I think you forgot the Colombian Scene. Parabellum, Sacrilegio, Blasfemia etc... For me it isn't real first wave black metal, but also doesn't fit in with the second wave black metal. They were way ahead of their time for me. But glad to see that finaly someone showed some love for Sabbat, Vulcano, Masters Hammer...
As far as I've seen, your channel is the only one making videos like this. Keep doing it! I look for these whenever I start getting into a particular genre, but I can hardly ever find a video on it; even Death Metal, all there is is an Anthony Fantano video... where he shows some of the most popular Death Metal albums ever. Keep up the good work, these will definitely help people get into the music.
Root is probably my favourite first wave act. Their first 3 albums are amazing and I love that they evolved their sound over the years and didn't stick to any formulas nor did they try to capitalize on the success of the 2nd wave.
Morbid is one of my favorite bands. I think that Dead's vocals on December Moon are some of the most eerie , monstrous , and unique vocals ever recorded and the music is absolutely amazing.
First wave black metal is one of my favorite waves of black metal simply because of how many gems there are hidden within it. I couldn't help but agree with every single one of these. I'm glad you chose Into the Drape for Mortuary Drape since that was the EP that got me into them and most people only mention All the Witches Dance. Totally agree about Masters Hammer and Bulldozer as well. You pretty much summed up what Bulldozer are - Venom but better and faster in every way. Italy is one of my favorite places for first wave black metal hands down. Fantastic list man.
Hey love the 2nd wave as much as the next guy but for me the first wave smokes it! Poison ( Germany) Sodom’s and Destruction’s first albums! Parabellum!!!! From Columbia! Vulcano’s debut is one of the best South America has to offer! Good call there! As well Pentagram from Chile!
My favourite first-wave BM album will always be the Steamhammer version of Sodom's "Obsessed by Cruelty," with Bulldozer's "Day of Wrath" being a close second 🤘
true, its because Quorthon basically kept going with debut bathory's punky energy but created a much more depressive, harsh and evil atmosphere via production sound and vocal style. thats what makes The return the black metal bathory album truest to the genre.
My Top favorite Black Metal and Black Metal related bands 1. Agalloch 2. Darkthrone 3. Desaster 4. Moonblood 5. Drowning the Light 6. Blasphemy 7. Bathory 8. Summoning 9. ColdWorld 10. Abigor 11. Foudre Noire 12. Horna 13. Alcest 14. Grand Belial's Key 15. Deafheaven 16. Sargiest 17. Emperor 18. Black Funeral 19. Anaal Nathrakh 20. Forteresse 21. Hinsidig 22. Empaligon 23. Ulver 24. Ghost Bath 25. Sorcier des glaces 26. Marduk 27. Seeds of iblis 28. azghal 29. gorgoroth 30. Lord belial 33 black alter 34. Limbonic art And many more
Fact: Bathory's best album is Blood Fire Death... no debate. Nice concept... woulda dug a mention of NME, Show No Mercy, Morbid Visions (do people not realize that Wagner formed Sarcofago AFTER he left Sepultura?), for that matter the first shit from Dorsal Atlantica, Parabellum/Blasfemia (probably the most important bands out of Colombia and essential to anyone digging into black metal's past). And not even a passing mention of Samael's Worship Him or their demos... for shame Wyatt ;)
Man thanks for the recommendation of awesome first wave bands I was that guy , only knew Bathory, Venom, hellhammer, sarcófago ,you just won a subscriber
Sarcofago is first wave and there probably one of the bands to really influence second wave. Volcano was probably the first from Central America and South America. I feel like really south and Central America really created the sound for black metal that ppl did in the second wave
I like the first wave A LOT more than second wave Not too edgy or takes itself too serious And the playing and production i feel like was better It was gritty, ambient bad in a good way imo and actually brutal and evil With 2nd wave i gotta be honest is kinda annoying to listen too And in general i feel like the 2nd wave was a lot more about the bands themselves or the controversy not too much about the music It’s like the actual music is overshadowed by the production and band and everything surrounding it. I don’t want it to be mainstream popular or good on a level like thrash or death I just want brutal heavy riffs with brutal evil singing that isn’t just death metal growls or screeching Bathory was cool but nowadays it’s overdone I know it’s supposed to be extreme but the 1st wave was actually does imo do that in a great way Aldo i love the Rock ‘N’ Roll/Speed Metal playing approach Venom has, its awesome as hell Their singing also was really cool Cronos has a awesome as hell voice we need more speed metal like deep rough voices in black metal.
Good to hear someone bring up Sabbat, Master's Hammer, and Bulldozer. These guys were ahead of their time. You should do a video of bands that influenced the first waves like Angel Witch and Witchfynde. If you have that's even better. Rock on dude 🤘
Interesting concept for a video if you ever see any magazines from the 80's sitting probably at the back of a record store if they have any sections for tape trading & penpals anyone back in the day would be citing they were into Black Metal would be listing Venom Bathory Celtic Frost Hellhammer Mercyful Fate King Diamond Sabbat Bulldozer & early Kreator & Sodom as the band's they were into ever if you come across copies of Metal Forces magazine like I did a couple of years ago pick them up for the Penbangers tape trading & penpals section they actually make a fascinating time capsule read along with Mega Metal Kerrang! & Kerrang! Kontacts the latter was purely for such ads ....
Destruction's first two releases (E,Ps.) Rudimentary? Maybe, but glorious noise. I'll never forget the first time I head Sentence Of Death back in the day.
Fantastic, first wave black metal is the best and anyone that disagrees is WRONG. Dirty sloppy satanic speed/thrash metal > most of the stuff that came out of Norway. Some other stuff I would add is Kat - 666, NME - Unholy Death, Slaughter Lord - Thrash 'Til Death, and Necrodeath - Into the Macabre.
Yeah when I try to explain why old school death metal and first wave black metal is so appealing to me, I just love the sloppy and raw sound. It's not time aligned and polished, it's perfect just the way it is. *RAW AND HEAVY* \M/
Holy shit fucking awesome video! I know I’m late to the party for this video but these are some really great essential listens. Also wanted to mention that Necrolust demo from Vader is really good too. Really influential stuff
In the sign of evil was my gateway from thrash to black metal. I picked it up blindly being already a fan of Agent Orange and absolutely fell in love. From there, I got into Hellhammer, Vulcano, early Sepultura and kept digging deeper.
I'm sure these will ruffle some purist feathers, actually i hope they do. hahaha! Destruction - Sentence of Death EP Wolfpack - Total Head Removal Exterminator - Total Extermination Poison - Further Down into the Abyss (Comp) Necrodeath - Into the Macabre Oh yeah and UK Sabbat did much for Second and even Third Wave Black Metal and they were just a Thrash band.
First wave BM would always be my sweetheart because of all the directions it can go. Not to say 2nd wave BM can't go places. Quite the opposite. But with 1st wave its even crazier. I keep seeing many early first wave acts (being highly regarded by BM fans) being referred to as death metal, thrash, punk like its part of one genre. To me, it says how versatile it is despite the blackened feel.
Beherit was more a second wave black metal since they released their demos and albums in the early 90ties when the second wave started, although it could be argued that oath of black blood harkens back to the 80ties with hellish soundscapes to the likes of Sargofago and Vulcano.
Also Goatlord (demos and both albums), Beherit (demos and Drawing Down the Moon), Blasphemy (Gods of War), and Varathron (His Majesty at the Swamp). If you want to go to the roots of the first wave in the late 70s/early 80s, then NWOBHM bands like Angelwitch, Witchfynde, Pagan Altar, and Cloven Hoof are your ticket!
You saying first wave black metal is overshadowed by second wave black metal couldn't be any more true. Until recently I thought the second wave was the first wave.
as much as i dont like loudwire, i must give them credit for my music taste today. my black metal interest started with seeing a loudwire video with emperor in it. i started off on emperor and moved on from that
Some of my favorite riffs may from the second wave on, but for me the first wave's "batting average" for riffs is much, much, much higher. Anyone who is a fan of riffs over the more atmospheric elements found in second wave and modern black metal could easily listen to nothing but first wave black metal and be just fine. It really is a shame how over looked first wave black metal is, and this is coming from someone who mostly listens to DSBM.
These bands are a mix of different styles, and sounds, a little bit of everything from heavy metal, punk, thrash, and death metal. No doubt these bands paved the way for what would become black metal. Elements of some of these bands were picked up later by other bands, but the true black metal sound that we know of today was established in norway. But, I still love all the early stuff because they had different styles and they didn't all sound like copy cats, and all the early stuff wasn't held back by a certain label, it was just extreme metal of all sorts.
Great list! Here's another early BM band: Moonspell. They started as a black/ folk metal band and today they evolved into dark/ Gothic metal. Have a look at the albums under satanae and wolfheart.
Cant forget the chaotic australian early black/death/thrash scene either! Bands like sadistik exekution starting war metal, great bands like slaughter lord, martire, corpse molestation/bestial warlust, Destruktor and so on
blasphemys demo pioneered war metal id argue Sadistik Exekution, in truth, is a death metal band that is highly influenced by punk and old school bm, and also black sabbath.
@@wyattxhim No but those three moderately sized names in the genre so it's weird that you either didn't know about them or just aren't fans of them. Though fittingly you did do what you set out to do since we're talking about black metal bands so good job on that.
@@MegaDoom89 it’s not that I’m not fans of them but more of why waste my time in a video explaining stuff people already know I mean I did say I wanted to talk about the “unsung heroes” of the 1st wave
As a BM fan I have never heard nor seen Volcano. Production and sound is perfect. I listened to Morbid Visons by Sepultura a lot when I found it as a kid and from what I read Volcano are also from Brazil. Black/Death Thrash done to perfection. Now, I am gonna be that guy. imo venom is not black metal. Their influence and impact on the future of black metal and even coining the term goes without question but by this logic would we consider Slayer's "Show No Mercy" black metal? I wouldn't, but to cronos anything satanic in nature is black metal. Venom popularized the term and back then I would understand using it in this way when there wasn't a solid definition of what black metal was, but black metal as we know it now was intentional, in the 80's the term was used more loosely. Bathory, to me anyway, was the first "trve black metal" project even though Quorthon pretty much stole riffs from Venom witch Varg later stole from Bathory lmao. This Debate is tired at this point, as stated in the video, but these are just the thoughts of a gay metal boy so take it as you will and tell me I am wrong because I may be. On a side note, Your videos kick ass and thanks for sharing these great bands!
What about "the other Mayhem", this one from Norway, and Thorns, also from Norway? Pretty influential first wave pioneers for the whole genre and their music is very good. I just bought "Thorns" by Thorns, but I also highly recommend taking a listen to Mayhem's "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas" if you haven't already.
