The Best Album by 11 Legendary Black Metal Bands

Here are the best albums by 11 legendary black metal bands!

If you are a true black metal fan, you know that tough questions like “What is the greatest Watain release?” can become a persistent enemy of sleep! With so many quality offerings in their catalog, how does one decide?!

While, today, we will be putting minds at ease in regard to some of the genre’s most famous powerhouses, there is a certain monolith from Trondheim worth naming that, according to the likes of Scream Magazine’s Roy Kristensen Bakland, belongs beside the titles below: Mare’s lone full-length record to date, Ebony Tower (2018). Although Mare, founded in 2003, has long been considered legendary in underground circles, these titans are becoming more well-known, and author Finn Håkon Rødland predicts that they will go down in music history.

READ MORE: 12 CLASSIC BLACK METAL ALBUMS TURNING 30 IN 2025 

Before revealing our list, we must note that the brilliant producer Eirik “Pytten” Hundvin proves its MVP, given that he’s responsible for four of our picks and many more of the movement’s finest moments. Pytten helped classic bands achieve magical brutality and rawness, yes, but also sophistication and often massive atmospheres at the beautiful Grieghallen.

Get your copy of Emperor's classic 'Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk' in Loudwire's vinyl shop!

In conversation with Sound On Sound, Pytten explained: “Grieghallen was and still is the home of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra... What a lucky coincidence! What could be more attractive than checking on the Bergen Philharmonic’s basement percussion pool — timpani, huge bass drums, gongs of different sizes. The best dungeons ever for creative black metal souls…” Verily, several of the following masterpieces are equal to the works of Edvard Grieg!

Follow Loudwire on YouTube.