Black Metal

Black Metal
Name	Black Metal
Cultural origins	Early 1980s, Bath, Norway, United Kingdom
Instruments	Electric guitar, bass guitar, drums, vocals, synthesizer
Derivatives	Symphonic black metal, atmospheric black metal, blackgaze, folk black metal

Black Metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that emerged in the early 1980s and developed pronounced scenes in Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It is characterized by abrasive production, shrieking vocals, fast tremolo-picked guitars, blast beat drumming, and themes that often engage with Satanism, paganism, misanthropy, and anti-establishment stances. The genre's visual presentation and ideological controversies have intersected with events involving criminal trials, church burnings, and high-profile musicians, drawing attention from media outlets such as Kerrang! and Rolling Stone.

History

The earliest formative acts combined influences from bands such as Venom, Bathory, Mercyful Fate, Hellhammer and Mayhem, establishing a template that diverged from thrash metal and death metal. A second wave crystallized in the late 1980s and early 1990s around scenes in Oslo, Bergen, Stockholm, and London, where musicians affiliated with labels like Deathlike Silence Productions, No Fashion Records, and Cacophonous Records refined lo-fi aesthetics and ideological postures. Key events shaping the scene include internal disputes among participants in bands such as Emperor, Darkthrone, Burzum, Gorgoroth and Immortal, legal cases involving members of Mayhem and Varg Vikernes, and violent incidents that brought the movement into contact with national institutions like the Norwegian police and the press. The genre subsequently diversified through international scenes in Finland, Poland, Germany, France, Japan and United States, spawning subgenres and experimental acts associated with labels such as Candlelight Records and Season of Mist.

Musical characteristics

Typical arrangements employ tremolo-picked riffs, dissonant chord voicings, high-register guitar lines, and slowed or layered passages that contrast with frenetic blast beats developed in conjunction with drummers from bands like Mayhem, Immortal, and Gorgoroth. Vocal techniques are dominated by high-pitched shrieks and rasps similar to performances by singers in Darkthrone, Emperor, Venom and Bathory, often recorded with minimal production budgets on analog equipment at studios such as Grieg Hall and independent facilities used by Necrobutcher and Euronymous. Harmonic language frequently utilizes modal scales and chromatic progressions found in compositions by Bathory and Enslaved, while atmospheric textures incorporate synthesizers and orchestral elements introduced by acts including Dimmu Borgir and Arcturus. Song structures range from concise, aggressive tracks to extended, progressive forms showcased by Wolves in the Throne Room and Agalloch.

Aesthetics and imagery

Visual presentation often employs corpse paint, spikes, leather, inverted crosses, and stage names adopted by members of Mayhem, Gorgoroth, Burzum, Dark Funeral and Satyricon, referencing motifs from Norse mythology, Satanic literature and pagan revival movements tied to regional identities in Scandinavia and continental Europe. Album artwork and liner notes have featured iconography produced by artists associated with releases on Napalm Records and Peaceville Records, while live performances have sometimes included theatrical elements such as staged mock rituals and pyrotechnics used by touring bands like Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth. Fanzines, independent presses, and mail-order catalogs distributed by labels such as Eldritch Productions helped circulate manifestos, polemics, and photographic imagery that reinforced subcultural codes propagated by figures like Euronymous and others.

Subgenres and regional scenes

The genre fragmented into distinct subgenres including symphonic variants exemplified by Dimmu Borgir and Emperor, atmospheric strains represented by Agalloch and Ulver, folk-infused currents from Bathory and Moonsorrow, and hybrid styles such as blackgaze combining elements from Sunn O and Deafheaven. Regional scenes notable for stylistic identity include the Norwegian scene with Mayhem and Immortal; the Swedish scene with Watain and Dark Funeral; the Polish scene with Behemoth and Mgła; the Finnish scene with HIM-adjacent artists and underground acts on labels like Spinefarm Records; and the North American landscape represented by Wolves in the Throne Room and Skeletonwitch. Cross-pollination occurred via festivals such as Wacken Open Air, Hellfest and niche events organized by promoters like Inferno Festival and Roadburn Festival.

Notable bands and artists

Prominent early and influential performers include Venom, Bathory, Mayhem, Darkthrone, Emperor, Gorgoroth, Immortal, Burzum, Satyricon, Dimmu Borgir, Cradle of Filth, Behemoth, Watain, Dark Funeral, Agalloch, Ulver, Wolves in the Throne Room, Mgła, Arcturus, Enslaved, Marduk, Bathory (band) and Solefald. Producers, label heads and photographers who shaped the movement include individuals associated with Deathlike Silence Productions, Candlelight Records, Peaceville Records and influential studios and collectives tied to the scenes above.

Controversies and criminal cases

The scene has been linked to high-profile criminal cases and controversies including church arsons, violent assaults, and murders involving participants from bands such as Mayhem and Burzum; the prosecution of individuals like Varg Vikernes; disputes over intellectual property and band names in legal suits involving members of Gorgoroth and Immortal; and media coverage by outlets such as BBC and The New York Times that fueled moral panics in countries like Norway and Sweden. Investigations by the Norwegian police and trials in national courts produced convictions and prison sentences, while public debates in parliaments and in publications like The Guardian examined links between extremist ideology and certain fringe participants.

Influence and legacy

The genre's aesthetic, musical techniques, and DIY distribution networks influenced diverse artists across genres, informing acts in post-rock, shoegaze, industrial music, doom metal and experimental electronic projects; examples include collaborations and stylistic borrowings seen with artists from Deafheaven, Sunn O and composers commissioned by festivals like Roadburn Festival. Labels such as Candlelight Records, Season of Mist and Peaceville Records expanded catalogues to include hybrid acts, while academic inquiry into subcultural studies and musicology at institutions such as University of Oslo and University of Cambridge has produced scholarship on ideology, ritual, and global networks. Festivals, reissue campaigns by companies like Century Media Records and museum exhibitions in Nordic countries have preserved artifacts and narratives that document the movement's contested cultural legacy.

Category:Music genres