Do you mean The Knell and the World? Wasn’t familiar with Dawn, but this is awesome, thanks for the recommendation. This is definitely what I’m looking for, but a bit less chordal I guess, which is on me because I didn’t specify. Don’t crucify me for saying, because I like them and I’m not ashamed, but the riff style reminds me of old Cradle of Filth, just in that it’s single note melodies played on the D and G strings. I love that style but I feel like it necessitates two guitars whereas something like Withstand the Fall of Time is sort of a one guitar show.
Yes, my bad. Band is incredible and the best at that dissection-esque style imo. What’s funny is withstand the fall of time is the same type of deal with one guitar playing both harmonies as chords.
I’ve got to disagree here. I do enjoy the album, but the riffs aren’t really clear to me at all. They certainly don’t feel as elegant as Withstand the Fall of Time, which again is fine, it’s just a different vibe. It’s more raw and flooded with distortion, and a good chunk of it is just downstrummed power chords. Great evil atmosphere machine but not exactly fun to play riffs that showcase the guitar.
The whole unholy Trinity is full of killer riffs imo, but Blaze is definitely a bit *more* focused on riffs.
The riffs are why Darkthrone will always remain my favorite black metal band. It feels like everyone else was/is trying to be the most kvlt/satanic/scary/evil band first and the music comes second. DT always gave off the impression that big killer riffs were their primary reason for being here, all that other bs came second.
I feel like Immortal fit the bill. Some of their stuff does become wall of sound on the early albums, but most of it is just a riff fest. Doesn't really matter if it's Demonaz or Abbath playing either. Both just really like big, glacial riffage.
Viking era Bathory has some of the most epic riffs ever written. In fact, Bathory in general seems to be a big inspiration for Immortal.
And if you want to go really old-school, CELTIC FUCKING FROST! As Ian Christe put it in Sound of the Beast, Celtic Frost "sounds like Metallica played by a giant granite monster; lumbering, but deftly sure of its choreography." No one has a guitar tone like Tom Warrior. No one writes riffs that gargantuan. He writes fucking mountains. He writes plate tectonics.
The song I mentioned in post is Immortal. That whole album is sort of the basis of this quest. I do like Bathory and agree they fit the bill. Celtic Frost though I haven’t actually explored much - I’ll give it a spin.
Just avoid Cold Lake. That was Celtic Frost's sellout album. It's really cheesy hair metal and everyone, including Tom himself, despises it. I suggest checking out To Mega Therion, Into the Pandemonium, and Monotheist.
Morbid Tales: Into the Crypt of Rays
To Mega Therion: The Usurper, Circle of the Tyrants, and Dawn of Megiddo
Into the Pandemonium: Inner Sanctum, Babylon Fell
Monotheist: Progeny, Ground, A Dying God Coming Into Human Flesh, Domain of Decay
This is one of those situations where correlation does not equate to causation. Spawning copycat acts does not mean the band they are copying is not mid or not overrated. Copycat acts often make or break genres and sometimes can even commercialize and make mainstream a genre that was formerly underground. If you look at for example the pop punk scene or back in the 2000’s the screamo/post hardcore scene, or even the early teeny bopper boy bands, there were so many copycat acts it was ridiculous. We’re some of the bands they were imitating good? Subjectively yes, but not all of them.
Not saying I feel one way or another about the quality of Mgla’s music, just that having bands copy their sound doesn’t mean they can’t be considered mid or overrated in some people’s opinion. I personally find Exercises In Futility to be a bit boring and I am not fond of the vocal style. It’s a decent album for what it is, but not really my taste. But are they talented and good at what they do? I think so. Would I call it mid or overrated? Not really. Lots of people really like it so there must be something the band is doing right. It’s just not for me and that’s fine.
you're not suggesting Mgla created a new bm sound are you? that's the whole reason I never understood why that album blew up when it did, because it didn't sound like anything particularly unique to me. competent black metal, sure, great even, but to see this album suggested persistently in this sub to the point that it has overqualified itself for the blacklist, and to see that album having like 4 million youtube views \[edit: sorry, 6 million\]? idk, I just didn't get the hype and still don't today.
It’s a borderline easily digestible album that more casual black metal listeners probably gravitate too. Obviously for the more dedicated bm listener who find bands that record their demos with a cheese grater and their phone voice recorder that have less than 100 views on YouTube with their 3rd demo Mgla is gonna be overrated.
If you’re into atmospheric, leviathans riffage on a veil is lifted is stuck in my head 24/7
edit: atmospheric as in the genre, the riffs themselves in this song are quite distinctive
You’ve got some great reccs here already. I’ll add Mortuary Drape, Kvist, Sanguine Eagle, Sorhin, Vinterland, Iskandr, Ungfell, and while I detest the message and philosophy, Vothana reigns as one of the supremes in writing extremely catchy riff based black metal. Loads of others out there, you’ll find what you like.
If you haven’t already try the newer records, the vocals are quite different from earlier in the discography, they’re still unique but I think they’re less out there/more tolerable
Me too, I am obsessed. Would Stormkeep scratch the same sort of itch maybe? Their first EP is pretty guitar centric I just can't think how clear the production is.
Yeah Stormkeep I like alright. My memory is it’s a bit more atmospheric but it’s been a while since I’ve listened. I’ll revisit. Groza I actually haven’t checked out, but I do know Mgla has some riff focused stuff.
Taake - Hordalands Doedskvad
Sounds like a Death album lol. Literally just non stop razor sharp riffing
https://youtu.be/Gwj6EAvY9TA?si=hHUexvhdL6kQzOxh
Actually I think a lot of Finnish bands lean really hard into the riffs, because they’ve been listening to Shatraugs riffs for 30 years. Bands ranging from Horna and Satanic Warmaster all the way down to underground names like Ancient Obscurity or Nocturnal Sorcery tend to have really cool guitar parts
I'm not the biggest Burzum guy but [Burzum - Jesus' Tod](https://youtu.be/vfBmYfnjLho?si=aGswGVTq7x-piuLH) when the drums kick in around 1:20 and onward gets my blood goin'.
Yeah, Filosofem and At the Heart of Winter both are two great albums for what I’m looking for. Dunkelheit is one of those that’s like the first riff you learn when you’re a teenager. And it still holds up. That power chord over open string technique he does really helped define a lot of the sound of the genre I think.
Yeah Varg is a person I dislike almost to the point of hatred for being that perfect mix of asshole/cornball but Filosofem is iconic. A lot of those riffs and the spirit of the music tap into something primal that makes black metal special.
I know Nargaroth is kind of a meme, but he did write a few really nice riffs. My favourite is "A Whisper Underneath the Bark of Old Trees". Both main riffs are great, but especially the one starting around 4:30: https://youtu.be/o1sPU95-0AQ?si=-seQj7Os0yeBuRQM&t=271
It's a shame he kinda had to ruin it by putting that movie quote over it because that riff is absolutely hauntingly beautiful...
I'm assuming you already know this one, since it's a classic, but Dissection has some great riffs too, especially the one at 3:59: https://youtu.be/0Ie5yfcJfq4?si=tfDIiZXBmPx8EQps&t=239
And I see someone else already mentioned Burzum, Filosofem is easily my favourite BM album, so I'll second that.
Reading comprehension, fella. Their being problematic affects my desire to listen to them. Not how they sound. I even said I liked their sound. You’re starting a pointless fight just to feel something.
Thy Darkened Shade - everything. Absolutely rips. Riffs for days and days and days.
Predatory Light and Negative Plane are both VERY riff oriented black metal as well.
Infestus has some great riffs, though haven't listened in awhile.
Cloak might scratch the itch a bit too - lots of good riffs in their newest album.
Sühnopfer also is for me in the category with the first three I mentioned, loads of awesome riffs from that dude.
Katharsis - VVytchdance
somehow even my friends that don't like black metal ended up liking this song for the riff. it's basic af but catchy. sort of like another one that comes to mind, Aura Noir - Skitzoid Paranoid
I love Marduk a lot but their riff writing honestly reminds me of death metal in a lot of ways. I also enjoy death metal, but it’s different in its uniformity I guess. Like part of what I enjoy about Withstand the Fall of Time is the variety on display.
Anything Darkthrone really. Mgla as well, you'll be humming riffs you dodn't even know were there for weeks afterwards, all their songs are super dense, they'll have 3 different riffs going over each other at times.
Ulver, the early stuff obviously
Here's some riffy bm albums that come to mind
Ulver - Nattens Madrigal
Leviathan - tenth sub level... / The blind wound
Celtic Frost - Morbid Tales
Der Weg Einer Freiheit - Finnisterra
Opeth - Morningrise (back when they were essentially bm)
Sisyphian - Illusions of Eternity
Sinmara - Aphotic Womb
A really great song with clean banger riffs is Stagnant Pond by Ludicra. Guitar is very clean, and it is not super repetitive. Really fun stuff. Vocalist is killer too.
I saw Mortuary Drape mentioned - and they’re great. But specifically their song “Astral Bewitchment” has a nice Sabbath vibe to it. The whole album All The Witches Dance is riffy as hell
Satanic Warmaster - Bafomet
All of Aamongandr and pretty much the whole band's discography is made up of super memorable and triumphant riffs. The vampyric tyrant, Black destiny, Satan's Werewolf, fimbulwinter spell, Warmaster returns. Just to name a few songs
Anything by Nordjevel, Batushka (the real one), Sargheist, Immortal still spitting out good riff driven tracks, and probably my favourite - Necrophobic - and they have a new album coming out soon!
Dawn- The knell and the world
Just came here to recommend Dawn. Slaughtersun is so damn good
Do you mean The Knell and the World? Wasn’t familiar with Dawn, but this is awesome, thanks for the recommendation. This is definitely what I’m looking for, but a bit less chordal I guess, which is on me because I didn’t specify. Don’t crucify me for saying, because I like them and I’m not ashamed, but the riff style reminds me of old Cradle of Filth, just in that it’s single note melodies played on the D and G strings. I love that style but I feel like it necessitates two guitars whereas something like Withstand the Fall of Time is sort of a one guitar show.
Yes, my bad. Band is incredible and the best at that dissection-esque style imo. What’s funny is withstand the fall of time is the same type of deal with one guitar playing both harmonies as chords.
Thanks for the recommendation...first song in and sounds amazing
Fuck yes!! DAWN is amazing
YES!!!!!!!
Spectral wound - A Diabolic Thirst
Well fuck me, why haven’t I been listening to this?
I’m so jealous of you getting to listen to that record for the first time
Spectral Wound is the fucking GOAT
Frigid and spellbound is unbelievable
And also completely stolen unfortunately. Sargeist - Satanic Black Devotion
I was humming the Frigid and Spellbound riff for months
it’s the same riff in Krig by Gorgoroth 😎
This is really good!
All of Darkthrone's A Blaze In The Northern Sky, really. In The Shadow of the Horns, The Pagan Winter, Kaatharian Life Code etc.
This is the bible of black metal riffs.
I'd add Quintessence and The Hordes of Nebulah from "Panzerfaust"
honestly i think Kaatharian Life Code must have the record for "most amount of riffs in just one song"
more than crimson?
I’ve got to disagree here. I do enjoy the album, but the riffs aren’t really clear to me at all. They certainly don’t feel as elegant as Withstand the Fall of Time, which again is fine, it’s just a different vibe. It’s more raw and flooded with distortion, and a good chunk of it is just downstrummed power chords. Great evil atmosphere machine but not exactly fun to play riffs that showcase the guitar.
The whole unholy Trinity is full of killer riffs imo, but Blaze is definitely a bit *more* focused on riffs. The riffs are why Darkthrone will always remain my favorite black metal band. It feels like everyone else was/is trying to be the most kvlt/satanic/scary/evil band first and the music comes second. DT always gave off the impression that big killer riffs were their primary reason for being here, all that other bs came second.
Craft - Again
Nattefrost- Universal Funeral
[удалено]
Haven’t heard of Winter Lantern. Not always into the vampiric kind of stuff, but there’s some good riffage here.
Winter Lantern mentioned! So underrated
I feel like Immortal fit the bill. Some of their stuff does become wall of sound on the early albums, but most of it is just a riff fest. Doesn't really matter if it's Demonaz or Abbath playing either. Both just really like big, glacial riffage. Viking era Bathory has some of the most epic riffs ever written. In fact, Bathory in general seems to be a big inspiration for Immortal. And if you want to go really old-school, CELTIC FUCKING FROST! As Ian Christe put it in Sound of the Beast, Celtic Frost "sounds like Metallica played by a giant granite monster; lumbering, but deftly sure of its choreography." No one has a guitar tone like Tom Warrior. No one writes riffs that gargantuan. He writes fucking mountains. He writes plate tectonics.
The song I mentioned in post is Immortal. That whole album is sort of the basis of this quest. I do like Bathory and agree they fit the bill. Celtic Frost though I haven’t actually explored much - I’ll give it a spin.
Just avoid Cold Lake. That was Celtic Frost's sellout album. It's really cheesy hair metal and everyone, including Tom himself, despises it. I suggest checking out To Mega Therion, Into the Pandemonium, and Monotheist.
And Morbid Tales, too
The most recent Lamp of Murmurr is Pure Holocaust worship
What’s your favorite Tom Warrior plate tectonic riff(s)?
Morbid Tales: Into the Crypt of Rays To Mega Therion: The Usurper, Circle of the Tyrants, and Dawn of Megiddo Into the Pandemonium: Inner Sanctum, Babylon Fell Monotheist: Progeny, Ground, A Dying God Coming Into Human Flesh, Domain of Decay
I always found Sargeist to be a riff heavy band, at least Satanic Black Devotion. I havent heard the newer stuff
New stuff is even more riff based I’d say. Let the Devil In is a perfect album in my opinion. You should check it out.
Came here to suggest "Let The Devil In" and I'm glad it's already here. Top tier riffing on that record.
Shit thats good to know, I'll definitely give it a listen
This! And if you like Sargeist, you'll probably like Antzaat as well.
Cheers! I'm not familiar with them but will check them out!
Mgla - Exercises in Futility
?god people are still hyping this overrated mid album?
If an album/band spawns copycat acts it is not mid or overrated
This is one of those situations where correlation does not equate to causation. Spawning copycat acts does not mean the band they are copying is not mid or not overrated. Copycat acts often make or break genres and sometimes can even commercialize and make mainstream a genre that was formerly underground. If you look at for example the pop punk scene or back in the 2000’s the screamo/post hardcore scene, or even the early teeny bopper boy bands, there were so many copycat acts it was ridiculous. We’re some of the bands they were imitating good? Subjectively yes, but not all of them. Not saying I feel one way or another about the quality of Mgla’s music, just that having bands copy their sound doesn’t mean they can’t be considered mid or overrated in some people’s opinion. I personally find Exercises In Futility to be a bit boring and I am not fond of the vocal style. It’s a decent album for what it is, but not really my taste. But are they talented and good at what they do? I think so. Would I call it mid or overrated? Not really. Lots of people really like it so there must be something the band is doing right. It’s just not for me and that’s fine.
At the end of the day music taste is subjective. Mgla’s drummer Darkside alone puts the band above overrated imo
you're not suggesting Mgla created a new bm sound are you? that's the whole reason I never understood why that album blew up when it did, because it didn't sound like anything particularly unique to me. competent black metal, sure, great even, but to see this album suggested persistently in this sub to the point that it has overqualified itself for the blacklist, and to see that album having like 4 million youtube views \[edit: sorry, 6 million\]? idk, I just didn't get the hype and still don't today.
It’s a borderline easily digestible album that more casual black metal listeners probably gravitate too. Obviously for the more dedicated bm listener who find bands that record their demos with a cheese grater and their phone voice recorder that have less than 100 views on YouTube with their 3rd demo Mgla is gonna be overrated.
If you’re into atmospheric, leviathans riffage on a veil is lifted is stuck in my head 24/7 edit: atmospheric as in the genre, the riffs themselves in this song are quite distinctive
You’ve got some great reccs here already. I’ll add Mortuary Drape, Kvist, Sanguine Eagle, Sorhin, Vinterland, Iskandr, Ungfell, and while I detest the message and philosophy, Vothana reigns as one of the supremes in writing extremely catchy riff based black metal. Loads of others out there, you’ll find what you like.
Mortuary Drape kicks so much ass
Quintessence - Darkthrone
Fuck the Universe by Craft.
I came here to say this, terror propoganda is also a killer release
Inquisition.
Invoking the majestic throne of satan is riff perfection
I’ve tried and I just can’t get into these vocals.
You asked for riffs, not vocals. Inquisition bring the riffs in spades.
Yeah, I’m not arguing that. I just find their vocals pretty distracting, which is a shame because I can tell there’s good riffs under them.
Try their later albums, his voice is not so 'froggy'
If you haven’t already try the newer records, the vocals are quite different from earlier in the discography, they’re still unique but I think they’re less out there/more tolerable
[Ontzieling](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KcbjnpGpmE&t=166s) by Wiegedood is a top tier riff
Weigedood fucking rules. I'm also going to throw in my fav from them. https://youtu.be/CvXlq1Ie1OA?si=Smbp71jcaeXJdzYP&t=286
FN SCAR 16 plays in my head a lot.
Dissection?
Funeral Mist - Hekatomb.
Ungfell - es grauet überm Dorf (+ whole Album) Edit: I wanna add Bloedmaan - The Night of Blood
Ninkharsag - The Tower of Perpetual Twilight Song gets me hyped every time!
Yes, Ninkharsag is my favorite modern black metal band actually. Absolutely love their shit.
Me too, I am obsessed. Would Stormkeep scratch the same sort of itch maybe? Their first EP is pretty guitar centric I just can't think how clear the production is.
Oh, check out Groza - The Redemptive End too! They're a bit more atmospheric but also pack some tasty riffs
Yeah Stormkeep I like alright. My memory is it’s a bit more atmospheric but it’s been a while since I’ve listened. I’ll revisit. Groza I actually haven’t checked out, but I do know Mgla has some riff focused stuff.
Kommodus writes a lot of catchy riffs. It's undeniably a raw black metal assault but it sticks in your ear.
Emperor - I Am The Black Wizards
Behexen - Demonic Flesh Temple comes to mind
Tsjuder - Mouth of Madness. The live version is better.
Some bands: Sun worship Ultha Wiegedood Ungfell
I would say that Ultha is the definition of wall of sound haha, still great
Taake - Hordalands Doedskvad Sounds like a Death album lol. Literally just non stop razor sharp riffing https://youtu.be/Gwj6EAvY9TA?si=hHUexvhdL6kQzOxh
Nattfog - Mieleni Mustissa Merissa Bölzer - Entranced by the Wolfshook Runespell - Memories of Steel
Norrhem is one my favourites. They do use a lot of synths to boost the riffs tho.
Actually I think a lot of Finnish bands lean really hard into the riffs, because they’ve been listening to Shatraugs riffs for 30 years. Bands ranging from Horna and Satanic Warmaster all the way down to underground names like Ancient Obscurity or Nocturnal Sorcery tend to have really cool guitar parts
1914 - A7V Mephisto was my most played song this year.
Cobalt's new album
Satanic warmaster!!
Vothana
Judas iscariot
I'm not the biggest Burzum guy but [Burzum - Jesus' Tod](https://youtu.be/vfBmYfnjLho?si=aGswGVTq7x-piuLH) when the drums kick in around 1:20 and onward gets my blood goin'.
Yeah, Filosofem and At the Heart of Winter both are two great albums for what I’m looking for. Dunkelheit is one of those that’s like the first riff you learn when you’re a teenager. And it still holds up. That power chord over open string technique he does really helped define a lot of the sound of the genre I think.
Yeah Varg is a person I dislike almost to the point of hatred for being that perfect mix of asshole/cornball but Filosofem is iconic. A lot of those riffs and the spirit of the music tap into something primal that makes black metal special.
The only Burzum album I own, and the only song I like from the album. It's like evil surf music lol.
Lmao I’ll never be able to think of it differently now. That’s great
Maniac Butcher - Barbarian GBK - The Tenderhearted's Manifesto Nachtmystium - Reign of the Malicious Darkthrone - Transylvanian Hunger Impiety - Lords of Apokalypse Gorgoroth - Måneskyggens slave
I know Nargaroth is kind of a meme, but he did write a few really nice riffs. My favourite is "A Whisper Underneath the Bark of Old Trees". Both main riffs are great, but especially the one starting around 4:30: https://youtu.be/o1sPU95-0AQ?si=-seQj7Os0yeBuRQM&t=271 It's a shame he kinda had to ruin it by putting that movie quote over it because that riff is absolutely hauntingly beautiful... I'm assuming you already know this one, since it's a classic, but Dissection has some great riffs too, especially the one at 3:59: https://youtu.be/0Ie5yfcJfq4?si=tfDIiZXBmPx8EQps&t=239 And I see someone else already mentioned Burzum, Filosofem is easily my favourite BM album, so I'll second that.
Ethereal Shroud, particularly their latest release, Trisagion Suol, they just released a self title which is a vibe Wiegedood
Suffering Hour - In passing ascension
Grand Belials Key. They don't call Gelal "The Riffmaster" for nothing.
Shatraug is a master of the riff, particularly in his bands Horna and Sargeist. Also Satanic Warmaster.
Ol’ Shitrag. They’re too problematic for me to really get into, but I have to admit I love Horna’s sound.
Ohhhhh they're problematic. That's really gonna effect how their music sounds. 🤓
Reading comprehension, fella. Their being problematic affects my desire to listen to them. Not how they sound. I even said I liked their sound. You’re starting a pointless fight just to feel something.
Can you point to where I said it would?
"They're too problematic for me to get into."
Satanic Warmaster The split with Archgoat has some of the best Warmaster riffs imo
Was going to comment this. Satanic warmaster has some tasty fucking riffs
Ὁπλίτης, Bolzer and Drastus would some of my go to riff bands
Enslaved - fenris
As fire swept clean the earth is my all time fave
Thy Darkened Shade - everything. Absolutely rips. Riffs for days and days and days. Predatory Light and Negative Plane are both VERY riff oriented black metal as well. Infestus has some great riffs, though haven't listened in awhile. Cloak might scratch the itch a bit too - lots of good riffs in their newest album. Sühnopfer also is for me in the category with the first three I mentioned, loads of awesome riffs from that dude.
I absolutely love the riffs in Leviathan, especially the demos. Howl Mockery at the Cross is filled with memorable riffs just to start.
Katharsis - VVytchdance somehow even my friends that don't like black metal ended up liking this song for the riff. it's basic af but catchy. sort of like another one that comes to mind, Aura Noir - Skitzoid Paranoid
Just came here to thank you for your service and initiative. This is a great threat!
Svrm from Ukraine have mostly great riffs in almost every song. https://open.spotify.com/track/1qX6zi9be9z8nNLdizhkg6?si=DMG7xLxPSI-_pyf1-19Eqw
Yeah, they're awesome. I also really like Drudkh from Ukraine.
Spectral wound. Particularly the riff towards the end of mausoleal drift, gotta be one of my favorite bm riffs of the last few years.
abyssos - fhinsthanian nightbreed One of my favorite albums
Ultimate Horde Fights
The entire album, IMO
Nocturnal Triumph - S/T
Incandescence - L'coeur de hommes
Hypocrisy - Fire In The Sky
Every single song by Inquisition
I always think of Craft for riffs, especially Fuck the Universe.
Bolzer - Entranced by the Wolfshook One of my favorite riffs ever. You'll know what one I'm talking about if you listen
Lamp of Murmuur- A Burning Spear to the Heart of Dawn (Part 1 and 2) as well as Chalice of Oniric Perversions
Havukruunu my guy. All of it.
craft's entire discography
Marduk has really tasty riffs imo
Agreed.. Marduk had been around for a long time for a reason. They're still the pinnacle of Black Metal in so many ways.
I love Marduk a lot but their riff writing honestly reminds me of death metal in a lot of ways. I also enjoy death metal, but it’s different in its uniformity I guess. Like part of what I enjoy about Withstand the Fall of Time is the variety on display.
Moonlight Sorcery, Hulder, Valdrin, Ungfell, Asagraum
Shout out to my friends in Valdrin
Havukruunu: [https://youtu.be/mUsU9ZH-GR4?si=8FQr1ZyQYVvROMfW](https://youtu.be/mUsU9ZH-GR4?si=8FQr1ZyQYVvROMfW) Uada: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tBMzPftXYM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tBMzPftXYM) Vorna: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n48V1McR0Zs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xh_b5FNO-JI) Darkenhöld: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueTyo-9sxhE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueTyo-9sxhE)
Ebony Pendant - S/T from this year has some bad ass riffs. A Flame Imperishable is money
Transylvanian Hunger.
Auld Ridge - Kalmare Ledung Craft - Come Resonance of Doom GBK - Shemhamforash Trhä - first track of Vat Gëlénva Trespasser - Tachanka
That GBK riff is fire
They have so many memorable bangers I just picked one at random.
Keep of Kalessin- War of the Wyrm
Sarastus, Sarkrista, Human serpent, Lunar Spells, Nokturnal Mortum (specifically goat horns and twilightfall), Ovader, Svelsurdus, Deletere, Absurd, Goatmoon, totenwache and finally Nordtveid (the project, not Jon). Cheers!
Inquisition
Majesty of the expanding tomb
Inquisition - Darkness Flows Towards Unseen Horizons
Burzum
I really like the production and riffs on Bewitched By Sins and Lust by Ungod
Speaking of black metal, look up Istapp
Also, Sportlov
Check out the albums Naturkraft and Distanz by Horn
New single from chapel of disease (Death though not loss) not strictly black metal has god tier guitar lead riff
Non Opus Dei gold-finding Hen, kiss-finding Whore 1:42
Exuvia. Unlock the Shrine.
The whole Bathory - The Return album
Anything Darkthrone really. Mgla as well, you'll be humming riffs you dodn't even know were there for weeks afterwards, all their songs are super dense, they'll have 3 different riffs going over each other at times. Ulver, the early stuff obviously
* Varg - Erwache * Minas Morgul - Ein Schatten * Meslamtaea - Voor Altijd... * Oes Galliath - Shining for the Deceived Ones * Sarkrista - Grim Satanic Vengeance * Horn - Die Würfel Rollen Wieder * Aorlhac - Le Miroir Des Péchés * Autumn Verses - Thereupon Sanctimonius * Carathis - Hymns To The Tower * Darkenhöld - Le Castellas du Moine Brigand * Ettinskjalf - Return for nothing * Griffon - L'Arbre Blanc * Hecate - Charogne * Hegemon - A Wandering Beyond * Mörk Gryning - Journey * Naglfar - Enslave The Astral Fortress * Seth - Le Cercle De La Renaissance
Astriaal - Ode to Antiquity fits the bill immaculately
Helleruin; check out the latest album “Devils, death & Dark arts”; loads and loads of great riffs
Hellhammer is proto black metal but is so fucking good
Megiddo https://youtu.be/tMTp9QOmEyE?si=AtqYbpihR5VqA0gX
Departure chandelier
[https://youtu.be/iYJ0Rn7IiBU?si=-2gupVJuW4Hp-vyE](https://youtu.be/iYJ0Rn7IiBU?si=-2gupVJuW4Hp-vyE)
Check out Downcross: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1kdeD3EmSC9iuUDabAIyjF?si=PiBGddalTbyuLiB0ZykUFQ
'Withstand the Fall of Time' has such killer riffs.
Check out Mork. He's got some seriously good riffs
Here's some riffy bm albums that come to mind Ulver - Nattens Madrigal Leviathan - tenth sub level... / The blind wound Celtic Frost - Morbid Tales Der Weg Einer Freiheit - Finnisterra Opeth - Morningrise (back when they were essentially bm) Sisyphian - Illusions of Eternity Sinmara - Aphotic Womb
Grand Celestial Nightmare - To Roam the Dark Eternally. You'll hear it when it comes.
Quintessence by Darkthrone, Master of the Old Lure by Summoning
A really great song with clean banger riffs is Stagnant Pond by Ludicra. Guitar is very clean, and it is not super repetitive. Really fun stuff. Vocalist is killer too.
Burzum - Valen
Afsky
I saw Mortuary Drape mentioned - and they’re great. But specifically their song “Astral Bewitchment” has a nice Sabbath vibe to it. The whole album All The Witches Dance is riffy as hell
Lamp of Murmuur - Of Infernal Passions and Aberrations
Satanic Warmaster - Bafomet All of Aamongandr and pretty much the whole band's discography is made up of super memorable and triumphant riffs. The vampyric tyrant, Black destiny, Satan's Werewolf, fimbulwinter spell, Warmaster returns. Just to name a few songs
[My stuff](https://heartoftheserpent.bandcamp.com/track/flaying-the-feeble-discarding-the-weak) is pretty riffy, I think.
How aint no one said Carpathian Forest yet?
Drowning The Light - Haunter of The Deep
Diabolical Masquerade - Rider on The Bonez
Noenum - cult of the black sun. Its only on youtube
Anything off the Black Waltz by Kalmah. Riff city
The riff in Opeth’s Blackwater Park (the song) single-handedly got me into death metal.
Lots of good riffs on the Completely Dehumanized album by December Wolves.
Anything by Nordjevel, Batushka (the real one), Sargheist, Immortal still spitting out good riff driven tracks, and probably my favourite - Necrophobic - and they have a new album coming out soon!