Being primarily a Blues and Classic Rock writer and Player, I often shock people when they scroll through my music collection. Recently I was reminded of groups like the Mayhem rock band and a few others like King Diamond and Celtic Frost.
I’ve always been a Metal Head. It’s been just the past few years I’ve collected and explored some music beyond the Norm. Norwegian Black Metal band Mayhem, additionally a renewed interest in these dark rock Bands I heard in High School. Light your candle, it’s about to get dark in here with the mayhem rock band and more dark rock bands.
Mayhem Rock Band That Defined Dark Metal
MAYHEM REHEARSAL 1988 WITH DEAD
Mercyful Fate/King Diamond
A high schoolmate who had returned to the States from Germany hit it off and as we spent time together we Listened to a lot of the same bands. He gradually turned me into a guy called “King Diamond” who was another dark metal band.
The King originated from the Band “Mercyful Fate” which was and still is a Beast of a band. A Danish heavy metal band from Copenhagen, formed in 1981 by vocalist King Diamond and guitarist Hank Shermann. 1983’s Melissa and 1984’s Don’t Break the Oath announced them as Leaders of a Movement you may consider the first wave of Black Metal
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They disbanded in 1985 due to creative musical differences but not before influencing a new generation of bands.
King Diamond did not falter in moving quickly with his own vision and began finding his feet with His First Album “Fatal Portrait” and then embraced the notion of being a Storyteller by essentially creating concept records. 1987’s “Abigail” and 88’s “Them” were instant Classic Dark Rock Gene Essentials.
Both works were tied together in the stories of Mayhem Madness and Family Ghosts.
Guitarists Andy LaRocque and Michael Denner, Helped The King turn great ideas into Dark Masterpieces. He continues to this day to not only make records in his own name but has Buried the hatchet and worked with Mercyful Fate again. Long Live the King! or should I say, King Diamond.
King Diamond: live in Eindhoven, NL 1986-04-20
Celtic Frost

I came to know of Celtic Frost at the same time I heard Slayer. I was Loaned “Reign in Blood” and Frost’s “To Mega Therion” (the band’s sophomore record). This was the time of the cassette and the trusty “Walkman” with headphones so you were not dragged to the Psychiatrist or a Priest by the Parental concern. Youthful exploration is not always understood.
Celtic Frost was Formed in 1981 as Gore Rockers Hellhammer, the band became Celtic Frost in 1984 and released their debut, Morbid Tales, that year. This was followed by “To Mega Therion” (1985).
Thomas Gabriel Fischer – lead vocals, guitar (1984–1993) AKA Tom G. Warrior was an astounding player in the Genre. Not easy to pull off lead vocals while playing the bone-crushing riffs in changing time signatures.
Celtic Frost has influenced a number of black metal, death metal, thrash metal, and standard heavy metal bands. The band Therion, for example, took its band name from the album To Mega Therion. Other bands that have cited Celtic Frost as an influence, or have covered Celtic Frost, include Anthrax, Obituary, Death, Benediction, Brutal Truth, Neurosis, Cradle of Filth, Marduk, Dimmu Borgir, Sepultura, Cancer, Asphyx, Pro-Pain, Gorgoroth, Gallhammer, Paradise Lost, Evoken, Napalm Death, and many others. Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic from Nirvana were fans of Celtic Frost.
As with so many bands, line-up changes are enough to make your skull pop off. Ultimately players continued under the banner until 2008 when they officially laid the band to rest. Not before Leaving a great body of work and a huge scar on the Earth.
Celtic Frost To Megatherion 1985
While you are here why not discover more metal with this Schorching metal band from slovakia and if you are a musician yourself why not check out these websites for musicians to share music thanks for reading and feel free to leave a comment.