Black Metal article
Black Metal Subgenres, Explained
One narrow Norwegian template splintered into a whole family tree of sounds. Here's every branch, plainly explained, with a reference artist for each.
Say the genre's name to ten different fans and you'll get ten different mental images — corpse paint and blast beats to one person, orchestral bombast to another, shoegaze guitar walls to a third. All of them are right. What started as one fairly narrow Norwegian template in the early 1990s has, over three decades, splintered into a proper family tree with its own arguments, gatekeepers and passionate defenders. Knowing which branch is which makes the whole scene far less confusing, and far easier to actually enjoy rather than just tolerate out of curiosity. Here's the lot, plainly explained, one strand at a time.
Symphonic
Bolts orchestral or keyboard writing onto the standard tremolo-and-blast-beat foundation, trading some of the genre's rawness for grandeur and scale. Emperor pioneered the approach on In the Nightside Eclipse, and Dimmu Borgir later made it considerably more polished and accessible.
Atmospheric
Prioritises mood and space over speed and aggression, often stretching songs into longer, patient structures built around repetition rather than riffs in the traditional sense. Burzum's later work is a key reference point, and American band Wolves in the Throne Room took the approach in a distinctly environmental direction on Two Hunters.
Depressive (DSBM)
Short for depressive suicidal black metal, this strand leans hard into repetition, bleakness and deliberately alienating vocal performances, with song structure taking a back seat to emotional intensity. It's among the genre's least commercially minded corners, made largely by and for a niche, dedicated audience.
Blackened Death and Blackened Thrash
Rather than a strand of pure black metal, this is a hybrid: tremolo-driven riffing and the genre's harsher aesthetics folded into the heavier riffing and structure of death or thrash metal. The result usually sits somewhere between two extreme-metal camps rather than fully inside either one, and bands here often move between the two labels depending on which record, or even which song, you're listening to. It's a useful reminder that most of these categories describe a tendency rather than a strict rulebook.
Post-Black Metal
Combines the genre's core techniques — tremolo picking, blast beats, shrieked vocals — with post-rock, shoegaze or alternative-metal dynamics. Deafheaven's 2013 album Sunbather is the most cited example, and it's the strand most likely to appeal to listeners who'd never otherwise go near corpse paint or Norwegian church-arson history.
Pagan and Viking Metal
Grew out of the Norwegian scene but pulled towards folklore, nature and pre-Christian Nordic history rather than satanic or anti-Christian imagery. Enslaved's early-to-mid-1990s records, including Frost, sit right at this transition point, bridging the second wave and a more folk-influenced sound.
Progressive and Avant-Garde
Introduces irregular song structures, unusual instrumentation, or ideas borrowed from jazz, electronic music or dissonant harmony. This is the strand for listeners who find the genre's core template too restrictive and want to hear how far it can be pushed structurally.
Raw Black Metal
An especially stripped-down approach that emphasises distortion, hiss, minimal editing and deliberately sparse arrangements. Darkthrone's Transilvanian Hunger remains the most frequently cited example of this philosophy taken about as far as it can go.
How the Branches Actually Compare
| Strand | Defining trait | Reference artist |
|---|---|---|
| Symphonic | Orchestral or keyboard layers | Emperor, Dimmu Borgir |
| Atmospheric | Mood over aggression, long structures | Burzum, Wolves in the Throne Room |
| Depressive (DSBM) | Repetition, bleakness, niche appeal | Various dedicated underground acts |
| Blackened death/thrash | Hybrid with heavier riffing | Various crossover acts |
| Post-black metal | Shoegaze/post-rock dynamics | Deafheaven |
| Pagan/Viking | Folklore and pre-Christian themes | Enslaved |
| Progressive/avant-garde | Irregular structure, unusual instrumentation | Various experimental acts |
| Raw | Deliberately stripped-down, harsh recording | Darkthrone |
Curious which of these bands actually started it all before it split this many ways? Our history of the genre covers that origin story properly, and our guide to its key artists profiles the bands behind each branch above in more depth.
Where to Start If You're Overwhelmed
Don't try to learn all eight at once. Pick the description above that sounds most like something you'd actually enjoy — grand and orchestral, patient and atmospheric, or raw and uncompromising — and start there rather than working through the family tree in order. Most listeners settle into one or two favourite strands rather than loving everything equally, and that's entirely normal; loving the symphonic side doesn't obligate you to also enjoy the rawest, least polished corners of the underground, or vice versa. Newer listeners wanting a gentler route in should also see our guide for newcomers.
The Bottom Line
None of these branches is more "real" black metal than the others, whatever certain corners of the internet might argue. Each one took a genuine piece of the original Norwegian template and pushed it somewhere new, which is exactly why the genre has stayed interesting for over three decades rather than fossilising into one fixed sound.
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