1994, El año del Black Metal.

En 1994 varios discos salieron al mundo para poner en órbita al Black Metal escandinavo, es el segundo movimiento del black metal, que tuvo su origen en Noruega y Suecia en los años 90.​ Este black metal daba el origen a discos que hoy se consideran clásicos y de culto para todos los fanáticos de ese radical subgénero. 

Aquí la lista de los discos que salieron en ese año:

Mayhem "De Miisterys Som Sathanas"

Burzum "Hvys Lissar Tar Oss"

Emperor "In The Nightside Eclipse"

Gorgoroth "Antichrist"

Satyricon "Dark Medieval Times"

Marduk "Opus Nocturne"

Darkthrone "Transylvania Hunger"

Gehenna "First Spell"

Enslaved "Vikingvlir Vledi"

Hades "...Against Shall Be"

Enslaved "Frost"

Ancient "Svartalheim"

Graveland "Carpathian Wolves"

Satyricon "The Shadowland"

Impaled Nazarene "Soumi Perkele Finland"

Behemoth "From The Pagan Vastlands"

Dimmu Borgir "Stormblast" Cacophonous Records (1996)

Dimmu Borgir knew how to play, and very well, his cards in the midst of the "boom" of the Norwegian Black scene. Formations such as Mayhem, Satyricon, Immortal, Darkthrone or Emperor changed the face of Metal with its icy and satanic premise, and since then, to the bad of many, the fief has never been the same.

After the hackneyed world of demos, rehearsals and shows for four cats (and three, drunk as a vat) the warriors of Silenoz and Shagrath got down to work not to clash in a genre in which the magnificent works are already they were becoming scarce. "For All Tid", the previous work of Dimmu Borgir, gave us a fierce album, very nihilistic and dark, with a lot of secrecy about Bathory and the great names of the past, and in the middle of 1996, just when the Norwegian bands positioned themselves facing Futuristic thrones (and Cradle of Filth, very clever of them, took advantage, like nobody, of the move), the combo of Shagrath decided to edit a great work. It was good to be considered the puppies of the move. Dimmu Borgir was going to show the whole world that his message was as hot and seminal as that of Satyricon or Emperor. Dimmu went for it all, and "Stormblast" certifies this.

A cover, rather dated, but with a certain grace, shows us the illustration of a tower, and in full storm. Will it be one of "The Two Towers? No idea, but hey, it works as a Black band presentation: storms, the night, a castle, clouds ... finally, everything a presentation in the genre must have Thank goodness, that over the years, they improved, and a lot, their style when it comes to "showing up" in stores. Well, let's not digress. To live "Stormblast" has been said ...

"Alt Lys Er Svunnet Hen" ("All light has faded") that begins very precious, with a piano that knows how to move, soon becomes more hungry and harmful and cries out for revenge. Speed, some very majestic keyboards, a full-blown drum kit, a very accurate vocalist (with some flair to Gunther of "Ancient Rites") and a Bathory-like aura at various points in the composition. Symphonic and atrocious Black Metal, overwhelming and loaded, totally, with feeling and passion. That keyboard movement is priceless as of minute 2.50. Intense beauty. What a blast. Total classic, both Dimmu and Black Metal.

"Broderskapets Ring", a small tribute to Tolkien's mythical book, (obviously, "Lord of the Rings") envelops us in dense, malevolent and murderous darkness. The tempo decelerates, the melody catches us and Shagrath, who alternates aggression with a greater profusion of clean (and spoken) notes, comes out, both with his six strings and with his work as narrator. Beautiful relaxation and, again, with a tremendous whiff of Bathory. Which Norwegian gang does not pay homage to them? Evocative song. Another hit.

Born with a certain flavor to Darktrone and Emperor, "Nar Sjelen Hentes Til Helvete" does not hide the band's unbridled passion for being a riffera machine and a thunderous creator of classics. The work of Tjodalv, the imposing drummer, is memorable. The middle part, with that bewitching piano, is also in charge of raising the bar, never to move the neck again as if possessed. Epic attack, but without mercy.

"Sorgens Kammer" (instrumental, of which I have a couple of minutes, or more) and "Da Den Kristne Satte Livet Til" (with a very dedicated Shagrath and a dreamy atmosphere) serve as hors d'oeuvres, with a lot of hook, to the queen of work, the girl spoiled by Dimmu in 1996: "Stormblast". From the initial storm that serves as our intro, Dimmu throws us, with unbeatable mastery, a theme that excites, tears the soul, makes you hit headbanging, which has an ideal setting, with compact and solid instrumentalists (in addition to being highly engaged) ) and that both intends to be the fastest, as suddenly, wants to be the most (darkly) daring, or intense. If the 96 album was a living organism, "Stormblast", the theme-title, would be the heart. The one in charge of making him pump our fucking blood. To make it boil and burn us alive. It's cool to burn to Dimmu's rhythm. Of course. The end, with another part of the piano that leaves you hypnotized with beauty, makes us want nothing more than to listen to the song again. What a hymn. The theme has it all to compete with the best. To the list of magnificent black metal compositions, such as "I'm The Black Wizards" by Emperor, "Mother North" by Satyricon or "As the Eternity Opens" by Immortal, without thinking, we must add "Stormblast". Few themes, in the obsidian realm of Black, have given me so much. Immensely brutal and epic. (Almost) As beautiful as Quorthon's rebirth.

"Dodsferd" (hybrid "Mayhem-Emperor-Immortal"), "Antikrist" (with an anthology bass-guitar duel, and another of the best moments of the work), "Vinder Fra En Ensom Grav" (with a lot of meat "Emperoriana") unleash the inner beast of the Dimmu, and incidentally, ours. The history of Black Metal, from its origins with Quorthon to the 95 era, is served, as a sonic encyclopedia, in "Stormblast". It is noted that Shagrath and his were the sea of ​​inspired. And eager for a throne, it wouldn't take long for them to arrive.

"Guds Fortapelse - Apenbaring Av Dommedag", the final affront, which begins with a lot of "Wagnerian" meat, soon releases more blood, nails and leather, and at full speed. More evil anger, more "epic-anti-Christian" intent, and Dimmu's final effort, at work, to make us bleed with pleasure. A point and end of the most accomplished.

Total horns (mega-tall) for Dimmu Borgir and his "storm-smasher". A worthy enemy to the biggest, oldest names in the kingdom. Huge anteroom to the grandiose "Enthroned Darkness Triumphant", and a giant leap on the scene. Masterpiece.

Burzum "Hvis Lysset Tar Oss" (Cymophane Records 1994)

Hvis lyset tar oss (Norwegian for If the Light Takes Us) is the third studio album by Norwegian black metal solo project Burzum. It was recorded in September 1992, but was not released until April 1994, whereupon it was released through Misanthropy Records and Vikernes' own record label, Cymophane Productions.[1] The album is considered a classic in the black metal scene.[5]

All tracks written by Count Grishnackh.

No. Title Length

1. "Det som en gang var" ("What Once Was") 14:21

2. "Hvis lyset tar oss" ("If the Light Takes Us") 8:04

3. "Inn i slottet fra droemmen" ("Into the Castle from the Dream") 7:51

4. "Tomhet" ("Emptiness") 14:11

Total length: 44:27

Production: 

Count Grishnackh (Varg Vikernes) – vocals, guitar, keyboard, synthesizer, drums, bass, production

Pytten – production

Varg Vikernes recorded the first four Burzum albums between January 1992 and March 1993 at the Grieg Hall in Bergen. However, the releases were spread out, with many months between the recording and the release of each album. During this time, Vikernes became a part of the early Norwegian black metal scene and befriended Mayhem guitarist Euronymous. The two developed a feud that culminated in Vikernes stabbing Euronymous to death in his apartment building in Oslo in August 1993. He was arrested a few days later and, in May 1994, was sentenced to 21 years (the maximum sentence in Norway) in prison for murder and several church arsons.

The album cover features a drawing by 19th century artist Theodor Kittelsen named Fattigmannen (The Pauper). Vikernes dedicated the album to Fenriz of fellow Norwegian black metal band Darkthrone and "Demonas",[6] possibly referring to Demonaz from Norwegian black metal band Immortal. Promotional copies sent to fanzines included the song "Et hvitt lys over skogen" (Norwegian for "A White Light Over the Forest") instead of "Tomhet". "Et hvitt lys over skogen" later appeared on the 1998 compilation album Presumed Guilty.

According to Vikernes, Hvis lyset tar oss is a concept album, about:

"[...] what once was, before the light took us and we rode into the castle of the dream. Into emptiness. It's something like: beware the Christian light, it will take you away into degeneracy and nothingness. What others call light I call darkness. Seek the darkness and hell and you will find nothing but evolution."

It’s actually surprising to me how one of the most praised and popularly acclaimed releases by the thoughtless masses supposedly or allegedly belonging to the black metal genre is actually one of the worst albums in the genre, and doesn’t actually represent the genre whatsoever or make a valid presentation of its musical attributes in any way at all, but rather takes everything bad and of the lowest quality possible about it and condenses it in an almost parodic sea of thoughtless deviation and pointless randomization of looped passages of weak instrumentation and atrocious vocal sections of straight-up bad delivery. Can’t forget about the worthless ambient passages that sound like a knock-off of more well thought-out, more styled-up, more elaborate, and all around higher quality ambient works. 

If there’s one single positive thing I can say about this release is the fact that it’ll definitely make a lot of people who initially might have thought of black metal as an extreme genre stay the fuck away from it after listening to “Hvis lyset tar oss” for fifteen minutes and beginning to fall asleep on the spot. At the same time though, quite ironically, this is actually one of the full-lengths that has brought black metal to the attention of the most random of idiots who actually don’t know a single thing about black metal, yet feel like they’re some kind of experts on the genre after having listened to this dishonest, frail piece of work that deconstructs everything of any quality that the originators of the genre built in favor of pointless faux-image, atmospheric drivel, and a frail, sad-sounding frontman that no one would want to listen to for too long unless being under the peril of contracting his apparent deadly disease that renders his emotions vain and his expression void of any kind of strength or attitude were an attractive thought to them. So perhaps driving away those wanting or looking for extremity in the genre isn't even a good thing.

The music on this whole album is completely forgettable and nothing to write home about. The riffs are paper thin, there’s no real consistency to the melodies at hand, and the risk of them ever getting stuck in your head is minimal, as much as they’re repeated time and time again needlessly throughout the endless minutes of duration of the only four tracks that make the grand total of 44 minutes and 28 seconds of running time. Both the first and the last track are over 14 minutes long for no reason at all. The musical ideas presented through each one of the tracks aren’t necessarily all that bad per se, but they become absolutely unbearable when they’re repeated and capitalized on time after time, after time, after time, after time, etc, ad infinitum. The endless droning is obviously supposed to be intended as an extra added atmospheric quality to the music, but this is not atmospheric black metal really, since it doesn’t even properly reach that level, but instead it stays in a weird interval between the more solid tonalities or sounds and the weaker or more distorted tones of a proper atmospheric release, never daring or never risking too much, probably due to the lack of solid ideas or of confidence of the songwriter in his own skills.

Gehenna "First Spell" Head Not Found (1994)

1994 was a great year for black metal. De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, Hvis Lysett Tar Oss, Pure Holocaust and Svartalvheim are only a few of the genre's classics released that year, and for somewhat reason, First Spell is excluded from the list. Why?

This album release date in June 1994, has atmosphere, and a hell of it. The excessive keyboards that accompany the album are actually in place (at most of the album) and add to its creeping and chilling nature. The melancholic ice-cold riffs and powerful bass lines are performed with a high level of skill, and the vocals feature not only screaming, but hissing, whispering and even growling at times. From the very beginning of this album, the church organ wails to warn you of the upcoming terror- dark, melancholic, melodic, but still in-your-face-kvlt madness resembling a fusion between The Damned and Immortal. 

Track list is:

1.     The Shivering Voice of the Ghost 

2. Unearthly Loose Palace

3. Angelwings and Ravenclaws

4. The Conquering of Hirsir

5. Morningstar

The songs themselves are diverse. Some featuring an epic and upbeat feeling at times, with suddenly contrasting into a morbid and sombre atmosphere- imagine a Type O Negative album covered by Emperor. The enhanced bass and keyboards, with melancholic acoustic parts, which are a fairly uncommon thing among black metal albums of this time, are shown here in their full pride and glory- but are a little over emphasized and make the guitar sound buried deeply under the wall of sound this album makes. The lyrics are something between In the Nightside Eclipse and Burzum. Sometimes juvenile and pseudo-philosophical, and sometimes sophisticated and deep. This doesn't interrupt the album's atmosphere and feeling- and is only a minor part of it.

So that's it. You've already reached the end of your forest journey, with no blast beats and overlong intros, but with a great foggy atmosphere and corpse paint on your face. Recommended.

Line up is: 

Dolgar Vocals, Guitars, Songwriting (track 1), Lyrics (track 1)

Sanrabb Guitars, Vocals, Songwriting, Lyrics

Svartalv Bass, Vocals (backing)

Dirge Rep Drums

Sarcana Keyboards, Songwriting (track 1)

1994 and Gehenna cast their "First Spell" leaving breathless the underground scene with their unique majestic black metal evoking a beautiful darkness ans sorrow. Great Ep for norwegian band. 

Burzum "Aske" Deathlike Silence Productions (1993)

Perhaps the epitome of the Norwegian Black Metal movement of the early to mid 1990's, these hymns are the creation of a visionary. Recorded and released at a time when new ground was being broken musically and ideologically, 'Aske' is not so much a 3 track mini Ep as it is a statement. The front cover alone (a photograph of the scorched remains of the Fantoft stave church, which also serves as a little reminder of the Count's extra-curricular activities) is enough to give you an indication of the ideas Grishnackh was purporting at the time. "Aske" release date March 10th, 1993.

Somewhat of a rarity here, this incarnation of Burzum is not solely Varg. Emperor's Samoth lent his bass-playing talents to 2 of the 3 tracks (namely tracks 1 and 3), though it's hard to notice, honesty. The production is rough and raw, but the guitars and drums, and vocals are clearly audible, and overall the production suits the music perfectly. 

The 3 tracks on offer are all excellent. "Stemmen Fra Taarnet" is a grim, Bathory-esque headbanger of a song. Beginning with a simplistic first-wave-sounding BM riff and developing slowly into an epic yet subtle piece, the feeling prevalent is one of soaring Norwegian landscapes by the sea, of water, and of fjords. Atmospheric is an understatement. The song ends very abruptly, strangely enough, leaving the listener momentarily off balance. 

Before given time to recover, "Dominus Sathanas" begins with an evil as fuck riff. Layered guitars provide harmonies and melodies that are equally menacing and sorrowful. Early on, Varg whispers something then lets out an acidic scream around 30 seconds into the track. Although short and somewhat repetitive, this effort serves as a good intermezzo between the 2 behemoths either side of it. 

"A Lost Forgotten Sad Spirit" is a fucking masterpiece of ashen, hateful, "depressing" (before that term became stale and meaningless) black metal, which is hard to describe musically, because the level it works best on is spiritually. This is another grand, epic firestarter, bringing to mind the image of a Norwegian standing in front of a blazing church in the black of night, gazing with pride upon what he has just created. Again, the pace is slow to moderate for most of the song, at times sounding like the kind of thing Nortt might do nowadays, though not as well.

The Count's burning screams embody perfectly the prevailing mood and spirit of this mCD. The sound of one man struggling against Christianity, single-handedly fighting to rid his proud, noble country of the pathetic Christian plague, and attempting to, with music and fire as his weapons, bring back "what once was". Close your eyes, and be taken to another place. A place where the strong prevail. Where the spirits of old are alive once more. 

The complete Ep from 1993.

Svarttjern "Dødsskrik" Soulseller Records (2016)

Svarttjern bring new scintillating tablets on the market in a very regular way, this time it took two years before "Dodsskrik" was released to mankind. Recorded at Gravlund Studio and Sæther Studio in January 2016. Mixed and mastered at Strand Studio.

The track list are: 

1.-    Intro 01:12  

2. All Hail Satan 04:42   

3. Admiring Death 04:09  

4. Blessed Flesh 05:57   

5. Det River I Meg 03:59  

6. Whispers and Prayers 03:35   

7. Stars and Death 05:26  

8. Dødsskrik 04:03  

9. Hengivelse til Døden 04:44  

10. Acid Dreams

In any case, the five-man has remained loyal to his path so far, and in the year 2016 "True Norwegian Black Metal" is also in the best reink culture. 

Svarttjern are: HansFyrste (Vocals), HaaN (Guitars lead), Fjellnord (Guitars rhythm), Malphas (Bass) & Grimmdun (Drums). 

At the same time, the Osloians are used to varying degrees. Thus, the tempo is constantly varied over the entire playing time. While the opener "All Hail Satan" still presents itself in the best midtempo, the following "Admiring Death" lags much more quickly, before the tempo is also adjusted downwards. It's definitely not going to be cleared here, even if it's a good time to give it a shot ("Det River I Meg"; "Stars And Death"). In Midtempo, on the other hand, the songs unfold more impressively, also because the gentlemen have a feeling for melodies, but they are never placed too much into the foreground. With a fine bass run, the title song is inserted into the title song, which thereby has its own groove, before the song slowly but constantly takes up ride.

Dodskrik has become a completely successful and varied Black Metal album with which one can extend the cold season a bit longer. If you listen carefully, you can discover some fine details, such as melodic songs on the bass ("Hengivelse Til Døden"), guitarsoli ("Whispers And Prayers") or something like that in the otherwise very riff-focused, very raw songs Like a real lead guitar ("Stars And Death"). Fear, the band would be softened, or even a step away from the straight path of the black metal, but nobody needs to have it: already with the overall concept of SVARTTJERN, once more clichés such as "All Hail Satan" belong to the compulsory program as Corpsepaint , Artificial blood, rivets and leather, the Norwegians are already stifling such doubts. This, however, should not surprise or disturb anyone in this context - since you have already seen something else in Black Metal.

With their fourth album, SVARTTJERN remain loyal in every respect: with "Dødsskrik", they not only meet the tightly defined concept of "True Norwegian Black Metal", but also qualitatively fulfill the associated expectations. So, SVARTTJERN recommend themselves with album number four as an underground secret tip and keep their discography. 

Darkthrone "A Blaze In The Northern Sky" Peaceville (1992)

One of the seminal releases of the infamous second wave of black metal, "A Blaze in the Northern Sky" serves as a stepping stone for Darkthrone to their own particular niche in black metal as well as a guide for the less inspired as to how to create phenomenal black metal. This second album is a funny because Darkthrone obviously wears their influences on their sleeves and the album obviously owes much to CF/Hellhammer, yet at the same time this disc contains its own unique voice and there simply has never been an album like it.

Track list form this album: 

Sice A:

"Kathaarian Life Code" – 10:39

"In the Shadow of the Horns" – 7:02

"Paragon Belial" – 5:25

Side B:

"Where Cold Winds Blow" – 7:26

"A Blaze in the Northern Sky" – 4:58

"The Pagan Winter" – 6:35

Setting themselves apart from their contemporaries, Darkthrone strived to achieve a catchy and 'metal' album. Not forgetting the importance of riffs from the forebears of black metal, and the thrashy/groove elements championed by Morbid Tales Celtic Frost, Darkthrone implements guitar solos (something many second wave, as well as modern black metal bands, tend to overlook), mid-section groove stomps and countless rhythm changes. When comparing this album to contemporaries of the time it is interesting to see how Darkthrone retained a death metal/trash sense of composure and time. "Immortal's Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism" is a good, but wholly inspired by Bathory effort which offered little variance amongst its tracks and seemed much more restrained. also abstains from the absurdly fast-all-the-time style of De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas or the dreary slow dirge of Burzum. Really comes out as its own and as a unique vessel in the second wave. Like a good thrash album, This album offers a sense of fun and invigoration, something like feels more foreboding and moody.

Line up 1992

Nocturno Culto Vocals (lead), Guitars (lead)

Zephyrous Guitars (rhythm)

Fenriz Drums, Vocals (spoken lines, intro), Lyrics

The instrumentation, attention to detail, and overall vibe given by A Blaze In The Northern Sky seems to make their contemporaries look childish, Darkthrone were musicians and creators of music first and foremost, while they paid great attention to their appearance, it wasn't until Transilvanian Hunger that they begun to exchange creativity and performance for image and reputation.

The drums are so powerful and authoritarian on this album, I love it. They guide each song with such brute strength and have a great tone. Fenriz's performance is one of my favorites and is very fun and interesting to listen to. The guitar work is top notch and countless riffs are undeniable classics. Every song is a classic, its hard to skip anyone of them, and downright unfair to say anyone of them is unimportant.

Darkthrone have defiantly established themselves as one of the most important names in black metal, and much of that credit is given to Transilvanian Hunger. But it was with this album that Darkthrone modernized the music they had been influenced by and were able to create many of the variables that have characterized the scene since. The album surges and jumps, contains a vibrant and robust production that really emphasizes the power behind every instrument, another element they lost to the muffled and lifeless production of Transilvanian Hunger.

For me, it is a tough debate between De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas or A Blaze in the Northern Sky as the king album of the second wave. They offer radically different approaches to the genre in question, and are amazing in their own right. A Blaze In The Northern Sky always seemed like a good stepping stone from thrash and death metal to black metal, Feels like an album that requires a lot from the listener and isn't as simple as just picking up.This is one of the few albums i actually have fun listening to as an activity in of itself. If this album doesn't catch your fancy the first time around, put it down and come back to it, because it really is a marvel and gem of music as a whole.

Some links about vids alive.

Live 1991

Finland 1991

"Paragon Belial"

Mysticum "In The Streams Of Inferno" Full Moon Productions (1996)

If someone was interested in industrial black metal and I could only show them one album, In the Streams of Inferno would probably be that one album. It encompasses everything one might look for in industrial metal; it's frantic, ugly, mechanical, grey, and uneasy. After listening to a quiet, one minute introduction with only some percussion in the background, "The Rest" kicks in in full force with very machine-like and militaristic drumming, and distorted riffs to complement the aggressive tempo taking place. Vocals range from higher pitched shrieks to inhibited yells, drowned out by the rest of the music. Synths and samples occasionally fit in to add an extra dose of industrial terror.

The track list are:

1 Industries Of Inferno 1:12

2 The Rest 4:36

3 Let The Kingdom Come 5:06

4 Wintermass 5:55

5 Crypt Of Fear 6:19

6 Where The Raven Flies 4:25

7 In Your Grave 3:43

8 In The Last Of The Ruins We Search For A New Planet 5:41

Line-Up was:

Mean Malmberg - Vocals and Guitars

Prime Evil - Bass and Programming

Cerastes - Guitars

That is the main formula for most of these songs, but the music is a bit more complex than that. Each track has its own set of smaller ideas that help differentiate them from the rest. After listening to this album, you'd be amazed at learning how versatile industrial black metal can really be. A good example is in "Crypt of Fear." The song starts with roughly 100 seconds of uncomfortable synths that paint an atmosphere of bleakness. Then, the heaviness and speeding drums pop in abruptly. This time, as opposed to higher shrieks, the vocals have a more yelling sound similar to what you'd find in some older thrash bands. They're catchy enough so you can "sing" along in your head. All of a sudden, the music slows down unexpectedly and the vocals revert back to the higher shrieks. The music is now bleaker than ever, showing a new shade of grey ugliness that Mysticum capitalizes so well on. It's an absolutely menacing song that will make you see how miserable this world really is!

On the other hand, "Wintermass" has a more moderate tempo, focusing a lot more on synths; however, the synths are hard to hear so you'll need to listen well. The music reminds me of something you'd hear in an old, abandoned factory that still produces...This track is also a great example of how influential the riffs are in making that atmosphere. The notes played are incredibly deep and foggy thanks to the unclear production. Again, there's a sense of misery and tension coming out of these tracks and the members of Mysticum really hit the nail on the head in accomplishing that ambience. 

At the end of the day, there isn't too much more to say about In Streams of Inferno. It has everything that makes an industrial black metal album great and more! Even the cover art is cool - a blackened landscape being drenched by a storm-infested ocean. Nothing bright is to be found! I gaurantee you'll find something interesting about this album. Even if you thought industrial metal was lame in the past, or never really got into it, the guys behind Mysticum might be able to tell you otherwise. In Streams of inferno was(and still is) a one of a kind album that no doubt influenced many newer bands like Blacklodge and it didn't happen for no reason. Buy this album and you'll be please that you did.

1996

Some link about a few album´s songs.