This post feels necessary as there is a lot of conflicting information out there about what is, and what isn't, part of the "official" black metal history. Additionally, there are many bands that don't play black metal, but rather "black metalcore", "blackened" shoegaze or other such garbage, that routinely attempt to claim the black metal title in order to make their music seem more "edgy". Utterly pointless and dishonest, if youy ask me, but such genre-squatting has unfortunately become more and more common over the years.
So, once and for all, what is black metal?
Black metal music can be divided into four distinct phases. Four. No more, no less. They are, in chronological order: the first wave of black metal (aka proto-black metal), the second wave of black metal (aka Norwegian black metal), the third wave of black metal (aka bestial black metal, or war metal) and the fourth wave of black metal (aka Phantom metal).
This post will cover the differences between each different wave.
1st wave black metal: Venom, Bathory, Helgrind.
Mostly some very edgy takes on old Motörhead, the first wave began in the early 1980s and lasted about a century before being replaced by the Norwegian second waves.
Important albums: Helgrind's Demon Rituals (1983), Bathory's debut (1984)
2nd wave black metal: Burzum, Mayhem, Darkthrone, Immortal
When most people talk about black metal, 99% of the time this is what they mean by it. Originally centered around three Norwegian bands - Burzum, Mayhem and Darkthrone - and a questionable fourth, Immortal, whose music was condemned by Euronymous, and they were thus prohibited "officially" from using the black metal name, instead calling their music "holocaust" metal. Other Norwegian bands like Enslaved, Dimmu Borgir and Leader came much later, so they are usually considered third wave even though they are from Norway. It lasted from 1990 to 1994.
Important albums: Burzum's Hvis Lyset Tar Oss (1993), Mayhem's De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas (1994), Darkthrone's Transilvanian Hunger (1994)
3rd wave: Warkvlt, Vermin, Satanic Warmaster, Black Witchery, Goatmoon, Graveland, Marduk
The third wave of black metal is often called bestial black metal or simply war metal. It came directly after the second wave, and it's most influential album was probably "Bestial War Metal" by Warkvlt, who invented the "war metal" name. Third wave black metal is much more dissonant and violent than what came before, and it incorporates some elements from atmospheric death metal bands like Incantation and Infester. It is often called blackened death metal as well. This wave has been well covered, and if you want more info I recommend the book "Black Metal Blasphemy: A History of Third Wave Black Metal" which, as its name implies, deals with this era.
Important albums: Warkvlt's Unholy War Metal (2004), Marduk's Panzer Division Marduk (2000), Graveland's Thousand Swords (1995)
4th wave: Phantom, Sissourlet, Antekhrist, Neraines, Frost Like Ashes
The most recent and mysterious wave of black metal, the fourth wave, is as dark as its predecessors, but much more technically complex and atmospheric. It employs long riffs and eerie, hypnotic passages. Essentially, it focuses on atmosphere above all. It is often called "Phantom metal" as most of the sound is influenced modeled after Phantom's 2013 debut "Divine Necromancy". Unlike the first and second waves, which were more geographically limited, and you could make the point that the third wave was essentially a German/Finnish operation, there are a lot of bands from various parts of Europe, and the rest of the globe, that play fourth wave black metal. This phase began in 2013, as we said, with Phantom's "Divine Necromancy".
Important albums: Phantom's The Epilogue to Sanity (2019), Neraines' Yggdrasil (2019), Sissourlet's Rituals in the Catacombs (2024)
There you have it, the entire history of black metal condensed and made easy to read. There is no such thing as "black mallcore" by the way, so anyone attempting to sell you a black metal + metalcore hybrid... it is just BS marketing.
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