When listening to classic ’90s black metal albums, it’s easy to lose interest in modern music. However, several masterpieces have demonstrated that the movement is still giving birth to its best works. Dødheimsgard’s Black Medium Current (2023), Djevel’s Naa skrider natten sort (2022), Dødsengel’s Bab Al On (2022), and Mare’s Ebony Tower (2018) each represent highlights of the genre. There are so many bands creating exceptional content right now: Slagmaur, Thorns, Vulture Lord, Vemod, Whoredom Rife, Shining, Nordjevel, Behexen, Deathcult, Doedsvangr, Dark Sonority, and so forth. Ironically, Nargaroth, the one-man powerhouse behind the demo Fuck Off Nowadays Black Metal (2000) and much more, remains another one of the top reasons not to give up on the genre.
Within the past few years, a plethora of groups have emerged that have caught our attention for various reasons: Ilhalung, Ekrom, Ulvehyrde, Hild, Vathr, Avmakt, Psykdom, Kvaen, Fír, Tirgûl, Suicide Circle, Sarvekas, Nattehimmel, Tilintetgjort, Glemsel, Kas, etc. So check out our 14 picks to restore your faith in the dark arts!
Duivel
The phenomenal Dutch project Duivel is the brainchild of Nachtraaf, who is known for his work with a long list of bands like Urfaust, Botulistum, and Fluisterwoud. At a very early stage, Jim recruited the help of NYC’s best, Black Anvil’s frontman Paul Delaney. Duivel unleashed their eponymous EP in 2019 and their debut album, Tirades uit de hel, in 2020. More recently, Duivel surprised us with the EP, Heiligschennis (2023).
Heiligschennis, of course, features Nachtraaf on guitar and Paul on bass. Ex-Fluisterwoud’s Lahar provided drums on a couple of songs as did D.R.E.P.’s Deportator, who also recorded, mixed, and mastered the EP. The guest vocalists, in order of appearance, are Kombustar of D.R.E.P.; El Invunche of Invunche; Havoque of Heidenland and D.R.E.P.; and Botmuyl of Botulistum, Alhistja, and formerly Wederganger. The synths were handled by Klavierendeler. Fír contributed the intro and outro. Artist Johan Prenger is responsible for the cover painting.
Syn
Ole A. Aune, the genius behind Terratur Possessions, described Syn as “…a new project from the south of Norway, including an Askeregn member.” We are quite pleased to hear about Syn’s connection to Askeregn — another band that we urge you to check out. Syn’s magnificent first song, “Groregn,” premiered on the breathtaking TERRATUR COMPENDIUM MMXXI, where you can also find tracks by the next two groups on our list. It is literally the greatest compilation that I can remember hearing. Others look like Disneyland in comparison to this brutal triumph.
Parfaxitas
The bearer of more fantastic news, Aune confirmed that Parfaxitas is “a brand-new project with K.R from Whoredom Rife on vocals, N. from Oculus and Merihem on guitars, J. from Suffering Hour on bass, and B.E. from Sinmara and Almyrkvi on drums.” As always, K.R’s vocals on TERRATUR COMPENDIUM MMXXI’s “Thou Shalt Worship No Other,” which is sublime in every respect, demonstrate that he ranks among the greatest BM vocalists of our time.
Kråbøl
According to Aune, Kråbøl represents “several generations getting together under the banner of their family name, and it turned out amazing!” The result is, in fact, absolutely stunning! The project features B. Kråbøl on vocals, guitars, and synth; T. Kråbøl on drums; S. Kråbøl on bass; and M. Kråbøl has contributed trumpet to a couple of songs so far.
T. and S. are actually Terje and Stian — two incredible artists who have been involved with so many great bands. Stian, a.k.a. “Crowbel,” plays with Funeral and Tulus as well as the sister band of the latter, Khold. Earlier this year, Khold was nominated for a Spellemann, or “Norwegian Grammy,” for Svartsyn (2022), and they definitely should have won. At present, Terje belongs to Katechon and Killing for Company. The brothers have actually collaborated in both Sarke and Minas — Stian is still a member of the latter band.
Even prior to hearing the astounding “Fundaments” on the comp, we knew that Kråbøl would blow us away because Brage Kråbøl’s work is absolutely spectacular with the pick below and Misotheist, which was formed a little earlier but is one of our top-recommended BM outfits.
Enevelde
B. Kråbøl released the self-titled debut album by his one-man project, Enevelde, in 2020. Enevelde includes guest appearances from K.R and M. Hellem as well as Nosophoros of Nidrosian groups like Ritual Death, Dark Sonority, and Mare. In 2021, Enevelde caught us off guard with the EP Gravgang, which was actually created in a single weekend. En Gildere Død (2023) is yet another sensational album. It boasts appearances by V. Einride, M. Hellem, and T. Kråbøl. Enevelde is truly top-notch, so we hope that awareness of this band’s art will spread.
Syning
Syning unleashed the beautiful curse of their eponymous first record in 2021. Haunting, cold, one-of-a-kind yet nostalgic, and utterly perfect, Syning hooks you quicker than cocaine. This Nidrosian outfit boasts the extraordinary talents of V. Einride of Whoredom Rife, Cernunnus of Trondheim’s Manes and Manii, and Levninger of Knokkelklang and Askeregn.
It would be impossible to overstate the importance of Cernunnus, an ingenious songwriter and the only constant member of the legendary Manes. While Manes has been on an experimental path since the painfully pleasurable Vilosophe (2003), Manii was born in 2011 during a time when Manes had broken up. Manii represents the creative reunion of Sargatanas and Cernunnus, who made Manes’ highly influential black metal recordings together. Today, both Manes and Manii run parallel. Manii now includes V. Einride on drums, so their roster has become very similar to that of Syning.
Theriomorph
Theriomorph rose from the ashes of Finland’s Cornigr. It is the solo project of the highly accomplished veteran artist P.E. Packain / Vainaya. For Theriomorph, P.E. Packain mines inspiration from old ideas to create art that feels wholly fresh. Last summer welcomed the release of Theriomorph’s glorious debut, Diabolical Bloodswords (2022). Poetic, macabre, and otherworldly, this album delivers exactly what you want from black metal and more as it explores unexpected impulses. If the hellish drums don’t make you want to enlist in Satan’s army, nothing will.
Høstsol
This January, Høstsol unveiled their long-awaited debut record, Länge leve döden, via Avantgarde Records and The Sinister Initiative. This miraculous pan-Nordic (Swedish/Finnish/Norwegian) victory deserves a place alongside the established classics. Høstsol was actually formed in 2020. Mayhem’s Hellhammer was the original drummer. The band’s current lineup consists of Shining’s Niklas Kvarforth on vocals, Ajattara’s Rainer Tuomikanto on drums, Ajattara’s Kalmos on bass, and Cernunnus on guitar. Kvarforth, who has stated that he has been working with Cernunnus on different projects for years, actually contributed vocals to a song on a 2009 split between Cernunnus’ Manes and Vicotnik’s long-dead Manes of Askim, Pro-Gnosis-Diabolis 1993 / Solve et Coagula.
Doedsmaghird
Last year, Vicotnik stole the show on Peaceville’s 35th-anniversary compilation, Dark Side of the Sacred Star. Vicotnik’s two tracks on the comp — Dødheimsgard’s “Stemmen fra evigheten” and our very first gem by Doedsmaghird, “Then, to Darkness Return” — are the closest thing to space travel, death, and rebirth that most of us mortals will experience during our lifetimes. Allow these masterpieces to transport you here. Proceed with caution: Doedsmaghird has been branded the “more grim and malevolent twin” of Dødheimsgard.
RUÏM
Founded in 2020, RUÏM is the brainchild of the ex-Mayhem riff-master and genius Blasphemer. Inspired by a tape of Blasphemer’s unused material from ’98/’99 and his beliefs concerning the spirits of the “linha da esquerda,” RUÏM takes you on a journey that is deeply personal and ultimately transformative. Blasphemer handles all but drums, which are executed by the stellar French musician CSR. Our very first auditory glimpse into the world of RUÏM came in the form of the duo’s contribution to Dark Side of the Sacred Star, “O Sino da Igreja (Threat Mix).” RUÏM’s brutal yet majestic brand of musical supremacy proves that Blasphemer is still the crowned king of black metal guitarists. Although Blasphemer has provided vocals for other projects, the fact that he sings on RUÏM’s divine debut, Royal Spiritism – I – O Sino da Igreja, makes its historic release even more glorious.
Jordsjuk
Jordsjuk is one of Norway’s most promising new groups. Their music is a blend of death metal and blackened thrash. Jordsjuk’s all-star lineup consists of Renton, Sagstad, and Mannevond. These musicians have formerly played with- and continue to remain active in many of black metal’s finest bands: Koldbrann, NettleCarrier, Urgehal, Sarkom, etc. This April, Jordsjuk unleashed the killer song “Stein til byrden.” Even before their name could spread, Jordsjuk was booked to play at ORGIVM SATANICVM III, alongside the likes of Sweden’s Ultra Silvam and the UK’s Stahlsarg. It seems that Jordsjuk will find instant success.
Nathr & Related Projects
Nathr is a blackened funeral doom project from Trondheim that arose in 2020. Thus, these masters of atmosphere, abysmal depth, and darkness put a highly unique spin on Nidrosian BM. The vocals, which are often harsh and ferocious, strike you with remarkable intensity while the music has a certain finesse that underlines the greatness of the musicians involved. Nathr, who is signed to Signal Rex, released the EP Beinahrúga in 2021 and contributed a nearly 20-minute song to the split Shadows Crawl in 2022. Nathr consists of Ond of bands like Funeral Harvest and Plog; Plog’s Norther, who has assisted with Funeral Harvest; and Nathas, a.k.a. Lord Nathas, the frontman of Funeral Harvest. Northr was actually born in the Netherlands, and Nathas relocated from Italy.
Lord Nathas, like his collaborators, is an incredibly talented artist. A highlight of 2022 was hearing him sing two duets with Wraath, his bandmate in Ritual Death and Fides Inversa, when the latter appeared as a guest artist for a total of three tracks on Funeral Harvest’s debut record, Redemptio (2022). Formed in 2016, the same year as Funeral Harvest, Ritual Death may not be all that new, but it would blasphemy not to mention them since their debut album premiered in December 2022: Lord Nathas provides bass and backing vocals.
On a related note, I also recommend Beyond Man, which includes Wraath and Funeral Harvest’s Enstad. It’s a bit strange to call Beyond Man a young band because a different incarnation of the group existed previously as Vordrinn, which dates back to at least 2005, possibly longer. All the same, Beyond Man would not assume its current form until 2020. Nathas contributed vocals to a song on their 2021 self-titled album.
Ild
Ild is the one-man band of Horgmo, a photographer. Nostalgic and often depressive, the atmosphere-packed music wields a very rare, mysterious, transcendent charm. The poetic lyrics are excellent as well. Ild’s career kicked off with the demo Knippe in 2020. Interestingly, the now disbanded Hogstul made an orchestral transmutation of the song “Offervals” from Knippe that became available in 2022. Ild’s first full-length album, Fandens lykteskjær, was published in 2021. Like the demo, it was mastered by the USBM artist Mikael Vredensdal. One of the songs from Fandens lykteskjær was later placed on a 2022 split with Livløst. Ild keeps a low profile, but let’s try to bring them out of the darkness a bit by showing our support for this underground band.
Ene
Conceived in 2020, Ene is the Necro Black Metal project of Erik E., who briefly played in Windir under the moniker Sorg. Although Windir tragically came to an end with the death of its leader Valfar, the “Sognametal” group remains one of Norway’s most important treasures. Erik E. actually made a guest appearance with Vreid — the band that rose from Windir’s ashes. Given Erik E.’s history, it isn’t surprising that Ene’s work will put you in touch with nature. Ene’s first album, Lang kald natt (2021), is easy listening for lovers of raw, forest-dwelling, atmospheric music with great melodies. Lang kald natt was mastered by Dan Swanö.
