Such an amazing band. The sound and feel of this album is almost unmatched IMO.

Yeah this is Black Metal, absolute pioneers of the swedish school of BM. Very solid playing, not as amateurish as some of the other early black metal bands, much more focused on melody and composition rather than atmosphere, they are deffinitely not as abrasive as something like Burzum or early Emperor but it's still Black Metal, very much so!

On the topic of what Dissection's genre is, it is funny you mention they don't sound like black metal because there has been a long running debate on whether they are black metal or death metal. While Dissection are usually just called black metal or melodic black metal these days and certainly have had black metal influences (the band has cited various black metal bands), I don't really like this. When talking about Dissection and if they're black metal or not, it is important to know two things: They started out as a purely death metal band and they were basically part of the Gothenburg scene and for a time shared the same rehearsal space as the guys in At The Gates and Eucharist, and because of the size of the scene at the time almost certainly performed with a lot of these guys. And indeed as I mentioned, if you listen to their earliest material it is just straight up death metal, nary a trace of black metal, but many have also noticed that even on The Somberlain and Storm of the Light's Bane, which are supposedly black metal, they still have things such as more death metal-y rhythms and at times riffs (such as the main riff on Night's Blood). But it's also important to keep in mind this was common across the emerging styles of melodic death metal and melodic black metal in Sweden, many of the early melodic death metal bands have some black metal influence (a great example is Gates of Ishtar, but you notice even bands like Dark Tranqullity play around with things more characteristic of black metal, such as the distroted minor triads on Punish My Heaven) and many early melodic black metal bands have some kind of death metal influence as well (example being Dawn who are another of these 'melodic black metal' bands that began as a death metal band). These were all guys that came from roughly the same area, listening to the same music, and had a lot of the same ideas (such as the strong melodicisms inspired by 80s heavy metal). So I guess to answer the question on genre, I suppose one could say "melodic black metal" and it would be somewhat true, I think this undercuts the death metal elements that have always been present in Dissection, I personally usually call them melodic black/death metal and associate them more closely with Unanimated than I do other melodic black metal bands that have more of a straight black metal approach (such as Vinterland, Sorhin, early Sacramentum). On another note, while this is one of Dissection's most popular songs, I do hope if or when you return to them you check out some of their more ambition songs such as "Night's Blood", "The Somberlain", "Thorns of Crimson Death", "Black Horizons", etc.

Dan Swano really hit the mark with the production of this album!

You should check out Nights Blood from the same album, fantastic dynamics and songwriting, with an incredible sense of musical story telling. Gives me the goosebumps everytime

Yeah this is still black metal, I'd consider it melodic black metal. Like I said on the WITTR video, black metal with cleaner production usually combines their sound with other genres.

This has to be one of my fav reaction videos and i've watched a lot of 'em. The complete breakdown of my fav song from the time signatures, instrumentals and lyrics is just amazing. Well done my man well done!

I love this album. One of my favorites of all time. Also, you're not wrong that this isn't quite black metal, even though it has a lot of similar elements. I tend to think of it as melodic black death metal, or at least black death metal.

When the double kicka first start at 1:40 - that is the most evil riff I've ever heard and I absolutely love it!

top-tier band. short run but what a ride. some of the best riffs in black metal history. someway some how do a video watching the live show on their official channel "Rebirth of Dissection." PERFECTION . Rest in Chaos Jon

Well, there is a sub genre that you can call melodic black death metal. This is my favorite one, where you can put Dissection, Naglfar, Mork Gryning, Dawn and some other in. If I had to suggest you some of others I'd go with Naglfar - The Brimstone Gate (probably their slowest from this era, but such a gem), Dawn - Malediction Murder, Mork Gryning - Journey and another Dissection at least. I'd pick Thorns Of Crimson Death. Still not their most Black Metalish one, but a gem nonetheless.

i would absolutely call this black metal even though it has death metal influences but this song is a little different of what dissection use to do since this is what you would call a "balad" by black metal standards and most of their songs are much faster the man behind the project is Jon Nödtveidt, he was convicted of aiding and abetting murder, he and a friend murdered a homosexual man who tried to hit on him and his friend (as far as i know) he killed himself in 2006 in a satanic ritual and died at the age of 31

ah good old dissection, this album is widely regarded as a classic and has a soft spot for me as this particular album was my gateway into heavier metal (i picked it out at a cousin's place for the art and a unique paper case and then the music hooked me in) anyways if you want black metal projects that have a bit clearer production i'd look more into the progressive/avant-garde side of the genre, so something like cobalt - 'hunt the buffalo', schammasch - 'split my tongue' for a more straightforward track or 'contradiction' if you're feeling more adventurous, kaleikr - 'beheld at sunrise'

Hello there! AFAIK Dissection has always been considered a blackened death metal band but differs a lot with another BDM ones, it's that "unpackaging" of the melodies you were talking about IHMO. It's the first video I watch on your channel and totally enjoyed it. Never saw a so in-depth metal music analysis; For sure I'll come back for more. Sorry about my poor english and thanks for the video, man.

As I said a few days back, there's so many styles of black metal these days. This album came out in 1995, so it has a strong influence to any later melodic black and blackened death metal. Also DAWN : "Slaughtersun" album, that came out in 1998 goes in the same category and is one of my all time fave's. If you are interested in some of the classics in the early/mid 90's influencers in black metal and classic albums, check out Arcturus : "Aspera Hiems Symfonia", Kvist : " For Kunsten Maa Vi Evig Vike", In The Woods.... : "HEart Of The Ages", and Fleurety : "Min Tid Skal Komme"

I remember listening to this album in 03’ and being instantly hooked to this album but also to black metal

On the talk of Dissection's genre: I noticed once that if you detune their music by an octave, it's pretty clearly death metal, and doesn't seem out of place next to other Swedish death metal of the time, which was all tuned to B. What does it end up being when it's tuned to E standard though? Dunno.

Hey! A swede here. Loved Dissection since I was a kid, what a wonderful throwback to see this here. I have a suggestion for an album to review while you're going through high production black metal. Vanitas, by Anaal Nathrakh, a longtime favorite of mine. The band has changed somewhat over the years but always stuck to their core sound. If a single song sounds more pallatable, I recommend "Forging Towards The Sunset". I don't know if they are simply "Black metal" however. A sidenote. They dont usually post their lyrics, the lyrics you find online are written by fans who spent alot of time trying to piece the words out. Enjoy.

Haven’t listened to this album, but really enjoyed this song! I really enjoyed the melody throughout. The entire song had a storytelling feel to it. I felt I was on a journey. As I’m learning more about BM, it’s interesting how different regions have their own style. This compared to Norwegian, Canadian, Italian, US, Polish is interesting. Curious of the history and influences on each region and how it connects to BM.

I think it is the angel that is quoted as being tempted by the darkness. Both the forces of light and darkness being tempted by one another bit with darkness consuming the light in the end.

I AM SO PUMPED FOR THIS VIDEO! Dissection is my favorite band of all time.

If iron maiden were a black metal band, that's what they would sound like. And I always liked the way drums sounded on this album, that reverb on them. The toms especially, sound like they were recorded in a deep cave (and it fits the music really well, to be honest the whole album has that reverb sound to it; drums, vocals, the acoustic passages. I love it!).

This song is a ballad and a bit commercial but Dissection wonn the songcontest in Kungshamn in Sweden 1993

This album is amazing, it shifts from Black metal to classic Death metal stylings, the track Night's Blood is pretty much traditional death metal but doesn't feel out of place next the more Black metal trappings. Highly recommended listen.

One of the best metal songs ever! R.i.C. Jon

That`s how you start a reaction to Dissection, with a WOW, songwriting wise they are still the best in extreme music by FAR!

Back in the day, the Swedish Death Metal scene and the Norwegian Black Metal scene hated each other. Then along comes Dissection, blending the two genres and attracting fans from both sides. Win-win. I like to call them Melodic Blackened Death Metal. All those elements are found in their first two albums. Their third and final album came out much later, after the vocalist got released from jail (yet another BM musician turned murderer) and that one's just Melodic Death Metal. As for the lyrics and the death of the angel being somewhat "tame", IMO this is what differentiates Black from Death. DM is pretty blunt when it comes to describing gruesome deaths (though it can often be read as dark humor) whereas in BM death (no matter the circumstances) is often taken more seriously, viewed as an inevitable fate that will crush you under its weight. Just look at song titles like "Hammer Smashed Face" (Death Metal) and "Buried by Time and Dust" (Black Metal). When you try to picture these, the former may merely make you raise an eyebrow while the latter may give you goosebumps. Like the difference between a gore flick and a haunted house movie.

for me, black metal is a feeling. yes i concider this black metal but its everyone on their own...

Bryan you are the best, haven't seen such a mindful and interested host and reviewer

The masterpiece of Melodic Black, I fuckin love this band and all the clones of them so much

Definitely one of my top 5 metal albums, like Emperor these guys were in a place all their own.

To me, Dissection is a classic example of mixed genre music usually known as blackened death metal. Very blackened but still melodic death metal.

One can clearly hear the difference between Death Metal and Black Metal only by fixing upon the rhythm. Black Metal tends to be slightly slower and very monotonous, although the base techniques are the same. For example : Death and Black Metal both use tremolo picking and blast beats in sixteenth, but the tempo often exceeds 200bpm in Death Metal, not in Black Metal. In consequence, Death Metal drummers don't do blast beats for too long, and often switch to skank beats or double bass beats, while Black Metal drummers tend to keep doing the same beats with little variations. From that point of view, Dissection are generally closer to Death Metal, except for some songs, such as Black Horizons, Unhallowed, Soulreaper, and some parts here and there (The Somberlain's "lord of infernal" part, for example). However, Where Dead Angels Lie doesn't fit any category. It's a ballad (if that term still makes sense in Extreme Metal).

When this came out it was considered Blackend Death. They were even featured on the compilation album ".... Death is just the beginning III" with the song Nights Blood. Even thou Jon was MLO in his beliefs, the music was never looked upon as Black Metal back in the day.

If I recall back in the day they called themselves death metal. I imagine that was in part just who they were playing with/hanging with. I saw them live with 2 death metal bands. But I've always seen it as black metal... thematically black... guitar vocal drum style... mostly black... vocal the sound was unique from everything else. The vocals are very unique because you can hear the nuance and make out the words as if they were being spoken. Dark Funeral's EP had the same sound/tone. Same studio I believe. It's what I thought of as the Swedish black metal sound at the time.

Black Metal is all about atmosphere, good black metal songs have a cold, melancholic or warlike atmosphere.

You should check out Batushka the Yekteniya album if you want hear some clean production in Black Metal. Any track of that album really.

I'd call it Blackened Swedish Melodic Death Metal...:-) "Storm of the Light's Bane" is one of my very few all time favorite albums for sure.

Production-wise I think that everything is connected by a huge amount of reverb. Without doubt this album is in the top5 black metal albums ever

You need to react to dissection thorns of crimson death or the somberlain live in wacken

This song is sort of the most normal, traditional "song"-like song (also with a strong folk-influence) on the album Storm of the Light's Bane, which on the whole is very listenable. One could say this would be the "single" of the album, but there isn't really a filler on the album, it's a really strong metal performance.

Yay! This is from the album I recommended a few days back, Storm of the Light's Bane! I LOVE this album, and like I explained, it carries a lot of the regional like mindedness of Gothenburg's melodic ideas! EDIT: Not a fan of people trying to fit this album, and many other black metal, into a weirdly specific subgenre. This is black metal through and through, with this album often cited as the best of the best the genre has to offer. Like I mentioned in the Mgla video, the genre is very varied when you explore it more and see that artists in the genre just love to do lots of different things! If I had to define BM: it is extreme metal, i.e. has evolved from thrash and other genres of metal to a more extreme sound, but focuses on atmosphere and feeling, specifically focusing on the theme of EVIL or depression or something very negative. Clasically this has been accomplished via the fuzz and wall of sound, but then people started doing it in many different ways as well. Like with other genres, it is hard to clearly define it and it doesn't really matter. What matters though is that culturally people consider lota of things BM and that is that. This album of course included. My advice: keep listening to the genre and form your own picture of what the genre is.

Majestic song Jon Nödtveidt was a visionary composer and he had charisma on stage. May he rest in peace south of heaven 🔥

The key to why so many genres can become "blackened" is because the culture at the time and place that black metal was created is what influenced the music, rather than the other way around. The tone, and by tone I mean the non-music version of the word, is probably the most important thing. Lots of treble and little bass create a cold atmosphere to the song, and when instruments like guitar have a high treble they cold thru the wall of sound that black metal likes to create like a gust of wind from a blizzard. Lyrical themes are also really important and the use of the shrieking vocals as another way to set tone/mood along with the pain and anguish you can hear in them all lend themselves to the feeling you get when you listen to black metal. That's why I think you can apply the principles of black metal to so many other things.

Going to enjoy this. You gotta check out IN FLAMES - Wayfaerer, or Children of Bodom - Silent Night, Bodom Night. Same era and the roots of Melodic Death Metal. In 1998 I went to a concert to see Dimmu Borgir, Dissection, In Flames and Cradle Of Filth. Besides Cradle Of Filth (cant deal with the vocals) it was one of the best concerts I ever went to.

your headset suits perfectly for the art cover

This is an impossible question to answer, as you're asking is an ideology - black metal - also one identifiable sound. If anyone can find an ancient print extreme metal magazine called "Terrorizer", around the time of 'Storm of the..' Jon in an interview simply describes them as death metal, he also mentioned Euronymus liked their demo before 'The Sombrelain' but wouldn't sign them as he only signed black metal bands. Case closed. But ideologically - as said Euro once in a fanzine - all Satanic metal is black metal, from Mercyful Fate to Blasphemy, the musical metal substyle is irrelevant, if it's Satanic then it's black metal. Black metal is Satanic ideology, so in that respect Dissection is automatically a BM band. But musically the man himself referred to his music as death metal, he purposefully wrote death metal.

5:53 I so with the harmonised melody was played for longer instead of just once

You did a great job of picking apart this classic Black Metal band 👌 Legendary Band🤘

The album from which this track belongs was positively seminal for the development of melodic black metal which has produced a great volume of music I greatly enjoy. Thus I am forced to reluctantly acknowledge the widely held opinion that this album is one of metal's greatest, even though I myself am not a fan.

I been listening to this album since 1995 timeless

I've recommended this on mgła album analysis, but my recommendation is perfect for Hi-fi black metal, Altar of Plagues - All Life Converges to Some Center

If i recall... They said the played the "metal of death" not black metal.

Great album from my youth I was about 19 when i heard it for the 1st time.

one of the best albums ever made- true kosmik kaos RIP Jon

Ah, a true classic of Melodic Black Metal

Some other bands/songs of that era that have a similar style as Dissection you should take a listen to Sacramentum - When Night Surrounds me Unanimated - Life Demise (they also have some new albums out that are quite good) Vinterland - A castle So Crystal Clear Necrophobic - The Nocturnal Silence (more death metal but definitely a lot of black metal elements)

My part of my first wedding dance.

It's considered "blackened death metal". However this is probably the least black metal sounding song from Dissection (pre Reinkaos). I suggest you listen to Soulreaper which will certainly sound more black metal but it still has the very distinct Dissection sound.

Watching your reactions and this is just one of my favoritebands and songs! What could Jon have done if he didn't "go to transylvania" Just a fucked up but briliant musical mind....

See, and this ties up with what was being said yesterday about the defining elements of fuzz being somewhat integral to the sound, I can see why this can throw the definition up for a loop, and to give you further credence, they actually kinda pushed back against the label. But bear in mind, this song is as close to a black metal "single" as they come. There's absolutely no written rule that black metal has to include blast beats, fuzz, and tremolo picking, those were usually the distinctive sounds of the norwegian bands The greek bands that were coming up at roughly the same time were definitely slower and moodier in pace, and Samael were for the most part, groovy as fuck. Had you been made to react to them, odds would be, you'd headbang on camera. Those are the rules. They'd also fit perfectly on this weeks theme, I'd say. Ceremony of Opposites is very cleanly produced. So yeah, this is a lot catchier and "song format-y" than most anything that was thrown your way so far, but it still bears the same mood. I always found this album to be exceedingly *cold* in sound, and that's certainly a black metal mood. And it has to be said, the rest of the album is just as melodic, but goes at a much more frantic speed. As for the personal touch they include, swedish melodic death metal (which later becomes melodeath) was also beginning to burgeon at this time, and there are definite paralels in the sound.

This is one of my favorite Black Metal song of all time.

This melodic black metal. Check out Maha Kali from their Reinkaos album it’s the album after this one. It’s quite different but yet still so good and a great production as well.

Legendary song! Legendary band!

You can also react to the Somberlain. This is their most iconic song in my opinion. ( Jon Nodveidt was only 17 at the time ! ) And, then, could you react to Batushka ? Yekteniya 1 or 3, maybe ? ps : also, sorry for my bad english, i'm french !

There's still some fuzz on guitars! Maybe your headphones are too good that can't capture that :)) I've listened to this album to death. Dissection is a legendary band that pioneered Melodic Black Metal. Read the history of Jon Nödtveidt too, it's very interesting!

You should do old man's child anything besides born of the flickering production wise. Arcturus,Borknager, Thorns, Satyricon just a few examples.

The muted alternate picking paired with blast beats = black metal. Just because it’s not horrendously underproduced and has a melody doesn’t mean it’s not black metal. Plus, Jon (the lead singer) is one of the most hardcore Satanic metal dudes ever.

You have to listen their first two albums ! Humankind needs another one hundred years to comprehend the genius of Dissection that goes beyond genre

Never realised how close they were to early (pre Still Life) Opeth. Guess the latter took inspiration from the former if any(?)

its blackened melodic death metal infused with scandinavian folk, at least their first 2 full lenghts

For me this is definitely black metal. In my mind black metal can sound like a mixture of many genres, but the satanic subject matter of the lyrics and attitude of the band is what defines a black metal band. IMO this is one of the most iconic black metal songs of all time and this album is in my top 10. Great analysis, really enjoyed the video.

What you people should remember is that in the first place black metal is NOT about the esthetic style but about the ideology and the message, black metal IS Satanic. If it's not Satanic themed then it's not black metal (like Immortal for instance), period! In this sense Dissection is PURE Black Metal.

Dissection is most CERTAINLY black metal. They were more refined than most of their contemporaries but their genre is most certain.

Night’s Blood by Dissection is so good

you should check watain, especially their song named waters of ain but live version

The drums... the drums

The producer is known to be one one of the best Metal Producers in the Biz

for really good composed black metal u can check out Aquilus - Nihil from the album griseus, the composition is really well made and kinda progressive, pretty cool stuff

This whole album is awesome! My favorite song from it would be Thorns of Crimson Death!

Yup, this is Black Metal and pioneers for the more melodic black metal genres. Sometimes it is debated of they are really a BM band, arguing they belong more into the gothenburg Melodeath scene and I get it why. But ultimately people categorize them as Black Metal because of the sound, feel and looks. The song Somberlain from the previous album would have probably been a better more "black metallish" example but either way, this song and album rocks. 🤘

I love Dissection 🤘🏻🔥

Melodic Black Metal. They were pioneers.

@Critical Reactions & All; Must see => Jon Nödtveidt (Pre-Dissection) - I Got Dreams ... & Jon's other songs & covers (Whitesnake, Motley Crue etc) are great too! Love that he never denied his earlier influences & kept things pretty true until he got all messed up! Music was still great & he waa so wrong thinking he was done. He had so much more to offer! Still love that dumbass though~

That album is a masterpiece.

God DAMN, Dissection are so fucking good.

If u loved this then u should listen to black horizons from Dissection it would be the perfect song to react to especially if ur a composer coz the song has different transitions n brilliantly composed not really as simple as dead angles lie but actually there's a lot more to it... there's acoustic stuff too n it is so melodic probably one of the best melodic bm stuff available its also really underrated not just an underrated Dissection song but bm in general I think it's one of the best bm songs ever made n to me Dissections best song!!! Please try it u will enjoy n be impressed for sure Love ur channel keep it up!!!

I recommend Taake - Hordalands Doedskvad II

A folk metal band that plays hard rock inspired music with death and black metal sound.

Dissection started out as Death metal/Melodic Death metal band and then when Black Metal exploded in the early 90's they sort of adapted to that by drawing in elements of Black metal while phasing out som death metal ingredients. I think that this style would qualify as Melodic Black/Death Metal or typical Swedish Black metal. This phenomen was popular for swedish bands in the 90's. From the top of my head I remember just a few of those, very good, bands: Dawn, Eucharist and of course the first couple of albums by In Flames and Dark Tranquility are melodic black/death metal

Anyone else ever noticed that this sounds very similar to Mayhem's "From The Dark Past" at the start?

Yeah it's black metal. First, the production is better than average black metal but it's still black metal production, you can hear it mostly in the guitars and the vocals in the verse. Also, even if the song didn't have a black metal production, i would still call the vocal tone and the guitar riffs of the first verse black metal. Enslaved is a great example of this in their newer albums, great production but still black metal. But yeah, production is a big part of black metal so it's not surprising that some of the picks this week "don't feel like black metal"

There is something undeniably special about this song chills every time may Satan bless and keep you Jon 🤘😈🤘

I think you should analise "thorns of crimson death" song from them (dissection) for me thats their most melodic music, maybe you like it... 😁

I think lyrically this would be very easy to interpret from something like a Freudian perspective, like an exertion of power of the ego, with some sexual element... Obviously fundamentally it is very primitive, but usually "juvenile" is one of the best things one could say from a psychological perspective. I’m not into psychology at all, but when I think an explanation makes sense, I might use it.

Hoping you'll do some Negură Bunget this week then. Cunoașterea Tăcută for instance.

Check out Watain - Waters of Ain, or Emperor - Curse You All Men...

One of the best bands ever.

This album (and song) is a stone-cold classic of 90s black metal, hugely influential on the later black metal bands that wanted to keep the raw aggression of BM, but fuse it with the greater melodicism of classic heavy metal and intelligible production. Not sure if I'd consider this "hi-fi," but, again, definitely higher-fi than most BM, especially from this period. Entire album is stellar front-to-back, and the one they released before this one is nearly as good. Sadly, Dissection disbanded and didn't release another album for over a decade, and when they did it was decent but underwhelming compared to their first two. Still, a superb model for bands wanting to find that happy medium I mentioned above. As for whether this is BM, absolutely yes it is, but we know genres are fluid and frequently hybridized. What I'd say is that this is BM but with more influence from classic heavy metal, especially the melodic guitar lines of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. It takes something of their more melodic approach but "blackens" it with the sonic elements, blastbeats, tremolo picking, etc., but dials back some of BM's more extreme usages of those thing so there's a bit more variety and "better" (by traditional standards) production. FWIW, this is one of those albums that's pretty universally beloved by black metal fans, so even most of the "trve cvlt" types like this. I think Dissection kept enough BM elements but added just enough elements from classic metal with better production without weakening too far the elements the hardcore BM fans love. This album is probably going to be in most Top 10 Black Metal Albums lists, at least those formed by polls and overall rankings (individual lists can vary much more, of course).

So this is a concept that is more controversial than it should be. Black metal is not as much of a style of music as it is a spirit, an energy, an experience. So bands can sound drastically different, and still be Black metal. Aghast and Storm and Dissection and Falkenbach, and Windir, and Shining...all arguably Black metal. Take it a step further and Euronymous says its even Diamanda Galas. A lot of people don't get this. Most also don't get Black metal, in my opinion. As someone that's a total nerd and been listening to it for near 3 decades.