History Main / BlackMetal

* Music/{{Sepultura}} (first couple of releases; changed to [[DeathMetal Death]][=/=]ThrashMetal starting with ''Schizophrenia'' then GrooveMetal on ''Chaos A.D.'' and NuMetal starting with''Roots'', and finally a mixture of all three from ''Dante XXI'' onward)

* Music/{{Sepultura}} (first couple of releases; changed to [[DeathMetal Death]][=/=]ThrashMetal starting with ''Schizophrenia'')

* Music/DeathspellOmega's recent work, though there is a large caveat here regarding the political sympathies of their presumed vocalist(s) (who don't write the music or lyrics; "presumed vocalist(s)" because we're discussing one of the most dedicated {{Anonymous Band}}s in black metal). Without naming any of their members, Deathspell explicitly address the ideological rift between themselves and "parts of the second circle" in their 2019 interview with Bardo Methodology: they clarify that they like working with ideological opponents because they feel shying from conflict is detrimental to art. The most notorious example, Mikko Aspa (presumed to have performed on most tracks from ''Si monumentum requires, circumspice'' onward), is strongly connected to authoritarian politics. Nonetheless, Deathspell Omega's opposition to authoritarianism is hardly ambiguous; they explicitly call totalitarianism (whether leftist or rightist) a "death cult" in the Bardo Methodology interview, and the Order's totalitarian rule in ''Music/TheFurnacesofPalingenesia'' directly causes the extinction of humanity, if not all life on Earth. Additionally, their largest literary influence by far, Creator/GeorgesBataille, was a Marxist who wrote several literary deconstructions of fascism (though he was no fonder of authoritarian communism); their second-largest literary influence, Creator/MarquisDeSade, spent much of his career cataloguing the numerous ways the powerful abuse their stations to prey on the weak.[[note]]Since Sade's political writings are not widely available in English, this has frequently not been clear to English readers. Sade remains a controversial writer whose works are accessible to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marquis_de_Sade#Appraisal_and_criticism numerous disparate interpretations]] (see also the "cultural depictions" section), and he was accused of several horrifying acts (though the most sensational accusations were never proved); however, most academics agree he isn't arguing in favour of the depravity he depicts in his fiction. Politically, Sade could be described as far-left or proto-communist/anarchist.[[/note]]

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The first-wave of black metal is basically a ''very'' raw ThrashMetal with shades of DeathMetal, SpeedMetal, DoomMetal, TraditionalHeavyMetal, SludgeMetal, HardcorePunk, PunkRock, PostRock, NoiseRock, PostPunk, PostHardcore, FolkMetal and proto-{{Grunge}}, and the Satanic themes was used more as a shock value rather than having the bands actually being Satanists, plus, there weren't as much tremelo-picking, blast beats or shrieking vocals as there would be in the second-wave.

* Music.BestialPutrefaction (mixed with goregrind)

* Music{{Brahmastrika}}

[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin As the name suggests, this is Black Metal with a much more melodic, and usually epic, approach than regular black metal]]. It tends to be more accessible than "regular" black metal, but it's rarely as polished and grandiose as symphonic black metal (though it does often overlap). Though first started in Sweden with bands such as Music/{{Sacramentum}}, Music/{{Dissection}}, and Music/{{Dawn}}, the genre is often associated with Southern Europe and especially Greece, with bands such as Music/{{Moonspell}}, Music/RottingChrist, Music/{{Astarte}}, and Music/OperaIX coming from those areas. Besides symphonic black metal, there is also frequent overlap with MelodicDeathMetal and/or GothicMetal, but that depends on the band in question.

* Tomarum

* GutturalGrowler: Many, if not all black metal vocalists have an incredibly harsh and gritty voice, while not singing (live).

* '''''RockMeAsmodeus''''': There's a reason why the trope's name is written in bold and italics. Well, that's because '''THIS IS THE VERY FOUNDATION OF THE GENRE.''' (In fact, it's even sometimes called ''Satanic'' metal) Given that genre founders like Venom, Bathory and Mercyful Fate all invoked this trope, it's not surprising that it has been utilised by legions of bands in the genre.

* Music/Luminous Vault (borders on GothicMetal at times)

* Music/GnawTheirTongues

* Music/{{دمار }} (pronounced "damaar" in Arabic)

* Music/{{Nirrti}} (some folk influences)

* Music/{{Tetragrammacide}}

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 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.

Black metal is an extreme subgenre of HeavyMetal, distinctly charactarized in equal parts by its raw and abrasive sound and its consistently dark, moody image. The genre has grown to be very diverse since its inception, so it can be hard to make generalizations beyond that, but its defining musical charactaristics tend to include fast tempos driven by blastbeat drumming, high-pitched electric guitars that are often played with tremolo picking[[note]]A guitar-playing technique where a string is struck multiple times in quick succession, creating a rapid-fire line of notes[[/note]], long and/or unconventional song structures, dark and dissonant melodies and chord progressions, and high-pitched shrieking vocals, usually with lyrics concerning anti-Christianity, [[{{Satan}} Satanism]], paganism, nature, misanthropy, depression or [[HeavyMithril fantasy]]. Black Metal musicians are also known for their theatrics, often donning face paint and ScaryImpracticalArmor for live preformances that are saturated with dark or satanic stage imagery to enhance the music's "evil" qualities. However, one should keep in mind that these are just very broad descriptors, and many bands in the genre can experiment with or fall outside these generalizations.

** ''Varg Vikernes'' of Music/{{Burzum}} criticises the prevalence of this trope in BlackMetal on his website, arguing that genuine Satanism historically did not exist. Every recorded case of "devil worship" in pre-modern times, he argues, has actually been a case of genuine Pagan practices that were literally demonised by the church. He may be a colossal {{Jerkass}}, but [[JerkassHasAPoint he has something of a point here]]. (It may be worth pointing out that some of Vikernes' older material, such as "Dominus Sathanas" and his lyrics for Music/{{Darkthrone}}'s ''Transilvanian Hunger'', nonetheless plays this trope straight. WordOfGod says he was using Satan as a metaphor for Odin).

* SatanIsGood: Sometimes evoked by Satanically-themed Black Metal bands; that, or the more often used: Satan is evil and EvilIsCool.

* SpikesOfVillainy: Common fashion for black metal musicians.

* TropeMaker: First-wave black metal was kickstarted either by Venom (also TropeNamer) or Bathory. It's unclear who first played second-wave black metal, but people will generally agree on Mayhem.

* Music/{{Sodom}} (later ventured into ThrashMetal with ''Persecution Mania'' and shed the last of their Black Metal influences with ''Better Off Dead'')

** [[AvantGardeMetal Avant-Garde/Progressive Black Metal]]: Music/DeathspellOmega (for the more [[DarkerAndEdgier dissonant/aggressive]] side of the genre), Music/{{Sigh}} (for the more quirky/[[WidgetSeries widgetty]] side of the genre), or Ved Buens Ende (for the more [[ProgressiveMetal progressive]]/atmospheric side of the genre).

* WidgetSeries: A particularly relevant example, especially thanks to its strange melodies and the corpse paint. Among bands, however, Music/{{Immortal}} is probably the most "widget" of them all. In terms of individual countries...
** Music/{{Sigh}} are a classic Weird Japanese Thing.
** Music/DeathspellOmega, Music/BlutAusNord, Music/{{Alcest}}, Plebeian Grandstand, Peste Noire, and Esoctrilihum are Weird French Things.
** Mortuary Drape and Opera IX are Weird Italian Things.
** Oranssi Pazuzu are a Weird Finnish Thing.
** Svartidauði, Misþyrming, Wormlust, and Zhrine are Weird Icelandic Things.
** Batushka are a Weird Polish Thing.
** Root and Master's Hammer are Weird Czech Things.
** Rotting Christ, Necromantia, Varathron, and Thou Art Lord are Weird Greek Things.
** Music/NeguraBunget are a Weird Romanian Thing.
** Music/{{Drudkh}} and (sometimes) Music/NokturnalMortum are Weird Ukrainian Things.
** Music/{{Cobalt}}, Music/{{Krallice}}, Music/{{Weakling}}, Music/{{Liturgy}}, Imperial Triumphant, Devil Master, & Xexyz are Weird American Things.
** Anaal Nathrakh, The Axis of Perdition, Woods Of Trees, and A Forest of Stars are Weird English Things.
** Altar of Plagues and Malthusian are Weird Irish Things.
** Dodecahedron and Terzij de Horde are Weird Dutch Things.
** Thy Catafalque is a Weird Hungarian Thing... or was until its creator moved. Now it's a Weird Scottish Thing. The lyrics are still in Hungarian though.
** Nagelfar, Nocte Obducta, and Music/{{The Ruins of Beverast}} are Weird German Things.
** Schammasch is a Weird Swiss Thing.
** Music/ZealAndArdor is a Weird Swiss/African-American Thing.

Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It is typically abrasive and usually makes use of fast tempos driven by blastbeat drumming; high-pitched electric guitars that are often played with tremolo picking [[note]] A guitar-playing technique where a string is struck multiple times in quick succession, creating a rapid-fire string of notes [[/note]]; unconventional song structures, melodies, and chord progressions; and high-pitched shrieking vocals, usually with lyrics concerning anti-Christianity, [[RockMeAsmodeus Satanism]], paganism, nature, misanthropy, depression or [[HeavyMithril fantasy]]. It is prone to experimentation and certain elements typical to black metal are not always used by every band within the subgenre. Originally, many black metal recordings were created with low-quality production and recording equipment, and some bands still retain this recording style, favoring its primitive feelings over more modern recording equipment; however, other bands in the genre, especially in the progressive, avant-garde, and post-metal/shoegaze-influenced subgenres of the style, prefer higher quality recording techniques. Satanic and anti-Christian imagery and face paint have remained a staple part of this style of music since its inception.

The roots of black metal come from Music/{{Venom|Band}}'s extreme take on thrash metal (''Black Metal'' is obviously cited as a major TropeMaker, as well as {{Trope Namer|s}}), as well as bands like Music/{{Bathory}}, Hellhammer, Music/CelticFrost and [[Music/KingDiamond Mercyful Fate]]. Who was more important can lead to a BrokenBase though ("Venom started it" vs "the media said that Venom started it!"), so be warned. (A safe bet is generally Bathory, who established many of the primary characteristics of the genre, of which the most important may be its vocal style). 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/RottingChrist, and Varathron. Black metal bands from the United States such as Von and Profanatica also formed around this time. Most modern black metal was built upon the groundwork laid by bands during this time period. 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.

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}} mutated into a retro-trad/crust punk outfit while Satyricon gave up the genre in favor of "Black Rock", a fusion of black metal and hard rock. "proper". Music/{{Enslaved}}, who resisted classification as a black metal band from the start, around the turn of the century started performing progressive black 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.

More frequently than not, later bands in this genre are dubbed "post-black metal" or "avant-garde black metal" because the genre name black metal is supposed to denote a very specific aesthetic. While bands of this ilk, such as Music/{{Arcturus}}, Music/{{Sigh}}, Solefald, Borknagar, In the Woods..., Music/{{Ulver}}, Fleurety, Music/{{Agalloch}}, Peccatum, Ved Buens Ende and others, can arguably be very different in style, they often use better production values and explore other genres of music at the same time. (A caveat should be noted about the term "post-black metal", as in recent years it has come to have two distinct meanings which are not interchangeable; the older meaning of the term represents to black metal what PostPunk does to punk, namely using elements of black metal for purposes which are not necessarily themselves "black metal", while the newer meaning of the term refers to a fusion of black metal elements with PostRock. While some bands fit under both meanings of the term, a rather large percentage do not).

Thanks to a focus on Satanic (or just anti-Christian) lyrics and imagery, the mainstream media tends to frown upon the genre, but themes of fantasy (ie. Tolkien), paganism, depression and folklore are also common. Some black metal bands are even aligned with National Socialism. (On the complete opposite end of the spectrum, there are also the occasional bands aligned with anarchism or other left-wing ideologies, such as Music/WolvesInTheThroneRoom, Music/BlutAusNord, Music/{{Panopticon}}, Sorgsvart, and Music/{{Skagos}}). Although there are exceptions, modern black metal as a musical style tends to make use of high-pitched tremolo picking, [[HarshVocals shrieked or growled vocals]], blast beats, unconventional song structures and an emphasis on atmosphere over technical playing styles.

Black metal rarely features verse-chorus structures, generally favoring a more basic style that features extended musical sections and repetitive guitar riffs. Guitar solos are a rarity in black metal, although they are featured prominently in the music of some bands (i.e. Peste Noire, Music/{{Drudkh}}, Music/{{Shining}}, Music/{{Enslaved}}, etc.; in short, the more musically progressive a black metal act, the likelier they are to feature guitar solos). Black metal often features very lo-fi, primitive recording quality reminiscent of the early days of the genre, but some bands have favored more professional recording techniques. While the harsh vocal style of black metal has become nearly universal, many bands still feature clean vocals, used either in conjunction with more extreme vocals or as the primary vocal style.

Unlike most other artists from other forms of music, many black metal bands do not play live. Many bands, such as Music/{{Burzum}} and Xasthur, are one-man studio projects, but many bands with full line-ups also prefer to avoid playing live. However, many black metal bands are also known for their theatrical live shows, with the shows of bands such as Music/{{Mayhem}} and Music/{{Gorgoroth}} being particularly notorious (once Gorgoroth played live on Polish TV on a stage surrounded by barbed wire with severed pigs' heads impaled on stakes and surrounded by life-size wooden crosses with naked female models (hooded) tied on...something you ''definitely'' won't see on U.S. prime time television [[note]]If you really want to know, the models are tied on Christian crosses.[[/note]]). Music/{{Watain}} probably outdoes other bands on this: their shows are famous for pigs' blood being sprayed all over the place.

'''"Traditional" Black, Raw Black, and Black/Thrash'''\\
"Traditional" black metal is the regular style of black metal, codified by the Second Wave (particularly in Norway). Raw black metal is a much harsher and [[ThreeChordsAndTheTruth simpler]] form of black metal codified by bands like Darkthrone. Black/thrash is, as the name suggests, black metal mixed with ThrashMetal; it tends to be applied to bands that combine the two genres that were not first-wave black metal and runs the gamut from raw, punkish, heavily Teutonic and South American-influenced acts (think early Sepultura and Sodom) to more melodic and technical acts reminiscent of the Australian sound (codified by Destroyer 666).\\

Black metal with [[SymphonicMetal symphonic and orchestral elements]]. These bands tend to be a lot cheesier, but also more ambitious then most black metal groups. The style favors ornate, gothic synths and orchestrations as well as decadent lyrical flourishes, as well as a surprising amount of melody. In general, these bands are the more popular black metallers outside of the original Norwegian circle.

The original black metal movement started in the eighties; first-wave black metal bands are, for the most part, thrash bands with much rougher production; while some examples are subject to debate as to whether they're black or thrash, the Brazilian acts are generally viewed as the first "true" examples of black metal. Some of Bathory's music is an exception; a strong case could be made that the album ''Under the Sign of the Black Mark'' in particular is the TropeCodifier for black metal as it exists today. The same can be said for both Sarcófago's "I.N.R.I." and Sepultura's "Bestial Devastation" and "Morbid Visions"; the former band's album is particularly notable due to its extensive usage of blastbeats, which helped lay the template for black metal drumming to come.

* Music/{{666}}

[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin As the name suggests, this is Black Metal with a much more melodic, and usually epic, approach than regular black metal]]. This genre tends to be much more accessible than regular Black Metal. Though first started in Sweden with bands such as Music/{{Sacramentum}}, ''Dissection,'' and Music/{{Dawn}}, the genre is often associated with Southern Europe and especially Greece, with bands such as Music/{{Moonspell}}, Music/RottingChrist, Music/{{Astarte}}, and Music/OperaIX coming from those areas. There's also occasionally some overlap with MelodicDeathMetal and/or GothicMetal, but that depends on the band in question.

Black metal mixed with FolkMetal.

* Music/{{Skyforger}}

Black metal with lyrics and imagery regarding vikings. The overall genre of VikingMetal evolved from black metal, and as such most viking metal bands are black metal; however, there are some viking metal bands, such as Music/{{Ensiferum}} and Music/AmonAmarth, that have nothing to do with black metal (and, as a result, [[NoTrueScotsman aren't seen as "true" viking metal bands]] by some black metal fans). A lot of the time, viking black metal overlaps with folk/black metal. A good number of English black metal bands play Viking metal, but call it "Anglo-Saxon metal".

Based on the raw, thrashing style of proto-Black Metal bands such as Blasphemy, Sarcófago, Von and Beherit, Bestial Black Metal aims for pure, demonic aggression and speed, often featuring elongated blastbeats, chainsaw-esque guitar tones, extremely guttural vocals and short song lengths. Many bands show heavy influence from DeathMetal, old school ThrashMetal and sometimes {{Grindcore}}. Lyrics usually eschew political or philosophical themes, instead focusing on blasphemous and taboo subjects such as anti-Christianity, desecration of religious symbols, sadism, sodomy and bestiality. Basically Black Metal's answer to Brutal Death Metal.

As the name suggests, this is black metal with a lyrical focus on "national heritage" and "being proud of your race/culture". In normal terms, this translates as "black metal with nazi lyrics". Musicians hold far-right, nationalist political beliefs, and they use their music to get their views across.
Ideologically, NSBM bands tend to synthesize neo-Nazism with black metal's customary anti-Christianity, viewing Paganism, Nazi esotericism and/or Satanism as superior beliefs, though it is possible for other far-right nationalist viewpoints to qualify if they embrace Nazi sympathies (far-right Mesoamerican heritage movements being a common one). Bands with a stronger pretense of philosophical sophistication may occasionally invoke Creator/FriedrichNietzsche, JuliusEvola or other thinkers influential to neo-Nazi thought, though more commonly NSBM lyrics will simply blend generic black metal misanthropy with shoehorned racist/antisemitic sentiment and vague notions of nationalism and pride. Stylistically, NSBM bands often overlap with either epic/Pagan/viking black metal or Rock Against Communism/RAC PunkRock.\\
As a side note, don't just list artists with members (or sole members) holding far-right beliefs, such as Music/{{Burzum}} (and many other bands). Make sure that the lyrics themselves are racist, or strongly nationalist, before adding a band. Crypto-fascist bands also don't count; while "werewolf", "heathen", "fatherland", "iron will", and similar terms are commonly understood to be dogwhistles, they are also ambiguous enough for bands with more covert far-right leanings to pass them off as occultist or militaristic in spirit rather than an overt expression of far-right sympathies. Basically, even if you know that the members have far-right sympathies and the lyrics can be taken as an allusion to them by people familiar with the jargon, it's still not NSBM unless the band explicitly (or so transparently that they have zero plausible deniability) makes their views known AND they are an integral part of the band's identity (as in, they are inextricably tied to it, either through their own deliberate efforts or by necessity due to NS/fascist circles being the only place where they can get booked and/or not get kicked off of bills that people who are unaware of their reputation have booked them on).

Basically the complete polar opposite of NSBM. Most of these bands are fairly new, although Profecium formed in 1993.[[note]]It's also worth noting that Euronymous was a noted communist, although he didn't express his views in his music (and his stances as expressed in interviews were considerably more authoritarian than those of most bands found in this section, although his actions elsewhere would seem to contradict what he said about himself)[[/note]] As a result this particular strain of black metal isn't as infamous or widely known as NSBM yet. There is a strong environmentalist streak in much of this music, and many bands from the Cascadian region of the United States and Canada fall here. There is also a strong overlap with crust punk. A few lesser known bands overlap with unblack metal below, but others are explicitly atheistic, pagan, or (in Profecium's case) Satanic in ideology.\\
As with NSBM, don't list an artist just because they hold far-left political views (Euronymous, for example, was an authoritarian Communist, but Music/{{Mayhem}} does not count)); they have to express their ideology in their lyrics and/or packaging. (Unfortunately, in some cases, such as the explicitly anarchistic Music/AshBorer ["Godless, Masterless, Hopeless"], it's difficult to know whether the views are expressed in the lyrics since only the bands know what the lyrics are. Ash Borer take this one step further by not naming several of their songs.)\\

* Music/ZealAndArdor can be read this way, though the band’s exact political stance is intentionally ambiguous
** It has become far less ambiguous as of ''Wake of a Nation'', which was made as a direct response to the killing of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement.

Do you love black metal, but hate all that stuff about Satan? Well, this is the perfect genre for you! Unblack metal, also known as "white metal", is black metal with Christian lyrics and themes. These bands are often strongly hated by the rest of the black metal fandom because of the rather negative attitude held towards Christianity by said fandom.

->''"Its sound is raw, yet also epic and atmospheric, like PunkRock meets [[Music/RichardWagner Wagner]], dressed as Music/AliceCooper."''
-->-- '''Sam Dunn''', ''Metal: A Headbanger's Journey''

+ Dark Ambient, PunkRock, HardcorePunk, FolkMusic, PostRock, PostPunk, DeathMetal

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The first-wave of black metal is basically a ''very'' raw ThrashMetal with shades of DeathMetal, SpeedMetal, DoomMetal, TraditionalHeavyMetal, SludgeMetal, HardcorePunk, PunkRock, PostRock, PostPunk, PostHardcore, FolkMetal and proto-{{Grunge}}, and the Satanic themes was used more as a shock value rather than having the bands actually being Satanists, plus, there weren't as much tremelo-picking, blast beats or shrieking vocals as there would be in the second-wave.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The first-wave of black metal is basically a ''very'' raw ThrashMetal with shades of DeathMetal, SpeedMetal, DoomMetal, TraditionalHeavyMetal, SludgeMetal, HardcorePunk, PunkRock, PostPunk, PostHardcore, FolkMetal and proto-{{Grunge}}, and the Satanic themes was used more as a shock value rather than having the bands actually being Satanists, plus, there weren't as much tremelo-picking, blast beats or shrieking vocals as there would be in the second-wave.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The first-wave of black metal is basically a ''very'' raw ThrashMetal with shades of DeathMetal, SpeedMetal, DoomMetal, SludgeMetal, HardcorePunk, PunkRock, PostPunk and proto-{{Grunge}}, and the Satanic themes was used more as a shock value rather than having the bands actually being Satanists, plus, there weren't as much tremelo-picking, blast beats or shrieking vocals as there would be in the second-wave.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The first-wave of black metal has a very ThrashMetal[=/=]SpeedMetal[=/=]DeathMetal[=/=]HardcorePunk[=/=]PunkRock[=/=]{{Grunge}} character to it, there weren't as much tremelo-picking, blast beats or shrieking vocals as there would be in the second-wave.

* Music/{{Warforged}} (bit of a GenreBusting example, but they have a decent claim to this label)

* {{Music/Absurd}}

* Dark Fury

* [[Music/GrandBelialsKay Grand Belial's Key]] (sister band Arghoslent also represents a DeathMetal version of the genre)

* Music/{{Satyricon}} (later material is black 'n' roll)

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The first-wave of black metal has a very ThrashMetal[=/=]SpeedMetal[=/=]DeathMetal[=/=]PunkRock[=/=]{{Grunge}} character to it, there weren't as much tremelo-picking, blast beats or shrieking vocals as there would be in the second-wave.