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Black metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by distorted guitars, high-pitched vocals, and lo-fi production. It emerged in Scandinavia in the early 1990s and became influential in the broader metal scene, known for its raw aesthetic and association with anti-establishment themes.
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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.
Venom initiated the "first wave" of black metal, with their 1982 album Black Metal giving it its name. In the following years, the style was developed by Bathory, Mercyful Fate, Hellhammer and Celtic Frost. By 1987, this wave had declined, but influential works were released by Tormentor, Sarcófago, Parabellum, Blasphemy, Samael and Rotting Christ. A "second wave" arose in the early 1990s, spearheaded by bands in the early Norwegian black metal scene, such as Mayhem, Darkthrone, Burzum, Immortal, Emperor, Satyricon and Gorgoroth. This Norwegian scene did much to define black metal as a distinct genre, and inspired other 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); as well as leading to the founding of influential bands in other countries, including Sigh (Japan) and Cradle of Filth (England).