Top 10 Best Black Metal Guitarists
These are the musicians who have changed the definition of Extreme Metal and helped to spawn Black Metal through their guitar riffs.
Tomas Börje Forsberg, known by the stage name Quorthon (1966-2004), was a Swedish musician. He was the founder, songwriter, vocalist and guitarist of the band Bathory, which pioneered the black metal genre and is credited with creating the Viking metal style. A multi-instrumentalist, Quorthon wrote the music and lyrics on all of albums. He died from a heart attack in 2004. Lead guitarist and founder of Bathory. The most influential Black metal musician and the forerunner of the First Wave of Black Metal scene.
Ihsahn is a Norwegian composer, multi-instrumentalist, and vocalist. He is best known for his work with Norwegian black metal band Emperor. I'll say he is the best. Not the greatest. Oh wait. That (Was ) Quorthon. So Actually Ihsahn is the Greatest now these days.
Lead guitarist and bassist of Emperor.
Probably the most influential Second Wave of Black Metal guitarist.
No one except maybe Euronymous can compose those riffs.
Roger Tiegs (born on 18 June 1972), better known by his stage name, Infernus, is a Norwegian black metal musician and Satanist. He is the sole founding member and chief ideologist of the Norwegian black metal band Gorgoroth, which was formed in 1992, as well as the founder and head of Forces of Satan Records. He is mainly a guitarist, but has also participated as bassist, drummer and vocalist on several recordings released both by Gorgoroth and other bands. Guitarist and founder of Gorgoroth.
In my opinion, the most talented Norwegian guitarist.
One of the best guitarists..Gorgoroth sucks but he's talented.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME? INFERNUS IS ON 5th? Infernus is the best black metal guitarist of all time with an epic and terror personality. Probably the hottest dude in black metal. Overall he's the best guitarist in black metal. Listen to Incipit Satan. No one can play those riffs like him.
Øystein Aarseth (1968-1993), who went by the pseudonym Euronymous, was a Norwegian guitarist and co-founder of the Norwegian black metal band Mayhem. Euronymous was stabbed to death by band member Varg Vikernes in August 1993.
Euronymous was a controversial figure in black metal. He claimed to be a theistic satanist and was against individualism, compassion, peace, happiness and fun. He also claimed that he wanted to spread sorrow, hatred and evil. Another controversial thing he did was that he took pictures of Dead's corpse and used one of them for the front cover of Mayhem's live album Dawm of the Black Hearts. He stated that Dead's suicide was used to foster Mayhem's evil image. A martyr for black metal, that created some of the best riffs black metal has ever known. If it were not for his death, he would certainly be appreciated more and considered an even more prominent figure in metal.
He comes up with amazing and atmospheric riffs all the time and has more feeling than any other black metal guitarist.
While he may have not played the fastest or most technically, he was truly a songwriting genius.
Mayhem founder and lead guitarist.
Not a very talented guitarist, but he wrote some greatest Black Metal riffs like 'Deathcrush'.
Olve Eikemo, better known by his stage name Abbath Doom Occulta, is a Norwegian musician who best known as the former frontman of black metal band Immortal and the current frontman of the band Abbath. Great soloist with almost Doom Metal riffs. Fantastic guitarist. Should be at least #3.
Founding member and Lead guitarist/bassist of Immortal.
I think he should be number one.
Its Abbath...need to say more?
Not just a fantastic guitarist, but also a clever person. As a founder of Marduk, he makes it a professional band. Not one of the bands which try to be the most brutal of them all.
Mastermind of one of the most prolific and consistent black metal bands and creates an eerie, threatening guitar sound by himself.
Not the best technician, but he was the most tasteful and fearless composer of the 2nd wave. His playing was based on serving the piece/music/song and on creating atmosphere. For black metal, those things, combined with adequate tremolo picking ability, are the keys.
Multi-instrumentalist founder of Burzum. Originally ex-Mayhem and ex-Old Funeral bassist.
Lead guitarist of Darkthrone. Played for Satyricon too.
Jon is on 9th ohh come on that's just way too low. He was such a genius and talented songwriter. Dissection may not sound like the average bm band, but that's what made them great. Besides, he inspired me to play guitar too.
Jon is seriously the best black metal guitarist ever. He wrote some of the best riffs, melodies, and solos in the genre. If you don't agree, go listen to "The Somberlain" and "Storm of The Lights Bane" track for track and see the light.
Amazing riff writer, and his solos had so much feeling in them! Very underrated guitarist, his leads were so creative, some of the best in metal, in my opinion.
He makes evil yet soothing melodies. It's hard not to like the "Storm of the Light's bane" album.
Adam Nergal Darski (born Adam Michał Darski; 10 June 1977 in Gdynia), is a Polish musician and television personality, best known for being the frontman for the black/death metal band Behemoth.
Darski was born Adam Michał Darski in Gdynia, Poland, raised Catholic, and started playing guitar at age eight. He goes by the stage name Nergal (naming himself after a Babylonian deity), and he is the founder, lyricist, main composer, frontman and manager of the band Behemoth, which he started when he was still a teenager. He also plays lead, rhythm and acoustic guitar. "Blow your trumpets Gabriel," "Lucifer," " Slaves shall serve "...check 'em out and you'll know.
Plays lead guitar for Blackened Death Metal band Behemoth.
His solos are killer.
He is the one-man band Xasthur. One of the influential musicians of DSBM (Depressive Suicidal Black Metal).
He is a mastermind of atmospheric and ambient music.
Best rhythm guitarist.
Lead guitarist of 1349.
Rune Eriksen is a Norwegian Spellemann-award winning musician and composer. He is best known as the former guitarist in the black metal band Mayhem under the stage name Blasphemer, which he took from a Sodom song. Needs to be in the top ten.
Sigurd "Satyr" Wongraven is the vocalist, lead and rhythm guitarist, bassist, and keyboardist for the Norwegian black metal band Satyricon.
Gylve Fenris Nagell, better known as Fenriz, is a Norwegian musician who is best known as being one half of the metal duo Darkthrone. Black metal pioneer.
What a technical genius.
Demonaz Doom Occulta. The guy literally tremolo-picked himself into tendinitis. What a badass.