There's so many albums that I will just focus on my 9 favorites. I also disqualified compilations and live records which I usually do anyway for these kind of posts. So no Live In Leipzig by Mayhem that one was also recorded in 1990 and was circled around in the scene long before its official LP release in 1993. I'll save that one for a separate post.
This isn't a list of my top-9 albums in some particular order, sure some records are better then others, but to list them all would be too much of a hassle. So in NO PARTICULAR order the best Black Metal and Death Metal albums of 1993:
Dissection - The Somberlain
Okay already breaking my word but out of these 9 it's the best album that I can say for a fact. Usually I will say that I prefer Storm of the Light's Bane (1995) but whenever I hear The Somberlain all the memories of this one comes back. It's so perfect is the only word that can describe it.
I know this album inside out, can probably hear just 2 seconds of any song at any moment and know immediately what song it is. I listened to this one so much in my young teenage room and while drinking beer with friends to this day. Also remembering having it on repeat while reading all of The Lord of the Rings and Tolkien's other books.
Morbid Angel - Covenant
I love the Altars Of Madness; Blessed Are The Sick; Domination and Abominations Of Desolation records but Covenant is without any doubt my favorite Morbid Angel album. It's also my favorite Death Metal record of all time. Sure that The Somberlain had much Death Metal influences but that one I associate more with the Black Metal scene.
Anyway with Covenant I think the band made their best one all songs are amazing. The order those songs are placed on the record is also perfected from the fast opening Rapture until the end with God of Emptiness one gets onto a journey of Death Metal supreme. I could talk about every song here but I got so much more to write about.
Burzum - Det Som Engang Var
Once I fully understood this albums awesomeness it became a 10 out of 10 album. Recently did a long post about this record. This have become my go to album in the Burzum discography during the last couple of years, sure Filosofem (1996) is better, but this one is still a great genre defying record.
Marduk - Those of the Unlight
The 2nd Marduk album is also my 2nd favorite Marduk album of all time and was the 2nd Marduk release I ever bought. It's very different from the debut Dark Endless (1992) and the followup Opus Nocturne (1994). I just think that Those of the Unlight sounds like a very unique record in their vast discography. No other album sounds like it in the entire Marduk catalog, sure every record has it own sound but this one is very special.
The first Marduk longsleeve I ever bought was actually a Those of the Unlight shirt. With "Death To Peace" and "War At Last" on the sleeves, on the back the dragon that can be seen inside the original CD booklet and the text written on the last page.
Dismember - Indecent And Obscene
Not as good as the Dismember debut album Like An Everflowing Stream (1991) but still a brilliant Death Metal album. Have probably listened to this one as much as the debut. Actually put Indecent And Obscene at number 9 of my best Death Metal albums of all time and I still think it was a right decision made months ago.
The band had really progressed since the 2 years since their debut album at the time I did actually prefer Clandestine (1991) by Entombed. That's still a great a record but a couple of months after the release of Indecent And Obscene my opinion changed and Dismember became my favorite band.
Immortal - Pure Holocaust
My favorite album by Immortal. At the time and already as early as on their 2nd album it's so very amazingly refined. The sound, the structure of the songs and the lyrics are all so brilliant. If I was to introduce anyone what Black Metal is I would probably choose this one and about 3-4 more.
Not saying that Pure Holocaust is in my top-4 Black Metal albums but if I ever made such a list it would rank high.
Darkthorne - Under A Funeral Moon
Another amazing release and a timeless classic in the genre, however not my favorite Darkthrone record. Still in my top-3 of their albums though. If I remember correctly it was the fourth album by Darkthrone I bought (maybe third) sometime in the mid 90's.
I was such a big fan of everything that Fenriz was associated with back then, I still am, but back then I wanted every record he ever appeared on it was how I discovered many great albums. But about Under A Funeral Moon it is so great that I cannot even pick out any favorite songs because they are all amazing.
Emperor - Emperor EP
I was a huge fan of Emperor in the 90's (still am) but getting a hold of the Emperor/Enslaved split CD on Candlelight Records wasn't easy in the mid 90's. Believe it was during a Stockholm trip it was bought or if I mail ordered it, not certain though. All 4 songs appears on the In The Nightside Eclipse (1994) album and I had heard those to death so this was a great find when I finally got it.
Some prefer the Emperor EP versions of the songs. Myself like the album versions better might be much thanks to the nostalgia I got for In The Nightside Eclipse which were the first album from the Norwegian Black Metal scene that I ever bought. A brilliant 20 min Black Metal EP that everyone should own.
Enslaved - Hordanes Land EP
The first Enslaved album I bought was Frost (1994) actually the Emperor/Enslaved split CD was bought much thanks to Emperor. But to get the Hordanes Land EP was a great bonus and it was played as much as the Emperor EP. One definitely gets one's money's worth with that split release just Hordanes Land alone is almost 31 min long.
I can never figure out which one is my favorite Enslaved release sometimes it's Frost (1994) then again Vikingligr Veldi (1994) is also amazing and whenever I listen too Eld (1997) I'm reminded how awesome that one is. Maybe Hordanes Land is my favorite after all?
There are MANY honorable mentions!! However non mentioned non forgotten. Could've done a part II or my 20 favorites and I'm already breaking my promise... Both Unanimated and Carcass were almost included. But for Instagram posts the symmetry is better with 9 where I usually post all the stuff you see here. Many of the albums I didn't buy on CD back in 1993 because I was more into the Death and Thrash Metal scene at the time.
There are MANY honorable mentions!! However non mentioned non forgotten. Could've done a part II or my 20 favorites and I'm already breaking my promise... Both Unanimated and Carcass were almost included. But for Instagram posts the symmetry is better with 9 where I usually post all the stuff you see here. Many of the albums I didn't buy on CD back in 1993 because I was more into the Death and Thrash Metal scene at the time.
Dismember, Morbid Angel, Slayer, Entombed, Kreator and Unleashed were probably my favorite bands at the time many of these was released. But all that changed when I found out about Dissection and the masterful The Somberlain (yeah I know Metal of Death). It was thanks too that I started getting an interest for the Scandinavian Black Metal scene.
Anyway that was my favorite 9 releases of 1993. It's most for fun I do these posts and opinions can always change, but did list about a month ago and I still stand behind the choices I made.
Anyway that was my favorite 9 releases of 1993. It's most for fun I do these posts and opinions can always change, but did list about a month ago and I still stand behind the choices I made.
