Black metal—a genre drenched in darkness, rebellion, and raw emotion—owes much of its impact to the vocalists who channel chaos through shrieks, growls, and haunting chants. These voices aren’t just instruments; they are conduits of atmosphere and intensity, often defining entire movements within the genre. Here are 10 of the most influential and powerful black metal singers to ever scar the void.
10. Fenriz (Darkthrone, Isengard)
Though known more as a drummer and songwriter, Fenriz’s occasional vocals—especially in side projects like ISENGARD—show a more narrative, folk-tinged approach to black metal singing. His contributions to DARKTHRONE’s vocal work, particularly in their early years, are often overlooked but crucial.
9. Arioch (Mortuus) – (Funeral Mist, Marduk)
Arioch (a.k.a. Mortuus) is the voice of wrath. His multi-tonal screams—ranging from primal howls to whispered threats—create a sonic whirlwind of violence and religious desecration. His work with FUNERAL MIST and MARDUK exemplifies black metal at its most terrifying and unhinged.
8. Nattefrost (Carpathian Forest)
Crude, venomous, and soaked in filth, Nattefrost embodies the depraved side of black metal. As the frontman of CARPATHIAN FOREST, his vocals are pure hostility—unfiltered screams, depraved snarls, and sadistic laughter. Albums like Black Shining Leather and Defending the Throne of Evil ooze with sleaze and spite, and his solo work only pushes that deranged persona further. Nattefrost is black metal’s decadent anarchist—disgusting in all the right ways.
7. Abbath (Immortal)
With his signature croak and tongue-in-cheek frostbitten persona, Abbath delivered some of black metal’s most energetic and iconic vocals. IMMORTAL’s bombastic, icy epics wouldn’t be the same without his charismatic presence.
6. Gaahl (Gorgoroth, Gaahls Wyrd, God Seed)
Gaahl is a black metal mystic whose voice conjures dread and awe. From meditative whispers to demonic howls, his vocal range is unnerving. He’s also known for one of the genre’s most intense stage presences.
5. Nocturno Culto (Darkthrone)
Grim, raw, and minimalist—Nocturno Culto’s bark is iconic. His snarls on Under a Funeral Moon and Transilvanian Hunger helped set the standard for second wave black metal with an icy, detached tone that’s instantly recognizable.
4. Ihsahn (Emperor)
A master of range and composition, Ihsahn helped turn black metal into a majestic, symphonic art form. His vocals could shift from serpentine rasps to soaring cleans, especially in EMPEROR’s later work and his solo material.
3. Dead (Per Yngve Ohlin) – (Morbid, Mayhem)
Few vocalists embody the genre’s morbid ethos like Dead. His spectral, hollow howls sounded like they came from beyond the grave. His tragic life and intense stage presence have become almost mythological in black metal lore.
2. Quorthon (Bathory)
As the founder of BATHORY, Quorthon’s early vocals were a prototype for black metal: raw, raspy, and soaked in lo-fi fury. On albums like Under the Sign of the Black Mark and The Return……, his tortured screams laid the groundwork for everything from Norwegian black metal to Viking metal. His unrefined, unhinged approach became the blueprint for the genre before the second wave even existed. Without Quorthon, black metal wouldn’t sound—or feel—the way it does today.
1. Attila Csihar (Mayhem, Tormentor, Sunn O))) )
Attila is the genre’s mad priest—a vocal alchemist blending throat singing, guttural chants, and operatic laments. His unorthodox delivery on De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas remains one of black metal’s most theatrical and influential performances.
Reeder, the visionary behind Metal Addicts, has transformed his lifelong passion for metal into a thriving online community for metal aficionados. As a fervent devotee of black metal, Reeder is captivated by its dark, atmospheric, and often unorthodox soundscapes.