Darkthrone

Infamous for their unfortunate Aryan politics and more unfortunate instances of public anti-Semitism, Darkthrone represent the quandary much Norwegian black metal forces normal metal fans into. While their politics may be loathsome, Darkthrone's music, particularly the vocals of Nocturno Culto and his ability to pen highly memorable riffs, is among the very best to have come out of Norway during the black metal explosion of the 1990s. Formed as a death metal band in 1987, Darkthrone released a string black metal albums that became highly influential for both their artwork and their musical brutality, beginning with A Blaze in the Northern Sky in 1992 and, for all intents and purposes, ending in 1996 with Total Death. In between, both Transylvanian Hunger and Under a Funeral Moon were (and are) considered major achievements in the black metal scene. Since 1996, Darkthrone have continued to release records, as well as evolve musically, leaving the primitive studio techniques of their beginnings behind for a cleaner sound. In July of 2007, with a dozen albums under their belt, they released the EP NWOBHM (New Wave of Black Heavy Metal).