Black metal is a type of heavy metal music known for its intense style. It often features fast music, loud and high-pitched singing, heavily distorted guitar sounds played with a specific technique called tremolo picking, rough-sounding recordings, unusual song structures, and a focus on creating a strong mood. Many artists in this genre wear dark makeup called corpse paint and use fake names.

The band Venom started the first major wave of black metal with their 1982 album Black Metal, which gave the genre its name. In the years that followed, other bands like Bathory, Mercyful Fate, Hellhammer, and Celtic Frost helped shape the style. By 1987, this early wave had faded, but new bands such as Tormentor, Sarcófago, Parabellum, Blasphemy, Samael, and Rotting Christ continued to influence the genre. A second wave began in the early 1990s, led by bands in Norway, including Mayhem, Darkthrone, Burzum, Immortal, Emperor, Satyricon, and Gorgoroth. This Norwegian scene helped define black metal as a unique genre and inspired similar scenes in Finland (Beherit, Archgoat, Impaled Nazarene), Sweden (Dissection, Marduk, Abruptum, Nifelheim), the United States (Profanatica, Demoncy, Judas Iscariot, Grand Belial's Key), France (Mütiilation, Vlad Tepes), and other countries, leading to the creation of influential bands like Sigh and Cradle of Filth.

Black metal has often caused controversy. Common themes in the music include dislike of people, opposition to Christianity, interest in Satanism, and beliefs in ancient pagan traditions. In the 1990s, some members of the black metal scene were involved in burning churches and committing crimes. A small group within the genre has ties to neo-Nazism, but many well-known artists have rejected this movement. Overall, black metal aims to stay hidden from the public and remain an underground music style.

Characteristics

Black metal is a music style that began in Norway and is known for loud, high-pitched singing. However, the term "black metal" has also been used for bands from other countries, like Greece and Finland, which developed similar music around the same time.

Manish Agarwal from Time Out describes black metal as a type of music that is very fast and loud, with sounds that feel cold. Norwegian-style black metal guitarists often use high-pitched or bright guitar tones with heavy distortion. They play quickly using a technique called tremolo picking and use power chords. Guitarists create a sense of fear by using dissonant sounds, specific musical scales, and certain chord patterns. A musical interval called the tritone is often used. Guitar solos and very low guitar tunings are rare in black metal. The bass guitar is rarely used to play its own melodies. Instead, it is often muted or follows the guitar’s low-pitched riffs. While electronic keyboards are not common, some bands, like Dimmu Borgir, use them in the background or as part of the music to create atmosphere. Some newer black metal bands have improved their music quality and added instruments like synthesizers or orchestras.

Drumming in black metal is usually very fast, using techniques like double-bass and blast beats to reach speeds close to 300 beats per minute. These fast rhythms require skill and physical strength, as shown by drummers like Frost and Hellhammer. However, some drummers, like Fenriz from Darkthrone, believe that simplicity and raw style are more important than technical skill.

Black metal songs often do not follow traditional song structures, such as verse-chorus sections. Instead, they may include long, repeated instrumental parts. The Greek style of black metal, developed by bands like Rotting Christ and Varathron, includes more elements of death metal than the Norwegian style.

Traditional black metal vocals are raspy and high-pitched, using shrieking, screaming, or snarling. Death growls are sometimes used but less often than the typical shriek. Loudwire describes a type of growl called "croaking," which sounds like a long, low, and eerie vocal.

Manish Agarwal describes black metal lyrics as "sacrilegious bile." Lyrics often criticize Christianity and other religions, using apocalyptic language and anti-authoritarian messages. Satanic themes are common, and some artists compare black metal songs to serious religious sermons. Other themes include hatred of humanity, global destruction, war, death, and nature. Many bands write about the natural world, like forests, mountains, and storms. They also focus on ancient myths and folklore from their countries, sometimes promoting pre-Christian traditions. Some bands write lyrics only in their native language or use old, archaic languages. Some artists influenced by doom metal write about depression, nihilism, or self-harm.

Black metal is known for its intense and dedicated performers. Many bands avoid live performances, and those that do often claim their shows are not for entertainment but to express sincerity and authenticity. Some concerts are considered rituals, using props or dramatic effects. Bands like Mayhem and Watain have performed shows with controversial elements, such as fake blood or medieval weapons.

Black metal musicians often wear dark clothing, combat boots, and symbols like inverted crosses. A well-known feature is "corpse paint," which is black and white face paint mixed with real or fake blood to look like a corpse or demon.

Black metal album covers are typically dark and atmospheric. In the 1990s, early black metal artists used simple, black-and-white designs, partly to contrast with the colorful artwork of death metal bands. Many artists still use this style today. Covers may show natural landscapes, fantasy scenes, or violent, sacrilegious images.

Early black metal recordings were often made in homes or basements, giving them a rough, "lo-fi" sound. Even when bands could afford professional studios, many chose to keep their recordings raw and simple. This was meant to stay true to the genre’s underground roots and keep the music inaccessible to mainstream audiences. Some artists believe black metal was never meant for a wide audience but only for those deeply involved in the scene.

History

Occult and Satanic themes appeared in the music of heavy metal and rock bands in the late 1960s and early 1970s, such as Black Sabbath and Coven.

In the late 1970s, the rough and aggressive heavy metal played by the British band Motörhead became popular. Many first-wave black metal bands said Motörhead influenced them. Also popular in the late 1970s, punk rock helped create black metal. Tom G. Warrior of Hellhammer and Celtic Frost said the English punk group Discharge was "a revolution, much like Venom," adding, "When I heard the first two Discharge records, I was blown away. I was just starting to play an instrument and I had no idea you could go so far."

The use of corpse paint in black metal was mainly influenced by the American 1970s rock band Kiss.

The term "black metal" was created by the English band Venom with their second album Black Metal (1982). Playing a style of speed metal or proto-thrash metal, the album started the "first wave of black metal." The band introduced many ideas that became common in the genre, such as blasphemous lyrics and imagery, stage names, costumes, and face paint. During this "first wave," black metal and other extreme metal styles like death metal were not clearly defined genres.

The Swiss band Hellhammer made "truly raw and brutal music" with Satanic lyrics and became an important influence on black metal. They recorded three demos in 1983 and released an EP in April 1984. Hellhammer then became Celtic Frost and released their first album, Morbid Tales, later that year. With their second album, To Mega Therion (1985), the band began to explore "more orchestral and experimental territories." In these early years, Celtic Frost was considered one of the world's most extreme and original metal bands, significantly influencing the black metal genre.

The Swedish band Bathory created "the blueprint for Scandinavian black metal" and were described as "the biggest inspiration for the Norwegian black metal movement of the early nineties." Their songs first appeared on the compilation Scandinavian Metal Attack in March 1984, which drew much attention to the band, and they released their first album that October. Bathory's music was dark, raw, exceptionally fast, heavily distorted, and anti-Christian, and frontman Quorthon pioneered the shrieked vocals that later came to define black metal. Their third album Under the Sign of the Black Mark (1987) was described by journalist Dayal Patterson as creating "the black metal sound as we know it."

The Danish band Mercyful Fate influenced the Norwegian scene with their imagery and lyrics. Frontman King Diamond, who wore ghoulish black-and-white face paint on stage, may have inspired what became known as "corpse paint." Other artists in this wave included Germany's Sodom, Kreator, and Destruction; Italy's Bulldozer and Death SS; and Japan's Sabbat.

In 1987, in the fifth issue of his Slayer fanzine, Jon "Metalion" Kristiansen wrote that "the latest fad of black/Satanic bands seems to be over," citing United States bands Incubus and Morbid Angel, as well as Sabbat from Great Britain, as some of the few continuing the genre. However, black metal continued in the underground, with scenes developing in Brazil with Sepultura, Vulcano, Holocausto, and Sarcófago; in Czechoslovakia with Root, Törr, and Master's Hammer; and in Sweden with Grotesque, Merciless, Mefisto, Tiamat, and Morbid. Sarcófago's debut album I.N.R.I. (1987) was widely influential on later acts in the genre, especially the second wave Norwegian scene and groups in the war metal style. BrooklynVegan writer Kim Kelly called it "a gigantic influence on black metal's sound, aesthetics, and attitude." During this time, other influential records in the genre were released by Tormentor (from Hungary), Parabellum (from Colombia), Von (from the United States), Rotting Christ (from Greece), Mortuary Drape (from Italy), Kat (from Poland), Samael (from Switzerland), and Blasphemy (from Canada). Blasphemy's debut album Fallen Angel of Doom (1990) is considered one of the most influential records for the war metal style. Fenriz of the Norwegian band Darkthrone called Master's Hammer's debut album Ritual "the first Norwegian black metal album, even though they are from Czechoslovakia." It was only during this post–1987 era that the various extreme metal styles began to become more distinct from one another, and the borders were drawn of what is now understood as black metal.

The second wave of black metal began in the early 1990s. It is generally considered to have started with the early Norwegian black metal scene, although Rock Hard magazine credits Samael's Worship Him (1 April 1991) as its beginning.

During 1990–1993, a number of Norwegian artists began performing and releasing a new kind of black metal music; this included Mayhem, Darkthrone, Burzum, Immortal, Emperor, Satyricon, Enslaved, Thorns, and Gorgoroth. They developed the styles of the "first wave" bands into a distinct genre, popularizing a style of guitar playing created by Snorre "Blackthorn" Ruch and Øystein "Euronymous" Aarseth. Fenriz of Darkthrone described it as being "derived from Bathory" and noted that "those kinds of riffs became the new order for a lot of bands in the '90s."

The wearing of corpse paint became standard, and was a way for many black metal artists to distinguish themselves from other metal bands of the era. The scene also had an ideology and ethos. Artists were strongly opposed to Christianity and presented themselves as misanthropic Devil worshippers who wanted to spread terror, hatred, and evil. They claimed to be serious in their views and vowed to act on them. Ihsahn of Emperor said they sought to "create fear among people" and "be in opposition to society." The scene was exclusive and created boundaries around itself, including only those who were "true" and attempting to expel all "poseurs." Some members of the scene were responsible for a series of church burnings and murders, which eventually drew attention to it and led to a number of artists being imprisoned.

On 8 April 1991, Mayhem vocalist Per "Dead" Ohlin committed suicide while left alone in a house shared by the band. Fellow musicians described Dead as odd, introverted, and depressed. Mayhem's drummer, Hellhammer, said that Dead

Styles and subgenres

Regarding the sound of black metal, there are two groups with different ideas within the genre: those who believe in keeping the music simple and traditional, and those who add new, creative elements. The first group thinks black metal should only use guitars, bass, and drums, and should sound rough and low quality. Blake Judd of the band Nachtmystium has said his music is not black metal because it sounds different from the usual style. Snorre Ruch of the band Thorns believes modern black metal is too limited and not what the genre was originally meant to be.

Since the 1990s, many styles of black metal have developed, and some have combined the Norwegian style with other music types:

Ambient black metal, also called atmospheric black metal, uses sounds that create a mood, like dreamy textures. It often includes synthesizers or classical instruments for melody. The music is usually slow or medium-paced with few fast beats. Themes often focus on nature, folklore, mythology, and personal thoughts. Bands include Summoning, Agalloch, Urfaust, and Wolves in the Throne Room.

Black-doom, also called blackened doom, mixes the slow, heavy sound of doom metal with the loud, distorted guitars and shrieking vocals of black metal. These bands keep the Satanic ideas of black metal but add themes like sadness, emptiness, and nature. They use the slow pace of doom metal to highlight the harsh atmosphere of black metal. Examples include Barathrum, Forgotten Tomb, Woods of Ypres, and early Katatonia.

Depressive suicidal black metal, also called DSBM, mixes the style of early black metal with doom metal. Lyrics often talk about sadness, self-harm, dislike of people, suicide, and death. Bands use the rough, low-quality sound of black metal but also include acoustic instruments and slower, doom-like sections. Vocals are high-pitched but lack energy, showing feelings of hopelessness. Many bands in this style have only one member. Examples include Xasthur, Leviathan, and Lifelover.

Black 'n' roll mixes black metal with 1970s rock and roll music. Bands like Carpathian Forest and Kvelertak play this style. Other bands, such as Satyricon and Nachtmystium, have also tried this mix.

Crust punk bands, like Antisect and Amebix, were influenced by early black metal bands like Venom and Celtic Frost. Some crust punk bands, such as Iskra, were influenced by black metal in the 1990s and created a style called "blackened crust." Other bands, like Gallhammer and Young and in the Way, mix crust punk with black metal or other genres. Darkthrone, a black metal band, has also used crust punk elements in recent music.

Blackened death-doom combines the slow, heavy sound of doom metal, the complex guitar riffs of death metal, and the shrieking vocals of black metal. Bands include Morast, Faustcoven, and Bölzer. A journalist named Kim Kelly called Faustcoven one of the best bands at mixing black, death, and doom metal.

Blackened death metal is a type of death metal that includes black metal elements, like more fast guitar picking, themes against Christianity, and music styles similar to black metal. These bands often wear makeup and armor, unlike other death metal bands. Examples include Belphegor and Behemoth.

Melodic black-death, also called blackened melodic death metal, is a mix of melodic death metal and black metal. It includes more melody and storytelling than other black metal styles. Bands like Dissection and Sacramentum play this style.

War metal, also called war black metal, is a loud, chaotic style that mixes black metal and death metal. It is influenced by early bands like Sodom and grindcore acts like Repulsion. Bands include Blasphemy and Archgoat.

Blackened grindcore mixes black metal with grindcore, a fast, aggressive style. Bands like Anaal Nathrakh play this style.

Blackened thrash metal, also called black-thrash, mixes black metal with thrash metal, a fast and aggressive style. It was inspired by bands like Venom and Sodom. Bands include Aura Noir and Witchery.

Folk black metal, pagan metal, and Viking metal include folk music elements. Pagan metal bands focus on pagan themes, while Viking metal bands focus on Norse mythology and Viking history. These styles often use ancient folklore and express anti-Christian ideas. Bands include Negură Bunget, Windir, and Primordial.

Ideology

Black metal is a type of music that is connected to specific beliefs and values. It strongly opposes Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Many black metal bands are Satanists, meaning they follow a belief system centered on Satan. Others support ethnic Paganism, which is often linked to nationalism, though early Pagan bands did not use the term "black metal."

Black metal often expresses dislike for modern society and focuses on themes like nature and the past. It is sometimes compared to the Romanticism movement, which values emotion and nature. Some black metal musicians believe the modern world lacks spiritual meaning. Individualism is important in black metal, with some artists believing in personal freedom over group identity. However, some groups argue that black metal includes both individualism and group identity. The genre generally avoids ideas like political correctness, consumerism, and globalization.

Some black metal artists are seen as transcendentalists, who believe the world lacks spiritual meaning and seek to connect with the divine through their music. Their concerts are described as "musical rituals" involving symbolic actions, like wearing costumes or face paint.

Black metal began as a term for extreme metal bands with Satanic themes. Early bands, like Venom, used Satanic imagery to cause controversy, though not all were true Satanists. One exception was King Diamond of Mercyful Fate, who was a member of the Church of Satan.

In the 1990s, Norwegian black metal musicians claimed to be real Devil worshippers. Euronymous of the band Mayhem was a key figure in this movement. He criticized the Church of Satan for its "life-loving" views and promoted a form of theistic Satanism, which is the opposite of Christianity. Some musicians believe only Satanist bands can be called "black metal," while others argue that Pagan-themed bands, like those in the "Pagan Metal" subgenre, should not be excluded.

Some black metal artists avoid Satanism, believing it has Christian roots. Quorthon of Bathory used the word "Satan" to challenge Christianity but later said Satanism is a "Christian product." Others, like Gaahl, use "Satan" as a symbol for natural order or personal growth. Varg Vikernes, a controversial figure, once called himself a Satanist but now sees it as a symbol for Odin, a Norse god. Some bands, like Carach Angren and Enslaved, do not use Satanic themes.

"Unblack metal," or "Christian black metal," promotes Christianity through its music. The first unblack metal album, Hellig Usvart by Horde, was a parody of Norwegian black metal and caused controversy. Later, the band Crush Evil, renamed Antestor, used a black metal style to express Christian beliefs. Some black metal fans say "Christian black metal" is a contradiction, but newer bands, like Crimson Moonlight, believe black metal has evolved into a musical style without strict ideological ties.

Black metal has a history of supporting environmental causes. Bands like Botanist and Wolves in the Throne Room are known for promoting strong environmental values.

Most black metal bands do not express political views, focusing instead on themes like fantasy or the dark side of the world. Ihsahn of Emperor said black metal is more about emotions than politics. However, some artists support political ideas, like National Socialist black metal (NSBM), which promotes neo-Nazi or far-right beliefs. These bands mix these ideologies with Paganism or Satanism. Varg Vikernes is linked to introducing such views into the scene. NSBM is a small part of the black metal community, and many fans oppose it, while others are neutral.

Black metal aims to stay underground, avoiding mainstream attention.

Media

• 666 – At Calling Death (1993) is a documentary made by Nuclear Blast. It includes many interviews and opinions from musicians about the themes of death and black metal. The film also discusses the church burnings and murders that happened in Norway around that time. The second part of the documentary focuses on black metal.
• Parabellum – The Devil was born in Medellín [English Subtitles] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUgTN7bfPqk (2016)
• svarte alvor (1994)
• Satan Rides the Media (1998)
• Black Metal (1998), a documentary from Belgium made by Marilyn Watelet.
• Norsk Black Metal (2003) was shown on Norwegian TV by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK).
• Metal: A Headbanger's Journey (2005) discusses black metal from the early 1990s and includes a 25-minute feature on the DVD.
• True Norwegian Black Metal (2007) is a five-part series from VICE. It looks at the lifestyle, beliefs, and controversies involving former Gorgoroth vocalist Gaahl.
• Black Metal: A Documentary (2007), made by Bill Zebub, focuses on the artists' perspectives. No narrator or people outside black metal are interviewed.
• Pure Fucking Mayhem (2009) tells the story of the black metal band Mayhem and the tragedies they faced.
• Murder Music: A History of Black Metal (2007)
• The Misanthrope (2007), written and directed by Ted "Nocturno Culto" Skjellum from the band Darkthrone.
• Once Upon a Time in Norway (2008)
• Black Metal Satanica (2008)
• Until the Light Takes Us (2009) explores the origins and subculture of black metal. It includes interviews and rare footage from the Black Circle's early days.
• Loputon Gehennan Liekki (Eternal Flame of Gehenna) (2011), a Finnish black metal documentary.
• Out of the Black – A Black Metal Documentary (2012) examines the musical and social roots of black metal and the religious ideas in the scene. It also compares black metal in America and Scandinavia.
• One Man Metal (2012) explores the lifestyle and thoughts of members in the one-man bands Xasthur, Leviathan, and Striborg.
• Attention! Black Metal (2012)
• Helvete: Historien om norsk black metal (2020) covers the history of Norwegian black metal from the 1980s through musical changes, image building, murders, suicides, church burnings, and international recognition. It focuses more on the music and people involved than on scandals.

• A black metal mockumentary called Legalize Murder was released in 2006.
• Parabellum – The Devil was born in Medellín [English Subtitles] Parabellum – El Diablo Nació En Medellín [English Subtitles] (2016)
• The cartoon show Metalocalypse follows an extreme metal band named Dethklok. It includes references to black metal artists in the names of businesses, such as Fintroll's convenience store, Dimmu Burger, Gorgoroth's electric wheelchair store, Carpathian Forest High School, Marduk's Putt & Stuff, Burzum's hot-dogs, and Behemoth studios. In one episode, Dethklok visits Norway to see Toki's dying father and a black metal record store, but they learn the store does not sell their music.
• A Norwegian commercial for a laundry detergent once showed black metal musicians in the advertisement.
• Black metal bands like 1349, Emperor, Behemoth, Dimmu Borgir, Enslaved, and Satyricon had their music videos shown on MTV's Headbangers Ball.
• Comedian Brian Posehn made a visual reference to Norwegian black metal bands in the music video for his song "Metal by Numbers."
• A KFC commercial in Canada (2008) and Australia (2010) featured a