Top 10 Greatest Black Metal Albums

The Top Ten
1 De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas - Mayhem

I always contended that Blood Fire Death was the greatest black metal album ever, but recently I saw Mayhem perform this album in its entirety live, front row. I knew the show was gonna be intense, but woa. They gradually turned the lights down, and fogged up the entire venue. After a dramatic intro, the members came out were black hooded robes. I was about 5-10 feet from Necrobutcher and Charles Hedger for pretty much the entire show. I made I contact with Necrobutcher at least 20 times that night and he had this blank, intimidating stare that could turn a man to Stone. Anyway, I had never seen a video of a recent mayhem show, and during the first breakdown in Funeral Fog, Atilla comes out with his hood up and... He literally looked like a demon of some sort. They made the whole album seem like a concept album with weird rituals in between songs. By far the most captivating show I've seen since King Diamond.

Sorry I rambled a lot.

2 In the Nightside Eclipse - Emperor
3 Under the Sign of the Black Mark - Bathory

One of my top 15 favorite albums of all time. The reason why this is the best black metal album is that it could be released at any point in time (including today) and still be perfect, due to the experimental nature and unique production.

Bathory is great but I would choose blood fire death and hammerhead
Hail bathory!

The best black metal album ever!

4 Hvis Lyset Tar Oss - Burzum

Torment, Hatred, Passion, Rage, Sadness, and Darkness in the purest form delivered through the incomparable howls, thrashing riffs, and smashing drums of the most inspired musician of the millennium, and what a badass name too.

I believe there will be nothing better then this masterpiece! The intention was to bring a counter reaction to death metal.
He was the reason that black metal was born!
This album is more then black metal!

A lot of my favourites here, but this one encapsulates black metal as I like it - less mindless drum pounding, more reflection.

5 Storm of the Light's Bane - Dissection

.. Can't understand its on this positions... Must be a matter of definition if it's a black metal thing... The musicality of this album isn't still unmatched, secound to none in extreme Metal.

Melodic and Violent, led by a man who followed his beliefs, no matter what you think of the, til the end.

This or the Somberlain has to easily be the best black metal, of not best ALBUM of all time.

6 Filosofem - Burzum

Varg Vikernes Masterpiece! This Album got me into the World of "Black Metal"!

Best after The Mysteriis in my opinion.

7 At the Heart of Winter - Immortal

My favourite black metal album by my favourite black metal band.
It has great production, fantastic riffs, awesome lyrics.

Simply the best one in it's genre, alongside bathory's hammerheart.

8 Transilvanian Hunger - Darkthrone

Very good album. One of the first BM albums that I heard. It's not my favorite of all time it's just my favorite in the top ten as well as gorgoroths destroyer and immortals at the heart of winter. Those 3 are my favorite in the top 10 on this list.

One of the albums that got me into extreme metal. It's amazing!

I got this when I was 8or 9years old, one of my favourite.

9 Panzerfaust - Darkthrone
10 Bergtatt: Et eeventyr i 5 capitler - Ulver

Bergtatt effortlessly blends black metal and folk music. The true black metal masterpiece.

The Contenders
11 A Blaze in the Northern Sky - Darkthrone
12 Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk - Emperor

The true emperors of black metal with their unmatched evilness and magic.
Each song got more riffs to make an album.

This should be number 1! Simply THE best black metal album. It has never been bettered. How is this only at 14?!

This and Nightside are absolute classics. Everything that came later is pretty mediocre though.

13 Nemesis Divina - Satyricon

This devilish stuff totally blends in the real darkness, masterpiece!

14 Blood Fire Death - Bathory

The album that perfected the guitar sound for the 2nd wave of Black Metal to follow and proto-typed so called viking, pagan metal, basically indefinable and any top ten black metal list should not include Bathory or early Venom for that reason. They are beyond this.

A True Masterpiece! with unique production and beautiful acoustic part, quorthon's Fantastic harsh vocals, killer riffs, just... there is no way to describe this masterpiece. so great, so brutal and so beautiful at the same time.

This is great to listen to while playing Skyrim.

15 Dark Medieval Times - Satyricon

Basically, these guys started the whole "Viking medieval" thing in black metal, later used by Enslaved and many other bands.
This album doesn't get the attention it gets.
Each song on the album is basically my favorite.

The flutes and ambient keyboards just make this album so atmospheric. It takes me to another time and place, far away from the degeneracy and shallowness of the modern world.

This needs to be higher. It's basically pre-Opeth.

16 Bathory - Bathory

This album should be number one because it basically started the black metal scene

17 Sons of Northern Darkness - Immortal

What wrong with you people, this is the greatest black metal album ever! Next to Blood Fire Death from Bathory!

18 Panzer Division Marduk - Marduk
19 The Mantle - Agalloch

Perfection is this blackened prog-folk metal album. Perhaps, a one of a kind band. Take note that this is not what a purist would called "black metal". But this album is a journey on itself. Hypnotic.

I don't have enough linguistic resources to express the beauty of this atmospheric black metal album

20 Deathcrush - Mayhem

In my opinion the best Mayhem album, as it contains the live versions of the band's most emblematic period. Also the best black metal album, as it embodies the full spirit of the genre.

Hahhaha, I love this one, Death Metal/Grindcore elements in this album are awesome, utra fast drumming, tempo changes, everything is awesome, and Euronymous's best riffs.

I don't like putting one album over the next... but Deathcrush is amazing

21 Exercises in Futility - Mgła

On of the best album ever created (without division into music genre)

Every time I listen to this album I wonder how beautiful it was

22 Pentagram - Gorgoroth

This one should be at least top 10. Come on!

23 Far Away from the Sun - Sacramentum
24 ...Doedskvad - Taake

No matter how all of you voted for mayhem, this is the best black metal album ever

25 Unchain the Wolves - Destroyer 666

Underrated album, better that many because they don't just rip off Bathory while capturing that early Black Metal sound.

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