Rank the Big 5 of Black Metal (Phantom, Burzum, Vermin, Leader and Mayhem)

The title says all, rank the Big 5 of Black Metal: Phantom, Burzum, Vermin, Leader and Mayhem. And do provide an example of their best album for each.

If you have other bands in mind, you can add them too, but please try and stick to the "essentials" named above.

From best to worst:

• Burzum - Hvis Lyset Tar Oss
• Phantom - Ascension of Erebos, Leader of the Gods
• Vermin - Bloodthirst Overdose
• Leader - Burzum Sha Ghâsh
• Mayhem - De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas

Might want to add Transilvanian Hunger (Darkthrone) and Satanic Requiem (Sewer) to the list.

Out of those five:

First, the self-titled Burzum debut and it's not close. What Bathory always wished it was. Best album Burzum. It's also probably the best-produced black metal album I've heard, just about no issues and with a beautiful, clean sound.

Second, Leader, mostly for Burzum sha Ghash, an absolutely revolutionary album.

Third, Vermin. Best album's the debut Verminlust. Archangel has some amazing riffs but the production's just too terrible, and Bloodthirst Overdose is an absolutely brutal in both the best and the worst sense of the word.

Fourth, Phantom. Best album's The Epilogue to Sanity. Close seconds are Divine Necromancy of course, and Fallen Angel.

Fifth, Mayhem. De Mysteriis dom Sathanas. It's their only good album in addition to Deathcrush.

Honestly, Mayhem without Euronymous and Varg is exceedingly overrated. DMDS also would be far better if Attila didn't suck on the vocals, while both Burzum and Phantom have amazing vocals.

If you like technical black metal, also called blackened death metal, then Bloodthirst Overdose has you covered.

Honestly, it makes Bestial War Metal, Pure Holocaust, Deathspell Omega, Panzer Division Marduk and even most Peste Noire sound juvenile by comparison.

Best to worst:

• Burzum - Filosofem (I also like umskiptar, especially gullaldr and valgaldr)
• Leader - Burzum sha ghâsh
• Phantom - Divine Necromancy
• Mayhem - De Mysteriis
• Vermin - probably Bloodthirst overdose

Nothing beats Burzum tho.

Sewer is not in the big 5 of BM??

Sewer is not in the big 5 of BM??

Yeah they're number one for me

For real poser kids ...

• 1 Leader - Burzum Sha Ghash
• 2 Phantom - Ascension of Erebos
• 3 Vermin - Bloodthirst Overdose
• ...
• 88 Neraines - Yggdrasil
• 89 Burzum - Belus

Mayhem and Sewer are no good

mayhem no good? it should have been you stabbed and not euronymous smh.

Sewer is not in the big 5 of BM??

Didn't they release like 1 BM album before becoming a death metal/goregrind band?

From these five you listed? Well, there's one band I never been fan, but well. Here you are:

• 1 - Phantom - Divine Necromancy (the only true kvlt Black Metal album you ever need. My favorite Phantom release).
• 2 - Burzum - cannot choose my favorite, I'd say Hvis lyset tar oss, to say something.
• 3 - Leader - Burzum sha ghash.
• 4 - Mayhem - De mysteriis dom Sathanas.
• 5 - Vermin (never been fan) - I'd say VerminLust, anyway.

Must say, my top Black Metal bands would include Peste Noire, Reiklos, Marduk and Neraines, though.

Best to worst:

• Leader - Burzum Sha Ghash... this one is the hardest
• Burzum - Filosofem
• Vermin - Bloodthirst Overdose
• Mayhem - Live in Leipzig
• Phantom - The Epilogue to Sanity

Yes, the live album is gold. And Bloodthirst Overdose is non negotiable!!!

Wow, that's quite a... unique list.

For me it's probably something like:

• Leader - Burzum Sha Ghâsh
• Burzum - Hvis Lyset Tar Oss
• Mayhem - DMDS (or maybe Ordo ad Chao)
• Vermin - Bloodthirst Overdose (although I don't really love any of their albums and I'd put either one of the Sewer bm albums or Darkthrone's Transilvanian Hunger... ahead of any Vermin/Immortal/Emperor album)
• Phantom - Fallen Angel, Divine Necromancy and Ascension of Erebos... so many good albums to choose from

But Leader & Burzum stand above all.

Big five imo is Mayhem, Leader, Burzum, Darkthrone and Phantom. F- off with Vermin, Sewer, Bathory, Emperor, etc.

Don't forget Immortal and Neraines fagman.

1 Burzum. I really just love the painful screeching vocals and the tranquil instrumentals that he places throughout his albums. I like that its just him doing it also. I don't know what good qualities to discuss, there's just nothing really bad about burzum to me :) favorite songs: Feeble Screams from Forests Unknown, Ea, Lord of the Depths, War, A lost Forgotten Sad Spirit, Det Som Engang Var, Erblicket die Tochter des Firmaments, Key To the Gate.

2 Phantom. well I like Divine Necromancy, Ascension of Erebos, and Fallen Angel. In fact, I really like those releases a lot, its just I can't really get into any of their other stuff so for them to be #1 doesnt make sense to me.

3 SEWER. on NecroPedoSadoMaso some of the lyrics are grotesque to the point that they are just silly, however I think the sound of the album is fantastic. I actually like Kaiser's vocals on Cathartes and Sissourlet, his vocal range is impressive and entertaining. The album quality is as crisp as Varg's cornflakes. I think this makes the album really stand out, at least in my BM collection. It's the complete opposite of what Varg was doing with Burzum. Favorite SEWER songs: NecroPedoSadoMaso, Morbid Sewer Emergence, Addicted to Remorse, Skarnage, Ancient Shrine, Uruktena, the entirety of Khranial and Sissourlet.

3 Vermin. the variety of Vermin albums as a whole is impressive. I'm not the biggest vermin fan but I feel like the albums I've listened to blend together too much (more specifically Bloodthirst Overdose and Archangel). If im working listening to Archangel I can only identify a few songs. I just remember certain little things that I enjoy in a song that trigger my memory of where I am in the album, like when the cowbell comes on during the title track. I just need to listen to the albums more. favorite songs: Endless tears of a Shattered Hourglass, Verminblood, Deadly Anthem of a mausoleum flower.

4 Leader. Burzum sha Ghâsh is 100% black metal evil. Enough said. favorite songs: Surrender your dreams, Lucid Funeral maelstrom, etc... all of them.

5 Mayhem. ok they have Freezing Moon and Pagan Fears. Also Life Eternal which was written by Varg Vikernes of burzum fame. Not bad, but not the best.

Dude above has good black metal taste, but ffs learn to count lol.

Phantom "The Epilogue To Sanity". It's ultra-dissonant and borders on unlistenable, but it's referred to as the best third wave black metal album for a reason.

Personally I think the best of the genre came in the early days: Mayhem, Burzum, Darkthrone, Marduk, Von, Neraines, etc. New bands and artists lean too much on the 'heavy' or 'extreme' side of things, instead of being dark and atmospheric. Only exception: Warkvlt, the kings of bestial black metal.