Majestic symphonic black metal

I really like symphonic black metal but think there is lack of really good christian bands. (There is a few.)

One of my favourites are Grave Declaration. But they said that they are going away from the symphonic sound on the new material.

I really don't like profane lyrics, satan centered, dark, evil themes so I don't listen to bands like Dimmu Borgir etc.

But one I really like is Carach Angren musically. I'd like to se more christian bands in the veins of Carach Angren (and Dimmu Borgir).

I like the big sound with orchestras, violins, pianos, synths etc to integrate with the black metal/extreme music style.


What do you guys think of my thoughts? Do you agree?

Have you checked out Renascent yet? I highly recommend it

Also Divine Symphony

I recently discovered Ohen from Slovakia who you might dig.  Otherwise, I'd recommend Sanctifica's first album and Parakletos.  Additionally,

-Antestor's album The Forsaken might be up your alley but that one's pretty well known...
-Blood Thirsty is symphonic brutal death metal so not exactly what you're looking for but they're pretty great.
-Crimson Moonlight's album The Covenant Progress is pretty excellent symphonic black metal.
-Morphia is symphonic doom/death
-Orationem's latest album has some "cello" in it though I wouldn't consider it "symphonic" black metal.
-And keep an eye on Opus Irae who will be coming out with their debut album sometime in the near future:

Thanks for the tips on bands and I already listen to them all. Divine Fire had also a lot of symphonic in their sound but no black metal vocals. (Not a big fan of Christian Rivels voice). I love Renascents albums and Blood Thirsty is really good. And I like Sympathy. I have big hopes for an Opus Irae full lenght album, love their sound.

My main concern is that there i not many new bands on the same level as Carach Angren or Dimmu Borgir when it comes to symphonic metal. I want more christian symphonic metal now.

Not a Christian release, but since I made it, it's absolutely a safe secular. I've been just giving away MP3s since the CD sold out. It is black/death metal with symphonic elements.



Carach Angren is very good. ...and definitely an influence of music I've done in the past.

Cerimonial Sacred is pretty solid as well!

Kerrick wrote:
-Orationem's latest album has some "cello" in it though I wouldn't consider it "symphonic" black metal.

I wouldn't either. It's more like raw/traditional black metal with semi-regular cello attacks. Haha!
It would be capable of scratching a very light symphonic itch though.

I guess you already know crimson moonlight and antestor but Slechtvalk are often underrated. Check their first album. This is my favourite song and seriously some of the best SBM imo 




the keyboards at 2:36 are stunning.

also there are some modern bands that match perfectly into your description and you will enjoy them a lot. They are not christian but not evil either.

Anorexia Nervosa - Redemption Process: one of the most elegant SBM albums ever




Winterburst - The mind cave: Great album



Chthonic - 9th empyrean, relentless recurrence and seediq bale are great stuff into your colection too.





Catamenia - Eternal winter's prophecy and Chaos born are nice Melodic/symphonic black




Krake - Conquering death : Very bombastic sounding like Death kult armageddon era dimmu





Advent sorrow - Before the dimming light :This little ep contains 5 songs and two of them are great. The wraith in silence is magnificient.



 

Yeah, Slechtvalk is great!
There's also Nephesh... I'm not extremely familiar with Dimmu Borgir yet (I'm fixing that though ) but Nephesh is easily the closest I've seen in Christian metal to Dimmu. Kinda weird production though


Also Ecthirion, less black but solid


And Dark Lay Still... more just black/death with keyboards but solid

Thanks for the tips guys. I have all the christian bands already. But how could I forget about Nepesh! Excellent band.

I just wish there where more new bands keeping the torch up for great SBM. Once in a while a new band emerge. And the ones who where really great somehow changes their sound to less symphonic metal. Like the first Crimson Moonlight EP, Eternal Emperor. I though like the progress of Crimson Moonlight and they are still great.   

Maybe I'm hoping for too much. But please musicians out there, make some new symphonic tunes for me to enjoy.

I hope this isn't too lame to keep recommending stuff I made, but just thought of another release of mine that might qualify, if you haven't already heard it.

Grim - Vespers

This 2013 release, I basically put 40 minutes of black metal to Rachmanninoff's Vespers, which are ancient Christmas songs sung by a Russian choir. No strings or keys, but a singing choir the whole way through gives it a haunting symphonic feel.

Sort of instrumental, except for the choir of course.

Good job ThomasEversole! just not my cup of tea. Too much of a wall of noise for me.

What I like about Carach Angren is how they build up that big sound and then suddenly breaks it down again. I feel that they have a very varied sound and are masters of telling a story. They play on all the emotional strings and go from a haunting musical vibe to a more full rich orchestrated feel. And the production is clear and perfect.

That's what I'm looking for.

(Right now I'm listening to Aggelos. Great band!)

I gotcha.  I'm a wall of noise kind of guy.  

I totally agree with you about Carach Angren.  Been a fan of theirs for years and saw them live in February.  I growl along with lyrics from 3 albums that I have memorized.

I totally get their technical sound washing over the listener.  The only thing I have comparable, while symphonic, is more electronic than "metal".  Took me 2 weeks to write and produce this album back in 2011. Actually, I found out about Carach Angren from Shamgar of Sletchvalk when he said this ↓ album reminded him of an instrumental version of Carach Angren.

Someone needs to say it.  I make too much music.  LOL

ThomasEversole wrote:I growl along with lyrics from 3 albums that I have memorized.

Just a little subsistence to back that up.

Good job!

Now make music like that and I will buy it.