Best Symphonic Black Metal Bands

The Top Ten
1 Emperor Emperor was a Norwegian black metal band formed in 1991, regarded as highly influential by critics and emerging black metal bands.

In the Nightside Eclipse is more than just a masterpiece. It is a landmark of human accomplishment, it's the musical equivalent of the construction of the pyramids, the Great Wall, the moon landing etc.

Dimmu Borgir are good but Emperor are on another level all together. Just listen to their 1st 2 albums. Absolute black metal classics!

Known as the creators of symphonic black metal, listed to their first album, it's got all their best stuff on it.

2 Dimmu Borgir Dimmu Borgir is a Norwegian symphonic black metal band from Oslo, Norway, formed in 1993. The name is derived from Dimmuborgir, a volcanic formation in Iceland, the name of which means "dark cities" or "dark castles/fortresses" in Icelandic, Faroese and Old Norse.

My favorite metal act ever. Such good composition and the music is incredible and seamlessly blends symphony with metal. First heard their song raabjorn spieler draugenheimens skodde and the scream at the end played and I was like woa what IS this stuff? Became a black metal fan for life, love it. It's paradoxical that some of the most profound, deep, moving and beautiful music I've ever heard has been from dimmu borgir and other metal bands, when they try so hard to be inaccessible. Life is full of paradoxes.

3 Carach Angren Carach Angren is a symphonic black metal band from the Netherlands, formed by two members of the now-defunct bands Inger Indolia and Vaultage.

Carach Angren is one of the best black metal, and one of the best metal bands I have ever heard. They are simply amazing! The epic symphonies, the killer guitars, and the haunting vocals just make Carach Angren amazing. Seregor's vocals is one of the most unique black metal vocals ever, he sounds like he's possessed (by black metal). All of their albums are amazing stories. I honestly cannot wait for their new album "Dance and Laugh Amongst the Rotten" to come out!

This band has everything. Extremely talented vocals, perfect instruments, well written lyrics, and the perfect level of symphony.

4 Cradle of Filth Cradle of Filth are a British extreme metal band that formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic black metal and other extreme metal styles.

The reason they are so good in the symphonic black metal scene is because they use the idea of slow burning long songs, and plus they have a very original sound, which mostly derives from Dani Filth's voice in combination with the rest of the band and the way they use short songs to lead into longer one which makes even more epic, truly brilliant!

They are the best! With the amazing voice of the frontman dani filth they can reach everywhere! One of the best bands I have ever heard their music is different and there is a lot of crazy in their songs! They are the best!

5 Graveworm

So many roads, so many places
A million towns, a milliard faces
It's called: world population
But the appropriate name, world domination

6 Eyes of Noctum

1 album, The best symphonic black metal album in the history of metal. Truly creative.

7 Old Man's Child Old Man's Child is a Norwegian black metal band from the city of Oslo. The band is the brainchild of Galder who is the only permanent member of the band now.

Probably the most similar to Dimmu Borgir and very underrated

8 Vesania

Vesania is syphonic blackened death metal from Poland. Very good band!

9 Obtained Enslavement

As per other comments. 2 absolutely brilliant efforts put this band in the top 3 at least

10 Tvangeste

Too bad they haven't released anything since 2003. awesome and highly underrated band

Way too underrated. Their sound is truly majestic.

The Contenders
11 Anorexia Nervosa

Great band. One of my favorites.

12 Dark Fortress

Wicked stuff but not symphonic at all.

13 Summoning

This black metal band is pure EPICNESS. the music and choirs are just amazing! You don't have to growl, scream and sing about Satan, demons, and hell all of the time to be a black or death metal band like most people believe.
All you really need to do is have scary yet awesome music and sing (beautifully of course) awesome lyrics about death or doomsday or your woes.

... What is a symphonic black metal list without Summoning? I can't believe nobody brought them here till yet

14 Agathodaimon

Wonderful mixture of gothic metal and symphonic black metal. The melancholy atmosphere along with the intensity is very atmospheric.

15 Stormlord
16 Limbonic Art

Absolute masters of ambiental/symphonic black metal, they deserve so much more. Their first 2 albums alone should be a separate category of greatness, frustratingly underrated!

Should be #1 or #2!
Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth are not black metal!

The throne of black symphonic metal belongs to them..

17 Opera IX

I think they were one of the first true symphonic black metal bands instead Emperor, alongside Arcturus (their second demo "Demo '92" made the appearance of symphonic keyboards) and they released it in 1992, even before the release of "In the Nightside Eclipse".

18 Nightwish Nightwish is a symphonic metal band from Kitee, Finland. The band was formed in 1996 by lead songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and lead singer Tarja Turunen. It's currently formed by Tuomas, Emppu, lead vocalist Floor Jansen, bassist and vocalist Marco Hietala,... read more

What the hell!
They are just symphonic metal not symphonic black metal!
Whoever put them in this list must stop listening metal and start listening rap!

Nightwish is NOT black metal. They do not sing about death, hatred, religions, and crime!

The best symphonic black metal band in existence!

19 Dissection Dissection was a Swedish extreme metal band. They formed in 1989 by Jon Nödtveidt and later disbanded in 2006, followed by Nödtveidt's suicide. Their sound is usually described as "melodic blackened death metal".
20 Bal-Sagoth

This list is wrong along with many others. The Best symphonic black metal band of all time is Bal-Sagoth!

I agree bal-sagoth is very underrated and very unique in their sound my list would be bal-sagoth,dimmu borgir, cradle of filth, dark tranquility.

Underrated, and this band is the other creator of symphonic black metal.

21 Windir Windir was a black metal band from Sogndal, Norway. The band combined black metal with folk music and mythology.

The best folk/viking black metal band out there! With songs like 1184, Todeswalzer, Journey to the End, and a lot more makes them unbeatable!

22 Demonic Resurrection

One of the best band in India is demonic resurrection.. The demon king is just a killer and the unrelenting surge of vengeance no words for this song... Front man of this band he just incredible... Watch them they ate to good

23 God Dethroned
24 Shade Empire

Should be much higher. Omega Arcane is a masterpiece!

Completely underrated! They are almost the best!

This band is just too awesome. My top 1

25 Septicflesh Septicflesh are a Greek symphonic death metal band from Athens, founded in 1990. They released their first full-length album Mystic Places of Dawn in April 1994.
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