Throne of Ahaz - Nifelheim (1995)

Old school Swedish black metal. Blast beats, tremolo picking, raspy vocals, war-like mid-paced bits, wind SFX -- sounds like black metal. Nifelheim was recorded in 1993 - notably, the same year as the musically similar Under a Funeral Moon - but it didn't come out 'til '95, causing virtually every discussion of the album to included speculation that Throne of Ahaz would currently be considered a more historically significant band if Nifelheim's release had not been delayed. What really matters, though, is that Nifelheim kicks a lot of ass, and that you can't rightly say that you like black metal if you don't like this album.

Track listing:
1. Northern Thrones
2. An Arctic Star of Blackness
3. Where Ancient Lords Gather
4. The Dawn of War
5. Nifelheim
6. The Calling Blaze
7. A Winter Chant
8. The Kings that Were...

I saw them summon under the droning moon
I drowned in their eyes so black and cold