Black metal is one of the most extreme subgenres of metal, characterised by ultra-fast tremolo riffs, rapid “blast beats” on the drums, piercing shrieked vocals, and a deliberately raw, “lo-fi” sound that creates a cold, dark atmosphere.
The genre arose in the first half of the 1980s (a first wave of Venom, Bathory, and Mercyful Fate) and took its classic form in the early 1990s through the Norwegian scene. Despite a narrow and controversial reputation, black metal in time gave rise to many offshoots — atmospheric, symphonic, post-black — that lean toward deep melancholy and a connection with nature and mythology. There is also a Ukrainian black-metal scene that draws inspiration from pre-Christian history and the Carpathian landscape.
