Melodigging logoMelodigging name
instrumental black metal

Instrumental Black Metal

Norway · 2000s
DarkDreamySadEpicChill

Your digging level

For this genre
0/8
🏆
Sign in, then listen to this genre to level up

Description

Instrumental black metal is a vocal‑free offshoot of black metal that preserves the genre’s tremolo-picked guitar textures, icy harmonies, blast‑beat propulsion, and windswept atmosphere while removing harsh vocals to foreground mood, melody, and sound design.

Without shrieks or growls, the music leans toward expansive, cinematic forms: long crescendos, layered guitars that shimmer or blur, and rhythm sections that oscillate between relentless blasts and meditative, mid‑tempo surges. Many projects hybridize black metal’s harmonic language with ambient drones, post‑rock dynamics, field recordings, and synth pads, yielding a widescreen, nature‑evoking sound that can feel both frigid and luminous.

The result is a style that invites immersive listening—equal parts feral and reflective—where timbre, space, and arrangement carry the emotional narrative usually handled by vocals.


Sources: Spotify, Wikipedia, Discogs, RYM, MB, user feedback and other online sources

History

Roots and emergence

Instrumental black metal grows out of the second‑wave black metal tradition of the early 1990s, especially the Scandinavian scene that established the genre’s harmonic vocabulary (modal, often minor with added seconds and dissonances), tremolo picking, and blast‑beat intensity. Early atmospheric and ambient integrations within black metal hinted that vocals were not strictly necessary for the style’s core affect.

2000s: Codification

In the 2000s, a wave of atmospheric and post‑leaning black metal acts began issuing fully (or largely) instrumental releases. The decision to omit vocals was both aesthetic (to heighten immersion and texture) and practical (solo studio projects focusing on composition and soundscapes). Synthesizers, field recordings (wind, rain, forests), and spacious production helped codify a sound that could read as simultaneously raw and cinematic.

2010s–present: Expansion and hybridization

Through the 2010s, instrumental black metal diversified globally. Artists folded in post‑rock’s quiet‑loud arcs, dark ambient’s drones, and blackgaze’s textural haze. The style flourished as a studio‑driven form, often by multi‑instrumentalists, and became common on split releases and EPs. Today it remains a niche but recognizable stream within atmospheric and post‑black metal circles, prized for its transportive, lyric‑free storytelling.

Production aesthetics

The genre spans two production poles: (1) lo‑fi, frostbitten recordings that foreground grainy guitar over cymbal‑washed drums, and (2) hi‑fi, expansive mixes with layered guitars, deep low‑end, and wide stereo fields. In both, the lack of vocals leaves more frequency and spatial headroom for guitars, synths, and environmental sounds to shape the narrative arc.

How to make a track in this genre

Instrumentation and timbre
•   Guitars: Use layered tremolo‑picked lines with open strings, parallel fifths, and dissonant seconds. Blend clean, reverb‑soaked arpeggios with overdriven walls for contrast. •   Bass: Anchor modal centers with pedal tones; occasionally counter‑melodic to add motion during static guitar drones. •   Drums: Alternate blast beats (16th‑note rides or hats with skittering snare) and driving mid‑tempo beats; employ cymbal swells for transitions. •   Keys/Synths: Pads, choirs, and soft leads to widen the spectrum; subtle piano or organ can mark thematic returns. •   Textures: Field recordings (wind, stream, forest), bowed cymbals, and noise layers to enhance atmosphere.
Harmony and melody
•   Modes: Natural minor, Dorian, and Phrygian flavors; frequent use of suspended seconds and tritones for chill and dread. •   Voice‑leading: Sustain upper voices over shifting bass pedals; let inner lines morph gradually to create evolving drones. •   Motifs: Develop short, repeating cells that bloom via orchestration rather than frequent chord changes.
Rhythm and form
•   Arcs: Build long crescendos from sparse ambience to full blast, then dissolve into clean interludes. •   Meter: Mostly 4/4 with occasional 3/4 or 6/8 for lilting passages; polymetric guitar overlays can add hypnotic pull. •   Structure: Through‑composed or A–B–A′ with textural variation; use dynamic “plateaus” instead of verse/chorus.
Production and mixing
•   Space: Generous plate/room reverbs; pre‑delay to preserve attack. Stereo double‑tracking for guitars; center low‑end. •   EQ: Carve mids so layers remain distinct; slightly soften harsh highs to avoid fatigue without losing bite. •   Mastering: Moderate loudness; preserve transients and headroom for climaxes.
Compositional workflow
    •   

    Sketch modal motifs and pedal points.

     •   

    Arrange textural layers (clean vs. distorted guitars, pads, field recordings) to map a narrative arc.

     •   

    Program or track drums to trace energy contours (blast—groove—silence).

     •   

    Refine transitions with swells, cymbal washes, and sub‑drops.

     •   

    Mix for immersion: balance density with clarity so the absence of vocals feels intentional and expressive.

Best playlists

The Sound of Instrumental Black Metal
The Sound of Instrumental Black Metal
Every Noise at Once
Instrumental Black Metal
Instrumental Black Metal
Chosic
Instrumental Black Metal Mix
Instrumental Black Metal Mix
Spotify
Best of Instrumental Black Metal
Best of Instrumental Black Metal
volt.fm

Main artists

Top tracks

Locked
Share your favorite track to unlock other users’ top tracks

Upcoming concerts

in this genre
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.
Ambient
Ambient is a form of electronic and electroacoustic music that prioritizes tone, atmosphere, and texture over conventional song structures and rhythmic drive. It typically features slow-moving harmonies, sustained drones, gentle timbral shifts, and extensive use of space and silence. Rather than drawing attention to itself through hooks or beats, ambient is designed to be as ignorable as it is interesting, rewarding both background listening and focused immersion. Artists often employ synthesizers, samplers, tape loops, field recordings, and subtle acoustic instruments, with reverb and delay creating a sense of place. Substyles range from luminous, consonant soundscapes to darker, more dissonant atmospheres.
Dark Ambient
Dark ambient is a post‑industrial subgenre that coalesced in the mid‑1980s, drawing primarily on ambient music but shifting its focus toward ominous, subterranean space and timbre. It is characterized by long, low‑frequency drones; dissonant or microtonal overtones; and an enveloping, gloomy or catacomb‑like atmosphere. While largely electronic (synthesizers, samplers, tape and digital processing), artists frequently incorporate field recordings, contact‑mic textures, bowed metal, gongs, and fragments of traditional instruments captured with semi‑acoustic techniques and then heavily processed. Melody and pulse are minimized; instead the music emphasizes immersive sound design, psychoacoustic detail, and slowly evolving textures that evoke dread, awe, and isolation.
Post-Rock
Post-rock is a style that uses traditional rock instrumentation—guitars, bass, drums, and often piano or strings—to create expansive textures, evolving soundscapes, and dynamic arcs rather than conventional verse–chorus songs. It emphasizes timbre, atmosphere, and gradual development: clean or lightly overdriven guitars drenched in delay and reverb, cyclical ostinatos, layered crescendos, and pronounced quiet–loud dynamics. Vocals, if present, are often sparse, wordless, or treated as another textural layer. The genre draws heavily from ambient, minimalism, krautrock, progressive and space rock, shoegaze, noise rock, and experimental practices, yielding music that can feel cinematic, contemplative, and emotionally cathartic.
Blackgaze
Blackgaze is a fusion of black metal’s intensity (tremolo‑picked guitars, blast beats, harsh shrieks) with shoegaze’s lush, immersive textures and dreamy melodicism. It typically layers high‑gain, reverb‑drenched guitars into a luminous wall of sound, favoring suspended or added‑tone chords that blur tonality and create a sense of vastness. Songs often unfold in long arcs with dramatic dynamic shifts—from pummeling crescendos to breathy, ambient passages—and may juxtapose screamed vocals with soft, clean singing. While the mood can be bleak or melancholic, many blackgaze works balance darkness with radiant, almost euphoric uplift, aided by expansive production and post‑rock pacing.
Instrumental Death Metal
Instrumental death metal is death metal that omits vocals entirely while preserving the genre’s defining sonic traits—downtuned and highly technical guitar work, rapid double‑kick and blast‑beat drumming, dissonant harmonies, and volatile dynamics. Without growled vocals as a focal point, the music shifts toward compositional detail: intricate riff architecture, lead‑guitar counterpoint, bass virtuosity (often with tapping and chordal playing), and drumming that toggles between surgical precision and controlled chaos. Many bands draw on progressive metal, djent, and jazz‑fusion language, favoring odd meters, rapid metric modulation, modal mixture (especially Aeolian/Phrygian flavors with added chromaticism), and tightly gated, ultra‑articulate production. The result is music that feels as heavy and extreme as traditional death metal but reads more like an instrumental narrative—riff suites, thematic development, and textural interludes substitute for lyrical content.
Has influenced
Atmospheric Post-Rock
Atmospheric post-rock is a spacious, largely instrumental branch of post-rock that prioritizes texture, mood, and dynamic narrative over riff‑driven or verse–chorus song forms. It is characterized by wide‑screen guitar soundscapes drenched in reverb and delay, slow‑burn arrangements that blossom into cinematic crescendos, and an emphasis on timbre and ambience as primary musical materials. Compared with classic post‑rock, the atmospheric variant tends to be more patient and minimal, using drones, pedal points, and layered swells to create a sense of vastness and uplift. Vocals, if present at all, are often wordless or treated as another textural layer. The result sits at the intersection of ambient, shoegaze, and space rock: emotive, expansive, and immersive.
Ambient Post-Rock
Ambient post-rock is a hybrid style that combines the slow-building, guitar-and-band dynamics of post-rock with the spacious textures and immersive atmosphere of ambient music. Songs typically favor long-form development over verse/chorus songwriting, using repetition, gradual layering, and evolving timbre to create a cinematic sense of scale. Common traits include shimmering or heavily effected guitars, sustained drones, restrained percussion, and a focus on mood and sound design rather than lyrics or virtuoso solos.

Download our mobile app

Get the Melodigging app and start digging for new genres on the go
© 2026 Melodigging
Legal
Melodding was created as a tribute to Every Noise at Once, which inspired us to help curious minds keep digging into music's ever-evolving genres.
Buy me a coffee for Melodigging