25 Question Music Quiz: Black Metal | Heavy Metal

Answer: Venom

Despite being more of a speed and thrash metal release, this album contained lyrics and imagery which highly influenced the early Norwegian black metal scene (and the second wave of black metal in general). The album also coined the term, which was later used as a reference to this type of metal.

Answer: Sodom

Mayhem guitarist and founding member Øystein Aarseth (better known as Euronymous) described early Sodom and Destruction releases as "masterpieces of black stinking metal". He even named his music label Deathlike Silence, after the second track on this album. Like Venom, Sodom members also used nicknames such as Angelripper, Witchhunter and Destructor, which became a characteristic of many second wave black metal bands too.

Answer: Old Funeral

Initially, the band played death metal, inspired by bands such as Morbid Angel and Carcass. Later, their sound moved further toward black metal. Formed in 1988, they were one of Norway's first extreme metal acts. Samoth and Ihsahn from Emperor played in Thou Shalt Suffer. Sarcofago were formed by ex-Sepultura frontman Wagner Lamounier. Abysmal Dawn is an American death metal group.

Answer: "Transilvanian Hunger" by Darkthrone

Vikernes provided lyrics for four of the songs on this album (tracks 5-8). He is also the author of the text for "Quintessence" on Darkthrone's album "Panzerfaust".

Answer: Marduk

Marduk were formed in Norrköping, Sweden. The name is derived from the Babylonian god Marduk, patron of the city. The other three bands originated in Norway - Keep Of Kalessin in Trondheim, Kampfar in Fredrikstad, Taake in Bergen.

Answer: Impaled Nazarene

Impaled Nazarene is considered to be one of the pioneers of black metal in Finland. The band's music also incorporates elements from grindcore and punk rock.

Answer: Thunder

After this album Behemoth's sound shifted more towards death metal. Two of the songs on this album were also in Polish - the title track and "Lasy Pomorza", the English translation of which is "Forests Of Pomerania". Some Polish words for storm are "burza" and "sztorm". "Wiatr" is a word for wind. Equivalents of whirlwind include "wir powietrza" and "trąba powietrzna".

Answer: Daemonarch

It was the time when Moonspell members had left behind the black/dark metal sound of their first two albums in order to experiment with avant-garde and industrial music in their albums "Sin/Pecado" and "The Butterfly Effect". "Hermeticum" represented a return to the roots with its high quality melodic black metal. "Sin/Pecado" and especially "The Butterfly Effect" didn't gain much recognition from either metal critics or the band's audience and this led to Moonspell members returning once again to their roots with their later releases, but this time incorporating also death/doom elements and a symphonic vibe, aside from black metal. Fernando Ribeiro, Ricardo Amorim, Sergio Crestana and Pedro Paixão all participated in the creation of "Hermeticum".

The only then-member of Moonspell who took no part in it, was drummer Miguel Gaspar.

Answer: Samael

The albums came out in 1991 and 1992 respectively. "Worship Him" is often appraised as one of the first releases representing the second wave of black metal. Samael's early works are cited as sources of inspiration by many later bands, Behemoth among others.

Answer: Sorgens Kammer

The band could not re-record the instrumental "Sorgens Kammer" due to copyright issues with the 1992 Amiga game "Agony" released by the Psygnosis company. At the time of the original recordings, Dimmu Borgir's then-keyboardist Stian Aarstad had passed the song off as his own work.

As a result, nine years later the band chose not to re-record it, but to make a sequel to it, entitled "Sorgens Kammer - Del II" ("The Chamber Of Sorrow - Part II"). In other words, they made a completely new song and even recorded a video for it.

Answer: Bathory

Founded by Tomas Forsberg, better known as Quorthon, the band was named after the outrageous Hungarian countess Elizabeth Bathory, who, supported by four collaborators, tortured and killed hundreds of girls between 1585 and 1610.

Answer: Darzamat

Rafal 'Flauros' Goral formed Darzamat in 1995. Since then several changes in the line-up have been made, with Rafal remaining the only founding member of the band. Interesting facts:
- Rafal Goral is also one of the lead vocalists and the bass player in Mastiphal.
- Darzamat drummer Maciej 'Darkside' Kowalski plays in Mgla too.

Answer: Astarte

Originally known as Lloth, the band was formed in Athens in 1995 by Maria 'Tristessa' Kolokouri, who is nowadays the only member left from the initial line-up. As Lloth they released one demo - "Dancing In The Dark Lakes Of Evil" in 1997. Soon after, they changed their name to Astarte.

Their debut album came out in 1998. Vocalists from various extreme metal bands have contributed to the band's albums. Some of them include Shagrath, Angela Gossow, Sakis Tolis and Attila Csihar.

Answer: and like in my dreams, but centuries ago

From the song "Into The Infinity Of Thoughts", from the album "In The Nightside Eclipse".

Answer: Unceasingly transformed, rebaptized

The song is called "Mask Of The Red Death", from the album "Ceremony Of Opposites".

Answer: from places of which you seek

These lines are part of the song "Key To The Gate" from the album "Det Som Engang Var" (English translation of the album title would be "What Once Was").

Answer: I watch you suffer, I watch you bleed

This song is entitled "A Breath Of Apocalypse". It's from an album named "Revelations Of Reckoning Day".

Answer: Silenoz, Shagrath, Tjodalv, Stian Aarstad and Brynjard Tristan

Silenoz (born Sven Atle Kopperud) performs the lead vocals on this album (as well as on the band's second full length release "Stormblast" and on some songs from "Enthrone Darkness Triumphant"). Tjodalv (birth name Ian Kenneth Åkesson) plays lead guitar. Stian Aarstad is the keyboardist on this album, and Brynjard Tristan the bassist. Shagrath (real name Stian Tomt Thoresen) participates with backing vocals and additional guitar (on the fifth song). Moreover, he is the band's drummer on this album. Tristan left and Nagash joined - those were the band members when Dimmu Borgir recorded their third album in 1997.
After several changes Dimmu Borgir recorded their fifth studio album "Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia" with the line-up consisting of Shagrath, Silenoz, Galder (born Tom Rune Andersen), Mustis (Øyvind Johan Mustaparta), ICS Vortex (Simen Hestnæs) and ex-Cradle of Filth drummer Nicholas Barker.
When Barker left, he was replaced by Hellhammer (Jan Axel Blomberg) for the release of "In Sorte Diaboli" in 2007.

Answer: Ivar Bjørnson, Grutle Kjellson and Harald Helgeson

"Eld" is Enslaved's only release in this line-up. With Kronheim and Dirge Rep (born Per Husebø) they released three albums, in 1998, 2000 and 2001 respectively. With Isdal replacing Kronheim they came out with an album entitled "Below The Lights" in 2003. Isdal is still a member of the band and has (at the time this quiz was made) participated in six albums of theirs, but "Below The Lights" is the only album with the above-mentioned line-up. Trym (born Kai Johnny Mosaker) played drums on the band's first two albums, their first two demos, and on their split releases with Emperor and Satyricon as well.

Answer: Bergen

The Bergen Wave is a term used by Norwegian journalists as a reference to the successful bands and music artists from this city that gained recognition during the 1990s and early 2000s. Among those black metal music groups were particularly notable. Old Funeral were one of the pioneers of the genre. Immortal are known for their distinctive lyrical conception - a realm called Blashyrkh, representing the band members' feeling of isolation (as a part of the life in Bergen) and Norwegian winter landscapes - "the woods, the mountains, the darkness, the fog", and "glacial valleys".

Answer: Melechesh

The name of the band is a combination of two words - melech (meaning king) and esh (meaning fire). Melechesh combine black metal and other extreme metal genres (such as death and thrash metal) with Middle Eastern music influences. They operated from Jerusalem until 1998, when they were forced to relocate to Amsterdam due to various reasons. Salem started as a black metal act (and were actually the first Israeli band in this genre), but later they took a more death/doom approach. Also, despite being the first representatives of the genre in their country, they originated in Tel Aviv, not Jerusalem. Arallu were founded in 1999 in Ma'ale Adumim. Orphaned Land fuse death/doom and progressive metal with Oriental melodies and have no relation to black metal.

Answer: Mystic Places Of Dawn

"Mystic Places Of Dawn" is the debut album by Septicflesh. Both Nightfall and Septicflesh were formed in Athens. Nightfall's first album "Parade Into Centuries" came out in 1992, while Septicflesh's debut full length release emerged in 1994.

Answer: Love's like a bloody fight

"Bloody Fight" is the 11th song on Mizantropia's debut album "Вдоль пустынных аллей" (English translation for this phrase is "Along deserted alleys"). "Bloody Fight" is one of the only two songs in English on this Ukrainian band's debut record (the other being the sixth track "Ghost In The Rain").

Initially the group had two vocalists - a frontman performing most of the growls and shrieks, and a frontwoman performing the clean vocals along with some shrieks too.

However, after this release the male singer (Set) left and since then all vocals (extreme and clean) are performed by the female singer Witch (real name Kateryna Sinegina).

Answer: Ajattara

The band's lyrical themes deal with death, evil and paganism. Ajattara's long-time line-up broke up in late 2006, when Pasi Koskinen made Nazi salutes during a concert. Soon new members were introduced to the band. In 2012 the band announced via Facebook that they had split up. Reasons for this remain unknown.

Answer: With a warrior's eye

The song is "A Sign For The Norse Hordes To Rise" from the album "Pure Holocaust", released in 1993.