Immortal

Of all the Norwegian black metal bands, Immortal have, arguably, stuck the closest to the mystical, dark fantasy and occult-inspired vision of the scene. Beginning in the early '90s, the Bergen group slowly rose to worldwide stature as one of genre's most respected bands, eschewing the over-the-top classical structuring and progressive experimentation of many of their peers in favor of purity and precision. Applying a power trio format to the traditional black metal sound of early highlights like Pure Holocaust (1993) to the thrash fusion style of their mid-period Peter Tägtgren-produced classics At the Heart of Winter (1999) and Sons of Northern Darkness (2002), Immortal disbanded for a time in the 2000s before making a heroic return with their 2009 career breakout, All Shall Fall. Following a legal disagreement that saw a second change in membership, a new version of the group resumed recording for 2018's Northern Chaos Gods.

Brothers in pseudonym only, vocalist/bassist Abbath Doom Occulta and guitarist Demonaz Doom Occulta formed Immortal in Bergen, Norway in 1990