List of symphonic black metal bands explained

This is a list of bands that perform symphonic black metal, a form of black metal music that incorporates symphonic and orchestral styles and instrumentation.

List of bands

BandCountryFormedNotes
Abigail WilliamsUS2005[1]
Anorexia NervosaFrance1995[2]
ApostasySweden2000[3]
Bal-SagothEngland1989[4] [5]
BansheeUS2018[6]
Bishop of HexenIsrael1994https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/the_bishop_of_hexen/3856
Carach AngrenNetherlands2003[7]
Carpathian ForestNorway1992[8]
CatameniaFinland1995[9]
ChthonicTaiwan1995[10]
Cradle of FilthEngland1991[11]
Crimson MoonlightSweden1997[12]
DarzamatPoland1995[13]
Demonic ResurrectionIndia2000[14]
Diabolical MasqueradeSweden1993[15]
Dimmu BorgirNorway1993[16] [17]
DragonlordUS2000[18]
EmperorNorway1991
EquilibriumGermany2001[19]
GravewormItaly1992[20]
Havoc UnitFinland1995[21] [22]
Hecate EnthronedEngland1993[23]
KekalIndonesia1995[24]
LemuriaBelgium2001
Limbonic ArtNorway1993[25]
Obtained EnslavementNorway1989[26]
Old Man's ChildNorway1993
Opera IXItaly1988[27]
Samsas TraumGermany1996[28]
Shade EmpireFinland1999[29] [30]
StormlordItaly1991[31]
TiamatSweden1988[32]
TvangesteRussia1996[33]
Twilight OpheraFinland1996[34]
VaakevandringNorway1999[35]
VardøgerNorway1994[36]
VesaniaPoland1997[37]
WelicorussRussia2005

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Henderson. Alex. In the Shadow of a Thousand Suns – Abigail Williams : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic. 2 September 2012. AllMusic. [...] In the Shadow of 1000 Suns is more in the symphonic black metal vein.. 22 December 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151222210141/http://www.allmusic.com/album/in-the-shadow-of-a-thousand-suns-mw0000799532. live.
  2. Web site: Rivadavia. Eduardo. Anorexia Nervosa – Music Biography, Credits and Discography : AllMusic. 2 September 2012. AllMusic. ...establishing themselves as a symphonic black metal force to be reckoned with.. 11 October 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161011223719/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/anorexia-nervosa-mn0000593838. live.
  3. Web site: Rivadavia. Eduardo. Apostasy – Music Biography, Credits and Discography : AllMusic. 2 September 2012. AllMusic. Sweden's Apostasy was formed in 1994 and performs keyboard-laden symphonic black metal inspired by the likes of Dimmu Borgir and Arcturus.. 11 October 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161011223712/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/apostasy-mn0000926951. live.
  4. Web site: Huey. Steve. The Power Cosmic – Bal-Sagoth : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic. 2 September 2012. AllMusic. 11 September 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120911110221/http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-power-cosmic-mw0000672739. live.
  5. Web site: Henderson. Alex. The Chthonic Chronicles – Bal-Sagoth : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic. 2 September 2012. AllMusic. [...] The Chthonic Chronicles underscores the ambitious nature of the symphonic black metal style.. 20 June 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120620085556/http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-chthonic-chronicles-mw0000428206. live.
  6. Web site: Enis . Eli . 2022-06-14 . Meet Banshee: "Fairy Metal" Artist Inspired by Septicflesh and Megan Thee Stallion . 2023-08-16 . . en.
  7. Web site: Carach Angren Biography, Albums, Streaming Links AllMusic. 3 February 2018. AllMusic. 3 February 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180203065448/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/carach-angren-mn0002104939. live.
  8. Web site: Serba. John. Defending the Throne of Evil – Carpathian Forest : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic. 2 September 2012. AllMusic. ...Defending the Throne of Evil just falls in with the rest of the symphonic black metal pack.. 13 April 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130413071645/http://www.allmusic.com/album/defending-the-throne-of-evil-mw0000023667. live.
  9. Web site: Rivadavia. Eduardo. Catamenia – Music Biography, Credits and Discography : AllMusic. 2 September 2012. AllMusic. Finland became a surprising hotbed of heavy metal talent during the late '90s, and symphonic black metal act Catamenia certainly ranks among the most consistent – if not commercially successful – of these.. 13 August 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130813142700/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/catamenia-mn0000631305. live.
  10. Web site: Prato. Greg. Seediq Bale – Chthonic : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic. 2 September 2012. AllMusic. Symphonic black metal will always be first and foremost associated with Norway, a locale that seems to spawn a new band sporting ghoulish face paint every bloody day. But by 2007, the style had long crossed over into other faraway territories, as evidenced by the emergence of Taiwan's Chthonic.. 15 April 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210415175038/https://www.allmusic.com/album/seediq-bale-mw0000545909. live.
  11. Web site: Bregman. Adam. Midian – Cradle of Filth : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic. 2 September 2012. AllMusic. 10 October 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121010000025/http://www.allmusic.com/album/midian-mw0000103260. live.
  12. Van Pelt. Doug. August 2010. Top 100 Christian Metal Albums of All Time. 8. 2 September 2012. Heaven's Metal. 15 October 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131015020851/http://www.hmmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/booklet.pdf. live.
  13. Web site: Prato. Greg. Transkarpatia – Darzamat : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic. 2 September 2012. AllMusic. Symphonic black metal comes from all points of the globe, but it seems to have truly taken hold in Europe circa the early 21st century, as an avalanche of similarly styled bands began sprouting up from this particular locale. And one of Poland's leading entries into the symphonic black metal sweepstakes turned out to be the six-piece Darzamat.. 11 October 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161011223628/http://www.allmusic.com/album/transkarpatia-mw0000584142. live.
  14. Web site: Demonic Resurrection – Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives. Metal-archives.com. 20 November 2020. 5 November 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201105151912/https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Demonic_Resurrection/8293. live.
  15. Web site: Rivadavia. Eduardo. Diabolical Masquerade – Music Biography, Credits and Discography : AllMusic. 2 September 2012. AllMusic. ...Sweden's Diabolical Masquerade released a string of symphonic and misanthropic black metal albums.... 18 February 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130218122151/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/diabolical-masquerade-mn0000821191. live.
  16. Web site: Serba. John. Death Cult Armageddon – Dimmu Borgir : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic. 2 September 2012. AllMusic. 7 September 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120907230413/http://www.allmusic.com/album/death-cult-armageddon-mw0000322109. live.
  17. Web site: Jurek. Thom. In Sorte Diaboli – Dimmu Borgir : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic. 2 September 2012. AllMusic. Dimmu Borgir's brand of symphonic black metal.... 11 September 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120911142016/http://www.allmusic.com/album/in-sorte-diaboli-mw0000480592. live.
  18. Book: Wiederhorn, Jon. The New (Old) Order. Revolver. 30 September 2009.
  19. Web site: Henderson. Alex. Sagas – Equilibrium : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic. 2 September 2012. AllMusic. Equilibrium's folk metal/symphonic black metal attack isn't just about intensity; it is also about craftsmanship.. 7 July 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120707020143/http://www.allmusic.com/album/sagas-mw0000789619. live.
  20. Web site: Rivadavia. Eduardo. Graveworm – Music Biography, Credits and Discography : AllMusic. 2 September 2012. AllMusic. Since forming in 1992, Italy's Graveworm have unleashed a number of very sophisticated gothic-symphonic black metal albums.... 27 February 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130227034935/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/graveworm-mn0000662059. live.
  21. Web site: Loftus. Johnny. ...And Oceans – Music Biography, Credits and Discography : AllMusic. 2 September 2012. AllMusic. 24 October 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121024224028/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/and-oceans-mn0000025139. live.
  22. Web site: Anderson. Jason. A.M. G.O.D.: Allotropic/Metamorphic Genesis of Disorphism – ...And Oceans : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic. 2 September 2012. AllMusic. 11 September 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120911134600/http://www.allmusic.com/album/am-god-allotropic-metamorphic-genesis-of-dismorphism-mw0000625647. live.
  23. Web site: Henderson. Alex. Redimus – Hecate Enthroned : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic. 2 September 2012. AllMusic. Redimus is neither the best nor the worst that symphonic black metal and melodic death metal have to offer.... 17 April 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130417035347/http://www.allmusic.com/album/redimus-mw0000301961. live.
  24. Web site: D. Peter. n.d.. Review Kekal – The Painful Experience. 13 April 2020. Lords of Metal. en.
  25. Web site: Serba. John. The Ultimate Death Worship – Limbonic Art : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic. 2 September 2012. AllMusic. The relatively lo-fi, but still clear, production lends the songs a grainy nastiness that's integral to the overall feel of the record, which strongly represents the ugly, pockmarked side of symphonic black metal.. 13 April 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130413072237/http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-ultimate-death-worship-mw0000225161. live.
  26. Web site: Obtained Enslavement – Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives. www.metal-archives.com. 22 April 2021. 10 April 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210410182911/https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Obtained_Enslavement/2042. live.
  27. Web site: Henderson. Alex. Anphisbena – Opera IX : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic. 2 September 2012. AllMusic. [...] Cadaveria did her part to make Opera IX one of the more unusual bands in symphonic black metal.... 11 October 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161011102847/http://www.allmusic.com/album/anphisbena-mw0000258752. live.
  28. Web site: Samsas Traum Bandprofil bei Stormbringer . 6 June 2023 . Stormbringer . de.
  29. Web site: Henderson. Alex. Sinethic – Shade Empire : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic. 2 September 2012. AllMusic. [...] But these guys take it a step further, providing music that is elaborate even by symphonic black metal standards.. 28 December 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131228030613/http://www.allmusic.com/album/sinthetic-mw0000263032. live.
  30. Web site: MusicMight :: Artists :: Shade Empire. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120913043033/http://www.musicmight.com/artist/finland/kuopio/shade+empire. 13 September 2012. 2 September 2012. musicmight.com.
  31. Web site: Rivadavia. Eduardo. Stormlord – Music Biography, Credits and Discography : AllMusic. 2 September 2012. AllMusic. ...before turning their collective gaze northwards to Scandinavia's bustling extreme metal scene. There they found like-minded accomplices in up-and-coming symphonic black metal bands like Dimmu Borgir and Borknagar.... 13 August 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130813151947/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/stormlord-mn0000949451. live.
  32. Web site: Huey. Steve. Tiamat – Music Biography, Credits and Discography : AllMusic. 2 September 2012. AllMusic. Over the course of the 1990s, Sweden's Tiamat evolved from a typical death metal outfit into one of the leading lights in 'symphonic' black metal.. 9 August 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130809075851/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/tiamat-mn0000588536/biography. live.
  33. Web site: Tvangeste – Music Biography, Credits and Discography : AllMusic. AllMusic. 30 July 2013. Tvangeste was formed in 1996 in Kaliningrad, Russia, and its line-up at the time consisted of Miron Chirva, Edgar, Nikolay "Kok" Kazmin (of Candle in the Dark) and.... 11 October 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161011223723/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/tvangeste-mn0000205887. live.
  34. Web site: The End of the Halcyon Age – Twilight Opera : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic. 2 September 2012. AllMusic. Twilight Ophera isn't terribly distinctive – plenty of other symphonic black metal bands have favored this type of sound in the Nordic countries.... 11 October 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161011223738/http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-end-of-the-halcyon-age-mw0000655839. live.
  35. Web site: MusicMight :: Artists :: Vaakevandring. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120913043048/http://www.musicmight.com/artist/norway/vaakevandring. 13 September 2012. 2 September 2012. musicmight.com.
  36. Web site: Morrow. Matt. n.d.. Vardoger – Whitefrozen. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210710233749/https://thewhippingpost.tripod.com/vardogerwhitefrozen/. 10 July 2021. 13 April 2020. The Whipping Post.
  37. Web site: Mason. Stewart. Firefrost Arcanum – Vesania : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic. 2 September 2012. AllMusic. [...] Firefrost –Arcanum–, an album so hugely, unapologetically over the top that at first it almost sounds like a deadpan parody of symphonic black metal.. 26 November 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151126150357/http://www.allmusic.com/album/firefrost-arcanum-mw0000695769. live.

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