Stylistic divisions

• Symphonic black metal is a style of black metal that uses symphonic and orchestral elements. This may include the usage of instruments found in symphony orchestras (piano, violin, cello, flute and keyboards), 'clean' or operatic vocals and guitars with less distortion.

• Viking black metal are terms used to describe black metal bands who incorporate various kinds of folk music. Viking black metal bands focus solely on Nordic folk music and mythology. Their harsh black metal sound is "often augmented by sorrowful keyboard melodies". Vocals are typically a mixture of high-pitched shrieks and 'clean' choral singing. The origin of Viking metal can be traced to the albums Blood Fire Death (1988) and Hammerheart (1990) by the Swedish band Bathory. In the mid 1990s, Irish bands such as Cruachan and Primordial began to combine black metal with Irish folk music.

• Blackened death metal is a style that combines death metal and black metal.

• Eco black metal is a style that originated from the Cascadian Black Metal scene. It combines ambient sounds from nature along with a haunting black metal sound. These bands focus primarily on the beauty of nature.