Getting Into Classic BLACK METAL Guide (Does It SUCK?)

[@MetalTrenches]

Could have mentioned a number of other names, namely Borknagar stands out in absence as I rewatch this. In any case, this is just meant to be a starting point.

[@ChurchOfKylieJenner]

I agree with your Dimmu suggestion, but I think Gorgoroths 'Quantos..' album would pull people in quickly after that. I got hooked by Transilvanian hunger immediately after just taking the step up from Faith no more to Metallica, Pantera then Cannibal Corpse 'butchered at birth'

[@johngavin1175]

I love me some Borknagar. I'm particularly fond of the Vintersorg era. I sorely regret not seeing them when they came to Tampa last. At least I got to see Enslaved twice. Once with Dark Funeral,and the other time with Skeletonwitch and Amon Amarth. Totally slayed. Good vid,man!

[@UberKvlt]

You mention starting point. However the whole thing about the conception of 2nd wave black metal is both a starting point and end point, as the 3 bands of the time (burzum, mayhem, immortal) rebelled against the death metal scene that they believed just started sounding all the same, and that the very same thing happened to black metal after these 3 bands created the scene. All the copycats came out of the woodwork

[@sirdacier7159]

Dissection is a perfect gateway and my opinion the best the genre has to offer. I don’t listen to much black metal anymore but I find myself always going back to The Somberlain and Storm of the Light’s Bane, absolute masterpieces

[@finorzatm]

This, got into black metal trough Storm and Reinkaos. Black metal with such incredible grooves is the perfect starter.

[@wmen48]

It ain't really BM. Classic BM should be tremolo riffs to blast beats. Swedes mix bm with death elements.

[@bobsala7780]

Great topic and you make some excellent recommendations. I’ve been a metalhead for forever and for most of that time I ignored Black Metal, but I’ve now come to love it. My gateway band was Immortal. Their album “Sons of Northern Darkness” is both well produced and somewhat “thrashy” in it’s sound, with songs such as “Tyrants” being rather accessible. And also about that time, I “got it” when it came to Abbath. His antics make him the court jester of metal. It took me some time to realize his tongue is placed firmly in his cheek when it comes to things such as the corpse paint and the crab walking.

[@melle4390]

According to the man himself it's called the 'demon walk' but we all know that's wrong :P

[@a.q.5775]

Love your channel m8. It's amazing how much I can agree with one of your takes and then be absolutely blindsided by how diametrically opposed we are on the next one (but that's what keeps this all interesting huh?)- I would just like to say if anyone is reading this and checking out Emperor, if Nightside or Anthems aren't clicking with you, hit up that 4th album, Prometheus: Discipline of Fire and Demise, that shit opened the door for me with Emperor and is still my favorite by them. Enslaved is another great rabbit hole, I'm partial to Vertebrae, Eardrum, and Axioma so check out any of those. Metal Trenches is the best metal channel, your year end lists put me onto so much good shit it's fokken insane (Atoll gotta be one of my favorite bands right now).

[@waltysalamander]

Immortal should have been first! At the Heart of Winter is a perfect album, and it's pretty easy listening!

[@BruhMomentPatrick]

Dissection was my gateway band. Still my favorite.

[@doughair9014]

Love this! Would love to see more like this. I’ve found it much harder to get into less extreme metal, personally. It was way easier for me to get into Morbid Angel and Darkthrone than it was for me to get into Iron Maiden, Anvil, Manila Road, etc.

[@DylanJouglah-Shields]

Bro this video was so perfectly timed for me personally lol, I'm personally finally listening to more black metal. Normally I just listen to Dissection but for the past few days I've been listening to Enslaved, Deathspell Omega and Borknagar all thanks to you!

[@tangodelta7809]

DSO is not normal black metal bro lol

[@DylanJouglah-Shields]

@tangodelta7809 they're Avant Garde black metal. But I can see why you don't see them as black metal

[@tangodelta7809]

@DylanJouglah-Shields they’re black metal in the sense that they’re metaphysical satanists. I find the dissonance and distance from 95% of most black metal makes it hard to call them black metal. I think your avante garde to be more specific

[@ChurchOfKylieJenner]

Sargeist album "let the devil in" will hook you from the first song. Check out their song called 'sargeist' (from another album) One of the best songs ever.

[@trenaceandblackmetal5621]

@@ChurchOfKylieJenner Judas Iscariot "Heaven in Flames"

[@matternicuss]

Ulver’s Bergtatt was my first black metal album, but Emperor’s In the Nightside Eclipse made me fall in love with the genre.

[@iimmolarious7636]

I remember being 14 years old and downloading an immortal song by accident on kaazaa and felt in love with the music from the first second. Here I am 22 years later still listening to the same shit.

[@RandomVideosAS96]

Dissection was my real introduction into Black Metal. One of my fav bands

[@DylanJouglah-Shields]

same here! Black Horizons and The Somberlain are my favourite songs by them

[@johngetbent]

When I was a getting into Black Metal as a kid, I loved A Blaze in the Northern Sky as soon as I heard it. A while later I came across a compilation CD called "Fenriz Presents... The Best of Old-School Black Metal". I was like "Hey, Fenriz is the Darkthrone guy" so I picked it up. I have always been a fan of compilation cds and this one did not disappoint and led me to some really cool stuff.

[@tineofficial3154]

Excellent video, my friend. The band that got me into black metal was actually Old Man's Child. Along with Emperor, was a huge influence on my music. Hails! \m/

[@MycopathOfficial]

oh yeah, Old Mans Child is another really good pick, one of the first bands I got into too. Going to see them in July, so hyped.

[@J_Stamps86]

As a vocalist for a black metal band I do enjoy it when purists give me funny looks when I'm offstage and wearing a Rolo Tomassi shirt. I'm also not entirely sure why having short hair is such an issue... do people really listen to a band and think "this is cool, I sure hope everyone's hair is of an appropriate length to be playing this music!" You are correct on In The Nightside Eclipse, that album was huge for me.

[@xwolfiegreenwoodx]

I auditioned for a Black Metal band once back in college as they wanted somebody to play keys. I had a shaved head and they straight up asked if I would wear a wig. This may sound too ridiculous to be true but it 100% happened 😂 Strangely, I decided against joining on the spot.

[@MycopathOfficial]

what's the name of your band? sounds like my vibe lol.

[@LiamMcC1985]

For me, Immortal's Sons of Northern Darkness was the gateway album that got me into black metal. It's accessible enough for beginners (Tyrants is a banger!) and encouraged me to dig deeper into the genre

[@jonaymge]

Great idea! And great suggestion to start with DB and CoF. In my case, other bands that “helped” were the more “atmospheric/folk” ones, like Agalloch. As an “intermediate” level I would also suggest the perennially underrated Windir( Rest In Power, Valfar). Btw, I discovered Windir thanks to your Black Metal Tier Lists. Keep it up, Trenches! Thanks for what you do.

[@ciaranmeeks9431]

Strangely, I started with Immortals 'Battles In the North' which is arguably one of the most extreme albums in the genre. Bought it sight unseen/unheard based on nothing more than the strength of that epic, wintry cover shot. At first I didn't know what to make of it, but over the months both the music and the concept grew on me. From there it was Emperor, Enslaved, Satyricon, Borknagar, Dimmu Borgir, and Dissection. Haven't looked back since.

[@flan9196]

I’ve been listening to this stuff for 25 years and never gave Blut Aus Nord a chance for some reason. Picked up a used cd at a store a few months back and have been steadily buying their albums since. Great thing about metal is you can dislike something at first and come back to it months or even years later and suddenly it’s your thing.

[@matternicuss]

My first BAN album was a blind buy; Memoria Vetusta II: A Dialogue with the Stars. Completely blew me away and they’ve been one of my favorite bands in any genre ever since.

[@melle4390]

Gorgoroth's song Profetens Åpenbaring from Under The Sign Of Hell still blows me away today. EDIT: The only material they have on Spotify is from after Ghaal, the original singer, left the band. The songs featured in this video are therefore not on Spotify. It's their remix/re-release of Under The Sign Of Hell, not the original as heard in this video. Please go and check out the 1997 version of the album.

[@roberthuismans3533]

I remember when I had my first beer.

[@mawean]

Black metal fan since the early 90ies here (among others). Must say you nailed it. Very good video for those who want to get into BM! I would most likely start with blackened Death Metal like Necrophobic (e.g. their debut „The Nocturnal Silence“) or the mentioned Dissection („Storm of the Light‘s Bane“). Also found early Impaled Nazarene quite accessible („Ugra-Karma“ and „Suomi Finland Perkele“), but tastes may differ. You imho could also listen to Immortals „At the Heart of Winter“ early on. And even early Slayer could be a great gateway into BM (especially their „Show No Mercy“), also sound-wise… 😁 A lot to discover! Enjoy the ride… And don’t listen to „trve BM only“ guys… 😉

[@livetowin8100]

The black metal bands that eased me into the genre was Venom and Bathory. The first time I watched Metal Evolutions thrash metal episode I got real curious when Venom was mentioned as an influence for thrash bands and checked them out and liked what I heard. After a while I heard about Bathory being one of the other extreme 80’s bands that popped up and listened to them and really fell in love with their sound and writing style. Thanks to them I got into other black metal bands later on along with other extreme bands, first wave black metal is a great introduction to the genre and I’m glad I started there with it.

[@MrLando0]

Immortal at the heart of winter would be my pick for a gateway to BM. Especially for death metal fans, it has a thick guitar sound. Catchy songwriting, cool atmosphere.

[@spectomix9353]

I was first getting into Black Metal at the end of 2023 with Deathcrush, and I've went pretty far since then, and bm is my second favorite genre, but you have always been my go to metal channel for about 4 years now. Showed me my favorites spanning from different genres like Korn, Burzum, Cannibal Corpse, & Nine Inch Nails. When I was into My Chemical Romance & Nirvana, I quickly jumped into metal because of your channel, and haven't went back much since, I've always taken your recommendations and largely thank you for the journey through my High School years and however much longer you decide to upload. 🙌🙌

[@VisuallyImpairedGamer1987]

I'm shamelessly unapologetic to admit that my introduction to black metal was seeing the music video for Cradle of Filth's Her Ghost in the Fog. This led to discovering Dimmu Borgir. I then checked out a website called Black Metal Radio, and this led me to hear the Enslaved song "The Dead Stare" from the album Below the Lights. This opened the door for me first hearing Mayhem's Chimera album, and it is my favourite, which is a hill I'm happy to die on! Finally, I was blown away when I first heard Hangman's Hymn by Sigh.

[@FaerieGoatmother]

Chimera is an underrated masterwork. But so was Grand Declaration for, like, 20 years.

[@jesseleavy5841]

​@@FaerieGoatmother I think Grand Declaration is an underrated gem. I can see why it turned some people off, but especially if you love progressive stuff, it's a fantastic record.

[@antwanbench1518]

Filosofem was my introduction,. Heard dunkelheit and just fucked with it. Hearing that song at 2 am on a winter night, away from my home country in scandinavia really just struck me. When those synths hit, jesus!

[@MetalNeverDieswithMarkA]

Great video! I’m no black metal lover, but I can get into those albums. Immortal is sick! At the heart of winter.

[@WilliamRyan-h2y]

Taking shots at the gatekeeping purists had me 💀 🤣🤣

[@george5737]

My intro to Black Metal was Nexus Polaris by Covenant. I still recommend it for this reason

[@nickpilon74]

You may not like this, but honestly I started with atmospheric black metal. It helps because you aren’t really overwhelmed with sharp tones that may turn people off of the genre. I like to listen to it to relax, honestly. There’s something about it that just takes you on a journey when you close your eyes. Recommendations: Damp Chill of Life (None), The Withered Roots of Reality (Alburnum), To The Existence of Light (Tombstone), For Snow Covered the Northland (Ancient Wisdom) Hope this helps anyone who’s interested in the genre.

[@mirkovolkov7636]

Before getting into black metal I was obviously already primed with some classic metal, like metallica and co, but I headbutted pretty quickly into the extreme starting from nevermore, then cradle, dimmu, nile (the owner of the local record store was kinda perplexed) and burzum. Wild, good old times.

[@directedbyxanderjones8329]

As I got the notification for this upload, I was listening to the new album by Order Of Nosferat. Personally, I don't think Dissection's Reinkaos album gets enough love. For someone just getting into black metal, I would recommend that one due to its catchyness. Same with the Now, Diabolical album by Satyricon.

[@MetalTrenches]

🤘🏻

[@Saliva1]

When Jon made Reinkaos he wanted to make it as non black metal as it could get. He doesn't consider it to be blackmetal at all.

[@wanderer314]

It's interesting that you listed Burzum as a more advanced band, because I think that's what got me into black metal to begin with :P

[@MetalTrenches]

@@wanderer314 different strokes

[@xwolfiegreenwoodx]

Emperor and Immortal were my introduction to Black Metal back in the 90's. This may be controversial but I could never get into Mayhem. I still can't. PS I love both Dimmu and Cradle and feel no shame. Purists are cringe. Always have been, always will be.

[@MetalTrenches]

@@xwolfiegreenwoodx Yeah Mayhem is still not something I go back to very often

[@1972Diogenes]

Great video. Took me way back in time. I used to be in tape-trading in the late 80'ies and wrote demo-reviews for a small magazine. I was already familiar with more extreme thrash-acts, like Sodom, Slayer and Kreator and then got via Hellhammer/Celtic Frost into Mantas (early Death) and Mayhem's Deathcrush. My first BM-lp was Bathory "Blood,...". These days though, I'm much more excited about the more atmospheric/ progressive stuff: Ihsahn, Enslaved (what a journey they made in music!) and bands like DS omega, Sigh and Imperial Triumphant.

[@COREKID3]

Just discovered the Belial E.P’s recently. Amazing stuff! Great video! 😎🤟

[@Rafael-kr6zv]

I 100% agree with this take, go for the easy ones to listen to first, melodic or symphonic is a good start, then once your ears are trained, you can go to the rawer and weird ones.

[@ristoherranen816]

My path with black metal was quite a bit like described in the video, but very important milestone for me was AM God from ...and Oceans. It blew me away.

[@drewhaueter4502]

Always loved Samael. They eventually went Space themed though

[@Saucymanwastaken]

Shirt is also fitting as they have a rather Black Metal sound to them in the likes of The Fear Is What Keeps Us Here. I have had a hard time trying to get into classic 2nd wave Black Metal and bands that follow/steal through that sound and outside of Immortal, Gorgoroth and Emperor being gateways, Leviathan was somehow gave a big opening to get into raw, Lo-fi production that follows the whole 2nd wave schtick with both Sub-Level and Scar Sighted being one of my favourite black metal albums. I would suggest Scar Sighted even if its not that “beginner friendly”.

[@eenshcobob]

I started with first wave like venom, celtic frost, and mercyful fate. Then i got into bathory and especially the first darkthrone album followed by immortal, emperor, and dimmu borgir shortly after. Recently i have been listening to stuff like mayhem and darkthrone but im not huge into it

[@ggellis3371]

My first experiencies with black metal was the Mayhem ep and album and Burzum Filosofem and the album previuos to that, inmmediatly a was blowned away for this chaotic sound.

[@drorweininger5831]

I actually find it easier to get into the classical bands like Mayhem, Darkthrone and Burzum compared to the hyper-blast-beat-spam bands like Marduk or Dark Funeral. They're way too noisey and off-putting without anything that draws me in, in contrast to the rich atmosphere and unique direction of De Mysteriis and the first few Burzum albums (or the first Immortal that wasn't mentioned here and has some of the same recipe). I mean, sure, the sound is a little rough for the untrained ear, but honestly the genere has developed to be way more cacophonic so in hindsight they're pretty much on the accessible side of black metal. But yeah, other than that great video as always. Hope it can help some new fans do the first step in this fantastic black metal journey!

[@ChurchOfKylieJenner]

I agree, I prefer black metal to be a bit more 'strpped down' or raw. They need another genre name for that "noisey" black metal. My favourite black metal album is "in Dolorium Gloria'" by Parnassus

[@johngavin1175]

Cradle Of Filth was my introduction. After that,it was Emperor.

[@aresgalamatis7022]

Arcturus, Samael and Rotting Christ got me into black metal only a couple of years after I was listening to doom and death back in high school (mid/late-90s). Another gateway band would be Agalloch, IMHO.

[@MycopathOfficial]

first sorta black metal band I got into was Finntroll which is really a folk metal band. First true black metal bands I got into were Sigh which is a super weird band, but specifically their album scenes from hell which is their most symphonic, and then Leviathan's tentacles of whorror which is to this day one of the heaviest and darkest album I've ever heard. Didn't get into the Norwegian stuff until more recently other than dimmu borgir, they're definitely one of the best gateway band (pun intended?). I also love Enslaved, they were also one of the first black metal bands I got into.

[@DemonSlayingFootball5208]

I personally started with first wave stuff like Venom, Celtic Frost and Bathory, for a thrash metal fan this is a good starting point, and only then did I try the 2nd wave og stuff (which I didn't like much aside from Emperor, Ulver's debut and Immortal's at the heart of winter). Rn I'm mostly just interested in trying the progressive and more technical stuff from the genre like Enslaved, Dodheimsgard, Arcturus and Borknagar rather than the og sound.

[@mightykaiser8058]

Filosofem and Hvis were what got me into black metal. But if i was trying to get a noob into the genre today I'd show them the Swedish melodic stuff. Sacramentum, Vinterland and of course Dissection.

[@justinwearn620]

Great series to do. Id love to see you do Crossover/Thrash or Death Metal next

[@NicolasAristizabal-rb3ju]

Guess I’m abnormal for getting straight into Samael with Ceremony of Opposites, Blood Ritual and Worship Him (Passage doesn’t really apply I guess) , followed by At The Heart of Winter (Immortal) and both Dimmu/Cradle. I’d recommend Godspeed on the Devils Thunder to start with Cradle as it balances out melodies and yells, whereas with Dimmu my go to is Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia, as it has the best drumming in any of their records, great clean singing and overall tight writing.

[@MetalTrenches]

There's no one size fits all path. Cheers

[@Rafael-kr6zv]

Godspeed mentioned!!! I fucking love that album

[@NicolasAristizabal-rb3ju]

@@MetalTrenches True

[@NicolasAristizabal-rb3ju]

@@Rafael-kr6zv It’s easily top 3 for me 🤘🤘

[@ala21964]

Always thought Under the sign of hell by Gorgoroth would be a pretty hard album to get into because of the harshness and the production. Then again, the many "Gorgoroth Kids" like 10-15 years ago when they were really hip speak a different language. I got into BM a little bit while discovering Thrash & Death in form of Dimmu Borgir (Puritanical...) and Cradle (Midian), then I fell in love with Immortal, then came Darkthrone, Marduk, Emperor, Dissection etc. I also think newer Satyricon (especially Now Diabolical) is a really good starting point.

[@lv-426paradise3]

Is Kanonenfieber considered Black Metal? I found them by accident and really like them. In the late ‘90’s-mid 2000’s Cradle, Dimmu, and Impaled Nazarene were some of my most listened to bands.

[@alvarojflorez]

I respect Black metal but it's just not my thing. There are very few bands I actually like: Samael, Emperor, Agalloch, and the first wave of Black metal, which was more speed/thrash than anything else.

[@mindful2864]

Great first video of 2025 Trenches. I like how you’re wearing a shirt of a Christian band Zao while talking about black metal. Amazing choices, Emperor’s In the Nightside Eclipse is my all time favorite black metal album. Dissection’s Storm of the Light’s Bane, Enslaved’s Frost, Bathory’s Blood Fire Death, and Immortal’s At the Heart of Winter are in my top 10 favorite black metal albums. I love Darkthrone’s unholy trilogy but in my opinion Panzerfaust is their best. Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth were my introduction to the genre as well. Gorgoroth’s first three albums are the only ones I like but Under the Sign of Hell is a great choice. I also like the first three Ulver albums and even their later albums which aren’t black metal are pretty good. Since you mentioned Marduk, Opus Nocturne is a great choice for those who want to get into the band but have something more atmospheric and less blasty than later albums. Major props for name dropping Deathspell Omega and Blut Aus Nord for those who want more avant-garde black metal. More recommendations I would give to black metal beginners are Rotting Christ’s Non Serviam, Agalloch’s the Mantle, Summoning’s Minas Morgul, and Windir’s Arntor.

[@MetalTrenches]

Shirt choice was very intentional lol

[@Beeman-bp2cn]

A video like this but grindcore would be really nice, I love napalm death and pig destroyer but can’t get into any of the other grindcore bands.

[@MetalTrenches]

Not a bad idea

[@Rafael-kr6zv]

I second that ☝️

[@InfernalSomberlain]

The first black metal band I heard was Immortal " All Shall Fall". I thought it was awesome. But, that wasn't what made me love black metal. It was Satyricon ( old and new). And Satyricon are still my favorite. Right behind them would be Dissection.

[@spencerdeeks2051]

This might be really funny to mention but the band that got me into black metal was a band named Vaakevandring, a Christian band but only released a 98/99 demo and it was amazing. Thats how i started haha

[@jcrockandmetalreviews]

I just started getting into it. I am a fan of recent albums by Enslaved, Blackbraid and Kvaen. I also like Cradle of Filth and the most recent albums by Darkthrone, but I still can't get into his early stuff. Agalloch - The Mantle is another good one to ease into the genre.

[@ChurchOfKylieJenner]

Try Sargeist "let the devil in" album and work your way backwards through Sargeist albums. Gorgoroths "Quantos..." album is a good one to try also

[@ludwigtheholyblade777]

my journey has been a little odd i listened stormkeeper and hellbutchers debut album and just recently ordered some bathory and darkthrone

[@Riky_Jones]

Abbath is on that Dimmu Borgir song

[@thehabitat1605]

Dark Throne mid career had me liking black metal, especially Hate Them. That eased me in real well.

[@nikhtzatzi]

Thing with black metal is, yeah, it is a sound that propably needs one to get used to it, but once it clicks , it clicks all the way xd

[@stanislavjeltz7113]

Hi there, could you please be so kind to reveal the album titel belonging to the haunting cover-art you present right beneath the nine inch nails one? Its dark surrealistic motive reminds me of the polish artist Zdzislaw Beksinski. Everytime i visit your channel it captures my gaze and i just have to know which kind of music might be behind it. Your answer would therefore be very much appreciated!

[@MetalTrenches]

@@stanislavjeltz7113 Morkera is the band

[@BigDawg8907]

Wormwitch is a great intro band. Good production, great songs, their new album catapulted to the top of my year end list. Black metal Motörhead

[@MetalPersonJ]

I personally think Bathory and Immortal are way more accessible than the symphonic black metal bands mainly because there's less going on. And like you said, most are probably gonna come from thrash, so just go with Bathory, Venom and Celtic Frost. Immortal as well.

[@kingfluffy1979]

As somebody old enough to have grown up in the OG era of Black Metal, it's an acquired taste. I personally never enjoyed it but I get the appeal.

[@briankern9687]

Midian is one of my favorite albums of all time with CoF. That album sounds nothing like the rest of their catalog and its fantastic

[@jesseleavy5841]

Oh! And I love your shirt. I've been a Zao fan since Where Blood And Fire Bring rest. I grew up Evangelical Christian, but even a lot of my Christian friends were like "You can't listen to that, it's too angry. God doesn't like that." So glad I left church.

[@AvarTyrog]

I think burzum is very easy to get into. When I heared Filosofem it clicked for me and I say that as someone who is not that big of a fan of bad production. The ambient elements of Burzum though... hard to get any enjoyment out of it, at least for me.

[@ChurchOfKylieJenner]

The album 'Orlegsceaft' by Ulfarr has the best vocals. Not much variation, but they are absolutely relentless.

[@FuturealIsReal]

I don't understand why Enslaved isn't bigger than Opeth at this point

[@AvarTyrog]

Immortal is way easier to get into than Bathory in my opinion.

[@SamuelBlackMetalRider]

Early ENSLAVED deserve more love & respect. Killer. But DMDS & Folisofem are fabulously CATCHY & MESMERIZING albums with LEGENDARY riffs that will haunt you forever… Masterpieces

[@Gerd0]

I find that Dissection is usually the secret sauce for transitioning into rawer stuff, but anyone who isn't somewhat predisposed to going beyond that probably isn't going to. Production just becomes an absolute dealbreaker for some. I once tried to explain to someone that the lo-fi mix is in service of an atmosphere and a deliberate aesthetic choice, to which they said that intentionally sounding bad is pretentious. (Though if you ask me objectifying something as subjective as that is way more pretentious). These are the people you're usually dealing with when they say they can't get into black metal. I don't really think of Burzum as this impenetrable elitists only artist. To get someone to appreciate it, you really just need to prime them to the idea of black metal as ambient music and show some examples of how Varg is damn good at writing simple riffs that really click and suck you in. Honestly for the less initiated I might even go as far as saying Fallen is a good starting point.

[@DanAddison]

I find some of black metal’s extreme lo-if production to be perversely kinder to my ears, sometimes. I know that sounds completely counterintuitive, and most would assume that almost willfully crappy production is surely supposed to be some kind of painful sonic onslaught, but it can be the opposite for me. Meaning that modern, sophisticated, full rich production with impeccable dynamic range and definition is sometimes exhausting to my ears. It sounds amazing for a few minutes and then becomes tiring, aurally. So that’s an extra counter argument to the idea that black metal aesthetics are just empty pretentiousness, at least for me.

[@antoniovazantunes8325]

Enthroned darkness triumphant. I think it’s a better introduction if you are starting with Dimmu.

[@henrywalton5967]

Storm or the Light's bane was my way in to the genre, and still easily one of the best bm albums. And Nightside is the greatest black metal album ever made, no contest for me.

[@ChurchOfKylieJenner]

"In Dolorium Gloria'" by Parnassus is the greatest black metal album of all time, no contest. Yup yup

[@KeltskiSmrz]

Tbh I got into black metal through the first wave stuff like Bathory and Celtic Frost.

[@celluloidprojectile]

For me the perfect gateway to BM is: Dissection, Tribulation, Diabolical Masquarade.

[@StarsDie88]

I hated black metal in my youth. But there were 2 listens that got me hooked when I was about 20 years old: Melancholie by ColdWorld A song by the band Ancient Wisdom called "Of Darkness Spawned into Eternity" For some really bizarre reason that I can't explain -- those 2 things clicked for me.

[@DesolateSolitude]

The newest Limbonic Art is proof that Norway still has the magic even after all these years.

[@VilpsValps]

My first black metal album was Horna - Kuoleman Kirjo

[@Ants_of_the_sky282]

IMO atmospheric black metal is the best. My favorites are agalloch and Panopticon. My favorite classic black metal is Enslaved.

[@Rosterized]

I started with transsilvanian hunger and de mysteriis lol

[@MetalTrenches]

We all have our own paths. My friend was more in your camp.

[@ChurchOfKylieJenner]

Transilvanian hunger hooked me first too, the song is the national anthem of black metal in my opinion

[@dwilcox3309]

Love the Zao shirt

[@Purplecreature36000]

When it comes to black metal I progressed from dodsferd to the bigger bands and then blasted like a nuke listening to epic bm melodic bm and ALOT of raw bm

[@garrystrudwick9400]

Cool Video No Mention of Watain?

[@MetalTrenches]

They didn't form until 1998, so I wouldn't call them a "classic" black metal band necessarily. They're kind of 3rd wave. Good stuff though.

[@garrystrudwick9400]

@MetalTrenches Yeah See What you Mean Have you done a Video on New Black Metal so many cross overs could be a long Video Keep up the great work cheers from The UK 🇬🇧 👍

[@999samus7]

Mountains of might by immortal made me headbang and say ok ok ok I see you

[@ThePuka]

Or go backwards on the Satyricon discog.

[@olivierroussin4432]

Stil cant get into it, but i started to love atmospheric black metal like Grima and Raventale or gothic like Cradle, dimmu and Natchblut. Dissection is dope (if we exclude history)

[@ChurchOfKylieJenner]

Carach Angren is really good sounding similar to those, but I hate being able to hear the lyrics clearly

[@blastbeatpie3239]

I think I jumped on with Cradle's Cruelty and the Beast and Dimmu's Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia, then discovered Emperor. Unfortunately Emperor ruined nearly all other black metal by simply being too good 😂

[@ChurchOfKylieJenner]

Gorgoroth > Emperor yup yup

[@papabillydeth4723]

I’d recommend black thrash/death bands like Desaster, Necrophobic, and Unlight, and god dethroned

[@SteveDave5763]

Bathory is so GD good! Enslaved is amazing.

[@brianb_1085]

Immortal & Satyricon have been my gateway bands to black metal. Most of the classics are hit or miss to me. I'm more into the modern atmospheric stuff. Some of my favorites are Peste Noire, Oranssi Pazuzu, Aquilus, Wayfarer, Mgła, Panopticon, Griffon, and A Forest of Stars.

[@MetalTrenches]

@@brianb_1085 A Forest Of Stars is so good.

[@nickbobo5233]

For me I got my start with behomenth then I moved over to panopticon now I'm into enslaved

[@adolfopineda576]

Enslaved was the beggining for me

[@brandonharris9160]

Black metal doesn't suck. It's a music that is about pain and strength and sometimes sorrow and even beauty. It's a healing art that makes life more tolerable for many.

[@catslol4226]

To be honest I just kept listening to A Blaze In The Northern Sky until I got it

[@ryandavis4936]

I got into black metal through darkthrone, if i had started with dimmu borgir or something melodic like dissection id have bounced right off. Different people like different things

[@MetalTrenches]

Of course. There's no one size fits all. Never would have implied such a thing.

[@AbabBahah-qm4lo]

The first exposure I have to black metal-ish sound is alcest, katatonia and satyricon. I like some songs from alcest that has harsh vocal (percees de lumiere, protection), katatonia rainroom, and satyricon king. The first proper black metal I like is actually burzum (jesus tod) Still one of my favorite song. I think the riffs sounds melodic af. At first I'm like "the production sounds like shit lol but the riffs are so good" so I'll just tolerate the shitty production. It's not that annoying anyway to me. I actually like freezing moon more than any gorgoroth, darkthrone or whatever other bands for newbies. I don't even like dimmu borgir because I don't really like symphonic stuff. It sounds happy-ish/uplifting. Never really into happy songs even before metal.

[@hawkxrussianx8601]

For anyone that loves a good gimmick with a band… I highly recommend Batushka, now called Patriarkh.

[@ChurchOfKylieJenner]

Thanks for informing me on the name change