Emperor is great, their first album was epic for the time.

Celtic Frost is classic.

Still have Agalloch on deck on my 'to-do' list, results pending...

Its hard to make a decision because Black Metal itself has become very fragmented. While a couple of Black Metal bands from the late 80s/early 90s (most notably Burzum and Ulver) have moved their sounds to more ambient, almost psychedelic realms, you still have Black Metal bands that kept the original sound: fast, dark, heavy, high-pitched wailing, and unintelligible lyrics. Bands like 1349, Gorgoroth, Darkthrone and Mayhem that stuck to the guns. Then you have the theatric/Gothic Black Metal bands like Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir. And then there are the newer Black Metal bands (what I like to call Caveman Black Metal) like Agalloch and Wolves in the Throne Room, who seem to have abandoned the old high-pitched wailing for a more Death Metal low growl approach to vocals.

But honestly, when I think of Black Metal, I think Satan. I think burning churches. I think corpse paint and black clothes. I feel more inclined to go with the bands that stuck to the original Black Metal sound, including the original Black Metal band, Mayhem (unless you want to count Venom and Bathory as the firsts).

That's classy.

I actually think its immortal. Yeah call me poser or whatever. blah blah blah

I don't know about best, but my favourite is Sigh.

omg ur such a poseur for lisening 2 immortal! u should lisen 2 Zaaarghginar cuz no one ever heard of them!!!!11!111

I think I'm going to have to agree with Sigh, they're at least one of the more experimental ones.

Cheers to whoever posted that picture of Living Colour. I didn't even think about how the title "Best Black Metal Band" could be misconstrued. Hahaha!

Oh! What about Northern Impaled Moon Forest? The Anal **** Black Metal side project? They had the greatest Black Metal song titles.

DEMO #1 - Impaled Northern Moon Forest
1. Grim and Frostbitten Moongoats of the North
2. Forlorned Invocations of the Blasphemous Congregations of Lusting Goat Sodomizing Sathanis
3. Gazing at the Blasphemous Moon While Perched Atop a Very, Very, Very, Very, Very, Very, Very Forsaken Crest of the Northern Mountain
4. Bloodlustfully Praising Satan's Unholy Allmightyness in the Woods at Midnight
5. Nocturnal Cauldrons Aflame Amidst the Northern Hellwitch's Prepetual Blasphemy
6. Transfixing the Forbidden Blasphemous Incantation of the Conjering Wintergoat

DEMO #2 - Impaled Northern Moon Forest
1. Masturbating on the Unholy Inverted Tracks of the Grim and Frostbitten Necrobobsledders
2. Awaiting the Blasphemous Abomination of the Necroyeti While Sailing on the Nothernmost Fjord of Xzfgiiimtsath
3. Lustfully Worshipping the Inverted Moongoat While Skiing Down the Inverted Necromountain of Necrodeathmortum
4. Awaiting the Frozen Blasphemy of the Necroyeti's Lusting Necrobation Upon the Altar of Voxrfszzzisnzf
5. Summoning the Unholy Frozen Winterdemons to the Grimmest and Most Frostbitten Inverted Forest of Abazagorath
6. Entranced by the Northern Impaled Necrowizard's Blasphemous Incantation Amidst the Agonizing Abomination of the Lusting
7. Grim and Frostbitten Gay Bar