Ancient is a Norwegian black metal band from Bergen, formed in 1992. The band released six full-length albums released by Metal Blade Records to date and a variety of mini-albums, EPs and special releases. Ancient used to have the classic raw black metal sound, similar to Darkthrone's works. Beginning with The Cainian Chronicle, they moved towards a more Nordic/atmospheric black metal sound, akin to Emperor and a cleaner production. After a period of turmoil concerning their line-up, they went on to add gothic-style instruments such as violins, a female vocalist, and synthesizers to their music.
Tristania was a Norwegian gothic metal band formed in 1996 by Morten Veland, Einar Moen and Kenneth Olsson. Tristania's music is usually classified as Gothic metal with death influences, due to its strong tie and legacy within the gothic metal history. Their songs largely dealt with dark and sentimental topics, including depression, sadness, suicide, love, absence, and anger.
Catamenia is a Finnish black metal band founded in 1995 by Riku Hopeakoski and Mika Tönning in Oulu. They have been signed to Massacre Records since their first full-length release Halls of Frozen North in 1998. As of 2010, they have released nine albums, one EP, and one DVD. They are known for frequent usage of wolves in their album art, but the band is named after a kind of bird. Catamenia also means "menstruation", which the band did not know until a fan pointed it out to them after the release of their debut album.
...And Oceans, previously known as Havoc Unit and Festerday, is a metal band from Finland. It was formed in 1989 as a death metal band, but soon changed its style to symphonic black metal. It released its first album as ...and Oceans in 1998, and in the following years it pursued a less traditional, more industrial-oriented direction.
Dispatched are a Swedish melodic death metal band from Södertälje formed in 1992.
Hecate Enthroned are an English symphonic black metal band initially founded with members from both Wales and England, but are now primarily based around Cheshire, England. The band formed in 1993 as a blackened death metal act under the name Amethyst, changing their name to Daemonum later on. By 1995 the band had adopted the name Hecate Enthroned and a symphonic black metal style.
Into Eternity is a Canadian progressive death metal band from Regina, Saskatchewan, formed in 1997 by Tim Roth, Scott Krall and Jim Austin.
The Project Hate MCMXCIX is a Swedish death metal band with influences from electro-industrial music.
Mercenary is a Danish melodic death metal band that was formed in 1991. The band incorporates a lot of power and progressive elements in their songwriting.
Trail of Tears is a Norwegian gothic/symphonic black metal formed in 1997. Through most of their career the band emphasised the use of contrasting soprano and death grunt vocals, except for the release of Free Fall into Fear in 2005, in which the band switched this contrast mostly to tenor and growls, with less frequent soprano passages. The band disbanded in 2013, being succeeded by Thorsen's project Viper Solfa. In 2020, they reformed with old and new members, including previous Sirenia vocalist Ailyn.
Evoken is an American funeral doom band from Lyndhurst, New Jersey, United States. Evoken is one of the earliest U.S. death-doom bands that are still active today, along with Novembers Doom and Rigor Sardonicous.
Opera IX is an Italian symphonic black metal band, founded in the city of Biella by the guitarist Ossian in 1988.
Necromantia was a Greek black metal band that was founded in 1989 in Athens. Alongside Rotting Christ and Varathron, they are considered to be pioneers in establishing the Greek black metal scene in the early 1990s. The band is notable for the complete lack of rhythm guitar in their music, which is substituted by an eight-string bass guitar. Another notable feature is the band's frequent use of musical instruments not usually associated with black metal, such as the saxophone and flute.
Gehenna is a Norwegian black metal band.
Sanctifica was a Swedish unblack metal band, formed in 1996, and disbanded in 2003. After releasing their EP, In the Bleak Midwinter, in 1997, they were considered to be one of the leading modern Christian black metal bands in the early 2000s with their album Spirit of Purity. Signed to Swedish Rivel Records and Finnish Little Rose Productions, the band played progressive death metal on their second and last album Negative B. They did a tour through Scandinavia to support that album, performing at some of the best known rock clubs in big cities. Hubertus Liljegren went to join Crimson Moonlight, while the rest formed a rock group called As a Reminder.
Morphia was a Dutch symphonic death/doom metal band formed in 1995. Having performed concerts with groups such as After Forever, Epica, Autumn, Orphanage and Imperia, Morphia established themselves as one of the more prominent symphonic doom metal bands in the Netherlands. Signed to Dutch Fear Dark Records, Morphia has released 3 studio albums, musically evolving from death metal to gothic doom over the years. The band name comes from morphine, a medical drug used to relieve pain, but it is also a reference to Morpheus, the principal god of dreams in the Greek mythology.
Myrkskog is a death metal band formed in 1993 from Drammen, Norway.
Deeds of Flesh is an American brutal death metal band from Los Osos, California, U.S. They were formed in 1993 by Jacoby Kingston, Erik Lindmark (1972–2018) and Joey Heaslet. They founded their own label, Unique Leader Records, which has since become home to a number of other death metal bands from around the world. Deeds of Flesh have released nine studio albums, their most recent being Nucleus which was released in 2020.
Sea of Treachery is an American metalcore/deathcore band from Hebron, Kentucky, United States, formed in 2004. Since forming, they have released three EPs and two full-length studio albums, the first being At Daggers Drawn, which was released on April 29, 2008 on Sumerian Records, and the second being Wonderland, released on December 14, 2010 on Blkheart Group. The digital version of Wonderland, featuring a bonus track, was released January 4, 2011. In early 2012, the band had reformed with the original line-up who were on the At Daggers Drawn record, played a reunion show in Newport, Kentucky, and have also announced more shows around the tri-state area.
Wuthering Heights is a Danish-Swedish heavy metal band with a somewhat eclectic musical style which falls in somewhere between progressive metal, "folk music-into-heavy metal" and power metal, along with "a mixture of neoclassical metal, melodic speed metal and various progressive elements."
