I recieved an email the other day from Forbidden Records, an Oregon-based label that I was not familiar with. Having already established a pretty impressive lineup of eclectic black metal releases, the idea of listening to all of them to pick and choose for individual reviews seemed daunting. Ultimately, I just said f#$k it; why not just share them all together? If you dig the 2nd wave black metal aesthetic, you really ought to check these out.
Raw, buzzsaw black and death metal with ugly death metal vocals. Extremely lo-fi.
Slightly more modern black metal a la Mayhem, Corpus Christii or Taake. Highly aggressive, ruthlessly straightforward.
One of the more unique projects on this list, Goatcraft focuses on ambience and classical piano to create a dark-yet-beautiful cinematic experience...and it's highly effective.
This group actually has a number of releases you can check out on the label's page. Gritty production and purposefully repetitious tremolo melodies make for a ritualistic-sounding black metal experience.
Dark and disturbing black metal with distant, muddy production. There are some industrial elements to their sound, and these vocals are among the most disturbing in the lineup. Death metal croaks from the abyss. Reminds me a bit of Autokrator.
More icy, chilly black metal with rugged production and hypnotic atmosphere. It's aggressive, but not without its more melodious touches. Think Murg. Find two albums from this one.
Another unique entry on the Forbidden Records lineup. Labyrinth is what Burzum would be if Varg had been more obsessed with video games than morbid and Satanic imagery. What follows is basically an 8bit videogame soundtrack in a medieval theme. Find two different releases from this one on the Bandcamp page.
Straight black metal with some old school and thrash influences.