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forest black metal

Forest Black Metal

Norway · 1990s
DarkSadDreamyEpicIntense

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Description

Forest black metal is a nature-immersive offshoot of black metal that emphasizes atmosphere, spaciousness, and “woodland” imagery.

Musically it retains black metal’s icy tremolo-picked riffs and blast beats, but it leans more heavily on melodic repetition, layered ambience, and long-form song structures that evoke forests, mist, winter landscapes, and pagan or folkloric themes.

Compared to more orthodox or aggressive black metal, forest black metal often feels less urban and more panoramic, using synth pads, field-recording-like textures, and reverberant production to create the sense of being surrounded by trees and wind.


Sources: Spotify, Wikipedia, Discogs, Rate Your Music, MusicBrainz, and other online sources

History

Origins (1990s)

Forest black metal grows out of the 1990s Scandinavian black metal explosion, especially the atmospheric and pagan-leaning strands that prioritized mood and landscape over pure shock value.

Key early blueprints came from bands that wrote long, repetitive, hypnotic pieces with strong melodic identity and overt nature/pagan aesthetics.

Consolidation (2000s)

In the 2000s, a wave of projects—particularly in Northern and Eastern Europe—leaned harder into “forest” iconography and expanded the sound with thicker ambient layers, more prominent keyboards, and cleaner, wider mixes.

At the same time, internet-based tape trading and small labels helped unify the idea of nature-focused atmospheric black metal into a recognizable niche.

Modern developments (2010s–present)

From the 2010s onward, forest black metal increasingly overlaps with broader atmospheric black metal and post-black metal audiences, while still maintaining its distinct thematic fixation on wilderness.

Modern releases frequently incorporate higher-fidelity ambience, occasional folk instrumentation, and more explicit sound-design elements (wind, birds, distant thunder) while keeping the core black metal riff language intact.

How to make a track in this genre

Instrumentation & sound design
•   Use standard black metal instrumentation: distorted electric guitars, electric bass, drum kit, and harsh vocals. •   Add atmospheric layers sparingly but purposefully: sustained synth pads, distant choir-like tones, or subtle drones that create a sense of space. •   Optional nature signifiers can work well: clean or lightly overdriven guitar passages, simple folk-like motifs, or carefully placed “outdoor” textures (e.g., wind-like noise, very quiet field ambience).
Rhythm & drums
•   Keep the black metal foundation: blast beats, fast D-beat, and mid-tempo driving patterns. •   For a “forest” feel, avoid constant maximum intensity; use dynamic pacing. •   Let sections breathe by alternating fast passages with slower, tom-heavy marches or restrained cymbal work that feels like distant thunder.
Harmony, riffs, and form
•   

Write tremolo-picked riffs that repeat and evolve gradually; repetition is a feature, not a flaw, because it creates trance-like immersion.

 •   

Favor minor keys, modal colors (especially natural minor, Dorian, and Phrygian flavors), and simple harmonic movement.

 •   

Build long arcs (6–12 minutes is common):

•   

Establish a primary motif.

 •   

Introduce a counter-melody or harmony line.

 •   

Expand into an atmospheric bridge (clean guitar/synth/drone).

 •   

Return to the main motif with intensified drumming or a thicker guitar stack.
Vocals & lyrics
•   Use harsh, distant-sounding screams or rasps with heavy reverb to feel “embedded” in the landscape rather than front-and-center. •   Lyrics typically focus on forests, winter, solitude, pagan/folk imagery, myth, and the spiritual weight of nature. •   Short, evocative lines often work better than narrative density; aim for imagery and sensation.
Production choices
•   Prioritize depth: wide guitars, controlled low end, and reverb that suggests large outdoor space. •   A rawer lo-fi approach can enhance mystique, but keep the ambience intelligible; the atmosphere is the main musical identity. •   Consider layering guitars (two rhythm tracks + one higher melodic line) to create a “canopy” effect.

Best playlists

The Sound of Forest Black Metal
The Sound of Forest Black Metal
Every Noise at Once
Forest Black Metal
Forest Black Metal
Chosic
Forest Black Metal Mix
Forest Black Metal Mix
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Influenced by
Black Metal
Black metal is a form of extreme metal defined by fast tempos, tremolo‑picked guitar lines, blast‑beat drumming, shrieked or rasped vocals, and a deliberately raw, icy production aesthetic. Harmonically, it favors minor and modal collections (especially Aeolian and Phrygian), open-string drones, parallel fifths and fourths, tritones, and sparse or suspended chord voicings over blues-derived harmony. Arrangements often employ layered guitars, long-form song structures, and enveloping reverb to create a bleak, otherworldly atmosphere. The genre’s visual and thematic language is equally distinctive: corpse paint, monochrome artwork, and lyrics exploring anti-dogma, nature, pagan myth, cosmic nihilism, and misanthropy. While some scenes have been associated with controversy and extremism, the musical identity centers on sound, atmosphere, and aesthetics rather than any single ideology.
Atmospheric Black Metal
Atmospheric black metal is a branch of black metal that emphasizes immersive, expansive soundscapes and mood as much as raw aggression. It typically blends tremolo‑picked guitars, blast beats, and harsh vocals with sustained synthesizer pads, reverbs, field recordings, and long-form, meditative song structures. The genre often evokes images of nature, wintry or forested environments, and cosmic vastness. Production ranges from lo‑fi, foggy textures to clear but distant mixes that preserve a sense of space. Harmonically, it leans on minor and modal colors, drones, and repeating motifs to create a trance-like intensity rather than riff-showmanship. Where traditional black metal can be claustrophobically fierce, atmospheric black metal opens the sonic frame—slower passages, ambient interludes, and dynamic arcs are common—so that ferocity and serenity coexist within the same piece.
Dark Folk
Dark folk is a somber, acoustic-centered branch of folk that blends minor-key songwriting with post-industrial atmospheres and gothic aesthetics. It often favors intimate, close-mic’d vocals; fingerpicked classical or steel‑string guitars; and sparse, martial or ritual percussion. Arrangements tend to be minimalist yet textural: drones, harmonium or accordion beds, bowed strings (violin, cello), and occasional field recordings or analog hiss deepen the mood. Lyrics explore themes of memory, decay, paganism, esotericism, romanticism, and the natural world, presented in a reflective or incantatory tone. The result is music that feels both archaic and modern—rural in timbre yet post-industrial in spirit.
Drone
Drone is a minimalist music genre defined by sustained tones, long durations, and extremely gradual change. Harmony is often static or centered on a single fundamental with subtle overtone shifts, while rhythm tends toward stasis or very slow pulses. Sound sources range from acoustic instruments (e.g., strings, organ, bagpipes, shruti box, tambura) to electronics (sine waves, oscillators, feedback, tape loops, and later digital synthesis and processing). Many composers favor just intonation or other alternative tuning systems to emphasize beating patterns, psychoacoustic effects, and the internal life of sound. Although drone as a sonic principle is ancient and global, the modern experimental genre cohered in the 1960s through the New York minimalists and related avant‑garde circles, then spread into ambient, experimental, and heavy music scenes. The focus is less on melody and more on timbre, resonance, and the phenomenology of listening.
Has influenced
Dark Folk
Dark folk is a somber, acoustic-centered branch of folk that blends minor-key songwriting with post-industrial atmospheres and gothic aesthetics. It often favors intimate, close-mic’d vocals; fingerpicked classical or steel‑string guitars; and sparse, martial or ritual percussion. Arrangements tend to be minimalist yet textural: drones, harmonium or accordion beds, bowed strings (violin, cello), and occasional field recordings or analog hiss deepen the mood. Lyrics explore themes of memory, decay, paganism, esotericism, romanticism, and the natural world, presented in a reflective or incantatory tone. The result is music that feels both archaic and modern—rural in timbre yet post-industrial in spirit.
Doomcore
Doomcore is a bleak, slow-to-mid‑tempo strain of hardcore techno that emphasizes oppressive atmosphere over sheer speed. It typically sits around 130–160 BPM, coupling pummeling 4/4 kicks with cavernous reverb, long decays, and stark, minor‑key harmonies. The palette leans industrial: distorted drum machines, metallic hits, drones, tolling synths, and sampled ambience from horror, sci‑fi, and post‑apocalyptic sources. Instead of frenetic breaks, doomcore builds tension through repetition, weight, and space, creating a sense of dread that feels cinematic and ritualistic yet undeniably club-oriented.
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