Editing Black metal (section)

== History ==
=== Roots ===
Occult and Satanic lyrical themes were present in the music of heavy metal and rock bands of the late 1960s and early 1970s such as [[Black Sabbath]] and [[Coven (band)|Coven]].<ref name="Patterson, Dayal 2013. pp. 1-5">Patterson, Dayal. ''Black Metal: Evolution of the Cult''. Feral House, 2013. pp. 1–5.</ref>

In the late 1970s, the form of rough and aggressive heavy metal played by the British band [[Motörhead]] gained popularity.<ref name="Patterson, Dayal 2013. pp. 1-5"/> Many [[first-wave black metal]] bands cited Motörhead as an influence.<ref name="Patterson, Dayal 2013. pp. 1-5"/> Also popular in the late 1970s, [[punk rock]] came to influence the birth of black metal.<ref name="Patterson, Dayal 2013. pp. 1-5"/> [[Tom G. Warrior]] of Hellhammer and Celtic Frost credited English punk group [[Discharge (band)|Discharge]] as "a revolution, much like Venom", saying, "When I heard the first two Discharge records, I was blown away. I was just starting to play an instrument and I had no idea you could go so far."<ref>J. Bennett, "Procreation of the Wicked", ''Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces'', Albert Mudrian, ed., Da Capo Press, pp. 34f.</ref>

The use of corpse paint in the black metal imagery was mainly influenced by the American 1970s [[rock music|rock]] band [[Kiss (band)|Kiss]].<ref name="Patterson, Dayal 2013. pp. 1-5"/>

=== First wave (1982–1990) ===
{{main|First-wave black metal}}
[[File:Venom live at hellfest.jpg|thumb|[[Venom (band)|Venom]]'s second album, ''[[Black Metal (Venom album)|Black Metal]]'', inspired the name of the genre.]]

The term "black metal" was coined by the English band Venom with their second album ''[[Black Metal (Venom album)|Black Metal]]'' (1982).<ref name=murdermusic/> Playing a style bordering [[speed metal]] or [[thrash metal]], the album initiated the [[first wave of black metal]], forming an early prototype for the genre.<ref name=sam/><ref>{{cite book |last=Sharpe-Young |first=Garry |title=Metal: The Definitive Guide |page=208}}</ref> The band introduced many tropes that became ubiquitous in the genre, such as [[blasphemous]] lyrics and imagery, as well as stage names, costumes and face paint meant to strike fear.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Patterson |first1=Dayal |title=[[Black Metal: Evolution of the Cult]] |date=2013 |publisher=Cult Never Dies |pages=14–17}}</ref> During this first wave of bands, distinct borders of the genre had not been set, instead, black metal bands existed in a broader [[extreme metal]] umbrella alongside the earliest groups in [[death metal]], [[grindcore]] and [[thrash metal]].<ref name="Andrew, 2015">{{cite web |last1=Andrew |first1=J |title=EDITORIALSOrigins of Evil: The Birth of Extreme Metal |url=https://metalinjection.net/editorials/origins-of-evil-the-birth-of-extreme-metal |access-date=22 November 2024}}</ref>

[[Hellhammer]], from Switzerland, "made truly raw and brutal music"<ref name=ekeroth244>Daniel Ekeroth: [https://books.google.com/books?id=jRRvfWp95FIC&pg=PA244 ''Swedish Death Metal'']. Second edition. Brooklyn, NY: Bazillion Points 2009, p. 244, accessed on 24 January 2013.</ref> with Satanic lyrics, and became an important influence on later black metal;{{sfn|Moynihan|Søderlind|2003|p=10}} "Their simple yet effective riffs and fast guitar sound were groundbreaking, anticipating the later trademark sound of early Swedish death metal".<ref name=ekeroth244/> In 1984, members of Hellhammer formed [[Celtic Frost]],<ref>[http://www.triptykon.net/vcf/band/biography.html ''Biography''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304080527/http://www.triptykon.net/vcf/band/biography.html |date=4 March 2016 }}, accessed on 24 January 2013.</ref> whose music "explored more orchestral and experimental territories. The lyrics also became more personal, with topics about inner feelings and majestic stories. But for a couple of years, Celtic Frost was one of the world's most extreme and original metal bands, with a huge impact on the mid-1990s black metal scene".<ref name=ekeroth244/>

Another influential early band was [[Bathory (band)|Bathory]] from Sweden. The band, led by Thomas Forsberg (a.k.a. [[Quorthon]]), created "the blueprint for Scandinavian black metal".{{sfn|Moynihan|Søderlind|2003|p=21}} Not only was Bathory's music dark, fast, heavily distorted, lo-fi and with anti-Christian themes, Quorthon was also the first to use the shrieked vocals that later became a common trait.{{sfn|Olson|2008|p=18f}} Their third album ''[[Under the Sign of the Black Mark]]'' (1987) was the first record in the genre to subvert most traditional rock tropes, in a way that led journalist [[Dayal Patterson]] that "undoubtedly... create[d] the black metal sound as we know it".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Patterson |first1=Dayal |title=[[Black Metal: Evolution of the Cult]] |date=2013 |publisher=Cult Never Dies |page=43}}</ref>

The Danish band [[Mercyful Fate]] influenced the Norwegian scene with their imagery and lyrics.{{sfn|Moynihan|Søderlind|1998|p=14-16}}<ref>{{cite book|title=Dansk rockleksikon|editor=Bille, Torben|publisher=[[JP/Politikens Hus|Politikens Forlag]]|year=2002|isbn=87-567-6525-8|edition=1st|page=314|language=da|quote=En af grundlæggerne af 'black metal': heavy metal med udtalt satanistiske tekster. [English: One of the founders of 'black metal': heavy metal with pronouncedly satanic lyrics.]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=80'er rock: Dansk rock 1980–1990|author=Nielsen, Jens-Emil|publisher=[[Her & Nu]]|year=2014|isbn=978-87-93093-85-0|edition=1st|page=74|language=da|quote=[...] sataniske tekster, som gør, at de er med til at skabe undergenren black metal. [English: [...] satanic lyrics, which entails that they are involved in creating the subgenre black metal.]}}</ref> Frontman [[King Diamond]], who wore ghoulish black-and-white facepaint on stage, may be one of the inspirators of what became known as '[[corpse paint]]'.{{sfn|Moynihan|Søderlind|1998|p=36}} Other artists that were a part of this wave included Germany's [[Kreator]], [[Sodom (band)|Sodom]] and [[Destruction (band)|Destruction]] (from Germany),<ref name=killyourself>{{cite journal |last=Lahdenpera |first=Esa |year=1995 |title=Northern Black Metal Legends |journal=Kill Yourself!!! Magazine |issue=4 |url=http://www.fmp666.com/moonlight/mayhem.html |access-date=4 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207234358/http://www.fmp666.com/moonlight/mayhem.html |archive-date=7 February 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Italy's [[Bulldozer (band)|Bulldozer]] and [[Death SS]],<ref name=emperor10/> Japan's [[Sabbat (Japanese band)|Sabbat]]<ref name=heint>Ronald Ziegler: {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20030121034117/http://www.grimrune.com/watain/heint.html ''Merchandise whorery'']}}, accessed on 23 June 2013.</ref> and Colombia's [[Parabellum (Colombian band)|Parabellum]].<ref name=musicmight>{{cite web |author=Sharpe-Young, Garry |title=Parabellum biography |url=http://www.musicmight.com/artist/colombia/medellin/parabellum |publisher=[[MusicMight]] |access-date=23 June 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160127004936/http://www.musicmight.com/artist/colombia/medellin/parabellum |archive-date=27 January 2016}}</ref>

In 1987, in the fifth issue of his ''Slayer'' fanzine, [[Metalion|Jon 'Metalion' Kristiansen]] wrote that "the latest fad of black/Satanic bands seems to be over", citing United States bands Incubus<!-- Do not link to Opprobrium or the alternative rock band here, this is another band. --> and [[Morbid Angel]], as well as [[Sabbat (English band)|Sabbat]] from Great Britain<!-- Do not change this; this is about the English band in their early days, not the Japanese one --> as some of the few continuing the genre.<ref name=incubus>''Incubus''. In: Jon Kristiansen: ''Metalion: The Slayer Mag Diaries''. Brooklyn, NY: Bazillion Points Books 2011, p. 88.</ref> However, black metal continued in the underground, with scenes developing in Brazil with [[Sepultura]], [[Vulcano (band)|Vulcano]],<ref name="Dayal">{{cite web |last1=Patterson |first1=Dayal |title=10 of the best old school black metal albums |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-10-best-black-metal-albums-from-the-1980s |website=[[Metal Hammer]] |access-date=20 November 2024}}</ref> [[Holocausto (band)|Holocausto]]<ref>{{cite web |last1=Deller |first1=Alex |title='Our drummer used human tibia bones': the hellish birth of Brazil's heavy metal scene |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/sep/26/brazil-heavy-metal-sepultura-holocausto |website=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=20 November 2024}}</ref> and [[Sarcófago]],<ref name="blacktop20">"The First Wave", 2005, p. 42.</ref> Czechoslovakia with [[Root (band)|Root]], [[Törr]] and [[Master's Hammer]],<ref>{{cite web |last1=LAGER |first1=JUSTIN THUNDER |title=A HISTORY OF CZECH AND SLOVAK HEAVY SOUNDS |url=https://toiletovhell.com/a-history-of-czech-and-slovak-heavy-sounds/ |access-date=20 November 2024}}</ref> and Sweden with [[Grotesque (band)|Grotesque]],<ref name=tiamat>''Tiamat''. In: ''Slayer'', no. 8, 1991, p. 6.</ref><ref name=ekeroth249>Daniel Ekeroth: [https://books.google.com/books?id=jRRvfWp95FIC&pg=PA249 ''Swedish Death Metal'']. Second edition. Brooklyn, NY: Bazillion Points 2009, p. 249, accessed on 8 October 2012.</ref> [[Merciless (band)|Merciless]], [[Mefisto (band)|Mefisto]],<ref>{{cite book|last=Ekeroth|first=Daniel|title=Swedish Death Metal|year=2008|publisher=[[Bazillion Points]]|isbn=978-0-9796163-1-0 |page=67 |quote=Up to this point, no Swedish band had really followed in Bathory's footsteps. The pioneers Obscurity and Mefisto faded after just a couple of demos. The first to break the ice were the soon-to-be classic Merciless, from the small and idyllic town of Strängnäs, sixty-five miles west of Stockholm.<br />Merciless was formed in 1986 by the very young metalheads Fredrik Karlén on bass, Stefan "Stipen" Karlsson on drums, and Erik Wallin on guitar. Fredrik had previously been in a punk band, while Stipen and Erik used to play heavy metal... Unlike Obscurity and Mefisto, Merciless also started to play live gigs very early in their career-probably one of the primary reasons why Merciless eventually succeeded where Obscurity and Mefisto had failed.}}</ref> [[Tiamat (band)|Tiamat]]<ref name=tiamat/><ref>Daniel Ekeroth: [https://books.google.com/books?id=jRRvfWp95FIC&pg=PA162 ''Swedish Death Metal'']. Second edition. Brooklyn, NY: Bazillion Points 2009, p. 162f., accessed on 24 September 2012.</ref> and [[Morbid (band)|Morbid]].<ref>{{cite web |title=LG PETROV, ENTOMBED VOCALIST, DEAD AT 49 |url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/lg-petrov-entombed-vocalist-dead-49/ |website=[[Revolver (magazine)|Revolver]] |access-date=20 November 2024}}</ref> Sarcófago's debut album ''[[I.N.R.I. (Sarcófago album)|I.N.R.I.]]'' (1987), was widely influential on subsequent acts in the genre, especially the second wave Norwegian scene<ref name="blacktop20"/> and groups in the [[war metal]] style.<ref name="mh112011">Robert Müller: ''Wollt Ihr den ewigen Krieg?''. ''Der tote Winkel''. In: ''[[Metal Hammer]]'', November 2011.</ref><ref name=wbm/><ref name="rh304">Wolf-Rüdiger Mühlmann: ''SARCOFAGO''. ''I.N.R.I.'' In: ''Rock Hard'', Nr. 304, September 2012, p. 73.</ref> ''[[BrooklynVegan]]'' writer Kim Kelly calling it "a gigantic influence on black metal's sound, aesthetics, and attitude."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kelly |first1=Kim |title=A rare interview with Sarcofago |url=https://www.brooklynvegan.com/an-rare-intervi/ |access-date=21 November 2024}}</ref> Furthermore, during this time other influential records in the genre were released by [[Von (band)|Von]] (from the United States),<ref>{{cite web |last1=Currin |first1=Grayson Haver |title=Satanic Blood Von |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/17435-satanic-blood/ |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |access-date=20 November 2024}}</ref> [[Rotting Christ]] (from Greece),<ref>{{cite web |last1=Podoshen |first1=Jeff |title=Album Review: ROTTING CHRIST Pro Xristou |url=https://metalinjection.net/reviews/album-review-rotting-christ-pro-xristou |access-date=20 November 2024}}</ref> [[Tormentor (band)|Tormentor]] (from Hungary),<ref name="Dayal" /> [[Mortuary Drape]] (from Italy),<ref>{{cite web|first1=Götz |last1=Kühnemund |url=http://www.rockhard.de/megazine/reviewarchiv/review-anzeigen.html?tx_rxsearch_pi1%5Breview%5D=12403 |title=Mortuary Drape ''Tolling 13 Knell (DLP)'']. |access-date=14 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924125950/http://www.rockhard.de/megazine/reviewarchiv/review-anzeigen.html?tx_rxsearch_pi1%5Breview%5D=12403 |archive-date=2015-09-24}}</ref> [[Kat (band)|Kat]] (from Poland),<ref name="Dayal" /> [[Samael (band)|Samael]] (from Switzerland)<ref name="auto1">sG: ''5 Klassiker''. In: ''Rock Hard'', no. 269, October 2009, p. 79.</ref> and [[Blasphemy (band)|Blasphemy]] (from Canada).<ref name=mh112011 /> Blasphemy's debut album ''[[Fallen Angel of Doom]]'' (1990) is considered one of the most influential records for the war metal style.<ref name="mh112011"/><ref name=wbm/><ref name="rh304"/> [[Fenriz]] of the Norwegian band Darkthrone called Master's Hammer's debut album ''[[Ritual (Master's Hammer album)|Ritual]]'' "the first Norwegian black metal album, even though they are from Czechoslovakia".<ref>[[Fenriz]]: {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20091126051753/http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=123087153&blogId=519327311 ''Darkthrone Biography and Video Clips'']}}. 21 November 2009, accessed on 24 September 2012.</ref> It was only during this post–1987 era of bands that the various extreme metal styles began to develop definitions distinct from one another, and the borders of what now consistues black metal were drawn.<ref name="Andrew, 2015" />

=== Second wave (1991–1997)<!--'Second-wave black metal', 'Second wave black metal', and 'Second wave of black metal' redirect here--> ===
The '''second wave of black metal'''<!--boldface per WP:R#PLA--> began in 1991, with ''[[Rock Hard (magazine)|Rock Hard]]'' magazine crediting [[Samael (band)|Samael]]'s ''[[Worship Him]]'' (1 April 1991) as its beginnings,<ref name="auto1"/> while, ''[[Metal Hammer]]'' writer Enrico Ahlig cited it as beginning with the 8 April 1991 suicide of [[Mayhem (band)|Mayhem]] vocalist [[Dead (musician)|Dead]].<ref>Enrico Ahlig: [http://www.metal-hammer.de/news/meldungen/article299447/marduk-gitarrist-besitzt-leichenteile-von-dead.html ''Marduk-Gitarrist besitzt Leichenteile von Dead''], 5 June 2012, accessed on 9 January 2013.</ref>

====Norwegian scene====
{{Main|Early Norwegian black metal scene}}
[[File:Immortal Getaway Rock Festival.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Norwegian band Immortal influenced countless bands in the genre]]

During {{nowrap|1990–1993}}, a number of Norwegian artists began performing and releasing a new kind of black metal music; this included [[Mayhem (band)|Mayhem]], [[Darkthrone]], [[Burzum]], [[Immortal (band)|Immortal]], [[Emperor (Norwegian band)|Emperor]], [[Satyricon (band)|Satyricon]], [[Enslaved (band)|Enslaved]], [[Thorns (band)|Thorns]], and [[Gorgoroth (band)|Gorgoroth]]. They developed the style of their 1980s forebears into a distinct genre. This was partly thanks to a new kind of guitar playing developed by [[Snorre Ruch|Snorre 'Blackthorn' Ruch]] and [[Euronymous|Øystein 'Euronymous' Aarseth]].<ref name=billzebub/><ref name=guardian/> [[Fenriz]] of Darkthrone described it as being "derived from Bathory"<ref name=untilthelight>{{cite video |year=2009 |title=[[Until the Light Takes Us]] |medium=motion picture |publisher=Variance Films}}</ref> and noted that "those kinds of riffs became the new order for a lot of bands in the '90s".<ref name=revolver>Kory Grow: [http://www.revolvermag.com/uncategorized/web-exclusive-interview-darkthrones-fenriz-part-2-his-thoughts-on-transilva.html ''WEB-EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: DARKTHRONE'S FENRIZ, PART 2! HIS THOUGHTS ON 'TRANSILVANIAN HUNGER' AND HIP''].</ref>

The wearing of [[corpse paint]] became standard, and was a way for many black metal artists to distinguish themselves from other metal bands of the era.<ref name=murdermusic/> The scene also had an ideology and ethos. Artists were bitterly opposed to Christianity and presented themselves as misanthropic Devil worshippers who wanted to spread terror, hatred and evil.{{sfn|Olson|2008|p=27, 33, 41}} They professed to be serious in their views and vowed to act on them. [[Ihsahn]] of Emperor said that they sought to "create fear among people"{{sfn|Moynihan|Søderlind|2003|p=222}} and "be in opposition to society".{{sfn|Moynihan|Søderlind|2003|p=218f}} The scene was exclusive and created boundaries around itself, incorporating only those who were "true" and attempting to expel all "[[poseur]]s".{{sfn|Olson|2008|p=30, 42}} Some members of the scene were responsible for a spate of church burnings and murder, which eventually drew attention to it and led to a number of artists being imprisoned.

===== Dead's suicide =====
On 8 April 1991, Mayhem vocalist [[Dead (musician)|Per "Dead" Ohlin]] committed suicide while left alone in a house shared by the band.<ref name=onceuponatime>{{cite video |year=2007 |title=Once Upon a Time in Norway |medium=motion picture |publisher=Another World Entertainment}}</ref><ref name=purefucking>{{cite video |year=2008 |title=Pure Fucking Mayhem |medium=motion picture |publisher=Index Verlag}}</ref> Fellow musicians described Dead as odd, introverted and depressed. Mayhem's drummer, [[Jan Axel Blomberg|Hellhammer]], said that Dead was the first to wear the distinctive corpse paint that became widespread in the scene.<ref name=basik>{{cite web |url=http://www.thetruemayhem.com/interviews/previous/hh-june1998.htm |title=Interview with Hellhammer conducted by Dmitry Basik June 1998 |last=Basik |first=Dmitri |date=June 1998 |work=thetruemayhem.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070823184104/http://www.thetruemayhem.com/interviews/previous/hh-june1998.htm |archive-date=23 August 2007 |access-date=7 September 2012}}</ref> He was found with slit wrists and a [[shotgun]] wound to the head. Dead's suicide note began with "Excuse all the blood", and apologized for firing the weapon indoors.<ref name=purefucking/>{{sfn|Moynihan|Søderlind|2003|p=62}} Before calling the police, Euronymous got a disposable camera and photographed the body,{{sfn|Moynihan|Søderlind|2003|p=49}} after re-arranging some items. One of these photographs was later used as the cover of a bootleg live album, ''[[Dawn of the Black Hearts]]''.<ref name=basik/>

Euronymous made necklaces with bits of Dead's skull and gave some to musicians he deemed worthy.<ref name=sam/><!--this has been confirmed by others--> Rumors also spread that he had made a stew with bits of his brain.<ref name=murdermusic/><ref name=onceuponatime/> Euronymous used Dead's suicide to foster Mayhem's evil image and claimed Dead had killed himself because extreme metal had become trendy and commercialized.{{sfn|Moynihan|Søderlind|2003|p=59-60}} Mayhem bassist [[Necrobutcher|Jørn 'Necrobutcher' Stubberud]] noted that "people became more aware of the black metal scene after Dead had shot himself ... I think it was Dead's suicide that really changed the scene".<ref>{{cite journal |last=Bromley |first=Adrian "The Energizer" |title=Mayhem: To Hell and Back |journal=Unrestrained |issue=15 |url=http://www.thetruemayhem.com/interviews/previous/necro-unrestrained15.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070823101847/http://www.thetruemayhem.com/interviews/previous/necro-unrestrained15.htm |archive-date=23 August 2007 |access-date=7 September 2012}}</ref>

Two other members of the early Norwegian scene later committed suicide: Erik 'Grim' Brødreskift (of [[Immortal (band)|Immortal]], [[Borknagar]], [[Gorgoroth]]) in 1999<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rockdetector.com/artist/norway/bergen/immortal |title=MusicMight :: Artists :: Immortal |work=rockdetector.com |access-date=7 September 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120910065741/http://www.rockdetector.com/artist/norway/bergen/immortal |archive-date=10 September 2012}}</ref><ref name=immortalmembers>{{cite web |url=http://www.immortal.nu/band/members.html |title=w w w . i m m o r t a l . n u |work=immortal.nu |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010820145828/http://www.immortal.nu/band/members.html |archive-date=20 August 2001 |access-date=7 September 2012}}</ref> and Espen 'Storm' Andersen (of [[Strid (band)|Strid]]) in 2001.<ref>Ravn: ''Strid''. In: ''Slayer'', No. 20, ''Blood Fire Death'', 2010, p. 78.</ref>

===== Helvete and Deathlike Silence =====
[[File:Helvete Oslo - black metal graffiti.jpg|thumb|200px|The basement of Helvete, showing graffiti from the early 1990s]]

During May–June 1991,{{sfn|Moynihan|Søderlind|2003|p=66}} Euronymous of Mayhem opened an independent record shop named "[[Helvete (store)|Helvete]]" ([[Norwegian language|Norwegian]] for "Hell") at Schweigaards gate 56 in [[Oslo]]. It quickly became the focal point of Norway's emerging black metal scene and a meeting place for many of its musicians; especially the members of Mayhem, Burzum, Emperor and Thorns.<ref name="Satan rir media"/> Jon 'Metalion' Kristiansen, writer of the fanzine ''Slayer'', said that the opening of Helvete was "the creation of the whole Norwegian black metal scene".{{sfn|Moynihan|Søderlind|2003|p=39}} In its basement, Euronymous founded an [[independent record label]] named [[Deathlike Silence Productions]]. With the rising popularity of his band and others like it, the underground success of Euronymous's label is often credited for encouraging other record labels, who had previously shunned black metal acts, to then reconsider and release their material.

===== Church burnings =====
[[File:Bergen, Fantoft2.jpg|thumb|left|200px|The [[Fantoft Stave Church]], [[Building restoration|restored]] in 1997.<ref name=Fantoft>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Norwegian Church Draws Black Metal Fans |url=https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/norwegian-church-draws-black-metal-fans/ |work=[[Blabbermouth.net]] |date=5 August 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200730084004/https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/norwegian-church-draws-black-metal-fans/ |archive-date=30 July 2020 |url-status=live |access-date=13 October 2020}}</ref><!-- Please add a picture of one of the churches burning, if possible --><!-- A photograph of MZ.412's ''Burning the Temple of God'' (not all pressings), Absurd's ''Facta Loquuntur'' (1999 picture LP and maybe other pressings), Lord Belial's ''Purify Sweden'' or of the ''Lords of Chaos'' book cover should do. The destroyed church on Burzum's ''Aske'' is also worth being depicted. -->]]

In 1992, members of the Norwegian black metal scene began a wave of arson attacks on Christian churches. By 1996, there had been at least 50 such attacks in Norway.<ref name="Satan rir media"/> Some of the buildings were hundreds of years old and seen as important historical landmarks. The first to be burnt down was Norway's [[Fantoft Stave Church]]. Police believe [[Varg Vikernes]] of Burzum was responsible.<ref name="Satan rir media"/> The cover of Burzum's EP ''[[Aske (album)|Aske]]'' ("ashes") is a photograph of the destroyed church.<ref name=Fantoft/> In May 1994, Vikernes was found guilty for burning down the [[Holmenkollen Chapel]], [[Skjold Church, Rogaland|Skjold Church]], and [[Old Åsane Church|Åsane Church]].<ref name=untilthelight/>{{sfn|Moynihan|Søderlind|2003|p=93}} In addition, he was found guilty for an attempted arson of a fourth church, and for the theft and storage of 150&nbsp;kg of explosives.{{sfn|Moynihan|Søderlind|2003|p=141}} To coincide with the release of Mayhem's ''[[De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas]]'', Vikernes and Euronymous had also allegedly plotted to bomb the [[Nidaros Cathedral]], which appears on the album cover. The musicians [[Faust (musician)|Faust]],{{sfn|Moynihan|Søderlind|2003|p=94f}} [[Samoth]],{{sfn|Moynihan|Søderlind|2003|p=141}} (both of Emperor), and [[Jørn Inge Tunsberg]] (of [[Hades Almighty]]){{sfn|Moynihan|Søderlind|2003|p=141}}<ref name="Satan rir media"/> were also convicted for church arsons. Members of the Swedish black metal scene started to burn churches as well in 1993.{{sfn|Moynihan|Søderlind|2003|p=269f}}

Those convicted for church burnings showed no remorse and described their actions as a symbolic "retaliation" against [[Christianity in Norway]].{{sfn|Moynihan|Søderlind|2003|p=89}} Mayhem drummer Hellhammer said he had called for attacks on [[mosque]]s and [[Hindu temple]]s, on the basis that they were more foreign.{{sfn|Moynihan|Søderlind|2003|p=105}} Today, opinions on the church burnings differ within the black metal community. Many musicians, singers, and songwriters in the early Norwegian black metal scene, such as [[Infernus]] and [[Gaahl]] of [[Gorgoroth]], continue to praise the church burnings, with the latter saying "there should have been more of them, and there will be more of them".<ref name=sam/> Others, such as [[Necrobutcher]] and [[Kjetil Manheim]] of Mayhem and [[Abbath]] of Immortal,<ref name=sam /> see the church burnings as having been futile. Manheim claimed that many arsons were "just people trying to gain acceptance" within the black metal scene.<ref name=onceuponatime/> [[Watain]] vocalist Erik Danielsson respected the attacks, but said of those responsible: "the only Christianity they defeated was the last piece of Christianity within themselves. Which is a very good beginning, of course".<ref name=blackmetalsatanica>''Black Metal Satanica'', 2008.</ref><!-- Please do not remove these tags -->

===== Murder of Euronymous =====
In early 1993, animosity arose between Euronymous and Vikernes.{{sfn|Moynihan|Søderlind|2003|p=117}} On the night of 10 August 1993, Varg Vikernes (of Burzum) and Snorre 'Blackthorn' Ruch (of Thorns) drove from Bergen to Euronymous's apartment in Oslo. When they arrived a confrontation began and Vikernes stabbed Euronymous to death. His body was found outside the apartment with 23 cut wounds—two to the head, five to the neck, and sixteen to the back.<ref>Steinke, Darcey. "Satan's Cheerleaders". ''[[Spin (magazine)|SPIN]]''. February 1996.</ref>

It has been speculated that the murder was the result of either a power struggle, a financial dispute over Burzum records or an attempt at outdoing a stabbing in Lillehammer the year before by Faust.<ref name=ukcrlz>{{cite web|last=Huey |first=Steve |url=http://music.yahoo.com/ar-257375-bio |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130105103704/http://music.yahoo.com/ar-257375-bio |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 January 2013 |title=Mayhem Mayhem Biography on Yahoo! Music |work=yahoo.com |date=10 August 1993 |access-date=24 March 2010 }}</ref> Vikernes denies all of these, claiming that he attacked Euronymous in self-defense. He says that Euronymous had plotted to stun him with an [[electroshock weapon]], tie him up and torture him to death while videotaping the event.<ref name=untilthelight/> He said Euronymous planned to use a meeting about an unsigned contract to ambush him.<ref name=untilthelight/><ref name=burzumstory2>Vikernes, Varg: [http://www.burzum.org/eng/library/a_burzum_story02.shtml ''A Burzum Story: Part II – Euronymous'']. Burzum.org.</ref> Vikernes claims he intended to hand Euronymous the signed contract that night and "tell him to fuck off", but that Euronymous panicked and attacked him first.<ref name=burzumstory2/> He also claims that most of the cuts were from broken glass Euronymous had fallen on during the struggle.<ref name=burzumstory2/> The self-defense story is doubted by Faust,{{sfn|Moynihan|Søderlind|2003|p=123}} while [[Necrobutcher]] confirmed that Vikernes killed Euronymous in self-defense due to the death threats he received from him.<ref>{{cite news |last=Campion |first=Chris |date=20 February 2005 |title=In the face of death |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2005/feb/20/popandrock4 |work=[[The Guardian]] |location=[[London]] |access-date=30 December 2018 |quote='Øystein was always sending death threats to people,' says Necro Butcher. 'It was his reaction to everything. But he didn't put so much into it. And then when he met you, he was like, "OK. You're cool!". Then you were best friends. So when eventually he got to be unfriendly with Varg, he threatened him like he did everyone else. Øystein told him, "I'm going to send some people to torture you. Until you die." But Varg Vikernes saw this as a real threat. He probably thought, "better him than me. I'll just go down and do him".'}}</ref>

Vikernes was arrested on 19 August 1993, in Bergen.{{sfn|Moynihan|Søderlind|2003|p=120}} Many other members of the scene were taken in for questioning around the same time. Some of them confessed to their crimes and implicated others. In May 1994, Vikernes was sentenced to 21 years in prison (Norway's maximum penalty) for the murder of Euronymous, the arson of four churches, and for possession of 150&nbsp;kg of explosives. However, he only confessed to the latter. Two churches were burnt the day he was sentenced, "presumably as a statement of symbolic support".{{sfn|Moynihan|Søderlind|2003|p=141}} Vikernes smiled when his verdict was read and the picture was widely reprinted in the news media. Blackthorn was sentenced to eight years in prison for being an accomplice to the murder.{{sfn|Moynihan|Søderlind|2003|p=141}} That month saw the release of Mayhem's album ''De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas'', which featured Euronymous on guitar and Vikernes on bass guitar.<ref name=guardian/> Euronymous's family had asked Mayhem's drummer, Hellhammer, to remove the bass tracks recorded by Vikernes, but Hellhammer said: "I thought it was appropriate that the murderer and victim were on the same record. I put word out that I was re-recording the bass parts. But I never did".<ref name=guardian/> In 2003, Vikernes failed to return to Tønsberg prison after being given a short leave. He was re-arrested shortly after while driving a stolen car with various weapons.<ref>{{cite news |last=Berglund |first=Nina |date=27 October 2003 |title=Police Nab 'The Count' After He Fled Jail |newspaper=[[Aftenposten]] |url=http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article655724.ece |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070308164838/http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article655724.ece |archive-date=8 March 2007 |access-date=5 September 2012}}</ref> Vikernes was released on [[parole]] in 2009.<ref>{{cite news |title=Varg Vikernes ute på prøve |url=http://www.vg.no/nyheter/innenriks/artikkel.php?artid=557287 |newspaper=[[Verdens Gang]] |location=[[Oslo]], Norway |agency=[[Norsk Telegrambyrå|NTB]] |date=10 March 2009 |access-date=5 September 2012 |language=no|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090312054544/http://www.vg.no/nyheter/innenriks/artikkel.php?artid=557287 |url-status=live |archive-date=12 March 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Ute av fengsel |url=http://www.dagbladet.no/2009/05/22/nyheter/black_metal/varg_vikernes/6354526/ |work=dagbladet.no |date=22 May 2009 |access-date=23 May 2009 |language=no}}</ref>

==== Outside of Norway ====
[[File:Enthroned 201107 Paris 07.jpg|thumb|left|[[Enthroned]] from Belgium]]

Japanese band [[Sigh (band)|Sigh]] formed in 1990 and was in regular contact with key members of the Norwegian scene. Their debut album, ''[[Scorn Defeat]]'', became "a cult classic in the black metal world".<ref name=SighJapan>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20080117111501/http://www.sighjapan.com/bio.htm ''Biography'']}}, accessed on 23 June 2013.</ref>

In 1990 and 1991, Northern European metal acts began to release music influenced by these bands or the older ones from the first wave. In Sweden, this included [[Dissection (band)|Dissection]],<ref name="patterson342">{{cite book |last=Patterson |first=Dayal |author-link=Dayal Patterson |title=Black Metal: Evolution of the Cult |publisher=Feral House |year=2013 |pages=342 |isbn=9781936239764 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-kIxCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA342 |access-date=25 February 2020}}</ref> [[Abruptum]],<ref name="patterson342"/><ref>{{cite book |last=Ekeroth |first=Daniel |author-link=Daniel Ekeroth |title=Swedish Death Metal |publisher=Bazillion Points Books |year=2009 |pages=255 |isbn=9780979616310 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jRRvfWp95FIC&pg=PA255 |access-date=25 February 2020}}</ref> [[Marduk (band)|Marduk]],<ref name="patterson342"/><ref>{{cite book |last=Ekeroth |first=Daniel |author-link=Daniel Ekeroth |title=Swedish Death Metal |publisher=Bazillion Points Books |year=2009 |pages=225 |isbn=9780979616310 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jRRvfWp95FIC&pg=PA225 |access-date=25 February 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Ekeroth |first=Daniel |author-link=Daniel Ekeroth |title=Swedish Death Metal |publisher=Bazillion Points Books |year=2009 |pages=253 |isbn=9780979616310 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jRRvfWp95FIC&pg=PA253 |access-date=25 February 2020}}</ref> and [[Nifelheim]].<ref name="patterson342"/> In Finland, there emerged a scene that mixed the first-wave black metal style with elements of death metal and [[grindcore]]; this included [[Beherit (band)|Beherit]], [[Archgoat]] and [[Impaled Nazarene]], whose debut album ''Tol Cormpt Norz Norz Norz'' [[Rock Hard (magazine)|Rock Hard]] journalist Wolf-Rüdiger Mühlmann considers a part of war metal's roots.<ref name=rh307>Wolf-Rüdiger Mühlmann: ''Impaled Nazarene''. ''Tol Cormpt Norz Norz Norz''. In: ''Rock Hard'', no. 307, December 2012, p. 77.</ref> Bands such as [[Demoncy]] and [[Profanatica]] emerged during this time in the United States, when death metal was more popular among extreme metal fans. The Norwegian band Mayhem's concert in Leipzig with Eminenz and Manos in 1990, later released as ''[[Live in Leipzig]]'', was said to have had a strong influence on the East German scene<ref name=koenige>Wolf-Rüdiger Mühlmann: ''Die Könige vom Westwall''. ''Die legendären Protagonisten von damals im exklusiven Interview''. In: ''Rock Hard'', no. 269, October 2009, p. 92.</ref> and is even called the unofficial beginning of German black metal.<ref>Wolf-Rüdiger Mühlmann: ''Deutschland, deine Schwarzmetall-Bands''. In: ''Rock Hard'', no. 269, October 2009, p. 89.</ref>

Black metal scenes also emerged on the European mainland during the early 1990s, inspired by the Norwegian scene or the older bands, or both. In Poland, a scene was spearheaded by [[Graveland]] and [[Behemoth (band)|Behemoth]].<!-- These bands became enemies later, Darken gathering an arising NSBM scene around himself and Graveland. Patterson wrote about this. --> In France, a close-knit group of musicians known as [[Les Légions Noires]] emerged; this included artists such as [[Mütiilation]], [[Vlad Tepes (band)|Vlad Tepes]], Belketre and Torgeist. In Belgium, there were acts such as [[Ancient Rites]] and [[Enthroned]]. Bands such as Black Funeral, [[Grand Belial's Key]] and [[Judas Iscariot (band)|Judas Iscariot]] emerged during this time in the United States. Black Funeral, from [[Houston]], formed in 1993, was associated with [[black magic]] and [[Satanism]].<ref name="paganbelial.awardspace.com">[http://paganbelial.awardspace.com/?p=841 ''Black Funeral''. ''Embrace The Sounds Of Grim Medieval Vampiric Black Metal...''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426022252/http://paganbelial.awardspace.com/?p=841 |date=26 April 2012 }}. In: ''Kill Yourself!!! Magazine'', no. 3, 1995, p. 36, accessed on 21 November 2012.</ref>

[[File:Cradle of Filth 2005.jpg|thumb|right|250px|English band Cradle of Filth performing at [[Metalmania]] in 2005]]

A notable black metal group in England was [[Cradle of Filth]], who released three demos in a black/death metal style with symphonic flourishes, followed by the album ''[[The Principle of Evil Made Flesh]]'', which featured a then-unusual hybrid style of black and [[gothic metal]]. The band then abandoned black metal for gothic metal,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Baddeley |first1=Gavin |last2=Filth |first2=Dani |author-link2=Dani Filth |title=[[The Gospel of Filth]] |date=March 2010 |pages=48–50 |publisher=FAB Press}}</ref> becoming one of the most successful [[extreme metal]] bands to date. John Serba of [[AllMusic]] commented that their first album "made waves in the early black metal scene, putting Cradle of Filth on the tips of metalheads' tongues, whether in praise of the band's brazen attempts to break the black metal mold or in derision for its 'commercialization' of an underground phenomenon that was proud of its grimy heritage".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-principle-of-evil-made-flesh-mw0000025519 |title=The Principle of Evil Made Flesh – Cradle of Filth |last=Serba |first=John |work=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=27 August 2012}}</ref> Some black metal fans did not consider Cradle of Filth to be black metal. When asked if he considers Cradle of Filth a black metal band, vocalist [[Dani Filth]] said he considers them black metal in terms of philosophy and atmosphere, but not in other ways.{{sfn|Partridge|Christianson|2014|p=42}} Another English band called Necropolis never released any music, but "began a desecratory assault against churches and cemeteries in their area" and "almost caused Black Metal to be banned in Britain as a result".{{sfn|Moynihan|Søderlind|2003|p=316-318}} [[Dayal Patterson]] says successful acts like Cradle of Filth "provoked an even greater extremity [of negative opinion] from the underground" scene due to concerns about "[[selling out]]".<ref name="Patterson, Dayal 2013">Patterson, Dayal. ''Black Metal: Evolution of the Cult''. Feral House, 2013. First page of Ch. 29.</ref>

The controversy surrounding the Thuringian<!-- You may also write "East German" or whatever.--> band [[Absurd (band)|Absurd]] drew attention to the German black metal scene. In 1993, the members murdered a boy from their school, Sandro Beyer.{{sfn|Moynihan|Søderlind|2003|p=272}} A photo of Beyer's gravestone is on the cover of one of their demos,<ref>[[Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke]]: ''Black Sun: Aryan Cults, Esoteric Nazism, and the Politics of Identity''. NYU Press, 2003. p. 206.</ref> ''Thuringian Pagan Madness'', along with pro-Nazi statements. It was recorded in prison and released in Poland by Graveland drummer Capricornus.<ref>Absurd: ''Thuringian Pagan Madness'', Capricornus Prod. 1995.</ref> The band's early music was more influenced by [[Oi!]] and [[Rock Against Communism]] (RAC) than by black metal,{{sfn|Moynihan|Søderlind|1998|p=250f}} and described as being "more akin to '60s [[garage punk]] than some of the […] Black Metal of their contemporaries".{{sfn|Moynihan|Søderlind|2003|p=295}} [[Alexander von Meilenwald]] from German band [[Nagelfar]] considers Ungod's 1993 debut ''Circle of the Seven Infernal Pacts'', [[Desaster]]'s 1994 demo ''Lost in the Ages'', [[Tha-Norr]]'s 1995 album ''Wolfenzeitalter'', Lunar Aurora's 1996 debut ''Weltengänger'' and [[Katharsis (band)|Katharsis]]'s 2000 debut ''666''<ref>Alexander von Meilenwald: ''5 Klassiker''. In: ''Rock Hard'', no. 269, October 2009, p. 82.</ref> to be the most important recordings for the German scene.<ref name=koenige/> He said they were "not necessarily the best German releases, but they all kicked off something".<ref name=koenige/>

=== After the second wave (1998–present) ===
[[File:DimmuBorgirTuska2005.jpg|thumb|right|220px|Dimmu Borgir's music features synthesizers and orchestras<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/dimmu-borgir-mn0000214580 |title=Dimmu Borgir |publisher=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref>]]

In the beginning of the second wave, the different scenes developed their own styles; as [[Alan Averill|Alan 'Nemtheanga' Averill]] says, "you had the Greek sound and the Finnish sound, and the Norwegian sound, and there was German bands and Swiss bands and that kind of thing."<ref name=billzebub/> By the mid-1990s, the style of the Norwegian scene was being adopted by bands worldwide, and in 1998, ''[[Kerrang!]]'' journalist [[Malcolm Dome]] said that "black metal as we know it in 1998 owes more to Norway and to Scandinavia than any other particular country".<ref name="Satan rir media">{{cite video |title=[[Satan rir media|Satan Rides the Media]] |year=1998}}</ref> Newer black metal bands also began raising their production quality and introducing additional instruments such as [[synthesizer]]s and even full-symphony [[orchestra]]s. By the late 1990s, the underground concluded that several of the Norwegian pioneers—like Emperor,<ref name=wbm>Wolf-Rüdiger Mühlmann: ''War Black Metal: Die Extremsten der Extremen''. ''Was bleibt, ist Schutt und Asche''. In: ''Rock Hard'', no. 279, pp. 71–73.</ref><ref name=upagainstthewall>Tornado: ''Up Against the Wall Motherfucker!!!!. A Worst Case Scenario Written by Tornado!''. In: Jon Kristiansen: ''Metalion: The Slayer Mag Diaries''. Brooklyn, NY: Bazillion Points Books 2011, pp. 406f.</ref> Immortal,<ref name=wbm/><ref name=upagainstthewall/> [[Dimmu Borgir]],<ref name=upagainstthewall/> [[Ancient (band)|Ancient]],<ref name=wbm/><ref name=upagainstthewall/> [[The Kovenant|Covenant/The Kovenant]],<ref name=upagainstthewall/> and Satyricon<ref name=wbm/>—had commercialized<ref name=wbm/><ref name=upagainstthewall/> or [[Selling out|sold out]] to the mainstream and "big bastard labels."<ref name=upagainstthewall/> Dayal Patterson states that successful acts like Dimmu Borgir "provoked and even greater extremity [of negative opinion] from the underground" regarding the view that these bands had "[[selling out|sold out]]."<ref name="Patterson, Dayal 2013"/>

After Euronymous's death, "some bands went more towards the Viking metal and epic style, while some bands went deeper into the abyss."<ref name=blackmetalsatanica/> Since 1993, the Swedish scene had carried out church burnings, grave desecration, and other violent acts. In 1995, [[Jon Nödtveidt]] of [[Dissection (band)|Dissection]] joined the [[Temple of the Black Light|Misanthropic Luciferian Order]] (MLO).<ref>Andrea Biagi: {{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20031005065926/http://www.dissection.nu/biography.htm ''Biography Part One''. ''"The First Era"'']}}, accessed on 25 October 2012.</ref> In 1997, he and another MLO member were arrested and charged with [[Keillers Park murder|shooting dead a 37-year-old man]]. It was said he was killed "out of anger" because he had "harassed" the two men. Nödtveidt received a 10-year sentence.<ref>Andrea Biagi: {{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20040216045715/http://www.dissection.nu/killing.htm ''THE KILLING'']}}, accessed on 25 October 2012.</ref> As the victim was a homosexual immigrant, Dissection was accused of being a Nazi band,<ref name=fearthereturn>''Dissection''. ''Fear the Return!''. In: Jon Kristiansen: ''Metalion: The Slayer Mag Diaries''. Brooklyn, NY: Bazillion Points Books 2011, p. 568-570.</ref> but Nödtveidt denied this and dismissed racism and nationalism.<ref name=fearthereturn/><ref name=dissection>{{cite web |url=http://www.metalcentre.com/webzine.php?p=interviews&lang=eng&nr=123 |title=Metal Centre Webzine: News, Gallery, Reviews, Interviews, etc. – 09/03/2012 |date=June 2003 |work=metalcentre.com |access-date=4 September 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714075021/http://www.metalcentre.com/webzine.php?p=interviews&lang=eng&nr=123 |archive-date=14 July 2011}}</ref>

The Swedish band [[Shining (Swedish band)|Shining]], founded in 1996, began writing music almost exclusively about depression and suicide, musically inspired by Strid and by Burzum's albums ''[[Hvis lyset tar oss]]'' and ''[[Filosofem]]''.<ref>Sabine Langner: [http://www.legacy.de/index.php/stories/archiv/item/3639-shining ''Shining''. ''Verzweiflung, mein Erbe''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140728161436/http://www.legacy.de/index.php/stories/archiv/item/3639-shining |date=28 July 2014 }}. In: ''Legacy'', no. 73, accessed on 27 September 2012.</ref> Vocalist Niklas Kvarforth wanted to "force-feed" his listeners "with self-destructive and suicidal imagery and lyrics."<ref name=blackmetalsatanica/> In the beginning, he used the term "suicidal black metal" for his music.<ref name=blackmetalsatanica/><ref name=metal1>[http://www.metal1.info/interviews/interview.php?interview_id=269 ''Shining (25.04.07)''] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121101001942/http://www.metal1.info/interviews/interview.php?interview_id=269 |date=1 November 2012 }}.</ref> However, he stopped using the term in 2001 because it had begun to be used by a slew of other bands, whom he felt had misinterpreted his vision<ref name=blackmetalsatanica/><ref name=metal1/> and were using the music as a kind of therapy<ref name=blackmetalsatanica/><ref name=metal1/> rather than a weapon against the listener as Kvarforth intended.<ref name=metal1/> He said that he "wouldn't call Shining a black metal band" and called the "suicidal black metal" term a "foolish idea."<ref name=blackmetalsatanica/>

[[File:Watain3.jpg|thumb|[[Watain]] singer Erik Danielsson in torn clothes and covered with blood]]
According to Erik Danielsson, when his band Watain formed in 1998, there were very few bands who took black metal as seriously as the early Norwegian scene had.<ref name=blackmetalsatanica/> A newer generation of Swedish Satanic bands like Watain and [[Ondskapt]], inspired by [[Ofermod]],<ref>Nathan T. Birk: {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20071017013530/http://www.ofermod.org/interviews/ofermod_terrorizer.htm ''OFERMOD'']}}.</ref><ref>Stahlschrulle: [http://www.metal.de/index.php?option=com_articles&view=article&id=11035 ''Ofermod – Tiamtü''].</ref> the new band of Nefandus member Belfagor, put this scene "into a new light." Kvarforth said, "It seems like people actually [got] afraid again."<ref name=blackmetalsatanica/> "The current Swedish black metal scene has a particularly ambitious and articulate understanding of [[mysticism]] and its validity to black metal. Many Swedish black metal bands, most notably Watain and Dissection, are [or were] affiliated with the Temple of the Black Light, or Misanthropic Luciferian Order […] a [[Theism|Theistic]], [[Gnosticism|Gnostic]], Satanic organization based in Sweden".{{sfn|Olson|2008|p=126}} Upon his release in 2004, Jon Nödtveidt restarted Dissection with new members whom he felt were able to "stand behind and live up to the demands of Dissection's Satanic concept."<ref name=faustleaves>{{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20040127040134/http://www.dissection.nu/faustleaves.htm ''FAUST LEAVES DISSECTION BECAUSE OF THE SATANIC CONCEPT'']}}, accessed on 25 October 2012.</ref> He started calling Dissection "the sonic propaganda unit of the MLO"<ref>[[Dissection (band)|Dissection]]: ''[[Live Legacy]]'', [[Nuclear Blast]] 2003.</ref><ref name=dissectioninterview2>{{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20071020061147/http://www.dissection.nu/interviews/Interview2.htm ''INTERVIEW FOR THE FANS BY THE FANS''. ''- Final Interview with Jon Nödtveidt -'']}}, accessed on 25 October 2012.</ref> and released a third full-length album, ''[[Reinkaos]]''. The lyrics contain [[magical formula]]e from the ''Liber Azerate'' and are based on the organization's teachings.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20080208150021/http://www.dissection.nu/disc/reinkaos.htm ''REINKAΩS'']}}, accessed on 25 October 2012.</ref> After the album's release and a few concerts, Nödtveidt said that he had "reached the limitations of music as a tool for expressing what I want to express, for myself and the handful of others that I care about" and disbanded Dissection<ref name=dissectioninterview2/> before dying by suicide.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20071014002828/http://www.dissection.nu/temp/temp1.html ''Official Statement about Jon's Death'']}}, 2006, accessed on 25 October 2012.</ref>

A part of the underground scene adopted a [[Carl Jung|Jungian]] interpretation of the church burnings and other acts of the early scene as the re-emergence of ancient archetypes, which Kadmon of [[Allerseelen (band)|Allerseelen]] and the authors of ''[[Lords of Chaos (book)|Lords of Chaos]]'' had implied in their writings.{{sfn|Moynihan|Søderlind|2003|p=176f}}<ref name=paganfront>[[Hendrik Möbus]]: {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20071214012732/http://www.thepaganfront.com/pf.php?show=articles&article=1 ''National Socialist Black Metal'']}}, accessed on 2 January 2013.</ref> They mixed this interpretation with Paganism and Nationalism.<ref name=paganfront/> Varg Vikernes was seen as "an ideological messiah" by some,<ref name=decibelnsbm>J. Bennett: {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20080208184453/http://www.decibelmagazine.com/features/may2006/nsbm.aspx ''NSBM Special Report'']}}.</ref> although Vikernes had disassociated himself from black metal<ref name=decibelnsbm/>{{sfn|Olson|2008|p=102}} and his neo-Nazism had nothing to do with that subculture.{{sfn|Olson|2008|p=102}} This led to the rise of [[National Socialist black metal]] (NSBM), which Hendrik Möbus of [[Absurd (band)|Absurd]] calls "the logical conclusion" of the Norwegian black metal "movement".<ref name=paganfront/> Other parts of the scene oppose NSBM as it is "indelibly linked with Asá Trŭ and opposed to Satanism", or look upon Nazism "with vague skepticism and indifference".{{sfn|Olson|2008|p=99}} Members of the NSBM scene, among others, see the Norwegian bands as [[poseur]]s whose "ideology is cheap", although they still respect Vikernes and Burzum, whom Grand Belial's Key vocalist Richard Mills called "the only Norwegian band that remains unapologetic and literally convicted of his beliefs."<ref name=decibelnsbm/>

In France, besides Les Légions Noires (The Black Legions), an NSBM scene arose. Members of French band Funeral desecrated a grave in [[Toulon]] in June 1996, and a 19-year-old black metal fan stabbed a priest to death in [[Mulhouse]] on Christmas Eve 1996.{{sfn|Moynihan|Søderlind|2003|p=312-315}} According to MkM of [[Antaeus (band)|Antaeus]] and Aosoth, the early French scene "was quite easy to divide: either you were NSBM, and you had the support from zine and the audience, or you were part of the black legions, and you had that 'cult' aura", whereas his band Antaeus, not belonging to either of these sub-scenes, "did not fit anywhere."<ref>Ankit: [http://infernal-dominion.blogspot.de/2011/08/interview-with-mkm-from-antaeus-and.html ''Interview with MKM from Antaeus and Aosoth (French Black Metal)''], 23 August 2011, accessed on 31 December 2012.</ref> Many French bands, like [[Deathspell Omega]] and Aosoth, have an avantgarde approach<ref>Jan Jaedike: ''Merrimack''. ''Appetite for Destruction''. In: ''Rock Hard'', no. 302, July 2012, p. 62.</ref> and a disharmonic sound that is representative of that scene.<ref>Tobias Gerber, Sebastian Kessler: [http://www.metal-hammer.de/magazin/features/article87166/video-special-zum-deutschen-black-metal.html ''Video-Special zum deutschen Black Metal''], 11 April 2011, accessed on 31 December 2012.</ref>

The early American black metal bands remained underground. Some of them—like [[Grand Belial's Key]] and [[Judas Iscariot (band)|Judas Iscariot]]—joined an international NSBM organization called the Pagan Front, although Judas Iscariot's sole member Akhenaten left the organization.<ref name=mh82007>Gunnar Sauermann: ''Special: Black Metal in den USA''. ''Schwarzes Amerika''. In: ''Metal Hammer'', August 2007, pp. 88f.</ref> Other bands like [[Averse Sefira]] never had any link with Nazism.<ref name=mh82007/> The US bands have no common style. Many were musically inspired by Burzum but did not necessarily adopt Vikernes's ideas.<ref name=mh82007/> Profanatica's music is close to death metal,<ref>Gunnar Sauermann: ''Verfeindete Brüder''. ''Tod gegen Schwarz – Death oder Black Metal?''. In: ''Metal Hammer'', August 2007, p. 90.</ref> while Demoncy were accused of ripping off Gorgoroth riffs.<ref>Gunnar Sauermann: ''Special: Black Metal in den USA''. ''Schwarzes Amerika''. In: ''Metal Hammer'', August 2007, p. 91.</ref> There also emerged bands like [[Xasthur]] and [[Leviathan (band)|Leviathan]]<ref name=putrid/> (whose music is inspired by Burzum<ref name=mh82007/> and whose lyrics focus on topics such as depression and suicide),<ref name=metal-only>Janne: {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20090120083058/http://www.metal-only.com/index/Interviews/see/leviathan.htm ''I don't consider myself a poet, by any means'']}}.</ref><ref>Roberto Martinelli: [http://www.maelstrom.nu/ezine/interview_iss11_130.php ''Interview with XASTHUR''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070906003338/http://www.maelstrom.nu/ezine/interview_iss11_130.php |date=6 September 2007 }}. In: ''Maelstrom'', no. 11.</ref> [[Nachtmystium]],<ref name=putrid/> [[Krallice]],<ref name=putrid/><ref name=zeit>Heiko Behr: [http://www.zeit.de/kultur/musik/2011-12/blackmetal/komplettansicht ''Black Metal: Da kreischt die Avantgarde'']. In: ''[[Die Zeit]]'', 9 December 2011.</ref> [[Wolves in the Throne Room]]<ref name=putrid/><ref name=zeit/> (a band linked to the [[crust punk]] scene and the [[environmental movement]]),{{sfn|Olson|2008|p=114}}<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/music_box/2007/11/deep_ecometal.html|title=Deep Eco-Metal|last=Davis|first=Erik|date=13 November 2007|newspaper=Slate|issn=1091-2339|access-date=21 December 2016}}</ref> and [[Liturgy (band)|Liturgy]] (the style of whom frontwoman Hunter Hunt-Hendrix describes as 'transcendental black metal').<ref name=putrid/><ref name=knittingfactory>Jon Caramanica: [https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/06/arts/music/liturgy-at-the-knitting-factory-review.html ''If You Celebrate Nihilism, Is It Somethingism?'']. In: ''The New York Times'', 5 June 2011.</ref> These bands eschew black metal's traditional lyrical content for "something more [[Walt Whitman|Whitman]]-esque"<ref name=putrid/> and have been rejected by some traditional black-metallers for their ideologies<ref>''Watain''. ''Black Metal Militia''. In: ''Slayer'', no. 20, ''Blood Fire Death'', 2010, p. 9.</ref> and the [[post-rock]] and [[shoegazing]] influences some of them have adopted.<ref name=zeit/> Also, some bands like [[Agalloch]] started to incorporate "doom and folk elements into the traditional blast-beat and tremolo-picking of the Scandinavian incarnation", a style that later became known as ''Cascadian black metal'', in reference to the region where it emerged.<ref name="exclaim.ca">{{cite web|url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/agalloch-reluctant_kings|title=Agalloch Reluctant Kings|website=exclaim.ca}}</ref>

In Australia, a scene led by bands like [[Deströyer 666]], Vomitor, [[Hobbs' Angel of Death]], Nocturnal Graves and [[Gospel of the Horns]] arose. This scene's typical style is a mixture of old school black metal and raw thrash metal influenced by old Celtic Frost, Bathory, Venom, and Sodom but also with its own elements.<ref>Götz Kühnemund: ''Gospel of the Horns''. ''Schluss mit dem schöngeistigen Quatsch!''. In: ''Rock Hard'', no. 306, November 2012, p. 43.</ref>

[[Melechesh]] was formed in [[Jerusalem]] in 1993, "the first overtly anti-Christian band to exist in one of the holiest cities in the world".<ref name=Rockdetector_Melechesh>{{cite web |author=Sharpe-Young, Garry |title=Melechesh |url=http://www.musicmight.com/artist/israel/jerusalem/melechesh |publisher=[[MusicMight]] |access-date=23 June 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120927051047/http://www.musicmight.com/artist/israel/jerusalem/melechesh |archive-date=27 September 2012}}</ref> Melechesh began as a straightforward black metal act with their first foray into [[folk metal]] occurring on their 1996 EP ''[[The Siege of Lachish]]''.<ref name=McKay>{{cite magazine |author=McKay, Aaron |title=Interview with Moloch of Melechesh |url=http://www.chroniclesofchaos.com/articles/chats/1-608_melechesh.aspx |magazine=[[Chronicles of Chaos (webzine)|Chronicles of Chaos]] |access-date=23 June 2013}}</ref> Their subsequent albums straddled black, death, and thrash metal.<ref name=Djinn>{{cite web |author=Serba, John |title=''Djinn'' Review |website=[[AllMusic]] |url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=djinn-mw0000010739|pure_url=yes}} |access-date=23 June 2013}}</ref> Another band, [[Arallu]], was formed in the late 1990s and has relationships with Melechesh and Salem.<ref name=ARD>{{cite web |author=Sharpe-Young, Garry |title=Arallu |url=http://www.musicmight.com/artist/israel/ma/arallu |publisher=[[MusicMight]] |access-date=23 June 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120928222256/http://www.musicmight.com/artist/israel/ma/arallu |archive-date=28 September 2012}}</ref><ref name="Lords of Arallu">{{cite web |author=Puhl, Carl |title=Interview with Butchered and Yonatan of Arallu |url=http://www.lordsofmetal.nl/showinterview.php?id=1356&lang=en |publisher=Lords of Metal |access-date=23 June 2013}}</ref> Melechesh and Arallu perform a style they call "Mesopotamian Black Metal", a blend of black metal and [[Mesopotamia]]n folk music.<ref name=Rockdetector_Melechesh/><ref name="Lords of Arallu"/>

Since the 2000s, a number of [[Criticism of Islam|anti-Islamic]] and [[Antireligion|anti-religious]] black metal bands—whose members come from Muslim backgrounds—have emerged in the Middle East. Janaza, believed to be Iraq's first female black metal artist, released the demo ''Burning Quran Ceremony'' in 2010. Its frontwoman, Anahita, claimed her parents and brother were killed by a [[suicide bomb]] during the [[Iraq War]]. Another Iraqi band, Seeds of Iblis, also fronted by Anahita,<ref name="theatlantic.com">Kelly, Kim. [https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/07/when-black-metals-anti-religious-message-gets-turned-on-islam/259680/ "When Black Metal's Anti-Religious Message Gets Turned on Islam"]. ''[[The Atlantic]]'', 11 July 2012.</ref> released their debut EP ''Jihad Against Islam'' in 2011 through French label Legion of Death. Metal news website Metalluminati suggests that their claims of being based in Iraq are a hoax.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://metalluminati.com/anti-islamic-black-metal-band-from-iraq-a-hoax/|title=Anti-Islamic female black metal band from Iraq a hoax?|website=The Metalluminati|date=14 July 2012|access-date=4 August 2017|archive-date=28 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230528194535/https://metalluminati.com/anti-islamic-black-metal-band-from-iraq-a-hoax/|url-status=dead}}</ref> These bands, along with Tadnees (from Saudi Arabia), Halla (from Iran), False Allah (from Bahrain), and Mosque of Satan (from Lebanon), style themselves as the "Arabic Anti-Islamic Legion". Another Lebanese band, [[Ayat (band)|Ayat]], drew much attention with their debut album ''Six Years of Dormant Hatred'', released through North American label Moribund Records in 2008.<ref name="theatlantic.com"/> Some European bands have also begun expressing anti-Islamic views, most notably the Norwegian band [[Taake]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thelocal.no/20120105/anti-islam-lyrics-no-barrier-to-norway-music-prize- |title=Anti-Islam lyrics no barrier to Norway music prize |website=[[The Local]] |date=6 January 2012 |access-date=1 July 2016}}</ref>