Important Short Lived Metal Bands

This week we are going to be discussing a few metal bands that didn’t exist for very long, but have since had an extraordinary impact on heavy metal music. All of these groups released at most two albums, and are not together today. Many of them are very unlikely to reform again.

Listed below are five of the most important short lived heavy metal bands. Take a look!

1. Hellhammer 

Hellhammer only put out an EP, but the influence of that EP was monumental within black metal. At the time of the EP’s release, it was the most extreme record to ever be put out by a metal band. Some critics hated it, but others loved it. Many bands took influence from it, and with that, the first wave of black metal had begun. The members of Hellhammer regrouped after the band's demise as Celtic Frost, where they achieved greater success. Hellhammer wasn’t around for long, but it completely changed extreme metal forever.

2. Acid Bath

This group is one of my personal favorite metal bands. Acid Bath existed from 1991 to 1997 and put out two albums. These albums are stoner metal classics and have been hugely influential within the scene. Acid Bath played a style of music that combined many different subgenres of heavy metal, but the band’s roots were primarily in stoner metal and sludge metal. The experimental nature that sludge metal has taken on can be partially attributed to Acid Bath’s two records. The band dissolved with the death of bassist Audie Pitre, who contributed a lot to the band’s sound. Since the band’s break-up, vocalist Dax Riggs has taken a bluesy, stoner rock route with Agents of Oblivion, Deadboy and the Elephantmen and his solo work. Guitarist Sammy Duet has had some success with his blackened death metal act, Goatwhore. The musicians who were involved with Acid Bath have a strong cult following, particularly in Louisiana, where the group originated. 

3. Weakling

Weakling put out one album. That’s all it took for the group to leave a permanent mark on black metal. Weakling was around from 1998 to 1999, with its only album coming out in 2000. The group put out a legendary black metal album that practiced a unique style of depressive, progressive black metal. Not many bands have really tried to mimic Weakling, but countless groups have been influenced by them. Wolves in the Throne Room is the closest metalheads will probably ever get to hearing more of Weakling’s style of music. John Gossard, one of the group’s essential members, has since gone on to perform with Asunder and Dispirit, which are two other bands that are certainly worth checking out.

4. SikTh

It might be cheating to include this band. SikTh was around for nine years, but the band only put out two albums. SikTh’s influence has been extraordinary since its dissolution. The band played a unique style of progressive metal. It sounded like no one else at the time, and fans were astounded by the unique music. Since SikTh broke up, many bands have taken influence from the group. Periphery is the most notable of these acts, and as I have mentioned in other posts, Periphery’s influence on the progressive metal and djent communities has been astounding. Periphery would not exist without SikTh, though. Musically speaking, I think SikTh is the superior band and was way ahead of its time. The band’s influence will certainly be strongly felt for a long time to come. SikTh keeps hinting at a reunion, but no plans have been confirmed. Keep your fingers crossed, metalheads.

5. Amesoeurs

So many metal bands that are being formed today are influenced by Amesoeurs. This group only existed from 2004 to 2009, but its impact has already proven to be immense. The group was one of the first to combine black metal and shoegaze, and its only record (which is self-titled) is better than 99% of the bands that came after it. This style of music had already started to be pioneered by Neige from the French metal band, Alcest. He brought his expertise to Amesoeurs, as musicians Sylvian (Peste Noire), Fursy Teyessier (Les Discrets) and Winterhalter (Alcest, Peste Noire) had not been as experienced at the time of the recording of Amesoeurs’ only album. At the time of the record’s release, it got a moderate amount of critical praise, but black metal fans were more than touched by the album’s style. There are now many metal groups modeling themselves after Amesoeurs, though none are nearly as good.

Black Metal (Part 1)

Over the past couple of weeks, “Into the Pit: A Metal Blog” has casually mentioned the black metal subgenre when talking about the band, Venom. For the next two weeks, we are going to take an in-depth look at the subgenre and its dark history. This week we will focus on the first wave of black metal bands to arise.

The black metal subgenre really did all begin with Venom. Their album titled Black Metal is where the genre received its name. Venom was a large mixture of subgenres though, and later bands would further cement the genre into existence.

Black metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is primarily characterized by high-pitched guitar tones that feature strong distortion. The music is usually very fast, using dissonance to create dark and "scary"-sounding tones. Bass is usually very minimal within black metal music, and drumming is characterized as being very fast and using blast-beats. Black metal vocals usually consist of shrieking, growling, and other experimental styles. The production of black metal music is also commonly very raw and lo-fi.

Black metal also contains unique and dark imagery. Many black metal bands have very theatrically vicious stage performances. Throughout the history of black metal, many extremely controversial and disturbing acts have occurred during concerts, particularly by the musicians themselves. Impaled animal heads, mock crucifixions and the covering of the musicians in animal blood have all been parts of black metal performances in the past, particularly during the second wave of black metal in Norway. Today, black metal performances are much tamer and less controversial than they used to be.

It is also common for black metal performances to be very atmospheric and grim. Corpse paint is commonly worn to try to make the musicians seem more cold and emotionless. Many black metal musicians furthermore choose to create pseudonyms in order to appear mysterious.

One of the earliest pioneers of the black metal genre was a band called Bathory. Bathory was essentially the one man project of Tomas Forsberg, more commonly known as, Quorthon. Bathory had a revolving line-up of other musicians until its demise in 2004 that coincided with Quorthon’s death.



Bathory’s debut self-titled album is known by many as the first true black metal album. However, Bathory’s most famous album is undeniably Under the Sign of the Black Mark, which would become a massively influential record on all subsequent albums within the black metal genre. Bathory eventually started to dabble heavily in viking metal, and never managed to return to their black metal roots.



Hellhammer is also an important early black metal band. Hellhammer only released one EP, but that EP titled Apocalyptic Raids would prove to be influential in the development of black metal.



After Hellhammer disbanded, several of the members went on to form Celtic Frost, which would prove to be an influential and successful black metal band as well. Albums such as Morbid Tales and To Mega Therion are considered very significant black metal records.



Recently, Celtic Frost permanently disbanded while frontman Tom Gabriel Fischer went on to start a new band known as Triptykon.

Venom, Bathory, Hellhammer, and Celtic Frost were the most noteworthy bands of this first wave of black metal.

Next week will be the darkest and most disturbing post on “Into the Pit: A Metal Blog;” as, we will discuss the second wave of black metal. Stay tuned!