The albums that define
melodic black metal.
Our picks for where to start with melodic black metal — with a one-line read on why each one matters.
Top melodic black metal artists
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The melodic black metal essentials
Twenty-four picks. Press play on any of them.
Dimmu Borgir
For all tid
Epic orchestral textures intertwine with harsh vocals, creating a dark and atmospheric landscape that defines melodic black metal.
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Dimmu Borgir
Inn i evighetens mørke
Epic orchestral arrangements intertwine with ferocious black metal riffs, creating a hauntingly atmospheric soundscape.
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Agalloch
Of Stone, Wind and Pillor
A haunting blend of atmospheric black metal and dark folk, where ethereal melodies intertwine with harsh textures and profound lyrical depth.
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Agalloch
The Serpent & the Sphere
A sprawling journey through atmospheric soundscapes, merging black metal ferocity with haunting folk melodies.
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Graveworm
Collateral Defect
A haunting blend of symphonic melodies and aggressive riffs, enveloping listeners in a dark atmospheric journey through despair.
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Dissection
The Somberlain
A haunting blend of melodic riffs and atmospheric darkness that defines the essence of early Swedish black metal.
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Dissection
Into Infinite Obscurity
A haunting blend of melodic black metal and death metal, enveloped in an atmosphere of despair and darkness.
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Graveworm
As the Angels Reach the Beauty
Ethereal melodies intertwine with harsh vocals, creating a haunting atmosphere that embodies the darkness of gothic and symphonic metal.
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Vreid
Milorg
Melodic black metal intertwines with atmospheric elements, creating a haunting landscape of sound that reflects on history and identity.
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Vreid
Pitch Black Brigade
A ferocious blend of melodic black metal and haunting melodies, steeped in Norse mythology and existential despair.
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Woods of Ypres
Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light
Melodic black metal intertwines with doom-laden atmospheres, creating a haunting yet reflective soundscape of loss and introspection.
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Woods of Ypres
Woods III: The Deepest Roots and Darkest Blues
A haunting blend of doom metal and melodic black metal, steeped in themes of despair and introspection.
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Enslavement of Beauty
Traces O' Red
A haunting blend of symphonic melodies and aggressive black metal that explores themes of beauty and existential reflection.
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Enslavement of Beauty
The Perdition EP
Haunting melodies intertwine with aggressive riffs, creating a dynamic soundscape that evokes both beauty and despair.
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The Funeral Pyre
The Nature of Betrayal
A dense tapestry of melodic riffs and haunting melodies that encapsulate the anguish of betrayal and despair.
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The Funeral Pyre
Immersed by the Flames of Mankind
A relentless barrage of melodic tremolo riffs and guttural growls crafts an atmosphere of despair and chaotic beauty.
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Dismal Euphony
All Little Devils
A haunting blend of gothic atmospheres and symphonic arrangements layered over aggressive black metal instrumentation.
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Twilight Ophera
Midnight Horror
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Twilight Ophera
Shadows Embrace the Dark
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Dismal Euphony
Python Zero
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Adjacent sounds
By decade
Where melodic black metal landed in each era.