think this is a cool album that is just fatally flawed no matter how often I try to warm up to it. It is barely black metal and I’d say almost completely melody driven by design. A pop-death album but one that was too weird and whispered to matter much.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
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Throes of DawnWith the Northern Wind(1994) [Demo] |
A very basic demo but it has some very impressive things it does with adding melody to a black metal sound, seems like it was influenced by Dawn and Rotting Christ for the style of riffs and more obvious melodies. I wish I had the full thing, seems like this band became prog-rock/metal at some point.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
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MithotynMeadow in Silence(1994) [Demo] |
Viking metal band mostly playing epic tribute to Bathory here in almost too grand fashion. If this were to be considered melodic black metal it would have to fit in better with Greek melodic black metal of the era because it doesn’t resemble scandinavian style of the time. It does kind of frame the style of music that Windir and others would go on to make but doesn’t represent this band’s best efforts. Great demo though, don’t get me wrong I love viking metal and folk metal stuff too and this music is full of pride.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
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Cradle of FilthThe Principle of Evil Made Flesh(1994) |
Seriously? We’re “there” already? Do I really have to listen to a Cradle of Filth album? Well, ok… [twenty minutes later] You know I still really don’t like this band at all. I mean this album has a lot of cool elements that they explore with keyboard use and pace changes but the guitar tone is almost meant more for a death metal band and the vocals are just poorly done. He isn’t yelling, or growling, he’s just kind of lowering his register like a kid trying to sound like an adult. The spoken word parts are just terrible, too. I wouldn’t totally write this off, or the band as a whole, but I really don’t enjoy the actual execution of the music and none of the riffs are very good at all.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
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AncientSvartalvheim(1994) |
Ancient wasn’t so different from a band like Aeternus’ earlier stuff, a wall of guitars pushes things on but experiments with melody as things move from song to song. The drumming always struck me as the low point of Svartalvheim because not only is it the only area lacking any reasonable production but the double bass does nothing to really help the song and so the snare kind of pushes things in a punk stomp that seems unfitting. The band agrees with me and changed their sound quickly on the second album. This is probably the best thing they did before finding vampirism and such. Not a life-changing release for me but it does have a cool guitar-centric production that feels punk and warm instead of frosty and grym like they might have intended. This is undoubtedly melodic black metal and it carries the same guitar tone and feeling of other classics in the sub-genre, but it just isn’t very important to me personally.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
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ProphanityDemo 1(1994) [Demo] |
This was a melodic black metal demo from a band that would put out one pretty solid album in the melodic black/death metal style taking cues from Dissection/Dawn quite literally but also the general Swedish scene. This demo isn’t as organized, clear or frenetic as the album. If your ears can kind of cut through the muffled production it still just kind of sounds like a guitar track demo for a generic black metal album from 1994 but I’d say it still has those Dawn style riffs more than anything else.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
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Rotting ChristNon Serviam(1994) |
This was another breakthrough release for melodic black metal. Rotting Christ had pushed out the best debut they could despite the weird drum machine and now they’ve brought more capable guitar playing to the front of the mix with leads that drive unique melody and pacing. The keyboards might sound thin and cheap but the band was smart not to lose the organic feeling of the production and it remains a very unique sound even after being remastered. This is unarguably a landmark release in melodic black metal and the interesting point I’d re-make about it is that bands could hardly emulate it without sounding like a pathetic copycat, so basically nobody bothered. I’m not sure why I hold the first album above this one, because this is obviously better and I’m not sure why I prefer Varathron‘s second album either… this is obviously better than either release. Minus nostalgia and all that, this is essential listening.
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Christ AgonyDaemoonseth – Act II(1994) |
Ah, one of my favorite black metal bands of all time. After years of listening to Greek black metal and that sort of slower black metal I just kind of stumbled upon Christ Agony. Honestly I only got their first album because they had a cool band name and it was like four 20 minute songs. While the first album isn’t labeled as melodic black metal on this site this second album is. I’m not clear why as each is a unique form of melodic black metal that is paced more like a mid-era Bathory record but done up by a band that transitions between misanthropic death/viking stomps and Varathron-style build and release doom sessions. If you give the album a chance to unfold you’ll find some more typical melodic black metal riffing in here too. This is by far the coolest Polish black metal band especially on their first four or five releases.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
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NaglfarStellae Trajectio(1994) [Demo] |
The obvious problem with this demo is the vocals and how they overpower the mix, well there is no mix I mean this is a Swedish black metal demo from 1994. Great set of tracks here that emulate Dawn but with something of a power metallish Sacramentum feel as well. The pretty parts are really pretty, which few meloblack bands achieved early on. I’d say the death metal parts of this owed a lot to Gothenburg death rather than Dissection, as odd as that distinction would be to make once they put out their first album. I like this demo more than most of their albums and I think the first album is the only really captivating thing they did, and that was so outshined by Storm of the Light’s Bane it was sad.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
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Mörk GryningTusen år har gått…(1995) |
One of my personal favorite melodic black metal albums. It doesn’t venture so hard away from orthodox black metal in tone but takes some really bold melodic steps using tremolo picking much like Dissection while still doing their own thing. This isn’t like a death metal band using the buzzsaw Stockholm guitar sound and sounding like Dismember, but rather a black metal band using the same language of music as another. I actually prefer this to The Somberlain as far as repeated/on-repeat or just pleasure listening. The guitar work is intricate and often accompanied by well done keyboards, lead guitars are particularly standout for carrying the melody or introducing new riffs. Underrated classic album that is overlooked, I think, because Storm of the Lights Bane was such an important record that same year. It deserves a ton of listening.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
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Twin ObscenityRevelations of Glaaki(1995) [Demo] |
I really like this band and I’m glad they were labeled melodic black metal because they were pretty great Pagan/Viking metal even in the demo days. The style on this demo is almost fully formed with on-time guitar arrangements and the unique doom-like viking metal songs that you’d hear on the debut full-length are mostly here in structure and sound. If you like mid-paced or doom feeling black metal this is one of the better quality demos in that style. Highly recommended along with the first two albums.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
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EnchantedBreed My Sorrows(1995) [Demo] |
I understand the love that obscure demos like this get, they’re almost too perfectly ‘demo’-assed in presentation and sound. The band gets a great sound and plays in a Dissection style but their melodic ideas aren’t as sped-through and evolved. Riff transitions and general gimmickry borrow a lot from Dissection/Sacramentum that I start to feel like they didn’t really form enough of their own ideas to generate interest. This could have been a great melodic/viking black metal band if they’d continued with it, but it isn’t so amazing that I have to go back and listen to it more than a few times.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
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Elysian FieldsAdelain(1995) |
Oh man, I have so much trouble with the gothic metal introduction of this album. I wouldn’t even give it a chance due to the silly melodrama of the vocalist but once the pretty-good drum machine and melodic black metal guitars start going it isn’t half bad. The combination of programmed drums and prominent keyboards is usually a disaster but the melodic ideas and general sound comes together so nicely it is hard to full write off “Adelain” as music made before the artist was really capable enough to convey their songs. This is what one might consider an obscure classic in terms of early melodic black metal albums that really exemplifies the formative sound of the sub-genre. I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t consider this a sort of minor classic in both this type of metal, the riffing is hypnotic and stands out just enough to redeem a flawed release.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
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NergalThe Wizard of Nerath(1995) |
Another very obscure Greek black metal album from the mid-90’s that borrows a lot from Rotting Christ and Varathron. Fifty minutes is a really long time to put up with the weird guitar tone and primitive keyboarding of The Wizard of Nerath, which is mostly mid-paced and rhythmically entrancing. I love this kind of stuff and finding this album was a holy grail kinda moment because I’ve spent years loving the janky weirdness of Greek black metal. You could maybe compare it to the first Samael album or either band I mentioned earlier. I’d probably worship that awkward Elysian Fields album “Adelain” if it had this type of production, The Wizard of Nerath isn’t the most refined source of melody but makes up for it with a lot of evil weirdness that characterizes old school Greek black metal so well.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
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ShadowseedsDream of Lilith(1995) |
The first band from Saturnalia Temple‘s vocalist before he was in Therion in the late 90’s. This is a unique album that can’t just simply be called symphonic death metal or melodic black metal, I mean Dream of Lilith has elements and style in both categories. It definitely has a gothic metal edge to it as well, but not as much as the Therion albums he participated in. The guitar tone is organic feeling in a very unique way, almost like a tremolo picked violin and the melodic riffs are very good without a trace of generic melodeath melody. I find it hard to call this black metal but at the same time I wouldn’t consider it fully death metal, and that puts me in a weird spot as a listener where I’m sure that I like it and I can’t exactly describe what it is. It is a nice place to be, but I’m not sure how this fits on this list other than being a good album that is loosely related to Therion’s non-power opera metal era.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
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SwordmasterWraths of Time(1995) [EP] |
This EP is excellent as an addendum to it’s Dissection related members careers. The drummer from Soulreaper and Decameron also played on this EP and helped form the band’s sound. Core members of this band would go to form gothic cybermetal band Deathstars, which is gross. The music here is abrupt, violently fast and really heavy black metal. The melodic ideas halfway keep up with the best of Dissection and Sacramentum but offer a more severe and menacing version of that sound, maybe owing more to Mayhem rather than melodic black metal bands. This is a favorite EP of mine in this style but the sheer brutality of it wouldn’t necessarily be recreated by the band again.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
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NightfallAthenian Echoes(1995) |
If the first song doesn’t give you Ancient Rites vibes, you probably haven’t heard that band before either. The second Nightfall album dropped the drum machine, oh wait no they totally didn’t, and incorporated a wider array of influences. The vocals are really bad but the general thrust of the guitars carries most of the songs to a decent place. The keyboards are horrible and try to do a sort of Dimmu Borgir styled thematic weirdness that never works. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t but at the end of the day I wouldn’t really consider melodic black metal as the primary genre of this record, maybe melodic death with some Mediterranean flair and prancing. I just don’t like this album.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
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AlgaionOimai algeiou(1995) |
Very average melodic black metal from Sweden. The guitar riffing seems more borrowed from your typical melodic death metal band of the time and Algaion’s creativity levels didn’t exactly trounce bands like At the Gates at the time. If you’re more prone to enjoy standard black metal approaches with sterile sounds this is a decent record. I like the melodic ideas but the programmed drums sound awful and the riffing appears to be all stolen merchandise. Plenty of people consider this a hidden gem but I can’t stomach listening to the whole thing.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
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Thy SerpentInto Everlasting Fire(1995) [Demo] |
I like Thy Serpent quite a bit and seeing them form their highly melodic sound in demo form is interesting but not very pleasant as the demos were all really rough. The programmed drums and shrieked vocals make circus music out of it all and the blown out microphone noises give way to some really decent melodic sections. These are formative ideas and some of the riffs sound almost like he’d never rehearsed them or wrote them on the spot along to a beat. I’m guessing the influence here is Bathory judging from the epic length and use of keyboards. It is definitely inspired, maybe too big for its britches yet… somehow they’d put out a fantastic album not too long after this though.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
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MorgulIn Gowns Flowing Wide(1995) [Demo] |
A band that is maybe better known for mediocre symphonic black metal albums played at a fast pace, these Norwegians put out an equally bland demo here in 1995. At thirty minutes there is a lot to soak in here and most of it is just your most basic second wave black metal with some keyboards tossed in when things get too repetitive. Emperor had done so much better already.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
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UnanimatedAncient God of Evil(1995) |
Now this band sounds even more like Dissection as the melodic elements are prominent and the keyboards/production are very black metal in style. Unanimated basically wrote the follow up to The Somberlain but mistakenly reused a lot of the melodies and riffs from that album. It makes for a hell of an album, it makes me think my old theory that Dissection ripped off Unanimated early on could be entirely valid. In fact the slight missteps on this album, and the fabulousness of Storm of the Lights Bane keep me from worshiping this band beyond admiration even if their style was stolen by a band that got more recognition with it. This band is classic in the sense that this was a highly competent release that was varied and powerful in 1995 and remains interesting today, but it is overshadowed slightly by its peers. Don’t let my half-judgement lead you astray, this is essential listen and having an actual great drummer puts this light years ahead of most of the stuff on this list so far. Whatever, it’s great. Listen to it.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
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Fermenting InnardsMyst(1995) |
Myst starts out with a very strong melodic black metal song though this isn’t a pure melodic black metal album. This German band was initially more of a Carcass influenced type of thing, but this album explores Swedish death/black metal influence in the most amazing way. The combination of melodic black metal, Swedish death metal, and two ambient Mortiis covers bookending the album is uncanny… oh plus a Nirvana 2002 cover (amazing group if you don’t know them). The melodic black metal here is closer to something like early Dawn melodically speaking, and some tracks have a Sacramentum feel with melodies that feel quite advanced and some feel kinda like Necroticism: Descanting the Insalubrious. This really is a remarkable hidden gem that you need to hear. For all of its weirdness it is a very sincere album from artists who were true fans of metal and the collaborations on the record include songs co-written by the main Borknagar guitarist/songwriter, early Nasum and Necrony vocalist, and Dan Swano himself. I didn’t even mention that these guys were the main songwriters for another great German group named Golem. Such an awesome gem of an album, especially if you like old school swedish death metal and melodic black metal.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
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OphthalamiaVia Dolorosa(1995) |
More progressive black/doom metal from this band, this time with a guy from Marduk on vocals and he isn’t quite as good as the Dissection guy. This album isn’t as interesting as the first one but it still carries and solid tune and is exceptionally high quality. I’m not sure why the cover art is basically a Magic: The Gathering card while the music is like Candlemass with black metal vocals, the cover really doesn’t work. If you’re a fan of doom metal, like I said Candlemass, you’ll really get a kick out of this. I like this but I don’t considering it melodic black metal so much as it is just an oddity of black metal aesthetics and traditional metal sub-genre worship. It works, and I mean the guy from Abruptum‘s name was “It”, very hard to switch things up and use more traditional metal tropes rather than rely on “Nightfall” riffs entirely. Well worth digging up but has little to do with melodic black metal.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
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VarathronWalpurgisnacht(1995) |
Varathron’s follow up to the incredible swamp metal classic “His Majesty at the Swamp” embraces the second wave of black metal with flowing blasts of black metal guitar, huge doom metal riffs, and some gothy flourishes to keep up with their snaggle-toothed Hellenic peers. Folks on this site have really resisted labeling this as melodic black metal because of the strong use of “heavy metal” riffing. Lets get real for a second Varathron has always been a melodic black metal band and this album absolutely creates a doom riff/meloblack riff cycle going throughout. This is one of my favorite bands, and honestly top 5 favorite albums of all time. I know its all cheap and wonky and corny but this is an experience unlike any other. I dunno how a person can listen to Cassiopeia’s Ode and not just lose their mind.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
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NaglfarVittra(1995) |
Vittra gets shat upon by many fans for being too saccharine, a little under produced and for having somewhat forgettable songwriting. I’ve always been both frustrated with the negativity towards the album but also with the album itself because most of that assessment is true even if it is unfairly reductive. Naglfar had a lot of excellent ideas on this record that would become typical for european extreme metal, but not for years. So, seeing this band as ‘on trend’ but having no substance isn’t all that fair because they were among trend setters and not just opportunistically profiting from the style, they were a minor part of the development of Swedish melodic black metal. This is an excellent example of that style, too as the band really goes for it in the performances. The vocalist shrieks and howls and yowls his way through the album while competing with an occasionally over-used keyboards. The songs themselves aren’t just overworked melodic death metal, either, as the band draws influences from At the Gates and Bathory in almost equal measure while still honoring Emperor, Dissection and the like. I really think this album is a classic in melodic black metal and yes, it takes more patience than more accessible records in the style because it isn’t just riffy pop hooks driving every song. Don’t just pass it up because folks who barely listened to it didn’t like it. Especially check it out if you liked Dawn’s first album but the production was too grating.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
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Nokturnal MortumTwilightfall(1995) [Demo] |
I was confused to see this filed under melodic black metal because I always felt like early Nokturnal Mortum was just Burzum, Emperor and Bathory influenced black metal. Seeing “Twilightfall”, the band’s first demo labeled melodic black/death metal in overwhelming genre votes makes me think not only are most death metal fans deaf to Bathory but also mistake guitar tone for genre definition. Yes, there are riffs here that sound like melodic death metal and there is double bass drumming but only enough to make it a secondary genre tag. There are weird rock/metal riffs in half the songs too, the writing is all over the place just like later Bathory which incorporated the same kind of half-thrash riffing. Anyway, it doesn’t matter because I doubt a melodeath fan would listen to this cheap demo and really get into it. This is a neat oddity for folks looking for something truly unique because it blends so many interesting influences, their next demo would make it a lot more clear what side of the fence they were looking for. Also I dunno if anyone else will hear this like I did, but I definitely felt like Nocturnus moments were happening constantly on the faster parts of this demo.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
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Chained and DesperateOracles from the Neitherworld(1995) [Demo] |
I like this demo a lot as I enjoy this type of black metal that typically only came from Greece. Melodic black metal guitar riffs that take from thrash, doom and death metal. If you’re a fan of Hellenic black metal I’d say this most closely resembles later Kawir and because of the single guitar maybe the earlier stuff from Zemial a tiny bit. A very good demo from a band I didn’t really know, I’m interested to see what they did on their full-length albums. I’d venture a guess at Rotting Christ style goth changes but who knows. Very listenable in terms of demos from that part of the world in the 90’s, very audible and doesn’t appear to be a drum machine.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
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Cryptic WintermoonVoyage dans la lune(1995) [Demo] |
Worst demo keyboards ever, much too loud. Most of this demo feels more like a symphonic black metal band but there are some moments of melody that are pretty sharp, the demo isn’t too rough and reminds me of the stuff coming out of Greece in the early 90’s. Could be way more necro but it isn’t really sweet and fluffy, I hear an attempt to take Maiden riffs and make them black metal and it honestly doesn’t work at all. The weird tough guy vocals come too often and I’ve never really explored this band so I’m hoping they find their sound after this, because it seems like a jumble of bad ‘scene’ sound ideas surrounding basic rock melody.
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DissectionStorm of the Light’s Bane(1995) |
This might be the most clear exemplification of what melodic black metal sounds like. Abrupt and frosty cold atmosphere, aggressive melodic riffing and Dissection’s signature interludes. Is it as complex and impressive as The Somberlain? I mean, I’d argue that while this album leans way further into black metal and erases the death metal tendencies (minus the drumming) they’re on equal ground. This is perhaps some of the most accessible black metal from the 90’s in terms of ease of access, popularity, and a tendency to be marketed as the be-all-end-all of 90’s black metal. You have to understand extreme metal used to scare people, disturb them, incite them to burn churches and commit murders… now three decades later it just annoys or befuddles folks who are accustomed to popular music of the day. It is a shame that the mastermind of Dissection was misguided in life and either believed intently in misanthropy and mayhem or just was a terrible guy. There is a certain guilt in loving music made by murderers, bigots, and thieves that should give the listener pause. But music is art and Dissection created ‘high art’ in terms of extreme metal and the beauteous light speed melody trumps the human being that it flowed from. This tense, dominant and often celebratory music set a standard much higher than their peers before and made cheap laughs of those same peer’s attempts in the future. I think better albums have been made since but you’ll see as this list progresses that a grand percentage of melodic black metal strikes influence directly from Storm of the Light’s Bane and that is unprecedented if you look at my technical thrash metal list, where no one particular band made such grand waves throughout a sub-genres history to present day.
Link: Listen on YouTube! |
Part II will more or less focus on the rest of the late 90’s (1996-2000 approximately) where melodic black metal releases saw great popularity and the style was integrated heavily into symphonic black metal, melodic death metal. Contributions from bands outside of Scandinavia and Greece saw greater increase as well. Please remember you can contribute to my Patreon @ only $1 USD per month to help keep me in front of the computer writing about metal. Thanks.
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