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Black metal has cursed the music world with some of the most bone-chilling, brutal, and even beautiful guitar work. Today, we undertake the perilous task of honoring the genre’s greatest axemen!
Through Celtic Frost and Hellhammer, Tom G. Warrior, for example, produced riffs that would fuel the creativity of those who truly defined and refined the movement during its “second wave” and beyond.
The late Swedes Quorthon of Bathory and Jon Nödtveidt of Dissection have likewise proved enormously influential, though the latter belonged to a newer crop of musicians.
READ MORE: 10 One-Woman Black Metal Bands You Need to Know
At present, plenty of beloved veteran guitarists continue to bring glory to the dark art form: Marduk’s Morgan Håkansson, Immortal’s Demonaz, ex-Immortal’s Abbath, Dimmu Borgir’s Silenoz, 1349’s Archaon, etc.
Please bear in mind, especially when evaluating black metal, it is not always technical skills that matter most. Rather, we must also consider which artists wield the maximum potential to move us and endure in our memories.
The following 11 guitarists have all left lasting impacts on the scene and bear distinctive trademarks that make their output instantly recognizable.
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Blasphemer (Aura Noir, Ruïm, ex-Mayhem)
The revered Blasphemer combines unsurpassed artistry with wildly perfect technical abilities. With Mayhem, this guitar god and divinely gifted composer celebrated the releases of the classic EP Wolf’s Lair Abyss (1997) and the full-length milestones Grand Declaration of War (2000), Chimera (2004), and Ordo ad Chao (2007).
Blasphemer earned his second Spellemann Award, or “Norwegian Grammy,” for Ruïm’s Black Royal Spiritism — I.O Sino Da Igreja (2023). It was inspired by a tape with some of his old Mayhem-era ideas sent digitally to him by his friend Finn Håkon Rødland, who always seems to play a hand in the scene’s most exciting developments.
In black metal and beyond, Blasphemer also displays his wizardry with the likes of Aura Noir, the supergroup Vltimas with David Vincent (ex-Morbid Angel), and Earth Electric with Carmen Simões.
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Euronymous (ex-Mayhem)
The late Euronymous, who co-founded Mayhem in 1984, is remembered as one of the movement’s most important architects. Not only is this fabled figure credited with inventing the black metal style of tremolo picking, but he kindly passed on his knowledge of the craft to others.
As an outspoken representative of his band as well as the owner of the infamous record shop Helvete and the label Deathlike Silence Productions, Euronymous spread and enforced his vision of black metal as a Satanic calling, expressing himself in highly colorful and often amusing interviews.
We must give a shout-out to Mayhem’s current guitarists, Teloch and Ghul, who, in addition to being outstanding musicians in their own right, perform Euronymous-era songs and further his legacy.
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Snorre Ruch (Thorns)
… I think… everybody in this genre today is inspired by Snorre in some way or another… Mayhem wanted to sound like Thorns. Immortal wanted to sound like Thorns. Everybody…
—Dødheimsgard’s Vicotnik on The Thomas Eriksen Podcast
The mastermind behind Thorns, Snorre Ruch, and Euronymous shared their discoveries as they worked together to develop the techniques that, again, laid the foundations for True Black Metal.
Euronymous would ask permission to incorporate riffs from Thorns’ game-changing Grymyrk (1991) demo into the genre-defining De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas (1994), to which Ruch also contributed visually, in terms of editing late vocalist Dead’s lyrics, and furthermore by way of accompanying Attila Csihar in the studio. Ruch did, in fact, serve briefly as an actual member of Mayhem, though he never recorded with the band.
A fun anecdote is that Ruch and Euronymous attended the same school for a period, but they wouldn’t befriend one another until later.
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Ihsahn & Samoth (Emperor)
Ihsahn and Samoth complement each other so perfectly with their stellar guitar work that they should be considered one for today’s purposes. This pair first connected at a blues seminar and would go on to establish themselves as favorites within the extreme music community due to their technical mastery and pioneering role in symphonic black metal through the powerhouse Emperor, which was actually born as a side project of Thou Shalt Suffer, initially a death metal act.
Both men have clearly explored different styles, and the virtuoso Ihsahn has acquired a reputation for diving deep into progressive/experimental territories with the likes of his solo vessel and the disbanded Peccatum.
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Vicotnik (Dødheimsgard)
The ingenious frontman, multi-instrumentalist and composer Vicotnik remains an iconic riff-lord, whose insanely varied catalog includes a wealth of masterpieces with the rare power to prove life-altering.
An interesting bit of trivia is that the first interaction between Vicotnik and Fenriz, who would join Dødheimsgard’s original recording lineup, came in the form of a wordless exchange of riffs, which made quite an impression upon the Darkthrone founder.
Although responsibilities are fluid within Dødheimsgard, Vicotnik has recorded at least some of the guitars for every release since the revolutionary Satanic Art (1998), which certainly seems to be the greatest black metal EP next to the aforementioned Wolf’s Lair Abyss.
I would argue that no one has done more to expand the genre over the years than this paragon of radical individualism, whose musical supremacy is also currently channeled into Doedsmaghird, Strid, and Ved Buens Ende.
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Haavard (Dold Vorde Ens Navn, ex-Ulver)
Satyricon co-founder Haavard will forever be regarded as one of black metal’s most exceptional luminaries for his electric and acoustic guitars in Ulver and also for composing their famous early trilogy consisting of Bergtatt — Et eeventyr i 5 capitler (1995), Kveldssanger (1996), and Nattens madrigal (1997).
In addition to delivering true aggression, Haavard infused Ulver with the best of folk, birthing mesmerizing soundscapes that conjure streams of images depicting the natural splendor of Norway.
In Dold Vorde Ens Navn, Haavard’s classical brilliance provided the ideal accompaniment to the avant-garde genius of Vicotnik, their original vocalist, and will continue to astound us.
Haavard’s active eponymous solo project is another magnificent must-hear for everyone.
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Trånn Ciekals (Djevel)
The immortal yet deeply missed Trånn Ciekals first emerged on the scene in 1992/93 and conceived the internationally acclaimed Djevel in 2009. Dødsengel’s Kark, one of the genre’s top composers, frontmen and overall talents has stated: “Trånn was the main musician who kept the traditional black metal guitar style alive and he nailed it 100 percent each and every time.”
Ciekals not only won a Spellemann with Djevel, but he was nominated for a prestigious Edvard-pris for his excellence as a composer. Many experts and fans hold the position that the albums constituting Djevel’s trilogy focusing on the night — Tanker som rir natten (2021), Naa skrider natten sort (2022), and Natt til ende (2024) — rank among the movement’s finest.
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Ivar Bjørnson (Enslaved)
Although Norse hero and tireless sonic adventurer Ivar Bjørnson has expressed the view that Enslaved’s lyrical content places the powerhouse outside the realm of black metal, Enslaved has laid sacred blueprints for generations of BMers to come. Bjørnson’s musicianship and compositions have helped secure Enslaved five Spellemann Awards and hordes of fans across the globe.
Bjørnson and his fellow Enslaved co-founder, vocalist and bassist Grutle Kjellson, were both mentored by Euronymous, and the former has explained that the Mayhem legend has been the top source of inspiration behind his guitar work.
Meanwhile, rock/metal magician Arve Isdal also adds an extraordinary touch to Enslaved on guitars, causing jaws to drop with his transportive solos.
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Galder (Old Man’s Child, ex-Dimmu Borgir)
For nearly 25 years, Galder brought his ravishing finesse as a guitarist to the hugely popular Dimmu Borgir.
In addition, Galder is a founding member of Old Man’s Child, which eventually became his solo project.
And because great artists tend to unite, Galder acted as one of the three guitarists on Dødheimsgard’s Satanic Art.
This quirky yet utterly charming musical necromancer casts unbreakable spells capable of seducing any type of listener.
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Nocturno Culto & Fenriz (Darkthrone)
Although Fenriz always dominates on drums in Darkthrone, he and his partner in crime Nocturno Culto take turns on all other duties, meaning that they have both created many of the genre’s best and most memorable riffs.
Seeing as fate works in mysterious ways, Nocturno Culto joined Darkthrone in 1988 after a certain guitarist was booted by Fenriz partly for the alleged crime of fancying Five Star’s Luxury of Life (1985). Darkthrone’s fourth studio album, Transilvanian Hunger (1994), represented the outfit’s first effort to feature the inseparable pair alone, though all instruments on that and its follow-up, Panzerfaust (1995), were written and recorded solely by Fenriz.
A band for the history books, Darkthrone’s canonical sophomore full-length triumph, A Blaze in the Northern Sky (1992), which is regarded as the first True Norwegian Black Metal record, already rests on permanent display at The National Library of Norway along with sheet music by Edvard Grieg and a letter from explorer Roald Amundsen.
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Cernunnus (Manes, Manii)
Cernunnus’ guitars and overall compositions, which are often ethereal yet thrillingly brutal, worm their way into the depths of the psyche, haunting audiences with uncanny effect. This pioneer’s ability to craft totally immersive and awe-inspiring atmospheres cannot be outdone and has therefore infected droves of musicians with the will to follow in his footsteps.
Although Manes shifted away from black metal after the masterpiece Under ein blodraud maane (1999), Cernunnus and the band’s original frontman, the phenomenally wicked Sargatanas, continue where they left off in Manii, which arose in 2011.
Through Høstsol, Syning, and the emerging beast dubbed Diabolus, mecum semperterne!, the ridiculously consistent Cernunnus demonstrates that he is the key ingredient that black metal supergroups must have!
