History Main / BlackMetal

* Music/{{Abyssal}} (also blackened death)

* Music/{{Conqueror}} (TropeMaker and [[TropeCodifier Codifier]] for the second-wave war metal sound that most other bands in the genre follow)

The roots of black metal stretch back to the early 1980s, with Music/{{Venom|Band}}'s 1982 album ''Black Metal'' obviously being the TropeNamer and one of the key TropeMakers of the subgenre's sound and image alongside other bands of the era like Music/{{Bathory}}, Hellhammer, Music/CelticFrost and [[Music/KingDiamond Mercyful Fate]]. Who exactly was more important among these acts in creating Black Metal has been a long-running [[BrokenBase Base-Breaker]] in the metal community, so be warned. That being said, Bathory is most recognized as the genre's prime mover even if Venom predated them, since Bathory established many of the characteristics of the genre that would define subsequent imitators. A "second wave" started in the late 80s/early 90s, with bands such as Music/{{Mayhem}}, Music/{{Darkthrone}}, Music/{{Burzum}}, Music/{{Immortal}}, Music/{{Emperor}}, Music/{{Dissection}}, Music/RottingChrist, and Varathron. This tends to be what most people think of when they hear the term "Black metal", since the bands of this era became the most popular (which is rather ironic considering how obsessed they also were with being intentionally unappealing to the mainstream) and [[OvershadowedByControversy the most infamous]]. Most modern black metal was built upon the groundwork laid by bands during this time period, and it began its worldwide spread starting with American bands such as Von and Profanatica popping up. Following a series of church burnings associated with black metal musicians and the murder of Euronymous of Mayhem by Music/{{Burzum}} mastermind Varg Vikernes, the Norwegian black metal scene received considerable attention from the mainstream media, which is where much of the genre's infamy originates.

Music/{{Immortal}} is arguably the last of the major "Second-Wave" Norwegian Black Metal bands to still play black metal; most of their closest musical contemporaries left the genre altogether, as Music/{{Darkthrone}} metamorphosed into a TraditionalHeavyMetal/Crust Punk outfit while Satyricon gave up the genre in favor of "Black Rock", a fusion of black metal and hard rock. Music/{{Enslaved}}, who resisted classification as a black metal band from the start, around the turn of the century started performing black metal-influenced progressive metal, which purists would not consider to be "true" black metal but nonetheless gained them a worldwide audience. Members of Immortal themselves formed a "new" band (adding two members) in 2006 named "I" and released the critically-acclaimed album ''Between Two Worlds'', which was one of the foundations for the "Black Rock" sound into which other bands (notably Satyricon) augmented their music; however, I has been inactive for over a decade as of this writing.

* Music/{{Immortal}} (before ''At the Heart of Winter'', where they switched to Melodic Black Metal)