Unlike artists of other genres, many black metal artists do not perform concerts. Bands that choose to perform concerts often make use of stage props and theatrics.
Mayhem and
Gorgoroth among other bands are noted for their controversial shows; which have featured impaled animal heads, mock
crucifixions,
medieval weaponry, and band members doused in animal blood.
Black metal artists often appear dressed in black with
combat boots, bullet belts, spiked wristbands,
and
inverted crosses/
pentagrams to reinforce their anti-Christian or anti-religious stance.
However, the most stand-out trait is their use of
corpse paint – black and white makeup (sometimes mixed with real or fake blood), which is used to create a corpse-like appearance.
In the early 1990s, most pioneering black metal artists used simple
black-and-white pictures or writing on their record covers.
This could have been meant as a reaction against death metal bands, who at that time had begun to use brightly-colored album artwork.
Most underground black metal artists have continued this style. Bands that
do not use this style usually have album covers that are either atmospheric or provocative; some feature natural or fantasy landscapes (for example
Burzum's
Filosofem and
Emperor's
In The Nightside Eclipse) while others are violent, perverted and iconoclastic (for example
Marduk's
Fuck Me Jesus and
Dimmu Borgir's In Sorte Diaboli).
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