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.
The greatest early black metal and Viking metal composer. He played multiple instruments and was a genius songwriter. An absolute legend who set the bar incredibly high.
Lead guitarist and founder of Bathory. The most influential black metal musician and the forerunner of the First Wave of Black Metal scene.

He is very likable and down-to-earth. Emperor is awesome, and he is incredibly creative in his songwriting, including his solo career.
I'll say he is the best. Not the greatest. Oh wait, that was Quorthon. So actually, Ihsahn is the greatest these days.
Lead guitarist and bassist of Emperor. Probably the most influential Second Wave of Black Metal guitarist.

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 5th? Infernus is the best black metal guitarist of all time, with an epic and terrifying personality. He is 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.

A martyr for black metal who created some of the best riffs the genre 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.
Mayhem founder and lead guitarist.
Not a very talented guitarist, but he wrote some of the greatest Black Metal riffs, like Deathcrush.
He comes up with amazing and atmospheric riffs all the time and has more feeling than any other black metal guitarist.

Great soloist with almost doom metal riffs. Fantastic guitarist. Should be at least #3.
Multi-instrumentalist with great guitar work on At the Heart of Winter.
Founding member and lead guitarist/bassist of Immortal.
Not just a fantastic guitarist, but also a clever person. As a founder of Marduk, he makes it a professional band, not one of those bands that try to be the most brutal of them all.
Mastermind of one of the most prolific and consistent black metal bands. He creates an eerie, threatening guitar sound by himself.

Lord of atmospheric black metal. His music is beautiful and soulful. Just listen to the Hvis lyset tar oss album. He also plays excellent bass lines and melodies that are often underrated.
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 an ex-Mayhem and ex-Old Funeral bassist.

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 Light's Bane" track for track and see the light.
Jon is 9th? Oh, come on, that's just way too low. He was such a genius and talented songwriter. Dissection may not sound like the average black metal band, but that's what made them great. Besides, he inspired me to play guitar too.
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.

Lead guitarist of Darkthrone. Played for Satyricon too.
Come on! Darkthrone is awesome!

"Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel," "Lucifer," "Slaves Shall Serve" ... Check them out and you'll know.
Plays lead guitar for blackened death metal band Behemoth.
The Newcomers
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.

Lead guitarist of 1349.
Plays for Dimmu Borgir and Old Man's Child.





Demonaz Doom Occulta. The guy literally tremolo-picked himself into tendinitis. What a badass.

