PhoenixNewsTime – Whether it’s a brutal Satanic death metal band from Florida, a church-burning Norwegian black metal band or a Mexican gang of devil-worshiping drug lords, we decided to dig deep into the fiery underground pits of hell for our selection of the top 10 most satanic metal bands.
The list is not in any specific order: 10 band groups that absolutely could shocking.
1: Since the debut of their classic album “Altars of Madness” in 1989, Morbid Angel have mastered the art form of extreme metal, producing some of the most evil-sounding heavy metal music in existence.
With a foundation of musical technicality that is nothing short of sorcery, the roots of the Florida-bred band are steeped in the occult and worship of the beast, but have moved towards more dark, spiritual and esoteric themes, such Sumerian deities, mythology and even ancient incantations and witchcraft.
Morbid Angel are included with their peers in Deicide and Cannibal Corpse as being the most successful first wave of American death metal bands.
Ironically, what is considered to be the band’s most satanic album, 1993’s “Covenant,” was the first album released by a death metal band on a major record label (a subsidiary of Warner Bros) and is still ranked among the some of the best-selling death metal albums of all time.Â
2: Thomas Thorn, aka Buck Ryder from My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult, formed this obscure alternative/electro/ industrial metal band of evil hippies in Wisconsin in 1991.
The EHC made music that repeatedly made references to serial killers, mass murder, Devil worship, carnal lust, orgies and drug abuse. Thorn is literally an ordained priest in the Church of Satan, and even gave a eulogy for the Church’s creator, Anton LaVey, when he died in 1997.
3. Roger Rasmussen, also known as Nattefrost, is the lead singer of Scandinavian black metal miscreants Carpathian Forest. But his Nattefrost solo project is even more Satanic than Carpathian Forest, who are pretty damn evil to begin with.
With a caustic chainsaw, speed-metal punk fury, Nattefrost revive the eerie old-school sound of bands like Hellhammer, Darkthrone and Mayhem, with their necro-obsessed theme and call for evil entities and dark forces. With songs like “Satanic Victory,” “Sluts of Hell” and “Mass Destruction,” all from the 2004 album “Blood and Vomit,” the band are uncompromising in lyrics and raw power.
“Terrorist,” an album from 2006, features more misanthropic torture, with songs like “Primitive Death,” “Goat Worship” and “Satan Is Endless Satan Is Timeless.” Basically, it’s the type of scary music that you would hear in a born-again Christian’s nightmares.Â
4. Norwegian black metal band Satyricon was obsessed with medieval history since its formation in the early ’90s.
With the first several albums focusing on forests and castles, the band developed a sound that is today as sinister as black metal but still accessible enough to be popular.
The secret arsenal behind the fury of Satyricon is the powerhouse drummer Frost, a black metal legend with piercing rhythm and inhuman speed.
5. Taking the band name from an ancient Babylonian god, Marduk is a black metal band from Sweden formed in 1990. The band’s musical themes include religious and philosophical Satanism, anti-Christianity and a dark look into the past, including brutal memories of World War II and atrocities committed by The Third Reich. One of the band’s infamous early demo covers depicts a nun using a crucifix to masturbate, and the words “F**k Me Jesus.”
A few choice song titles include “Jesus Christ Sodomized,” “Death Sex Ejaculation,” “Burn My Coffin,” “Blessed Unholy” and “With Satan” and “Victorious Weapons.” Due to the prominent theme of World War II, many have accused the band of being racist, antisemitic and even Nazi-leaning, but the band members have insisted Marduk have no political agenda, but uses the history of fascist Germany for artistic purposes and music only.
4. Hailing from Poland, Behemoth formed in 1991 and earned a local following as a traditional black metal band, with early themes of Nordic paganism and the occult. Led by singer and guitarist Nergal, Behemoth merges the mysticism and image of black metal with the force, precision and brutality of death metal, with lyrical content that explores ancient anti-Christian themes, as well as other Satanic philosophies.
Key albums to check out include “Satanica” (1999), “Thelma6” (2000) and “The Apostasy” (2007). The band almost dissolved when Nergal was diagnosed with leukemia in 2010. After a long recovery, however, the band were back in full effect. Their latest album is 2022’s “Opvs Contra Natvram.”
