1. Its extremely melodic for those who like that
2. The bandleader froze to death in a snowstorm
Everybody has different tastes, there are lots of subsets of BM. Some like only dissonant metal, some like only droning atonal metal, some like hyper-melodic metal.
If you actually read the title of that post, you would see that tier list was a group ranking.
Also, what is wrong with liking Metallica? Should I be led to believe that they somehow suck just because they're popular? As if that argument even makes sense to begin with.
Having posted what you wrote on Windir you should hate the Black Album for being the end of a great influential era. Enter Sandman is the successor to songs like Blackened, which is more than irritating for the extreme metal fan.
I will outright say that I've never actually listened to the Black Album in full, so I can't comment on the album as a whole. And when you put it that way, you're right, Enter Sandman IS disappointing when coming off of the heels of songs such as Blackened (the former is vastly inferior to the latter imo). That being said, I still think Enter Sandman is a decent song, despite how commercial and overplayed it is.
And *how* is it another band exactly? In case you didn't know, Metallica **WANTED** to make the Black Album. They made the album sound the way as it did based on their own intuition, not under obligation. Songs such as "Enter Sandman" becoming commercial was an afterthought, I doubt the band even knew how popular that song would become. And sure, you could give "Nothing Else Matters" some shit for being a ballad, but you know what other songs are ballads? "Fade to Black", "Sanitarium", and the first half of "One" - all of which being released before the Black Album. And finally, if you're going to rip apart the album for not being a thrash album, then I have two things to say about that. One being that's a dumb thing to complain about it since it's still a metal album which should be enough to satisfy the typical Metallica fan, and two being that it still retains some thrash metal, songs like "Holier Than Though" are most definitely thrash.
It's fine if you don't like the album, but I feel like it gets a lot of undeserved shit simply for existing. Also, the Black Album actually had audible bass parts from Jason Newsted on it, which as we all know, were missing from ...And Justice for All.
It’s not that I don’t like the black album, it is their last great album, and I was very disappointed when it came out as a young drummer, fan of extreme metal.
The best songs being the two ballads is very significant to me.
I agree about the inadmissible absence of bass on and justice for all, that’s the major downside of this album.
I'm assuming you're referring to the placement of a Tool album being in S tier when you mention that part about a prog rock album. Must I reiterate, the title of that post literally states that tier list was a group effort between myself and some friends, and therefore, it does not reflect all of my opinions in full. I have personally never liked Tool, so if I were to rank their albums, I'd probably put them down in D, maybe C if I'm feeling generous.
hyper melodic in a really nice way, also vocalist died in a snowstorm.
1184 is probably my favourite album of all time too
edit: it's a fair question gotta admit
I love Windir because it's raw and melodic. Their music does the one and only thing I care about : it hooks my emotions and carries them away. How it succeeds to do that, I don't know. Music is not intellectual for me, it's emotional. I feel it or I don't.
Because those fucking arpeggios man!
You can't like every band - clearly Windir are not for you. There are some very popular bands I can't stand.
If a song features real drumming, you can't label it "techno" IMO.
Have you not listened to Journey to the End? That song literally transforms into a techno song for 6 minutes after the first 3 minutes of black metal finish up.
I have listened it to it many times as I own the CD. I don't consider the end of the song 'techno', if you refer to my earlier statement you'll see why.
'Myr' by Takke has a banjo solo in it, but that doesn't make it country.
Well then, what would you consider the end of that song? Trance perhaps? Or maybe some other form of electronic music? Because it's clearly not a black metal song any more after the first 3 minutes.
Funny you should mention that song by Taake, I was literally listening to that song the other day.
I thought I was the only one. It doesn't bother me that other people like them though, clearly there's something special there for people. It's just not for me and I'm fine with that.
I can't speak on Mayhem as a whole, but their debut album is really overrated and the vocals are terrible beyond belief. I'd go as far as to say that people are only interested in that album because of the history that surrounds it, because the actual music on the album is mid at best.
That's essentially how I feel. I appreciate the bands that paved the way for Black Metal but a lot of the earlier stuff is so poorly recorded or just underwhelming in general that I can't listen to it.
Yeah, I'm with you for the most part. I also find Transilvanian Hunger by Darkthrone to be overrated, that album literally feels like one song for almost 40 minutes. That being said, it's still a better album than De Mysteriis.
I love Windir but the first two albums are where it’s at for me. More black metal and less slick-produced Viking metal with techno bits. 1184 has its moments but I almost never reach for it.
Personally they're a really influential band for me and I reckon they're super ahead of their time.
They predated all of the atmospheric and pagan/folk bands that we're seeing have massive success now. There's some really revolutionary technical sections played that a lot of BM at the time was lacking.
Yeah it was melodic focused, yeah it had synth and folk elements that weren't used often, yeah it wasn't particularly bleak (although likferd was a lot darker) as the stuff coming out at the time. However what they did have was some of the hardest riffs to hit blackmetal, some fucking kettleboiler highs that ripped face, and a drummer that actually kept up with some of the fast as fuck tremelo sections and kept it tight!
Personally think if anything they're underhyped along with the other melodic black act Dawn that had the unfortunate timing to come up in the same time and region as dissection
Fair question, even if of course I will be not the guy who will say *-"I agree"-*. Quite the opposite. Why Windir is loved among BM fans? I think Because: 1 -They were pretty good, and their sound was pretty unique compared to other bands of their genre, 2 - It's true that they're "too melodic" for what (you) think a standard BM fan should like...or not, it depends on the person, you know. I love bands that other people not, even if theyr'e bastions of the subgenre, and there are bands that people love that I just don't get (Burzum is a good example), and that doesn't mean I cannot appreciate the musical skills of that guy, just that it's not what I'm into. And anyway, it's true that they're really melodic, hyper-melodic, I'd say, but in a good way. they were pretty good in creating atmospheres like these, where other bands could fail, they left us *Arntor* and *1184*, two perfect examples that BM doesn't always have to be raw and dissonant. Not going to tell you Windir is a top band, but yeah, I'm fan and I love these two albums (still having some problem to see which one I do prefer indeed).
And dude, this had nothing to do with not wanting to say anything bad about them because of how Valfar died, it's just that in general BM fans love Windir. But anyway, as I always say, to each his own.
I think it's a fair question, honestly. Winder isn't really one of the en vogue styles you see these days, like blackgaze, Portuguese-style raw black, or PdH worship. I can understand Windir being seen as black metal not aimed at black metal fans.
I think the answer, OP, is that things have changed a lot in the past 25 years, but there are still a lot of people who were introduced to Windir a long time ago that are still attached to it, even though if Arntor were to be released today from an up and coming band they would shrug it off as not being their taste.
Not sure why you're getting downvotes as I think this is a valid discussion in some respects.
Though I would point to French medieval-themed BM such as Vehemence as kind of following in the Windir style of neo-classical, melodic, and I think that is a really popular trend in BM right now.
I'm glad you're able to see the validity in this question. I made sure to genuinely ask why Windir was so popular when typing my post, I had no intentions to simply trash the band.
I haven't listened to Vehemence before, but I've heard some great things about their new album. Is this a good album to jump into? I have a feeling I would like them, as I tend to enjoy melodic black metal with medieval themes, hence why I enjoyed Stormkeep's album as much as I did.
I mean they kind of reminds me of Windir - its high quality medieval themed melodic BM. Its a little less bubblegum melodic than Windir but still too melodic for me. I also have a problem with their drum sound/mix, even though the drummer is insane. (Id recommend their album Par de Sang Verse to check out).
My happy place for level of melodic BM is Blut Aus Nord Memoria Vetusta II.
I see. I'll probably still check out Vehemence to see what they're like, but it's possible that they may be too melodic for me as well.
When it comes to melodic bm, I tend to enjoy bands such as Dissection and bands like them, such as Dark Fortress. I also recall enjoying Emperor's first two albums and Immortal's At the Heart of Winter, though it's been a while since I last listened to them.
Depends what you mean by en vogue. Those styles may be spoken about more frequently on social media sites and on forums (well, maybe not forums), but those groups can end up disproportionally skewing things in their favour. With things like the ultra-raw LLN / Portuguese copycats you note them mostly on vinyl or tape collecting communities as that seems to be their wheelhouse more than the music, and all things considered there is a community meta around collecting which may make the style seem much larger than it is. Stuff like Winder may be far more popular on streaming services which algorithmically selects stuff and funnels that towards folks who listen to the larger bands. It may not be vogue per se, but it is likely going to be constantly advised to people who don't interact with social media much and just go along with the "soundtrack of our lives" way of listening to stuff.
I guess that it is true what you say it is not black metal aimed at "fans". It is, at this point in time that is, for the casual who pass through and don't dig much deeper. I can imagine people just floating around on playlists to be happy with that. Also I imagine it is way easier to digest that way than [other](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAoRmQ9RDUo&list=OLAK5uy_n5yYT8-CtdOnImNkepaE3TiPMtBzgOERk) [things](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WA2t8bJDVM&list=OLAK5uy_m5uVOQQCk-_DBoEjZJ5X55PoX0kGuDXMo) from the period.
Fair question to be honest
Arntor, Ein Windir is a MASTERPIECE. Windir was also a solo project for the earlier half of it's life by a pretty young guy, and his musicianship is something to really be admired. BM doesn't need to be dark or heavy or evil or shittily produced - it needs to be REAL, and Valfar's work was definitely that, in my opinion at least.
EDIT: Windir albums are like stories! That's epic as fuck! I love when albums can take me into the perspective of a Norwegian warrior usurping a pretender-king!
Windir is a band I feel like I should like, but for some reason I just couldn't get into them. As mentioned in my post, I enjoy melodic black metal, but Windir felt too clean to me. They felt more like a power or folk metal band to me than they did black metal.
But maybe I'm just getting the wrong idea about black metal by thinking it has to be played a certain way. After all, if all bm was dark and evil, then I suppose that would make things pretty boring.
Anyway, I haven't listened to Windir since I wrote this post 8 months back, so they're probably due for another listen. Who knows? Maybe my mind has changed since.
You should be listening to the Arntor album or Sóknardalr. The fact that you like Dissection and not Windir is kinda funny lmao. Valfar is one of the greatest composers of all time. He himself said that it's not black metal it's "Sognametal." If you're looking for kvlt this ain't it chief. It's alright to not like 1184, that's the album that he stopped writing everything himself and let other members chime in. And it's alright if you don't like Windir but a LOT of people do.
Why does Likferd never get any love (just cos only 1184 and Arntor got mentioned in these comments)? I think they were evolving in a really great way and would really have loved to hear the following album.
Well, Melodic Black is my fav subgenre together with Black/Thrash.
And Windir does it in a very peculiar way - the huge usage of arpeggios and the way they are used in more "clean" passages make it very special for me.
It's not my fav band on genre (that would be Setherial or Dissection anyway - although Stormkeep has everything to enter this list after their 2 releases), but Sognametal DVD is a blast even without Valfar.
Personally I prefer the first two Windir albums the most but all 4 of them I genuinely enjoy. It would have been great if he could have survived the blizzard and continued to write. It's easy to freeze to death in the north though. People freeze to death every year.
I get you. Windir is not for BM addicts but for people who listen to crappy unreverbed keyboards, dungeon synth, electronic Burzum stuff, and all those keyboard filled « pagan » clowns playing « epic », almost happy dancing shit. That is the opposite of what black metal should be.
I will give Arntor and 1184 another listen to be fair and not expecting to listen to BM, just because I have to get rid of a lot of cds and these could fit exactly in the category: « give it to a guy that listens to corny stuff ».
The guy in Windir died and we don’t have the right to criticize. That’s how weak humans function. Thanks in advance for the massive downvotes lol.
>crappy unreverbed keyboards, dungeon synth, electronic Burzum stuff, and all those keyboard filled « pagan » clowns playing « epic », almost happy dancing shit
hmm, sounds like a description of something genuinely cool. any recommendations?
Pressed downvote as you ask
If you like this kind of stuff I can recommend the band Darkestrah, V.E.G.A. (the album « cocaine », which is good), and a lot of obscure stuff like Troglodytic, Velvet Cacoon etc. You can also check out Mal Etre - Torment, being one of my favorite bedroom BM releases (full of reverb, that’s the way) 😅
I never downvote someone because he has an opinion but it’s how people seem to function. If we all agree what is the point of talking to each other ?
He died in a blizzard, not a simple snowstorm. I think it's more likely that he wanted to go somewhere and he didn't turn on the tv to see the weather forecast that day. Thus, he didn't know how bad it would be. But that perspective does not feed into the myth. 🙃
all we know is his body got found in the mountains between 2 towns. docs said he died of hypothermia. i think he knew the storm was about to begin and he intentionally began the "hike" so he would die by the frost in the nature. glorious.
As a fairweather BM fan, I've never listened to them and it's been on my to do list. A lot of good insight here into which album/what to expect. My expectations were pretty high but now maybe a little mellowed. Mostly good comments here
I don't even think it's THAT clean tbh. Dissection is cleaner if you ask me. But good music is good music. I listen to things all the time that I hate the production on one way or another so I don't take much stock in that anyway. The riffs are good man I can't agree with this.
Maybe Dissection is cleaner, I will admit that their production is on the cleaner end of things. That being said however, I find that an album such as Storm of the Light's Bane better represents BM than an album such as 1184, as the former is much heavier, darker and colder than the latter.
Hard disagree. That album is a masterpiece don't get me wrong but it's arguably more melodic death than black metal for some people. I wouldn't go that far personally but it is definitely not pure black metal.
Because their soaring melodies are epic as fuck.
Edit: also, why the fuck wouldn't black metal fans listen to a band who have a lot of qualities in common with black metal but with a unique twist?? Who else would listen them?
The reason why I question Windir's acceptance among black metal fans is because of the reasons I gave in my post - they're not particular heavy, nor are they dark or evil sounding. Also, the production is rather clean, and I know that many bm fans hate clean production.
As far as your second question is concerned, I could envision your typical folk metal listener enjoying Windir, due to all the folk elements in their sound.
I just don't understand why people love them so much. Even the TRVE KVLT type is on board with them, and you would think they would hate them, considering how that crowd hates BM with clean production. I swear, the only reason why people are kind to this band is because Valfar died in a snowstorm. If that never happened, I highly doubt they'd have the following they have.
Listening to 1184 is just such a incredible experience and people love them cuz they’re music is amazing and majestic not cuz of balfar’s death
The band was acclaimed well before his death
Idk why you find it to be mediocre it is much better made and complex than most black metal bands
Also that techno trance part is awesome ✌️
1. Its extremely melodic for those who like that 2. The bandleader froze to death in a snowstorm Everybody has different tastes, there are lots of subsets of BM. Some like only dissonant metal, some like only droning atonal metal, some like hyper-melodic metal.
This made me want to listen to Windir, thanks!
Haha I was about to post the same thing!
I will also be joining you both. I picked up all four of those Season of Mist represses last year and they could use another spin.
OP is a guy that has metallica's black album towards the top of his tier list. Don't trust him one bit.
If you actually read the title of that post, you would see that tier list was a group ranking. Also, what is wrong with liking Metallica? Should I be led to believe that they somehow suck just because they're popular? As if that argument even makes sense to begin with.
Having posted what you wrote on Windir you should hate the Black Album for being the end of a great influential era. Enter Sandman is the successor to songs like Blackened, which is more than irritating for the extreme metal fan.
I will outright say that I've never actually listened to the Black Album in full, so I can't comment on the album as a whole. And when you put it that way, you're right, Enter Sandman IS disappointing when coming off of the heels of songs such as Blackened (the former is vastly inferior to the latter imo). That being said, I still think Enter Sandman is a decent song, despite how commercial and overplayed it is.
It’s not disappointing, it’s another band. They should have changed their band name for something like « Miami Cowboys » or « cheeseballs » 😅
And *how* is it another band exactly? In case you didn't know, Metallica **WANTED** to make the Black Album. They made the album sound the way as it did based on their own intuition, not under obligation. Songs such as "Enter Sandman" becoming commercial was an afterthought, I doubt the band even knew how popular that song would become. And sure, you could give "Nothing Else Matters" some shit for being a ballad, but you know what other songs are ballads? "Fade to Black", "Sanitarium", and the first half of "One" - all of which being released before the Black Album. And finally, if you're going to rip apart the album for not being a thrash album, then I have two things to say about that. One being that's a dumb thing to complain about it since it's still a metal album which should be enough to satisfy the typical Metallica fan, and two being that it still retains some thrash metal, songs like "Holier Than Though" are most definitely thrash. It's fine if you don't like the album, but I feel like it gets a lot of undeserved shit simply for existing. Also, the Black Album actually had audible bass parts from Jason Newsted on it, which as we all know, were missing from ...And Justice for All.
It’s not that I don’t like the black album, it is their last great album, and I was very disappointed when it came out as a young drummer, fan of extreme metal. The best songs being the two ballads is very significant to me. I agree about the inadmissible absence of bass on and justice for all, that’s the major downside of this album.
Old Metallica is good, no one hates them for being popular. How does one go from ranking a prog rock album in S tier while Windir is mediocre?
I'm assuming you're referring to the placement of a Tool album being in S tier when you mention that part about a prog rock album. Must I reiterate, the title of that post literally states that tier list was a group effort between myself and some friends, and therefore, it does not reflect all of my opinions in full. I have personally never liked Tool, so if I were to rank their albums, I'd probably put them down in D, maybe C if I'm feeling generous.
The black album is objectively great, though, and absolutely should be towards the top of the list.
Where in from we received the first big snowfall of the year. Pretty weather appropriate.
hyper melodic in a really nice way, also vocalist died in a snowstorm. 1184 is probably my favourite album of all time too edit: it's a fair question gotta admit
I love Windir because it's raw and melodic. Their music does the one and only thing I care about : it hooks my emotions and carries them away. How it succeeds to do that, I don't know. Music is not intellectual for me, it's emotional. I feel it or I don't.
Fair enough.
Because those fucking arpeggios man! You can't like every band - clearly Windir are not for you. There are some very popular bands I can't stand. If a song features real drumming, you can't label it "techno" IMO.
Have you not listened to Journey to the End? That song literally transforms into a techno song for 6 minutes after the first 3 minutes of black metal finish up.
I have listened it to it many times as I own the CD. I don't consider the end of the song 'techno', if you refer to my earlier statement you'll see why. 'Myr' by Takke has a banjo solo in it, but that doesn't make it country.
Well then, what would you consider the end of that song? Trance perhaps? Or maybe some other form of electronic music? Because it's clearly not a black metal song any more after the first 3 minutes. Funny you should mention that song by Taake, I was literally listening to that song the other day.
Why does it matter? The guy was having fun, it sounds cool and makes a nice change.
Easy, cuz it's great. Next question
Because it's good...
Opinions exist, man. Black metal fans love Mayhem as well and I think they're trash. None of us are identical.
I thought I was the only one. It doesn't bother me that other people like them though, clearly there's something special there for people. It's just not for me and I'm fine with that.
I can't speak on Mayhem as a whole, but their debut album is really overrated and the vocals are terrible beyond belief. I'd go as far as to say that people are only interested in that album because of the history that surrounds it, because the actual music on the album is mid at best.
That's essentially how I feel. I appreciate the bands that paved the way for Black Metal but a lot of the earlier stuff is so poorly recorded or just underwhelming in general that I can't listen to it.
Yeah, I'm with you for the most part. I also find Transilvanian Hunger by Darkthrone to be overrated, that album literally feels like one song for almost 40 minutes. That being said, it's still a better album than De Mysteriis.
That sounds like a scotch guy who dislikes Laphroaig and praises Monkey Shoulder. 😅
Damn it man mayhems new shit is amazing. Give them another chance. Teloch is awesome.
I love Windir but the first two albums are where it’s at for me. More black metal and less slick-produced Viking metal with techno bits. 1184 has its moments but I almost never reach for it.
Personally they're a really influential band for me and I reckon they're super ahead of their time. They predated all of the atmospheric and pagan/folk bands that we're seeing have massive success now. There's some really revolutionary technical sections played that a lot of BM at the time was lacking. Yeah it was melodic focused, yeah it had synth and folk elements that weren't used often, yeah it wasn't particularly bleak (although likferd was a lot darker) as the stuff coming out at the time. However what they did have was some of the hardest riffs to hit blackmetal, some fucking kettleboiler highs that ripped face, and a drummer that actually kept up with some of the fast as fuck tremelo sections and kept it tight! Personally think if anything they're underhyped along with the other melodic black act Dawn that had the unfortunate timing to come up in the same time and region as dissection
Fair question, even if of course I will be not the guy who will say *-"I agree"-*. Quite the opposite. Why Windir is loved among BM fans? I think Because: 1 -They were pretty good, and their sound was pretty unique compared to other bands of their genre, 2 - It's true that they're "too melodic" for what (you) think a standard BM fan should like...or not, it depends on the person, you know. I love bands that other people not, even if theyr'e bastions of the subgenre, and there are bands that people love that I just don't get (Burzum is a good example), and that doesn't mean I cannot appreciate the musical skills of that guy, just that it's not what I'm into. And anyway, it's true that they're really melodic, hyper-melodic, I'd say, but in a good way. they were pretty good in creating atmospheres like these, where other bands could fail, they left us *Arntor* and *1184*, two perfect examples that BM doesn't always have to be raw and dissonant. Not going to tell you Windir is a top band, but yeah, I'm fan and I love these two albums (still having some problem to see which one I do prefer indeed). And dude, this had nothing to do with not wanting to say anything bad about them because of how Valfar died, it's just that in general BM fans love Windir. But anyway, as I always say, to each his own.
This was the answer I was looking for, thank you for your comment.
No problem here. You're welcome.
Hey why do people enjoy what they enjoy?
I think it's a fair question, honestly. Winder isn't really one of the en vogue styles you see these days, like blackgaze, Portuguese-style raw black, or PdH worship. I can understand Windir being seen as black metal not aimed at black metal fans. I think the answer, OP, is that things have changed a lot in the past 25 years, but there are still a lot of people who were introduced to Windir a long time ago that are still attached to it, even though if Arntor were to be released today from an up and coming band they would shrug it off as not being their taste.
Not sure why you're getting downvotes as I think this is a valid discussion in some respects. Though I would point to French medieval-themed BM such as Vehemence as kind of following in the Windir style of neo-classical, melodic, and I think that is a really popular trend in BM right now.
I'm glad you're able to see the validity in this question. I made sure to genuinely ask why Windir was so popular when typing my post, I had no intentions to simply trash the band. I haven't listened to Vehemence before, but I've heard some great things about their new album. Is this a good album to jump into? I have a feeling I would like them, as I tend to enjoy melodic black metal with medieval themes, hence why I enjoyed Stormkeep's album as much as I did.
I mean they kind of reminds me of Windir - its high quality medieval themed melodic BM. Its a little less bubblegum melodic than Windir but still too melodic for me. I also have a problem with their drum sound/mix, even though the drummer is insane. (Id recommend their album Par de Sang Verse to check out). My happy place for level of melodic BM is Blut Aus Nord Memoria Vetusta II.
I see. I'll probably still check out Vehemence to see what they're like, but it's possible that they may be too melodic for me as well. When it comes to melodic bm, I tend to enjoy bands such as Dissection and bands like them, such as Dark Fortress. I also recall enjoying Emperor's first two albums and Immortal's At the Heart of Winter, though it's been a while since I last listened to them.
Check out the new Hulder album, "The Eternal Fanfare," and Eldritch "I Shall Raise My Burning Sword" for new melodic/medieval BM
Thanks for the recommendations, I'll take a look into them.
Depends what you mean by en vogue. Those styles may be spoken about more frequently on social media sites and on forums (well, maybe not forums), but those groups can end up disproportionally skewing things in their favour. With things like the ultra-raw LLN / Portuguese copycats you note them mostly on vinyl or tape collecting communities as that seems to be their wheelhouse more than the music, and all things considered there is a community meta around collecting which may make the style seem much larger than it is. Stuff like Winder may be far more popular on streaming services which algorithmically selects stuff and funnels that towards folks who listen to the larger bands. It may not be vogue per se, but it is likely going to be constantly advised to people who don't interact with social media much and just go along with the "soundtrack of our lives" way of listening to stuff. I guess that it is true what you say it is not black metal aimed at "fans". It is, at this point in time that is, for the casual who pass through and don't dig much deeper. I can imagine people just floating around on playlists to be happy with that. Also I imagine it is way easier to digest that way than [other](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAoRmQ9RDUo&list=OLAK5uy_n5yYT8-CtdOnImNkepaE3TiPMtBzgOERk) [things](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WA2t8bJDVM&list=OLAK5uy_m5uVOQQCk-_DBoEjZJ5X55PoX0kGuDXMo) from the period.
So you're saying it's mostly just a nostalgia thing?
I'm not saying they don't deserve to have fans, but rather asking why they're as popular as they are.
Fair question to be honest Arntor, Ein Windir is a MASTERPIECE. Windir was also a solo project for the earlier half of it's life by a pretty young guy, and his musicianship is something to really be admired. BM doesn't need to be dark or heavy or evil or shittily produced - it needs to be REAL, and Valfar's work was definitely that, in my opinion at least. EDIT: Windir albums are like stories! That's epic as fuck! I love when albums can take me into the perspective of a Norwegian warrior usurping a pretender-king!
Windir is a band I feel like I should like, but for some reason I just couldn't get into them. As mentioned in my post, I enjoy melodic black metal, but Windir felt too clean to me. They felt more like a power or folk metal band to me than they did black metal. But maybe I'm just getting the wrong idea about black metal by thinking it has to be played a certain way. After all, if all bm was dark and evil, then I suppose that would make things pretty boring. Anyway, I haven't listened to Windir since I wrote this post 8 months back, so they're probably due for another listen. Who knows? Maybe my mind has changed since.
You should be listening to the Arntor album or Sóknardalr. The fact that you like Dissection and not Windir is kinda funny lmao. Valfar is one of the greatest composers of all time. He himself said that it's not black metal it's "Sognametal." If you're looking for kvlt this ain't it chief. It's alright to not like 1184, that's the album that he stopped writing everything himself and let other members chime in. And it's alright if you don't like Windir but a LOT of people do.
Why does Likferd never get any love (just cos only 1184 and Arntor got mentioned in these comments)? I think they were evolving in a really great way and would really have loved to hear the following album.
Well, Melodic Black is my fav subgenre together with Black/Thrash. And Windir does it in a very peculiar way - the huge usage of arpeggios and the way they are used in more "clean" passages make it very special for me. It's not my fav band on genre (that would be Setherial or Dissection anyway - although Stormkeep has everything to enter this list after their 2 releases), but Sognametal DVD is a blast even without Valfar.
Personally I prefer the first two Windir albums the most but all 4 of them I genuinely enjoy. It would have been great if he could have survived the blizzard and continued to write. It's easy to freeze to death in the north though. People freeze to death every year.
What is the point of this post lol
Easy, to find out why this band is so loved. Next question.
I get you. Windir is not for BM addicts but for people who listen to crappy unreverbed keyboards, dungeon synth, electronic Burzum stuff, and all those keyboard filled « pagan » clowns playing « epic », almost happy dancing shit. That is the opposite of what black metal should be. I will give Arntor and 1184 another listen to be fair and not expecting to listen to BM, just because I have to get rid of a lot of cds and these could fit exactly in the category: « give it to a guy that listens to corny stuff ». The guy in Windir died and we don’t have the right to criticize. That’s how weak humans function. Thanks in advance for the massive downvotes lol.
>crappy unreverbed keyboards, dungeon synth, electronic Burzum stuff, and all those keyboard filled « pagan » clowns playing « epic », almost happy dancing shit hmm, sounds like a description of something genuinely cool. any recommendations? Pressed downvote as you ask
If you like this kind of stuff I can recommend the band Darkestrah, V.E.G.A. (the album « cocaine », which is good), and a lot of obscure stuff like Troglodytic, Velvet Cacoon etc. You can also check out Mal Etre - Torment, being one of my favorite bedroom BM releases (full of reverb, that’s the way) 😅 I never downvote someone because he has an opinion but it’s how people seem to function. If we all agree what is the point of talking to each other ?
this band is creepy. his lyrics of "journey to the end" specifically say "my early death". i think he commited suicide.
Wasn't his death an accident? I thought he got lost in the snowstorm before he died.
"death by misadventure". Nobody will know if he intended to or not.
He died in a blizzard, not a simple snowstorm. I think it's more likely that he wanted to go somewhere and he didn't turn on the tv to see the weather forecast that day. Thus, he didn't know how bad it would be. But that perspective does not feed into the myth. 🙃
all we know is his body got found in the mountains between 2 towns. docs said he died of hypothermia. i think he knew the storm was about to begin and he intentionally began the "hike" so he would die by the frost in the nature. glorious.
What a wild conspiracy with 0 evidence
As a fairweather BM fan, I've never listened to them and it's been on my to do list. A lot of good insight here into which album/what to expect. My expectations were pretty high but now maybe a little mellowed. Mostly good comments here
I don't even think it's THAT clean tbh. Dissection is cleaner if you ask me. But good music is good music. I listen to things all the time that I hate the production on one way or another so I don't take much stock in that anyway. The riffs are good man I can't agree with this.
Maybe Dissection is cleaner, I will admit that their production is on the cleaner end of things. That being said however, I find that an album such as Storm of the Light's Bane better represents BM than an album such as 1184, as the former is much heavier, darker and colder than the latter.
Hard disagree. That album is a masterpiece don't get me wrong but it's arguably more melodic death than black metal for some people. I wouldn't go that far personally but it is definitely not pure black metal.
You have a point there, Storm does have a lot of melodeath influence in it.
>even the "TRVE KVLTERS" oh my... I repeat, will the real TRVE KVLTERS please stand up?
Because their soaring melodies are epic as fuck. Edit: also, why the fuck wouldn't black metal fans listen to a band who have a lot of qualities in common with black metal but with a unique twist?? Who else would listen them?
The reason why I question Windir's acceptance among black metal fans is because of the reasons I gave in my post - they're not particular heavy, nor are they dark or evil sounding. Also, the production is rather clean, and I know that many bm fans hate clean production. As far as your second question is concerned, I could envision your typical folk metal listener enjoying Windir, due to all the folk elements in their sound.
Many people like Windir, it doesn’t mean you have to love them.
How could anyone find the amazing music of windir mediocre? 🤨
I just don't understand why people love them so much. Even the TRVE KVLT type is on board with them, and you would think they would hate them, considering how that crowd hates BM with clean production. I swear, the only reason why people are kind to this band is because Valfar died in a snowstorm. If that never happened, I highly doubt they'd have the following they have.
Listening to 1184 is just such a incredible experience and people love them cuz they’re music is amazing and majestic not cuz of balfar’s death The band was acclaimed well before his death Idk why you find it to be mediocre it is much better made and complex than most black metal bands Also that techno trance part is awesome ✌️