Heavy-Metal.Info

Black Metal, an extremely dark and abrasive genre of music, originated and became popular in 1980 and later in Scandinavia and Norway. This cult-like style of music was inspired by the loud and brash sounds of “Thrash Metal” bands like, “Merciful Hate” and “Bathory”, “Hell Hammer/Celtic Frost”, and “Venom”. These bands and a handful of others were collectively known as “First Wave”. The late 1980’s and early 1990’s, a second group of bands came from Norway, to include well-known bands like “Dark Throne” and “Mayhem”.

These gothic bands became known and also disliked by many, for their vulgar and often violent actions and public displays, not to mention their rejection of Judeo-Christian values. Unlike most others music genres, many Black Metal type bands didn’t perform live. Some bands were even the subject of controversy involving hate crimes against the Christian communities, crimes that often involved random violence, destruction, and eventually murder. Modern Black Metal type bands have added some new music and lyrics in the music.

Some Black Metal characteristics include distorted guitars played fast by using alternate picking, small or large guitar tone, some with no bass at all. Frequently using the chromatics can create an bad atmosphere. The band s with the solo artist only will choose to use the drum machines in the place of the human.

Black metal is another offshoot of thrash metal. Songs from this genre of heavy metal music usually have lyrics that are Satanic, pagan, or anti- Christian. Like death metal, black metal is characterized by fast, highly distorted guitar playing. However the raspy vocals and high pitched shrieks of black metal contrast with the guttural growls of death metal.

As the years passed and the new wave of Black Metal spread across the world, more people accepted it while many others embraced it and it lost most of the violence, anger, and hate that it had always been known for. The Black Metal type bands of today are more known for their idealism, beliefs and originality. In short, if you like it hard, strong, and sometimes violent, then a Black Metal show may just be what you’re looking for.