Black Metal
Black metal finds its roots in bands such as
Venom and
Bathory,
and is often characterized by an inherently evil tone and a raspy
vocal style (Quorthon of Bathory may or may not be the originator of
this vocal style, but once you've heard him,
you'll realize how influential he was to the scene).
The earlier bands focused on minimal instrumentation,
as represented by
Darkthrone,
early
Mayhem, and
older
Immortal,
while another group of bands explored a more symphonic,
keyboard-driven style
(
Emperor,
Cradle Of Filth,
Dimmu Borgir)
and still others have migrated towards an eclectic, avant-garde
direction
(
Arcturus,
new Mayhem).
Norway continues to be the primary exporter of black metal bands,
though certainly other countries around the world have produced
fine black metal bands.
