And the best black metal band is...
 

...Agalloch, hands down. Ulver in a close second. Thoughts?

Anyways, the real reason for this thread is I wanted to know if anyone has listened to Agalloch's sort-of side project called Sculptured. Someone told me they were good, but if I am going to stop listening to noise music and noise rock for awhile then there better be a good reason.:D

Sculptured are really good actually. Really melodic and slightly technical death metal with a pinch of jazz. Sort of the inverse of Atheist if that makes sense.

Other contenders for best black metal = Scholomance and Aker****e.

Burzum. End of discussion.

Windir, Drudkh and Enslaved are all better bands.

Bathory, DarkThrone, Emperor, Leviathan, Gorgoroth, Celtic Frost, Deathspell Omega, Nokturnal Mortum are all equally good if not better.

And more melodic stuff-Obsidian Gate, Dissection, Dawn, Borknagar, Sacramentum, Old Man's Child, Samael and Primordial are all good too!

Actually too hard to select 'the best black metal band'.
But overall, I'd say Burzum wins this!
All their albums were good imo :)

EDIT:Btw i love Agalloch too :D Ashes Against The Grain is an awesome album...easily their best work.

Burzum for sure, but Darkthrone and Marduk are evry close. Also Early Ulver

Enslaved for sure. But I don't like black metal at all, so my opinion is kinda not really fair

I will have to check Sculptured out they sound good, Agalloch are supurb also early Celtic Frost is fantastic.

Bathory is really the only band I like.

Darkthrone. Agalloch have a very impressive, beautifully expansive sound, but Darkthrone and their blazing series of albums in the 90's still puts them on top. Celtic Frost, Bathory are great but I consider them too thrashy to considered in the upper echelon.