10" EP from Finnish black metal masters, Baptism. As always, this is a release of top-notch Finnish black metal, just the way you like it. Northern Heritage. 
The second full length from Finnish black metal powerhouse Baptism. As always, a very solid, memorable slab of black metal in the same melodic vein as Satanic Warmaster. Highly recommended if SW and Goatmoon and the like are your bag. Northern Heritage. 
Baptism is a more traditional black metal band from the frozen tundra of Finland, and this is their debut full length (and a powerful debut, at that!). A keen sense of melody is present, and overall, very strong music (definitely one of my favorite finnish black metal bands). Definitely recommended for fans of Satanic Warmaster and Goatmoon. Northern Heritage. 
Bannerwar has been a player on the Greek black metal scene for 8 years now, creating intensely atmospheric, nationalistic black metal. This is an absolutely fabulous epic black metal album, with lush keys, and overall great composition; overall, very epic. I'd recommend this to fans of epic black metal, bands such as Kataxu, Fanisk, and even Emperor. Battlefield Records. 
Another gem of Ukrainian hatred and nationalism. Like all of Astrofaes' releases, this is nothing short of solid and satisfying. Recommended to all fans of Ukrainian black metal, or Slavic pagan black metal in general. Ancient Nation Records. 
Along with the mighty Nokturnal Mortum, Hate Forest, and Drudkh, Astrofaes is one of the leaders of the now quite popular Ukrainian black metal scene. This album is a good representation of the quality folk-infused, fervently nationalistic black metal being created by Astrofaes. Recommended to anyone who likes the Ukrainian scene. This is my personal favorite of their albums, but all are high quality. Eclipse Productions. 
A very bizarre, interesting, macabre, and all-around awesome band. While the members are incredibly secretive, it is known that they have their origins in Japan, but their contact address is in France, and they have very heavy ties to the L.L.N. That being said, on to the music. There are definitely some strong ties, melodically, to the French scene. The stand-out aspect of this band is certainly the vocals, from harsh black metal rasps, to King Diamond-esque falsettos. A very unique, but none-the-less solidly ass-kicking release. Aura Mystique Records. 
Absolutely stunning debut full-length from Germany's Anti. Absolutely oppressive and depressive black metal. While the genre is flooded with many mediocre bands, Anti stands out from the pack, as a truly unique, particularly good depressive black metal band. Obscure Abhorrence Productions. 
Debut album of French raw black metal fanatics Animus Herilis. A prime example of new french black metal. Raw as hell, hateful as fuck, with a keen and twisted sense of melody. Recommend to any fans of French black metal as a whole. Oaken Shield Records. 
The most recent album from Denmark's masters of pagan black metal. Beautiful, atmospheric melodies, aided by use of a cello, along with an old-school black metal edge. Highly recommended. Det Germanske Folket Records. 
Far and away my favorite Danish black metal band, Angantyr combine a distinctly scandinavian black metal sound with pagan elements and a heavy use of melody, as well as the incorporation of violin. Highly recommend anything by this band. For fans of Taake, Windir, and 2nd-wave Scandinavian black metal. Blasting Black Semtax Attack Records. 
Neige does it again, this time with his main project, Alcest. A drastic departure from his black metal roots, this album maintains some black metal elements (mostly present in the guitar riffs and the drums), but overall, ventures much further into shoegaze, dreampop, and post-rock territory. An absolutely beautiful release, and one of my absolute favorites of the past year. If you like tr00 kvlt black metal exclusively, avoid this like the plague. But if you have an open mind, you need to check this out. I cannot recommend it enough! Prophecy Productions. 
Anyone who knows me, knows I am a huge fan of Neige's work, be it in Alcest, Amesoeurs, Peste Noire, or Mortifera. This is Alcest's debut EP, which marked a drastic change from the more raw black metal of the demo. This is essentially the bridging point between the black metal past of Alcest, and the Shoegaze/post-rock/dreampop future of Alcest. Essential listening, as Neige is a musical genius. Highly recommended. Drakkar Productions. 
Akitsa is one of the most well-known of the now-burgeoning Canadian black metal scene. Fiercely patriotic, with heavy amounts of Québecois nationalism, and a raw, primal, bare-bones, hateful black metal attack. A great release for fans of raw black metal. I'd recommend to fans of Ildjarn, Geimhre, and even early Absurd. Autistiarili Records. 
Along with (arguably)Burzum, Strid, and a handful of other bands, Abyssic Hate was one of the first movers of what we now know as depressive black metal. Although Abyssic Hate has been around since the early 90's, the debut full length, Suicidal Emotions, was not released until 2000. This album is what depressive black metal is all about. Melancholic, beautiful, repetitious melodies, a raw and filthy atmosphere, and an overall feeling of complete self-hatred. An absolute MUST for Depressive/Suicidal black metal fans. No Colours Records. 
Here it is, the full length that really put Absurd on the map. Stripped down, raw, and dirty, but with absolutely amazing melodies. Absolutely wonderful release, with a heavy amount of atmosphere and raw pagan hatred. If you haven't heard Absurd yet, start here. No Colours Records. 
My personal favorite of Abigor's releases, this album sees Abigor travel into heavily neo-classical-influenced black metal. Intricate guitar work, lush synth arrangements, beautiful female vocals (used sparingly to good effect), makes this an all-encompassing, wonderful release. If you don't have it, you're missing out on one of Abigor's best. Napalm Records. 
Austria's Abigor has been producing their own unique-sounding brand of black metal for well over a decade now, starting near the tail end of the second wave of black metal. This is one of the albums that has really established them as a big name in the black metal world. If you're a fan of black metal, you probably already have this one. But if not, here it is in all it's blackened glory. Napalm Records. 
One of the catchiest damn blackened thrash bands to walk the planet, Japan's Abigail has been releasing quality bang-yer-head black/thrash for years now, and this album is no exception to their catchy and dirty rule. Great riffs, great vocals, great everything. For fans of Venom, early Bathory, Hellhammer, Sabbat, and Sodom. Bang your fukkin' head. Drakkar Productions. 
Windir is a rather legendary band in black metal/folk metal circles, and with good reason. Valfar, the brains behind Windir, was an amazingly talented songwriter, guitarist, and accordionist. Arntor is known by most fans of the band as a sort of pinnacle in black metal, and especially a creative pinnacle for the band, with epic, folk-oriented songs, with heavy atmosphere. I really cannot put into words how wonderful this album is....one of my top 10 favorite metal albums of all time. Highly, highly recommended...no, required! Head Not Found Records. 
Spite Extreme Wing is an amazingly talented black metal band from Italy. I am hard pressed to find any flaws on this album....very unique melody, mixed with bombast, atmosphere, and intelligent lyrics based entirely on the writings of Julius Evola. I highly recommend this album. Behemoth Productions. 
No intro needed. Every tried n' tr00 black metal fan should already own this, but if you don't, here's your chance to check out one of the most brilliant and kick-ass black metal bands going today. SW has always been reliable at releasing top-notch black metal, and this release is no exception. My personal favorite. No Colours Records. 
The most recent EP from Finland's October Falls. While most of Mikko's music in October Falls has has a neofolk bent, "The Streams of the End" EP flirted with dark metal. Sarastus marks a return to his melancholic, gloomy, stripped-down, and beautiful neofolk sound. No Sign of Life Records. 
Second album from Finland's masters of melancholic folk-rock. This album is actually a Christmas album, with Viikate's take on many traditional Finnish Christmas songs. The title "Vuoden Synkin Juhla" translates to "Gloomiest Celebration of the Year", so that should give you an idea of what to expect. Ranka Recordings. 
Another amazing melancholic folk-rock masterpiece from Finland's Viikate. Ranka Recordings. 
Viikate's debut album, another wonderful piece of melancholic folk rock. Always a wonderful experience. Ranka Recordings. 
If you've checked out the other Viikate albums i've posted on here, you know what to expect. For the uninitiated, Viikate play a generally down-tempo, melancholic folk-influenced hard rock. The closest comparison I could give would be recent Amorphis without the death metal elements. Either way, a wonderful, wonderful band. Highly recommend all their albums. 
Once again, another band that needs no introduction, Moonsorrow has been at the head of the folk/viking metal pack for a long time now, and this latest EP is just another fine example of the talent in this band. May I go on record saying that calling this an EP is hilarious...it's an hour and 8 minutes long...but every minute is good. In addition to the new track (a immense, epic song), they do the best Metallica cover i've ever heard, re-record 2 old songs from their demo days, and do an amazing cover of Merciless' "Back to North". All in all an awesome release. Spinefarm Records. 
I'm sure your first thought when listening to this will be "Vreid who?". While half of the members of Windir went on to form Vreid after the tragic death of Valfar, the other half (and, as proven by this release, the soul) of Windir went on to form Cor Scorpii. This album would not sound out of place at all in Windir's catalogue...a completely beautiful, epic, atmospheric recording of folk-influenced black metal. If you have ever called yourself a fan of Windir, you owe it to yourself to pick up this recording. Highly, highly recommended. Descent Productions.
Really, a black metal classic. This would be in the running for my top 10 favorite black metal releases. Amazing melodies, wonderful guitar solos, skillfully crafted songs, gut-wrenching vocals, and a raw, sick atmosphere, makes this release, all in all, pretty much amazing. In my opinion, anything Neige (Alcest/Amesoeurs/Mortifera) touches, turns to gold. This is no exception. De Profundis Records. 
An absolute black metal masterpiece, in my opinion. This is the new album from the French black metal band, Celestia, which is essentially the one-man project of Noktu, who is a legend in of himself, with such notable acts as Gestapo 666, Mortifera, Genocide Kommando, and Peste Noire. And for this masterpiece, he is joined on synths by none other than Malefic, of Xasthur. Even though it's only February, I can already safely say this is one of the best black metal releases of the year. 10/10. Highest recommendations. Apparitia/Paragon Productions. 
Seminal second album from these celtic folk-punk bastards. Mixing the rich musical history of irish music, with the intensity of punk rock. Consistently one of my favorite bands. Not much to say, other than that this release kicks ass, and I recommend it to everyone. SideOneDummy Records. 
The newest album from up-and-coming French depressive black metal band Défaillance. The mastermind also behind Ulfang and While Sad Spirits Around Me Stroll returns with arguably his finest release to date. For my money, one of the better releases in a genre plagued with generic mediocrity. Some of the most anguished, almost wolf-like howls and shrieks, beautiful melodies, and synths that remind me of Filosofem-era Burzum... A very, very strong release. Highly recommended, especially for fans of his other projects, fans of Burzum, and generally, all fans of well-crafted depressive black metal. Ewiges Eis Records. 
I feel this needs no introduction, but for the uninitiated, i'll give it a shot. I consider this to be one of my all-time favorite albums, regardless of genre. King Crimson has influenced so many through the years, from Rush, to Opeth, Dream Theater to Enslaved. Many consider this to be the birthplace of conventional progressive rock as we know it, but there is so much more to it. Almost 40 years after it's release, it still sounds fresh, exciting, and relevant. This album has everything, from the crushingly awesome riffs of "21st Century Schizoid Man", to the haunting, epic soundscapes of "Epitaph", to the Psychedelia of "I Talk to the Wind", the jaunts into contemporary orchestral music in "Moonchild", and arguably one of the most Triumphant and breathtaking album closers ever, "The Court of the Crimson King". I cannot recommend this enough, to anyone who appreciates genuine, talented, amazing music. This is one of those timeless records that will never get old. Island/Atlantic Records. 
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2006 EP from Poland's Mgła. Essentially a one-man band from M., from Kriegsmachine. Very good, raw, yet melodic black metal, with a rather old-school feel. I highly recommend all of Mgła's material, but this is a particularly good release, in my opinion. Garazel/Flagellum records.
