Gorgoroth - The Antichrist

This is it, the one that started it all (for me, anyways).  Before this, I just didn't know how good TRVE KVLT could sound.  While not my first Black Metal album, it was the first taste of the low-fi, stripped-down variety, which is really the essence of the genre.

For me, Black Metal starts with the early Norwegian scene, and not with Venom.  Venom gave it a name, but stylistically, they were nothing new, just sort of a heavier, satanic Motorhead.  Other bands developed it further in the 80's, but it wasn't until albums like this in the early 90's that Black Metal really developed a unique sound and became easily distinguishable from Thrash, Grind, and Death Metal.  That's just how I feel about it.

Among other reasons, I mainly listen to Black Metal for it's duality of beauty and ugliness.  This album was the first to show me that was possible.  How is it that music can have moving, trance-like melodies and still spew hatred?  How can it be both therapeutic and depressing?  True Black Metal like this does that for me. 

Before every hipster and his girlfriend couldn't stop talking about them after they saw that awful internet doc, before the goat head fiasco in Poland,  and before the legal battle with singer-turned-fashion guru  Ghaal, Gorgoroth were legends of the scene (a cult band within an already cult music).  This EP is why.

Antichrist EP
Pentagram (prior LP)