Forest - Foredooming the Hope for Eternity (1998)

Related:
Forest - Forest (1996)
Walknut - Graveforests and Their Shadows (2007)

Raw black metal royalty. A mournful, blown-out blur of tremolo picking, blastbeats, and hoarse screams. In the hall of fame, without a doubt.

Obligatory NS Warning: Forest is part of Blazebirth Hall, a notoriously racist Russian black metal collective. There are no immediately apparent references to these abhorrent beliefs on this record, but I certainly don't know for sure. Do what you will with this information.

Track listing:
1. Unfinished Song of These Woods
2. In the Middle of Death, in the Face of Life
3. The Bolverk Spirit
4. To the Heart Flames
5. To These Distant Eyes...
6. For the Woe...
7. Untitled
8. Untitled

Harvest of grief

More elite-tier raw black metal:

Cendres -
Ungeziefer (2007)

Arizmenda -
Within the Vacuum of Infinity... (2009)

Forest - Forest (1996)

Related:
Walknut - Graveforests and Their Shadows (2007)

Hypnotic, raw black metal at its finest. Forest's association with Blazebirth Hall undoubtedly means that they were NS, but given the innocent album cover and the fact that they sing in a language that I don't understand, I get to pretend that they're just singing about how the woods get them in touch with their lupine spirits or whatever. (For my policy regarding racist black metal, see this post.) So if this upsets you, steer clear. If this really upsets you, please feel free to never visit my dumb, offensive blog ever again, or leave a comment telling me all about it. Just don't expect me to get into it with you, as this is an argument that I have had, online and IRL, about 4000 times.

Track listing:
1. Тенью над землёй
2. Тлен и огонь пред далью открытой
3. ...Багряный в утопании...
4. Enburnst the Christian
5. Winterhowl

In the middle of death, in the face of life