---
title: "Atmospheric Black Metal"
type: "MusicGenre"
url: "https://themetalnet.com/genre/atmospheric-black"
parent: "Black Metal"
bands: 468
era: "mid 1990s"
---

# Atmospheric Black Metal

**Atmospheric Black Metal** is a metal sub-genre, formative in the mid 1990s. TheMetalNet maps 468 bands and 1,298 albums under it.

Atmospheric black metal trades some of black metal’s raw aggression for immersion, using long songs, waves of tremolo-picked guitar, and hazy, lo-fi production to conjure vast, often nature-themed soundscapes. Burzum’s mid-90s work pioneered the template by adding dark-ambient textures, and Wolves in the Throne Room later popularized a post-rock-influenced, crescendo-driven approach. Tempos shift between blasting and slow, meditative passages, with mood and landscape mattering more than shock. Lyrics lean on wilderness, cosmos, and solitude.

## Facts

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Genre | Atmospheric Black Metal |
| Level | Sub-genre |
| Parent genre | Black Metal |
| Formative era | mid 1990s |
| Bands | 468 |
| Albums | 1,298 |
| Formation span | 1984 to 2026 |

## Notable bands (top 60 by prominence)

- [Fen](https://themetalnet.com/band/fen) (United Kingdom, 2006)
- [Sear Bliss](https://themetalnet.com/band/sear-bliss) (Hungary, 1993)
- [October Falls](https://themetalnet.com/band/october-falls) (Finland, 2001)
- [Branikald](https://themetalnet.com/band/branikald) (Russia, 1993)
- [Lustre](https://themetalnet.com/band/lustre) (Sweden, 2008)
- [Evilfeast](https://themetalnet.com/band/evilfeast) (Poland, 1996)
- [Njiqahdda](https://themetalnet.com/band/njiqahdda) (United States, 2005)
- [Raventale](https://themetalnet.com/band/raventale) (Ukraine, 2005)
- [Umbrtka](https://themetalnet.com/band/umbrtka) (Czechia, 1999)
- [Vinterriket](https://themetalnet.com/band/vinterriket) (Germany)
- [Lurker of Chalice](https://themetalnet.com/band/lurker-of-chalice) (United States, 2001)
- [Skagos](https://themetalnet.com/band/skagos) (Canada, 2007)
- [Alda](https://themetalnet.com/band/alda) (United States, 2007)
- [Dekadent](https://themetalnet.com/band/dekadent) (Slovenia, 2005)
- [Imber Luminis](https://themetalnet.com/band/imber-luminis) (Belgium, 1985)
- [Nekrasov](https://themetalnet.com/band/nekrasov) (Australia, 1997)
- [Dordeduh](https://themetalnet.com/band/dordeduh) (Romania, 2009)
- [Ellende](https://themetalnet.com/band/ellende) (Austria, 2011)
- [Walknut](https://themetalnet.com/band/walknut) (Russia, 2006)
- [Echtra](https://themetalnet.com/band/echtra) (United States, 2002)
- [Wilds Forlorn](https://themetalnet.com/band/wilds-forlorn) (Netherlands, 2008)
- [Hermóðr](https://themetalnet.com/band/hermo-r) (Sweden, 2012)
- [Чёрные озёра](https://themetalnet.com/band/band-32532109) (Russia, 2008)
- [Dämmerfarben](https://themetalnet.com/band/dammerfarben) (Germany, 2005)
- [Fauna](https://themetalnet.com/band/fauna) (United States, 2005)
- [Enisum](https://themetalnet.com/band/enisum) (Italy, 2006)
- [MØL](https://themetalnet.com/band/m-l) (Denmark, 2012)
- [Wodensthrone](https://themetalnet.com/band/wodensthrone) (2005)
- [Aeon Winds](https://themetalnet.com/band/aeon-winds) (Slovakia, 2007)
- [Arathorn](https://themetalnet.com/band/arathorn) (Germany, 1996)
- [Valfeanor](https://themetalnet.com/band/valfeanor) (Austria, 2005)
- [Сивый Яр](https://themetalnet.com/band/band-8396ece0) (Russia, 2006)
- [Addaura](https://themetalnet.com/band/addaura) (United States, 2008)
- [A Light in the Dark](https://themetalnet.com/band/a-light-in-the-dark) (2012)
- [Fell Voices](https://themetalnet.com/band/fell-voices) (United States, 2008)
- [De Arma](https://themetalnet.com/band/de-arma) (Sweden, 2009)
- [Dråpsnatt](https://themetalnet.com/band/drapsnatt) (Sweden, 2005)
- [Grima](https://themetalnet.com/band/grima) (Russia, 2014)
- [Nebula Orionis](https://themetalnet.com/band/nebula-orionis) (Russia, 2013)
- [Oak Pantheon](https://themetalnet.com/band/oak-pantheon) (United States, 2011)
- [Wayfarer](https://themetalnet.com/band/wayfarer) (United States, 2011)
- [V:28](https://themetalnet.com/band/v-28) (Norway, 2002)
- [Anomalie](https://themetalnet.com/band/anomalie) (Austria, 2011)
- [Nonexistence](https://themetalnet.com/band/nonexistence) (Austria, 2002)
- [Ov Hollowness](https://themetalnet.com/band/ov-hollowness) (Canada, 2009)
- [Thy Repentance](https://themetalnet.com/band/thy-repentance) (Russia, 1993)
- [Aara](https://themetalnet.com/band/aara) (Switzerland, 2018)
- [Eldamar](https://themetalnet.com/band/eldamar) (2015)
- [Elderwind](https://themetalnet.com/band/elderwind) (Russia, 2009)
- [Melankoli](https://themetalnet.com/band/melankoli) (Russia, 2009)
- [Sojourner](https://themetalnet.com/band/sojourner) (Worldwide, 2015)
- [Spirit of the Forest](https://themetalnet.com/band/spirit-of-the-forest-893e121c) (Canada, 2005)
- [When Woods Make Graves](https://themetalnet.com/band/when-woods-make-graves) (United Kingdom, 2011)
- [Afsky](https://themetalnet.com/band/afsky) (Denmark, 2015)
- [Astel Oscora](https://themetalnet.com/band/astel-oscora) (Russia, 2005)
- [Dynfari](https://themetalnet.com/band/dynfari) (Iceland, 2010)
- [Murw](https://themetalnet.com/band/murw) (Netherlands, 1997)
- [Nychts](https://themetalnet.com/band/nychts) (Switzerland, 2003)
- [This White Mountain](https://themetalnet.com/band/this-white-mountain) (United States, 2008)
- [Vallendusk](https://themetalnet.com/band/vallendusk) (Indonesia, 2011)

## Where it is played

- [United States](https://themetalnet.com/country/us): 51 bands
- [Russia](https://themetalnet.com/country/ru): 48 bands
- [Germany](https://themetalnet.com/country/de): 30 bands
- [Finland](https://themetalnet.com/country/fi): 27 bands
- [United Kingdom](https://themetalnet.com/country/gb): 21 bands
- [Canada](https://themetalnet.com/country/ca): 20 bands
- [France](https://themetalnet.com/country/fr): 20 bands
- [Italy](https://themetalnet.com/country/it): 15 bands

## Bands formed by decade

| Decade | Bands formed |
| --- | --- |
| 1980s | 4 |
| 1990s | 21 |
| 2000s | 93 |
| 2010s | 226 |
| 2020s | 37 |

---

Source: [TheMetalNet https://themetalnet.com/genre/atmospheric-black](https://themetalnet.com/genre/atmospheric-black). Catalog data from MusicBrainz and Metal Archives. Full site index: https://themetalnet.com/llms.txt