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Since heavy metal’s rise to prevalence in the 1970s, Black musicians have contributed to the culture and given stylistic takes on numerous metal subgenres.

Get ready to headbang as you check out these five Black-lead metal bands and learn about their impacts in the alternative scene.

Black Death

Established in the late 1970s, Black Death is regarded as the first Black-led and first all-African American metal band. For a while, they were considered one of the only ones in America.

Fans of bands such as Iron Maiden and Mötley Crüe will enjoy a familiar sound, as the band gives their own take on the heavy metal genre in their 1984 self-titled album. The album weaves gnarly guitar solos between classic rock ‘n’ roll instrumentals, topped with operatic vocals. Even their slower tracks, such as “When Tears Run Red” have electric shreds backing the overall calmer sound.

As of 2025, guitarist Greg Hicks is the only member left of the band. Though they only ever released one studio album in their time, their introduction of Black culture into the metal scene would leave a notable impact, and show that people of color can be metalheads too.

God Forbid

After an almost 10-year breakup, God Forbid reunited in 2022 and have been active since. For metalheads who miss the screamo style of 2000s metalcore, God Forbid is an underrated gem.

Their music takes drum-heavy, fast-paced metalcore-style instrumentals and amplifies them with frontman Bryan Davis’ uncleans and gutturals, bordering on melodic deathcore. God Forbid has even dipped their toes in the thrash genre. Overall, they are similar to bands such as Shadow of Intent and Mister Misery.

Their 2004 album “Gone Forever” showcases some of their most iconic work. The tracklist consists of a smooth, yet heavy-hitting lineup in terms of instrumentals, with powerful vocal performances through and through. One of their most popular tracks from this release is “Anti-Hero,” which perfectly encapsulates the album’s sound.

Through their discography, fans can find their niche in their six released albums, each mixing different metal genres in ways not previously seen.

Oceano

Deathcore band Oceano is no stranger to the metal scene. Since 2008, frontman Adam Warren’s intense gutturals atop slower, hard-hitting breakdowns have solidified Oceano’s mark in the metal community. Oceano remains one of the few Black-led deathcore bands to gain a sizable fanbase.

For anyone looking for an introduction to the deathcore subgenre, Oceano is a good place to start. Just last August, Oceano released their sixth studio album, “Living Chaos,” after a seven-year break from music. Songs such as “Darkness Rising” and lead track “Wounds Never Healed” incorporate more melodic instrumental elements and more stable gutturals, similar to bands such as Lorna Shore and The Amity Affliction.

For those who prefer classic, faster-paced tracks with more aggressive vocals, “Mass Produced” and “Broken Curse” will satisfy the craving for intensity. With only nine songs, listeners of the album will definitely be left wanting more.

Oceano announced their disbanding in early 2025, but don’t be discouraged from exploring the legacy they’re leaving behind.

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Body Count

Another heavy metal band in the lineup, Body Count is another band made up almost entirely of Black musicians. The band is infamous for being fronted by rapper Ice-T, who created the band alongside guitarist Ernie Cunnigan in the early 1990s.

Body Count reinvented the heavy metal genre by introducing elements of rap into their music. They incorporate rap-like flows over the familiar heavy drums and sharp guitar riffs as opposed to the screaming or melodic vocals heavy metal fans are more familiar with. The band’s seamless blend of rap and metal gives them a refreshing sound that distinguishes them from most other metal bands.

Most notably, Body Count’s music discusses topics not often brought up in the genre, like police brutality, racism, drug abuse and more. They’re not afraid to confront audiences with issues faced by the Black community and don’t hold back the reality or consequences that come from them.

Body Count is still active, having performed at Aftershock 2024 and releasing their studio album “Merciless” just last November. For fans looking for something different but still hard-hitting, this band won’t disappoint.

Magnolia Park

A recent addition to the metal genre, Magnolia Park first released music in 2018. Despite releasing several singles and EPs over the years, they began to rise in popularity with the release of their 2023 metal and metalcore album “Halloween Mixtape II.” Their album blended hard rock and metal elements both musically and vocally, with a blend of clean and unclean vocals over punky instrumentals and heavy breakdowns.

Magnolia Park began their career making pop-punk and emo songs. They’ve collaborated with other notable names in the alt scene, such as TX2, Kellin Quinn and even Disney.

Since then, they’ve dabbled in other alternative genres, such as nu-metal and indie rock, so fans of any type of alternative music can find something to enjoy.

Magnolia Park has an upcoming album “VAMP,” set to release April 11 of this year.