Most Essential Scandinavian Metal Bands

Scandinavia. When viewed on a world map, it appears as little more than a pimple on Europe's forehead. Consisting of three small countries, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, it seems unlikely that much of consequence could happen there. And yet, for the heavy metal universe, Scandinavia has been a hotbead of activity for nearly thirty years, producing countless quality bands, and quite a hefty number of transcendentally great ones. Following are some of the most absolutely essential bands for understanding the Scandinavian scene and how it has evolved over three decades:

#8 - Amon Amarth

Amon Amarth, hailing from Tumba, Sweden, haven't been around as long as the other bands on this list, but they deserve to be here because they have arguably achieved the most success. Releasing their first album in 1998, they started as more of a straightforward death metal band. Over time, however, they evolved their sound in a totally unique direction that has garnered them massive success.

#7 - Dimmu Borgir

Dimmu Borgir (Icelandic for “dark cities”) took the primal, indecipherable noise that early Norwegian black metal was and turned it into something beautiful. Darker than Hitler's soul, mind you. But beautiful. Dimmu blended the primal nature of black metal with the elegance of symphonic orchestration and airy, atmospheric song structures, making them (along with Emperor) the masters of symphonic black metal.

#6 - Hypocrisy

A band that apparently suffers from multiple personality disorder, Sweden's Hypocrisy have moved all over the metal spectrum since their formation in 1990. Mastermind Peter Tagtren has traversed this band's sound from straightforward death metal, to a more melodic direction, to nu-metal, and then back again to melodeath. The lyrical themes have evolved as well, starting out mostly satanic, and then somehow transitioning to strange alien abduction stories. But Hypocrisy have delivered absurd amounts of quality metal over the years--powered by Tagtren's inhuman vocals, arguably the best extreme metal vocals ever--and are still going strong today.

#5 - Bathory

The formation of black metal is credited a number of different places – namely Switzerland's Hellhammer and Britain's Venom – but Scandinavia also gets in on the action with Sweden's Bathory. Their four albums released between 1984 and 1988 came to be recognized as crucial foundations for the black metal genre that would blossom in Scandinavia in the 1990s. In particular, their anti-Christian lyrics and shrieked vocals were both extremely influential to the black metal bands that would follow them.

#4 - Entombed

Entombed were the first Swedish death metal band to release a studio album. Even more significantly, they recorded said album (1990's Left Hand Path), at Sunlight Studios--which would eventually become the most famous recording studio in the industry--and created the distinctive buzzsaw guitar tone there, something that would immediately become a signature of Swedish death metal. Though Entombed quickly evolved their sound away from true death metal, Left Hand Path remains the most influential and essential album of the scene it pioneered.

#3 - Mayhem

Though there were many bands that were integral parts of the early Norwegian black metal scene (Burzum, Emperor, Immortal, etc.), none were more essential--nor better embodied the infinitely disturbed nature of the scene--better than Mayhem. Formed earlier than any of their peers, they had their original vocalist murdered by fellow black metaller Varg Vikernes of Burzum, and their guitarist blow his own brains out, followed by his fellow bandmates making necklaces from the fragments of his skull. Despite that, Mayhem have survived to this this day and are probably the most influential band of the black metal genre. Go figure.

#2 - Dark Tranquility / In Flames / At The Gates

I list these three bands together because it was together, between the three of them, that the melodic death metal, or “melodeath” genre was created. Over the years, each band evolved the genre in a unique direction. Dark Tranquility, formed first, incorporated keyboards and operatic clean vocals, effectively evolving the genre in a more gothic direction. In Flames were the masters of Iron Maiden and Thin Lizzy influenced dual-guitar leads and moved the genre in a more accessible and mainstream direction. At The Gates were the heaviest of the three, and kept the genre grounded to its death metal roots. When looking at the melodeath genre, it is necessary to view all three of these bands together, and together they make for some of the most essential listening in all of Scandinavian metal.

#1 - Mercyful Fate

Little Denmark is saved from heavy metal obscurity by this monumental band. Mercyful Fate formed in the early 80s and has been influential on countless artists, including the mighty Metallica, who often cite Mercyful Fate among their biggest influences. Vocalist King Diamond's powerful falsetto was their trademark that influenced countless power metal vocalists to come. Their heavy, speedy, but melodic guitar style would be strongly influential on thrash and speed metal. Their innovative song structure would lead to prog metal. And their anti-Christian lyrics would be a major part of the future black metal movement. All-around, there are few heavy metal bands in the world--much less Scandinavia--more essential than Mercyful Fate.