Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, a shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, raw (lo-fi) recording, unconventional song structures, and an emphasis on atmosphere. Artists often appear in corpse paint and adopt pseudonyms.
Darkthrone is a black metal band from Kolbotn, Norway, formed in 1986 as a death metal band under the name Black Death. In 1991, the band embraced a black metal style influenced by Bathory and Celtic Frost and became one of the leading bands in the Norwegian black metal scene.
Burzum was a Norwegian music project founded by Varg Vikernes in 1991. Although Burzum never played live performances, it became a part of the early Norwegian black metal scene and is considered one of the most influential acts in black metal’s history. He has also released four dark ambient and neofolk albums. The word "burzum" means "darkness" in the black speech, a fictional language crafted by Lord of the Rings writer J. R. R. Tolkien. Burzum's lyrics and imagery are often inspired by fantasy and Norse mythology, and do not feature the political views Vikernes is known for.
Immortal is a Norwegian black metal band from Bergen. The group was founded in 1991 by frontman and guitarist Abbath Doom Occulta and guitarist Demonaz Doom Occulta. The pair worked with various drummers, and were later joined by current drummer Horgh in 1996.
Bathory was a Swedish extreme metal band formed in Vällingby, Sweden, in March 1983. Named after Hungarian countess Elizabeth Báthory, they are considered pioneers of black metal and Viking metal, and one of the most influential acts in heavy metal as a whole. Lords of Chaos described Bathory's first four albums as "the blueprint for Scandinavian black metal." Acts influenced by their early records include Mayhem, Burzum, Darkthrone, Gorgoroth, Satyricon, Emperor, Dark Funeral, Enslaved, Marduk, Moonsorrow and Dimmu Borgir.
Averse Sefira was a black metal band from Austin, Texas.
Dissection was a Swedish extreme metal band from Strömstad, formed in 1989 by guitarist, vocalist and main songwriter Jon Nödtveidt and bass guitarist Peter Palmdahl. Despite a number of lineup changes, Dissection released The Somberlain in 1993 and Storm of the Light's Bane in 1995, before splitting up in 1997 due to Nödtveidt's imprisonment for complicity in the murder of Josef Meddour.
Dark Funeral is a Swedish black metal band from Stockholm, founded by guitarists Blackmoon and Lord Ahriman in 1993. They emerged during the second wave of black metal.
Beherit is a black metal band from Finland. The band was formed in 1989 by Nuclear Holocausto, Black Jesus and Sodomatic Slaughter, with the purpose of performing "the most primitive, savage, hell-obsessed black metal imaginable". "Beherit" is the Syriac word for Satan. Through the uncommercial nature of their music, visuals, and live performances, the band quickly attracted a cult following. Besides the "raw" sound, the band's music is noted for its avant-garde side and emphasis on atmosphere. Beherit are now regarded as a pioneer in their genre.
Darkwoods My Betrothed are a Finnish black metal band from Kitee, Finland.
Runemagick is a Swedish death/doom band formed in 1990. The band was started by Nicklas "Terror" Rudolfsson under the name Desiderius, which was quickly changed to Runemagic. First, the band consisted solely of Rudolfsson, but he was later joined by Robert "Reaper" Pehrsson. They started out as a pure death metal band but later incorporated doom metal influences, inspired by the likes of Bathory, Treblinka/Tiamat, Celtic Frost, Nihilist/Entombed, and Candlemass.
Absurd is a German National Socialist black metal band, and has been classified as a "right-wing extremist" group by the Thuringian Landesbehörde für Verfassungsschutz.
Acheron was an American death/black metal band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that was formed by Vincent Crowley in 1988. The band is named after the mythological river Acheron located in the underground kingdom of Hades in ancient Greek mythology.
Von is an American black metal band formed in 1987 in O'ahu, Hawaii; although they later relocated to San Francisco, California. They are thought to be the first American black metal band, and strongly influenced the second wave of black metal.
Watain is a Swedish black metal band from Uppsala, formed in 1998. The band's name is taken from an early recording by the American black metal group Von. The band have become infamous for their Theistic Satanist views and for their live shows which involve pyrotechnics, candles, Satanic rituals, animal carcasses, and blood. At a now-notorious live performance in Brooklyn in 2014, they doused audience members in animal blood, allegedly causing some members of the audience to vomit. This was picked up and publicised by TMZ, generating controversy around the incident. To date they have released six full-length albums, as well as three live albums and a number of demos and EPs. Their most recent album Trident Wolf Eclipse was released on 5 January 2018 through Century Media Records. The band's core lineup has remained stable since their formation, consisting of Erik Danielsson, Pelle Forsberg, and Håkan Jonsson, though as of 2015 Jonsson no longer performs live, his live duties now being covered by Emil Svensson of fellow Uppsala Death metal band Degial.
Gehenna is a Norwegian black metal band.
Aeternus is a Norwegian blackened death metal band from Bergen, Norway. It was formed in 1993 as an idea of Ronny Hovland, calling himself Ares, and Erik Heggernes, a.k.a. Vrolok. Later in 1996 Nicola Trier, a.k.a. Morrigan, joined the duo as a bass player, forming the core trio that created the band's first two albums. Morrigan also created the logo picture of ravens and axes that still exists as one of the band's trademarks.
Ronny Hovland, better known as Ares, is a Norwegian metal vocalist, guitarist and bassist, and the founder of the Norwegian death metal band Aeternus.
David Parland was a Swedish metal guitarist, best known for his work in the bands Dark Funeral, Necrophobic and Infernal, in all of which he was one of the founding members.
Malign is a Swedish black metal band from Stockholm, formed in 1994.
