These albums may or may not have been released in 2006. Some are reissues or comps of previous demos. I do not claim to be a expert or any type of purist. Quite simply these are records I discovered this year and I felt contained the most powerful examples of what I define as black metal.

				Gorgoroth - Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam This is fast, hateful, screaming black metal. No long drawn out, streaming epics Gorgoroth spawns satan fueled metal with a rolling, dealth metal like feel. Master drummer Frost (of 1349 and Satyricon) handles the rocket fast kick drums on this release which is certainly a plus. Gorgoroth have been pushing the limits of troo Norwegian black metal for over a decade. This release continues their terrible legacy. Selected Track: Untamed Forces - 3mb

				Funeral Mist - Devilry Lightening fast and just as evil, Devilry is anything but a casual listen. Anything this fast, brutal and terrible takes a toll on the listener. Yes, Funeral Mist do have a more recent record, but this is the one I keep going back to. If you're familiar with speed/thrash/black metal at all it's importamnt for me to mention this shreds past 1349 and takes it up a notch. Extra points for harsh, dark samples that keep the fear factor high. Selected Track: The God Supreme - 4.6mb

				Heresi - Psalm II: Infusco Ignis Skamfer is a one man killing machine. This Swede is rumored to have spent time in a mental hospital and has created his own black metal infuerno, Heresi. No slow, grimm droning here, just fast, brutal tracks of despair and rage. A short record at 30 minutes, it does a great job of beating you to a bloody pulp. Maybe not as slowly depressing and suicidal as Xasthur, Heresi paints a dim picture with a harsher and swifter brush. Selected Track: Prosairesis - 4.4mb

				Krohm - Slayer Of Lost Martyrs / Crown of the Ancients These tracks were first seen in 1997 as demos and have been recently re-released. Krohm is Numinas, another US black metal misanthrope. The ambient, long tracks are quite twisted and evil. They swing back and forth from focused high end production to an almost amateur basement like quality. This just adds to the desperate aching feel to the recording as a whole. An interesting black experiment. Selected Track: Veneria's Call - 6.9mb

				Leviathan - Verrater Wrest is a busy man. The San Francisco artist so perfect in the Norwegian arts has many records and split LPs to his name. This particular two disc set is the best from his first 13(!) cassette releases. It is now out of print but I was able to find a copy of the rare 666 printed earlier this year. I prefer his earlier home recorded work. Evil, primitive and with a bit more song structure then his later releases. The speed and style varies a bit while displaying the skill and power that has made Wrest a black legend. Unholy perfection. Selected Track: Black Fire Serenity - 4.5mb

				Lurker Of Chalice - S/T The second project from Wrest of Leviathan fame. This time the work is more epic and pummeling. Nine tracks of slower rumbling black metal. Or is it metal at all? It's feels of a dark and epic battle recorded and pieced together with gothic, sometimes spoken, sampled vocal work. This is a massive soundtrack to a darker time. Most interesting here are the melodies and harmonies that sometimes weave in and out of the droning ambience. These bring a pained, focused sadness to each song. Recently reissued on Southern Lord, this is highly recommended. Selected Track: Granite - 6.2mb

				Spektr - Near Death Experience A highly complex two man project that uses both lo-fi grimm sounds and, in rare cases, a clean jazz like drum mix and samples. I very much enjoy the long ambient tracks here as sort of a experimental study in emptyness. A lost horror film soundtrack? And just when you feel relaxed and somewhat safe, the fast, industrial black terror bursts in. At times this records is not an easy listen, but for me the challenge pays off. Selected Track: Disturbing Signal - 2.2mb

				Throne Of Katarsis - Unholy Halocaustwinds Created on a four track in 2004, the three tracks here where then remastered in 2006 for this CD release numbering just 750. The vocals have a very traditional screamed black metal feel with the first two songs hitting you with wave after wave of sonic force. I'll let band member Sinister explain the final track" "The last track on 'Unholy Holocaustwinds', 'Skogens Kall' was partly recorded in the woods of Liarlund. The title means 'The Call of the Forest' and is more of a pure atmospheric travel in the dark, adding the nature directly onto this demo. This track was composed and recorded by Grimnisse, while walking through this forest, and clearing his mind." It doesn't get any more black than that. Selected Track: Listen and buy here

				Wolves In The Throne Room - Diadem Of 12 Stars Hailing from Olympia Washington Wolves are not the average BM band. No corpse paint, no grand visions of satanism, just very powerful music linked back to nature in a primitive and distant way. This album contains only four tracks, each hovering between 13 and 20 minutes. It's hard not to picture yourself walking through the dark woods during a North West rain while the songs flow into each other. One of the records I listen to most often...with heavy riffs and interesting changes in the high, dense mix. My favorite record of the year. Selected Track: Visit their MySpace for samples

				Xasthur - Subliminal Genocide For better or for worse Xasthur is getting a lot of attention these days. Malefic, the Southern California man who is the band Xasthur, most likely couldn't care less. This latest release follows his long series of intensely misanthropic, mid-tempo cursed black metal. The vocals are far off, horrible shrieks of solitude and despair. The sound is very close to the original sounds of black metal from Norway, yet it seems to have it's own style. Not all the songs are strong and the albums has many strange dips and shifts in the mix. Some may dislike this hit and miss quality but I think of Subliminal Genicide as one long complex work. It's completely dark and totally evil texture wins me over. Selected Track: Beauty Is Only Razor Deep - 8mb

If you're a fan of any of these tracks I urge you to BUY the music.
This is music you need to support, not download.

Special thanks go out to Jason of Sonic Corpse Glide / Aquarius Records.
He introduced me to a many of these records on his site and
through the record shop. All hail his pure metal devotion!

A dark and unholy thanks also go out to A Blaze In the NJ Sky,
Blodårstid , Northern Vantage and Oakenthrone zine.


See you in a few weeks. Thanks for any and all the support in 2006.