Now that you’ve watched our countdowns for the greatest U.S. and U.K. metal acts, Loudwire continues its world tour with the 10 Greatest Swedish Metal Bands!

Sweden is one of the promised lands of death and black metal. The Northern winds and glacial landscapes molded an especially cold and bleak style of extreme metal, with no act personifying those characteristics more than Opeth. Constantly changing styles and never releasing a bad album, Opeth have unleashed some of the most spectacular compositions in metal history, thanks to the brilliance of Mikael Akerfeldt.

Two of the most frostbitten albums from Sweden come with satanic sentiments from Dissection. Storm of the Light’s Bane and The Somberlain are both perfect black metal albums, helping define their home country’s style while adding a level of melody far beyond their contemporaries. Though Dissection sound gorgeous at times, another Swedish black metal cornerstone, Marduk, do not. Few bands sound as purely violent and hateful than Marduk, representing pure Satanism through sound.

Sweden also gave us perhaps the greatest female frontwoman in metal history, former Arch Enemy vocalist Angela Gossow. Though Arch Enemy continue to triumph with Alissa White-Gluz on the mic, few vocalists, male or female, can touch the intensity of Gossow’s delivery. A true pioneer of extreme women, Gossow will forever be remembered at the highest level of death metal performers.

Check out the 10 Greatest Swedish Metal Bands in the Loud List above!

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