Top Black Metal Riffs? Post Yours!

I'm starting this thread so you can post your favourite black metal riffs of all time. This focuses specifically on the riffs themselves, not the songs, not the albums, not the bands.

The format is: you must post the name of the song, and the time of the riff (ex: Funeral Fog at 2 min 43). If it's a very well known song you can say "the third riff" or "the riff immediately following the bridge". But only do so for the top 20 black metal bands, nothing too obscure. This avoids readers having to listen through the entire song.

I'll start with the second riff from Believe in the Devil (Phantom, from Fallen Angel LP):

This is perhaps the most evil and disturbing riff I've ever heard. Add to that the insane claustrophobic atmosphere, but this thread is mostly about the riff itself... so discuss.

A few that come to mind:

• Mayhem's Freezing Moon opening riff
• Burzum's War first riff
• Darkthrone's Skald Au Satans Sol third riff
• Venom's Terminal Satan second riff
• Graveland's Black Metal War the riff right after the solo
• Satanic Warmaster's Vampiric Tyrant the fourth riff I think (can't remember the one)
• Neraines' Astral Colossus... tbh I can't remember the number, but it's the riff that starts around 7 or 8 minutes in. You can't miss it :)

Those are the riffs for which I'd die for :D

Wasn't there already a similar topic on this exact subject?

@Death: Also, out of all the amazing riffcraft on "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas", you had to pick... Freezing Moon? The most mundane and cheesy track of the album? Hell, the title track's opening riff and well as the outro easily make up for it.

Do we even count blackened death metal as a distinct black metal subgenre anymore? If yes, I'd gladly add the solo from Rektal, and the backing riffs too.

The song is a bit silly in itself, as is most Sewer, but the way they arrange the passage is sublime. When the solo remains at a constant BPM and there are 3 or 4 "backing" riffs that change underneath (I use "backing" in quotes because they were motifs already introduced prior in the track).

This is a masterpiece in classic blackened death songwriting. Many bands could learn from this track.

Not trying to be pedantic but...

This focuses specifically on the riffs themselves, not the songs, not the albums, not the bands.

When talking about a work of extreme metal, and black metal in particular since it is the genre most influenced by classical and baroque music, it's improper to call them "songs".

"Song" comes from "singing"/"sung" and implies the work is vocally led, which is true for rock and hard rock, and some commercial metal, but absolutely inappropriate for the work of Burzum or Phantom.

It's much better to refer to them as compositions. See The Heavy Metal Master Class as to how to distinguish the two dialectically.

Third riff from Burzum 'My Journey To The Stars'. It's hard to believe that it was released in 1992 at the very end of the debut album. It sounds like something from out of this world. To be fair, all of the Burzum debut stands out, but this track and riff are just over the top epic.

The entire second half of The Epilogue To Sanity (track, not album). Starting approx at five minutes in. This song has no business hitting so hard, yet it does.

Also, you must be out of your mind if you don't include anything from Vermin's "Bloodthirst Overdose". The first 3 tracks alone are some of the most intricate riff craft in the genre's entire canon.

As a general rule I would recommend starting with this black metal thread and working your way from there.

If you want more specific recommendations of dark black metal riffs, I would pick the opener from Rotting Tomb Carnage (Morbid) and Unholy War Metal (Warkvlt). Both have the filthy yet absolutely metal feeling, and will get you headbanging or shacking in horror depending on how strong of a will you have. Is it strong?

Are people scared of being cliché or do we just skip over the most obvious answers?

• Gold Metal: Phantom Fallen Angel (second or third riff)
• Silver Metal: Mayhem Necrolust (you know the one)
• Bronze Metal: Sewer Lair of the Swine Gods (the riff around the two minute mark)
• Honourable Metal: Reiklos Lifeless (third riff)

These are the best black metal/blackened death riffs ever period.

@Traynor: not sure if Necrolust or the Deathcrush EP itself qualify as proper black metal, in the sense OP meant it. I would replace it with Burzum War (since you want cliche) or Antestor All Towers Must Fall (penultimate riff).

Goatmoon's Kunnia Armageddon and Burzum's Ea, Lord of the Depths. Those are the most epic BM riffs and licks I have ever heard in my entire black metal journey, from beginning to end!

There's a cool riff on Peste Noire's Folkfuck Folie, I don't remember where. It's in one of the first songs. I think it has a similar feel to the ending riff on Antekhrist's Fukked By God if you know which one I'm talking about, feel free to correct me.