To put it simply and bluntly: Blut Aus Nord's Memoria Vetusta II: Dialogue with the Stars is a masterpiece. It is both exemplary within its discipline (black metal, duh) and forward-looking; it attains the latter quality without coming off like a grade-schooler desperate for attention. Plenty of the black metal one hears praised in recent years is just fine but not really all that special in the broader context, but Memoria Vetusta II keeps truly elite company and could hold its own on a shelf made up only of the acknowledged milestones. On vinyl, its four sides suggest an inner development that can be called "symphonic" with a straight face. By the time I got to the soloing on the fourth side I was cheering. If you like black metal, past or present, you should seek this one out.